3000 KM!

DAY 86

TUESDAY 28 JUNE 2016

SALT SPRING ISLAND (MOWHINNA CAMPGROUND) - NANAIMO

1100 -1630

54.62 km (33.94 miles)
Av. Speed: 17.3 km/h (10.8 mph)
Max. Speed: 58.9 km/h (36.6 mph)
Time On Bike: 3h 09m 23s

3000 kilometers ticked over today but unfortunately it was pretty crap.

One of the most despicable sections of freeway yet near the town of Ladysmith brought up the milestone and there was no opportunity to savour it until I got to where I was going.

Near enough must be good enough this time around.

3000 KM RACKED UP TODAY ON ONE OF THE MOST FUCKED UP SECTIONS OF FREEWAY YET SO IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP ANYWHERE AND RECORD THE MOMENT

I had enjoyed the night camping at Mowhinna although in review, I was lucky to have made it at all.

Aside from the episode of misdirection, I was no more than a minute from boarding the wrong ferry at Swartz Bay and ending up anywhere at all.

Through no fault of my own, the ticket attendant directed me to Berth 4 where the boat had already docked and begun to board.

Just as I started to wheel on, a traffic attendant interrupted me from afar.

I'm not sure, but he must have recalled me asking about Salt Spring Island about 30 minutes previously.

"Are you going to Salt Spring?" he yelled. 

"Yeh, I am".

"Well you're not getting on THIS boat!"

"Why not?"

"Your boat leaves from Berth 3!"

"Well why was I told Berth 4??!!""

"Berth 3 in about 5 minutes sir!"

Well, shit. I'm glad somebody knew what the fuck was going on.

NANAIMO

By standards, it was a pretty straightforward affair today.

I got away in good time and made my way down to Vesuvius terminal for the ferry crossing to Crofton.

CROSSING FROM VESUVIUS TO CROFTON

In spite of missing the 11.35 by about 3 minutes and having to wait an hour for the next one, I was in Crofton by 1 pm where I got a bite of lasagne for lunch and hydrated up for the ride to Nanaimo.

In the face of ramping afternoon heat, the first section was a lovely, though at times hilly trundle along the Chemainus Rd.

By the junction at Ladysmith, things turned gnarly along the Trans-Canada Route 17 - a flat out, high-speed rumble which would surely rate alongside the worst sections of US 101 as one of the most treacherous, fucked-up death traps I have had to endure on this tour.

It literally was 16 kilometers of hell which I hope I will not need to repeat.

And I moreover did not appreciate losing the shoulder completely about 5 km out of Nanaimo and having to dodge death once more in the 4 pm rush-hour.

I'm here, in 1 piece, for 2 nights. 

VANCOUVER ISLAND

DAY 85

MONDAY 27 JUNE 2016

VICTORIA - SALT SPRING ISLAND (MOWHINNA CAMPGROUND)

1030 -2115

81.2 km (50.46 miles)
Av. Speed: 15.8 km/h (9.8 mph)
Max. Speed: 67.8 km/h (42.1 mph)
Time On Bike: 5h 08m 28s

Monday morning had me back on the road and looking ahead to the next 10 days of travelling Vancouver Island.

This is the final leg of my journey and I will finish in Vancouver next week if my schedule holds up.

I pedalled out of Victoria just after 10.30 via an initial breakfast stop in James Bay.

BUTCHART GARDENS

Although my destination for the day was to be Salt Spring Island, I was immediately headed towards the Butchart Gardens, which had come highly recommended as a place to visit.

As a "Designated National Site of Canada", I was keen to see what all the hoo-haa was about.

The "Galloping Goose Trail" was the most practical and direct route out of Victoria and probably the safest as well.

I was able to clunk my way through on quite a warm morning, making the obligatory number of fuck-ups and getting a little hotter under the long tights at each wrong turn.

Still, the trail was a good one and it got me to the gardens in around 2½ hours.

The entry fee I thought from the outset was a little steep - $33 with taxes - and once inside, I was convinced of it.

On a warm afternoon, I just couldn't find the right mood to bustle through the narrow avenues of the gardens with 2 or 3000 other tourists.

The gardens themselves were difficult to come to grips with as well.

I am normally loathed to compare one travel experience against another - it is not sound counsel as I see it.

But my immediate feeling was a complete absence of any kind of "WOW" factor here.

