And then we 'off-road' on the Wing...

Tuesday, July 1st:  We are still using the Tacoma Holiday Inn as our home base, as we got a great deal VIA Priceline Express Deals.  It is a warm day for this area, with highs close to 90; very unusual.  We decide to head toward the coast and the Olympia Peninsula where it should be much cooler.  After a very long hot ride, we arrive in Quinault on the Olympia Peninsula, which is famous for its temperate rain forests and large trees.  We take a walk through one of these areas.  It is still warm and humid.

Tall Spruce Tree

Rain Forest

The forest floor is covered with ferns and mosses.  The temperate rain forest is a very rare ecosystem, only found in few small areas world-wide.

Mosses and ferns get very big.  

World's Largest Spruce Tree

me sitting at the base of the tree

We also stop to see the World's Largest Spruce Tree;  1000 years old, 191 feet tall, 58 ft. circumference.
(Ok students, what's the diameter?)

It appears on the map that the road we are on circumnavigates a large lake, with a bridge on the upper end over the feeder creek.  I tell Kerry that I saw on my big paper map (back at the hotel) that it turns to dirt, but he looks at his map on his phone and says he

Quinault Road Map; grey lines are unpaved road

sure it's paved, and my map must have been out of date in 2013.  (I am sure it's dirt, but I won't argue with the stubborn Wing pilot; he's the one that's driving)  Sure enough after a few miles the road turns to gravel.  I stay silent on the back and put up with the rough bouncing and jostling.  Fortunately there are few other vehicles.  The road is level and turns to hard-packed dirt in places.  After about 5 miles we find the bridge and cross over to the north side.  Now the road narrows and gets windy and hilly, still gravel and dirt.  At times as Kerry powers the Wing up a hill we come very close to drop-offs down on my left side.  It was a bit scary.  After another 5 miles of this, the road finally flattens out and we ride through beautiful pine forests, the floor covered with large ferns.  The only words that cross my mind are 'forest primeval'.  I can see glimpses of the lake to me left.  The road eventually returns to pavement and both breath a sigh of relief, and no, I never said 'told you so!'  It is a long trip back, so we take a quick side trip to see the Pacific Ocean.  Kerry nearly gets stuck in the sand.

Pacific Beach with Horses and Cars

I notice large groups of horses and vehicles parked on the beach.  There are folks here that take people on horseback rides on the beach for 20 dollars an hour.  Kerry can't find a firm place to park so we head out.

We finally arrive back in Tacoma after a very tiring day.  We decide to take a day off from touring tomorrow and rest up.