Vikram and Noella's Olympic Dream
19 July 04: On the way to Hurricane Ridge

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On the way to Hurricane Ridge

It was around 3:30p.m. when we arrived in Port Angeles. While this would be considered tea-time in India, my stomach told me that it was still lunch time. This was despite consuming our sandwiches on the ferry. Vikram seemed to want to eat something as well, so we headed to the India Oven restaurant before heading to Olympic National Park. This restaurant had good food and nice views of the Port Angeles harbour.

View of Strait of Juan de Fuca, from road to Hurricane Ridge; copyright 2004 onwards Vikram Dwarkadas and Noella D'Cruz

Around 4:30p.m. we left for the park. The lengthy summer days at these high latitudes guaranteed that we would get our fill of Hurricane Ridge even at this time of day since the ridge was just 40 minutes from Port Angeles. Whether we could also browse through the gift shop and visitor center was another issue! We made sure we picked up a trail map from the ranger who sold us our entrance pass in case the visitor center was closed.

There are a few viewpoints along the way to Hurricane Ridge that provide excellent views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca that separates USA and Canada. Here is the view from one viewpoint. One can see Vancouver Island and Victoria too. Though the photo doesn't do justice to the view - it was absolutely gorgeous to see the deep blue water of the strait strewn with mountainous, tree-covered islands (binoculars helped too). We could see the Dungeness Spit too, the famous 4 mile long sandbar that attracts many birds. Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak are also visible from this spot, though not on the day we visited.
another view of Strait of Juan de Fuca, from road to Hurricane Ridge; copyright 2004 onwards Vikram Dwarkadas and Noella D'Cruz This is another view of the Strait. One can see Port Angeles on the near side of the strait, though the clearcut patch in the foreground tends to dominate. (This particular patch is probably on private land outside the park.) Logging used to be common in what is now Olympic National Park; it is no longer permitted in any national park. It continues in the surrounding Olympic National Forest as different laws apply in the national forests. However, these days logging in this forest is much reduced compared to past years. We saw similar logged patches while driving around the peninsula. Most areas have been replanted.
Vikram and Strait of Juan de Fuca from road to Hurricane Ridge; copyright 2004 onwards Vikram Dwarkadas and Noella D'Cruz Vikram with the Strait of Juan de Fuca behind him.
Clouds and Mountains on the way to Hurricane Ridge; copyright 2004 onwards Vikram Dwarkadas and Noella D'Cruz Where the mountains meet the clouds! These clouds are fairly ephemeral - they form and disperse quite rapidly leaving wisps of cotton in the thickly forested valleys.
Clouds, Mountains and Noella, on the way to Hurricane Ridge; copyright 2004 onwards Vikram Dwarkadas and Noella D'Cruz This photo was taken about a minute after the previous one, attesting to the transitory nature of these clouds. The mountain in the distance, right "above" my head, has patches of snow on it.
Detail of Clouds, Mountains and Noella, on the way to Hurricane Ridge; copyright 2004 onwards Vikram Dwarkadas and Noella D'Cruz This is a detail of the above photo, showing the lush forest. The plaque explains the role of the clouds in keeping moisture within this area. The clouds form from Pacific Ocean water that has evaporated. The Olympic Mountains force the clouds to high altitudes where they deposit their moisture as snow and rain. The moisture eventually finds its way into the Pacific Ocean via streams that combine to form rivers. The large volume of moisture involved in this process fosters and sustains these thick, beautiful forests.
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All photos copyright 2004 onwards. Please contact Noella D'Cruz (ndcruz at depaul dot edu) or Vikram Dwarkadas (vikram at oddjob dot uchicago dot edu) before using any any of them.