Perhaps it's a measure of some of the incredible places I've experienced on this tour (Yosemite and Olympic National Parks being the standouts) and also other amazing places I've visited over the years.

I could not seriously consider that these gardens, as "pretty" as they are, were even in the same stratosphere as the Shrine of Bab and the Baha'i Gardens of Haifa in Israel.

Certainly the Umpherstone Sinkhole in Mount Gambier, South Australia is by degrees, more naturally dramatic than the so-called "Sunken Garden" here.

And the tipping point for me was sitting on a bench for over 20 minutes overlooking a man-made water feature and Butchart Gardens highlight called the Ross Fountain and counting in the dozens the number of people goo-ing and gaa-ing as though they had never seen anything like this before.

I've seen Lake Burley-Griffin in Canberra back home and nothing does man-made like LBG.

With time ticking and no desire to mingle any longer than necessary with hordes of coach-tourists, I made for the gates.

I made a point of at least taking a few snaps before heading out.

ROSS FOUNTAIN, BUTCHART GARDENS

SALT SPRING ISLAND

SSI was probably Plan C, truth be told.

Stef and Zack had recommended it as a preferred route to the north, in lieu of taking on a 1200 ft climb through Malahat to the west or indeed my next preference which would have been the ferry across from Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay.

I had spent a good portion of Sunday afternoon scoping out my route and accommodation options for the next 10 days - something I normally avoid - in order to make good time to Vancouver and allow myself a full week there when I arrive.

Mowhinna Campground on Salt Spring was my chosen venue and I had locked everything in via email over the weekend.

Zack had also suggested I take the "back route" up to Mowhinna to avoid the traffic along the Fulford-Ganges, which is the island's main artery.

Fair call, but in hindsight a huge mistake to take it on without a GPS.

It was already late in the day when I alighted the Swartz Bay Ferry in Fulford Harbour - 7.35 to be exact and I knew there was a solid hour's riding still ahead of me.

ON THE SWARTZ BAY FERRY TO SALT SPRING ISLAND

ARRIVING ON SALT SPRING ISLAND

I also knew there to be a tidy 500 ft climb straight out of Fulford Harbour which was another reason I opted for the back road.

Using nothing more than a sense of direction, I knew I had fucked up big-style when I dead-ended at Ruckle Provincial Park at about 8.20.

It was an easy 5 km back to the turn I knew I had missed and a good hearty climb to get there.

The last time I got off and pushed was in California as far as I can remember and the plethora of short sharp pinches on this back route were now providing plenty of opportunities to do so.

By this stage, I was both sweating and stressing as the daylight hours advanced and I had no idea how far I actually was from home.

Another ambiguous junction caused confusion and I had no choice then but to take a punt, fortunately crossing paths with a local less than a kilometer up the way.

The young lady was able to confirm that I was at least heading in the right direction and I may not have been as far away as I thought.

For only the third time on this trip, I was forced to use my headlamp as the sunset had gotten in first although once re-connected with the main road, it was no more than 10 minutes to Mowhinna on the happy side of the hill.

9.15 was a just little later than I had planned to arrive and my hosts I'm sure had given up.

A hot shower was my reward for the last stretch of toil and trouble, which with time again I would have done everything to avoid, primarily by sticking to the main road.

VICTORIA, BC

DAYS 80 - 84

WEDNESDAY 22 JUNE - SUNDAY 26 JUNE 2016

WEDNESDAY

It ended up taking a few days to get something out of my experience in Victoria, which was greatly helped by a change in the weather, a change in accommodation and getting out of the downtown area and seeing a few things.

However, it wasn't a great start.

I had booked into a downtown hostel for the first night, with the unavailability of my Warmshowers hosts until Thursday.

The Ocean Island Inn is a curious name for this hostel.

It isn't anywhere near the ocean - well at least the ocean is nowhere in view.

Strictly speaking, it is on an island although with the relentless racket of Victoria's rush-hour traffic which includes frequent sirens wailing from all directions, it hardly feels like an island.

"Hobbiton Hotel" is the name I would probably like to suggest, as you would need to be the size of a hobbit to feel comfortable here.

The room I paid over $50 for this night was a disgrace - no more than matchbox size, with barely enough room to open the door and lie down in bed.

I ended up sleeping with my trailer because there was simply nowhere else to put it.

JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ME...

And with the number of people this place manages to cram between its non-negotiable walls, I felt it to be nothing short of a fire trap.

It certainly would't be the first time this kind of building has gone up in smoke, in which case there would be 120 deep-fried backpackers to show for it - there would be no escape.

Throw in a few high-decibel, bucket-mouthed Australians to populate the mix and it pretty much summarised everything I try to avoid whilst travelling.

THURSDAY

Hanging around the downtown area of Victoria may or may not have been good for my mental and emotional well-being.

The weather for a start, was shit.

Even though I had arrived (per chance) in Victoria for the start of the annual Ska and Reggae festival, I endured barely the opening tune of the headline act on Wednesday evening, Toots and the Maytals in the cold, miserable squall before running for cover back to the claustrophobic white-noise of "Hobbiton".

I was more than happy to check out ASAP the next morning but for the fact I needed to store all my gear in the place whilst I waited to make good on my next Warmshowers appointment.

Good luck.

The basement was allegedly the storage space, which I could tell just by looking at it was going to struggle to take my equipment.

Miraculously, we jiggled and juggled and squeezed it in somehow.

My mind was temporarily at rest as I headed towards the library for a bit of respite and chill time.

The quiet and disconnect of the place ended up keeping me for the entire afternoon as I also looked to bide as much time as possible to make way around to my hosts.

I had not actually heard anything back from my last communication and as time got on, began to consider the implications of having to spend another night at "Hobbiton".

Dinner time beckoned and the super-slow service at John's Place actually worked in my favour as I figured that this may give my hosts a little more time to be there.

After calling back at 8.30, there was still no cigar and still nowhere to sleep at a pretty late hour.

Much to my chagrin, I returned to "Hobbiton" and booked another night in a smelly, pokey dorm room with 7 other people.

FRIDAY

As it happened, I had apparently missed my Warmshowers hosts by not much more than 30 minutes on Thursday evening.

This knowledge kind of added insult to injury although we at least agreed to try again first thing.

Stef and Zack were both at home when I landed just after 11 am Friday and were happy to have me stay for the next 3 nights.

Once settled in, I set out for the first time to have a look around Victoria.

The weather had improved somewhat throughout Thursday and in spite of a strong sea breeze which had whipped up around lunch time, conditions were much better.

On Stef's recommendation, I walked up to Moss Rock Park which offered 360° views of Strait Juan de Fuca and the James Bay precinct of Victoria.

From here, it was a short stroll down to Victoria's waterfront trail which takes in sections of Beacon Hill Park, Fisherman's Wharf and a marker known as "Mile 0" on the western junction of the Trans-Canada Highway.

FLOAT HOMES @ FISHERMAN'S WHARF 

WATER TAXI, FISHERMAN'S WHARF

SEA LION FROLICKING @ FISHERMAN'S WHARF

After taking a fish & chips lunch stop at Fisherman's Wharf, I headed back into the downtown area and for the first time since arriving in Victoria, the sun was making an appearance. 

The main facade of Victoria is actually quite impressive and lends itself to a photo or two.

VICTORIA'S PARLIAMENT BUILDING

THE EMPRESS HOTEL

SATURDAY

By Saturday morning, the weather was at its absolute best and the past couple of days became something of a memory.

After threatening to do so for at least 24 hours, I committed to making a trip to Mt Douglas which apparently offered some spectacular views of the city and beyond.

It was all accessible by bus as well so there was no better opportunity to go and have a look.


VIDEO: TAKE A 360° TOUR FROM THE TOP OF MT DOUGLAS!

MT DOUGLAS PANO

I had been invited by Stef and Zack to join them for their Saturday evening Mario Party - basically sitting around the Nintendo Wii playing countless rounds of a computer game and trash talking each other all the way.

Their friend Matt had prepared well for the occasion, producing two mountainous serves of Nachos, a tray-load of brownies, a hommous dip platter and an obligatory plate of candy.

SUITABLE FUEL FOR A MARIO PARTY

Somewhere, somehow a Warhammer sword appeared out of Matt's bedroom and I just had to pose with it. "Look mean", they told me.....

SUNDAY & THE SAGA OF THE BAG

Just to rewind a few weeks back to Portland which is where I had to acquire a new trailer and ended up with a small bag of excess items as a result.

