I spent the day Monday reaching one of my primary destinations, the Northwest tip of Washington State, which makes Neah Bay the northwest tip of the contiguous United States.   Day twelve started in Aberdeen, at the aformentioned Tomahawk Motel.

 My  online friend in Aberdeen was silent, so I stopped briefly at Hoquiam’s Polson House, after breakfast, then moved on along the Ocean Beaches.

The Burton Ross Memorial Garden has a small, but well-arranged, collection of roses.

Ocean Shores is a lovely, somewhat swanky, resort area along the coast, just north of Hoquiam.  Gulls and people generally get along well.  It was disturbing, though, when a rowdy driver aimed his car directly at a large nesting area and laughed uproariously at the frightened, scattering birds.  No one else was much amused.

I drove inland a bit, past Humptulips,

to Lake Quinault, and the first of several beautiful temperate rain forests that are offered by the Olympic Peninsula.

Above, is a view of Lake Quinault.

After walking a bit near the Lake Quinault Lodge, a Victorian-style hotel, and having a very leisurely lunch at Quinault Cafe, I walked along three rain forest trails.

After walking a bit near the Lake Quinault Lodge, a Victorian-style hotel, and having a very leisurely lunch at Quinault Cafe, I walked on three rainforest trails.

This is, purportedly, the world’s largest spruce tree.  There are four species of evergreen in Quinault Rain Forest:  Red hemlock, red cedar, Sitka spruce and Douglas fir.

Here is a full view of a Sitka spruce.

There are numerous small waterfalls along Quinault Creek.  Here is Marriman Falls.

The Kalaloch (“Easy living”) area has one of the Washington coast’s largest piles of driftwood, and again purportedly, the world’s largest red cedar tree.

I stopped at the Forks Visitor Center, more out of homage to the town’s timbering heritage than to its most recent claim to fame.  “Twilight” references here were tongue in cheek, and there is a display inside, dedicated to the series.

After using the WiFi to post about Day 11 of this trip, I inadvertently left my camera on the ground, under my seat.  When I got to Seqiu, up the coast a ways, I found- No CAMERA.  Driving immediately back to Forks (20 miles, or so), I was greeted, on the opposite side of town, by about five high school-age boys, one of whom called out- “Ha! He came back.  Hey, dude, your camera’s on the clip.”  So, I drove back to the Visitor’s Center, and voila- there it was.  Only in a town like this could such a thing happen.  I celebrated with a clam strip dinner at this fine Forks establishment.

I went on to Lake Ozette, down the hill from Neah Bay, and spent a restful night, under the stars.

Next:  Day 13- Lake Ozette, Neah Bay and the Straits Coast

Day 14- The Emerald City