By the way - this is a big moment - the first time things are actually working the way I imagined. I'm sitting in my (freezing) tent blogging. I must be getting closer to civilization as there's actually a broadband connection.
Anyway once I left Baker City drove through the endless, barren, rolling hills of Idaho/W ashington. Eventually ran into Washington wine country. Extensive vineyards which are incredibly gorgeous and some cherry orchards out there. Didn't stop at any wineries; no fun when you're on your own.
Stopped for the night at Issaquah, WA, mainly because I couldn't find a suitable campground. Definitely back in suburbia. Wednesday headed off into Seattle but it turns out the hostels has no beds available so stopped at a Visitors Center and got loaded up with info re Olympic National Park where I've been for the past few days. Found my happy spot at Kalaloch beach campsite. I could see the ocean from my camp. Sweet. OK still grey and rainy but it's all good. I just love the beach; stayed there 2 nights.
While driving around being a tourist I quite innocently came across Fords, Washington (if you're like me and totally uncool, it's apparently the hometown of the heroine of Twilight) so I took some iconic pix. I'm hip, I'm happenin'
Yesterday on the way to the Hoh Rain Forest I just had to stop for lunch at the Hard Rain Cafe. That makes a great addition to visiting the Hard Wok Cafe on a mountain in China. The rain forest is one of my big reasons for coming here. I t is quite different than I imagined, big trees and such, verdant but kind of ummmmmm drier than anticipated, in fact it's not at all drippy.
Today I was planning to move to the Sol Duc hot springs area but didn't like it; drove out toward Neah but didn't like it[but did like the Mahak Tribal Museum] At the museum ran into some folks I met at the tidal pools the other day when she was taking pix with fancy-schmancy camera just as my little camera battery died; drove through Port Angeles but didn't see any place to stay, drove toward Port Townsend and found my current home, Dungeness where I'll be for 2 nights. Basically I'm going clockwise around the Olympic penninsula.