I had to negotiate the onward progress of that bag in lieu of dragging it with me all the way to Vancouver.

The outcome was to forward it from Portland to Port Angeles and collect it when I got there, which I did.

The bag then travelled across the water into Canada with me and hence became a problem once again.

In theory, I arrive in Victoria and forward it via general delivery to Vancouver, just as I had done in the U.S.

A contingency had developed in the meanwhile whereby I was looking to travel to Vancouver via public transit in order to cast an absentee vote for the upcoming Australian Federal election on 2 July.

Could I possibly then take the bag with me and deliver it in person to a Vancouver post office for pickup when I arrived?

"No", was the simple answer to this when I fronted at the Victoria post office on arrival on Wednesday afternoon.

And incidentally, I was told, there is likely to be an indefinite general strike in early July by Canada Post so even if I was to post it, it may well be locked up and irretrievable if a strike was in progress.

Perfect.

Still, better to know this stuff now than to be caught out and screwed over unknowingly.

After some research in the meantime, I had determined that it was cheaper for me to pay the fine for not voting than to make a return trip to Vancouver and lose an entire day for the privilege.

What then to do about it?

Staying with Stef and Zack had certainly improved my lot whilst in Victoria and after discussing the dilemma with them, Stef may have a contact or two in Vancouver that may have been able to help.

I was keen to urge this as a potential solution to the problem.

In addition, they were travelling to Vancouver on Sunday and could take the bag with them if there was a recipient at the other end.

And as it turned out, there was.

A friend of Stef's named Josh was able to take the bag and keep it until my arrival.

So we ran with this and the bag disappeared in the direction of Vancouver on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier, we had taken an early morning excursion to the View Royal area for a fun-run event.

Of the 3 of us, Zack was the only one to take the gas and complete the 10 km event.

ZACK ON THE MOVE

HALF MARATHON START

STEF, ZACK & QUITO THE LUCK DRAGON

VIEW ROYAL

IT'S FERRY TIME!

DAY 80

WEDNESDAY 22 JUNE 2016

PORT ANGELES TO VICTORIA (BC, CANADA)

1030 - 1545

10.51 km (6.53 miles)
Av. Speed: 11.4 km/h (7.1 mph)
Max. Speed: 54.7 km/h (34 mph)
Time On Bike: 55m 02s

After one last sleep in the U.S of A this time around, I was up and about early to return the Kia Soul downtown, which also afforded the opportunity to purchase my ferry ticket for the 12.45 service to Victoria.

Back at the ranch, I packed my kit up and was out on the street by 10.30, farewelling my great hosts Celeste and Bob before departure.

ME, BOB & THE BIKE (CELESTE ABSENT...)

It had been a fun 48 hours or so in Port Angeles and I was extremely happy with how much I'd managed to fit in.

I'd covered some 435 miles in Kia Soul, so it had more than done its job.

With still a couple of hours to fill in, I dropped into the Cornerhouse for one final breakfast in Port Angeles before heading down to the ferry terminal to prepare for the 90 minute crossing to Canada.

THE CORNERHOUSE DID EASILY BEST BREAKFAST IN PORT ANGELES AND ARGUABLY THE BEST I'VE HAD ANYWHERE ON THIS TRIP 

The crowd had gathered by 12.30 for boarding and unlike the previous ferry trips I'd taken to and from Seattle, I was loaded with walk-on passengers this time instead of motor vehicles.

Once on board, I actually slept for at about half the crossing but wanted to grab one last photo on the way across.

SO LONG TO PORT ANGELES AND THE USA, THIS TIME AROUND....

CANADA

After 11 fabulous weeks traveling up the west coast of the U.S.A , it was time to leave and cross into the 2nd and final country of this tour and World Country No. 30 on my all time list, Canada.

This is the penultimate 3-week section of my current adventure, whereby I will be visiting firstly the British Columbian capital, Victoria and then cycling a 10-day section of Vancouver Island before crossing over the water yet again and pedaling southwards towards my final destination of Vancouver.

There is due to be an amount of travel by ferry over the next couple of weeks as multiple water-crossings in this part of the world necessitate their use, which I'm sure will add to the adventure.

I'm really looking forward to it!

PORT ANGELES & OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

DAY 77

SUNDAY 19 JUNE 2016

PORT TOWNSEND (FORT WORDEN STATE PARK) - PORT ANGELES

1100 - 1730

85.38 km (53.05 miles)
Av. Speed: 16.8 km/h (10.4 mph)
Max. Speed: 59.9 km/h (37.2 mph)
Time On Bike: 5h 03m 25s

The good night's sleep which had followed up a 6-mile return hike into town for a "midnight snack" (a.k.a dinner) had the effect of freshening me up for Sunday's run into Port Angeles.

NOW HERE'S A STAT..... 

Since leaving Los Angeles 11 weeks ago, I had not yet ridden on a Sunday, so this was a first!

This is not something I planned, it's just the way it has happened.

Any residual weather from the previous day had also dissipated overnight and I started pedaling under 100% clear and calm skies.

Fort Worden is one of three separate fortifications that were built over a century ago for the defense of Puget Sound.

The roles of these strategic areas have changed dramatically over time and nowadays, Fort Worden functions both as a State Park and is continually being redeveloped towards operating as a year-round tourist facility.

It was good to take a little time to look around before hitting the road this morning.

POINT WILSON LIGHTHOUSE, FORT WORDEN SP

POINT WILSON, FORT WORDEN SP

After riding through rain for about 2½ hours yesterday, the weather could not have been any better for the ride today.

When conditions are this good, it kind of inspires you to capitalise on them.

In spite of a late-ish start, I had reached the 20/101 junction by 1.50 pm so with a good run, I could calculate that it wasn't going to be a late one into Port Angeles.

I'd given my PA host an E.T.A of somewhere between 4 and 6 pm and whilst 4 was ambitious, I was pretty confident of making 6.

With 14 miles left on the clock, I swung in for some re-hydration at a roadhouse just west of Sequim and was back in the traffic at 4.20 sharp.

So as I pulled up on my host's doorstep at 5.28 pm, I knew that gassing the final 14 miles/22.5 km in 1 hour 8 minutes had more than qualified as "a good run".

PORT ANGELES

Port Angeles was to be my final stop in the U.S.A.

It was also the stop I planned to both visit Olympic National Park and cross into Canada by boat.

Within 10 minutes of arrival, I was changed and off to a downtown diner with my new Warmshowers host Celeste and her family.

Fiesta Jalisco was as good a Mexican feed as I've had along the way so far - and I've had a few.

Especially coming straight off a 50-mile ride, I could have eaten two of them and washing it all down with a fine Margarita was also pretty ideal.

In the midst of the feast, we were joined by Celeste's partner Bob and the three of us then headed up into the National Park to have a look around.

Hurricane Ridge was pretty much the first place I'd planned to visit anyhow but to be able to get a free ride up there within 2 hours of arrival in Port Angeles was something I was not expecting at all.

An 18-mile drive up the mountain got us to the main lookout and I could immediately see what all the fuss was about.

Clear skies combined with late afternoon light are often the photographer's wet dream and with the stunning backdrop of the snow-covered Olympics, it couldn't have got any better.

As late in the day as possible, we took the Hurricane Hill trail to the top for sunset which was an all time highlight for this trip with a full moon rising to the east. 

DAY 78 

MONDAY 20 JUNE 2016

Monday and Tuesday were the days I set aside to explore Olympic National Park.

Olympic is the second World Heritage National Park I have visited on this trip (Yosemite is the other...)

Things were off to a good start having already been up to have a good look at Hurricane Ridge and there was some chance that I would make second trip, if time allowed.

With 2 full days available, I set out in the Kia Soul to see what I could get through.

THE KIA SOUL

Driving west out of Port Angeles on Monday morning, Celeste and Bob recommended I head out towards Cape Flattery which is the most northwestern point of the contiguous United States (i.e., all the mainland states excluding Alaska and Hawai'i).

The area is one of the richest in indigenous culture in this part of the U.S and has the excellent Makah museum near the township of Neah Bay as well as being scenically beautiful with the land fronting both the Pacific on the western side and Strait Juan de Fuca on the northern side.

Just under 2 hours on the road got me to Neah Bay and I spent around an hour in the museum learning all about the nearby Ozette village, which had been buried repeatedly by mudslides in the past 500 years, only to have a mass of well-preserved remains disturbed by huge tides in the 1970's.

It thus became a site of archaeological importance and part of what was recovered over a 4-year dig in the early 70's is housed in this museum.

THE MAKAH MUSEUM, NEAH BAY

STRAIT JUAN DE FUCA (LOOKING ACROSS TO VANCOUVER ISLAND)

SEKIU VILLAGE

It would have been equally pointless to travel out in this direction without walking the Cape Flattery trail and seeing the northwestern-most point for myself.

SEA CAVES, CAPE FLATTERY

SELFIE @ THE CAPE

With the remains of the day still wide open and potentially plenty of distance to cover, I decided to head south and see where it led me.

The western sections of Olympic are in this direction with the Hoh Rainforest being accessible from 101.

At 4 pm, I estimated another couple of hours to get there, although the prospects of attempting any major hiking after 6 pm were low.

Entering the gates of Olympic in the latter stages of the day proved to be a freebie, which not only suited me but determined that it would be probably a short stay as I wasn't paying for it.

I jumped onto the Spruce Trail once at Hoh and spent half-an-hour walking through dense thickets of spruce, hemlock, Douglas Firs and big-leaf maples.

From here, there was still time remaining to head to one of the nearby beaches for sunset.

I chose Rialto, for no particular reason and have had it suggested to me since that this was a good choice.

RIALTO BEACH

DAY 79 

TUESDAY 21 JUNE 2016

Although I had clear skies and stayed dry for the entirety, there had clearly been 
some kind of downpour west of Port Angeles as I drove home on Monday evening.

When I looked out the window first thing on Tuesday morning, the Olympics had vanished.

In true Mt Rainier style, heavy grey clouds had swallowed the elevated levels of the Olympic range from the viewpoint of sea-level Port Angeles.

Given that my plans for the day involved heading straight back up to Hurricane Ridge, I was just about to go back to bed.

Thankfully though, the locals had a webcam.

To our collective astonishment, the camera was beaming back live images from the top of the mountain in crystal clear conditions.

As hard as it was to believe, we all had to agree that the camera probably wasn't lying.

I grabbed my bags and headed downtown for another fine breakfast feast at the Cornerhouse Restaurant before heading up Race Ave and towards the top of the mountain.

Remarkably, after ploughing through thick layers of low cloud for the entire distance up the mountain, it was only in the last mile that the Kia Soul poked its nose out into the bright sunlight which was exactly as the webcam had said it was 90 minutes earlier.

THE KIA SOUL ENJOYING LIFE ABOVE THE CLOUDS

I got myself ready and committed to take on the Klahane Ridge walk that would take about 3 hours+ if I was able to make it to the end and back again.

There was good counsel from the rangers that I would hit the snowpack at some point and should assess my progress from there.

Best though to take the Switchback Trail to get me up to the ridge line and take it from there.

Said Switchback Trail though was a direct 1600 ft ascent from the trailhead and I was well warned to beware of mountain goats and bears.

Arming myself with a couple of good sized gibbers, I headed upwards with the vistas improving exponentially with each 100 feet I climbed.

And yes, I did come across a family of mountain goats (no bears) and they were as tame as could be.

After a solid 90-minute climb, I found myself on the Ridge Trail proper and unfortunately, it was barely more than another half-mile along that I hit the snowpack.

The views were probably not going to get any better than from where I already was, so I took the gas.

It was a simply magnificent place to have some lunch and take it all in for a while before heading back down the same way I'd come.

Back at the car just before 3.15 meant that I'd made the return trip in 2h 45m, which left the rest of the day to make it over to the Sol Duc region of the park and indulge the hot springs on offer.

Sol Duc was a comfortable 2-hour drive from Hurricane Ridge and I pulled up at the Hot Springs resort at 4.55.

Naturally enough, I'd arrived smack-bang in the midst of the witching hour which is the daily 2-hour period where they "rest" all the hot pools for what I imagine is cleaning.

With nothing firing back up until at least 6 pm, I took the opportunity to head on down to the Sol Duc Falls, which was about 1 km to walk each way from the car park.

Ironically, the Sol Duc trail was more "rainforest" than the real rainforest I had skipped through the previous evening at Hoh.

It really was a lovely little walk and although I've seen enough waterfalls in recent days to do me for a while, it was still worthwhile.

SOL DUC TRAIL

SOL DUC FALLS

I rounded out the day with a well-earned session at the Hot Springs Resort (sorry no pics), which by staking out until after 6 pm also reduced the admission fee to only $10.