Boolie’s Blog

Late last year on our way home from Long Beach in Washington, we crossed the Columbia into Oregon and stopped in Astoria for lunch. The restaurant was right on the river providing a view of container ships anchored offshore. That’s Washington to the north, the ships are pointed east towards Portland.

I’m a little fascinated by ocean-going ships, I grew up many miles from the ocean in the Midwest and Southeast and to this day have not been out on a boat in the open seas. On my morning commute as I cross the Willamette on the MAX, I look out to see if there are any container ships docked at the riverbank. Portland is a ways inland but even ocean-going ships can reach its ports via the Columbia, entering the river here at Astoria.

The heavy cloud cover we sometimes get in the winter is something else I had to get used to when I moved here. Where I grew up back east, we’d have built an ark with clouds like these, but they aren’t so unusual in the winter here (and they don’t bring the torrential downpours their image might suggest).

I was troubled that the windows of this moving van were left rolled down, it was pouring and rain was getting inside the truck. On the plus side, the tree growing in the middle of the cabin was getting watered.

The funny thing is that I never photograph things like this. Four years ago when we first saw this abandoned Chevrolet at the end of the Kestner Homestead Trail in the Quinalt Rainforest, I didn’t take a single picture. But this time I felt the desire pretty strongly, so I followed my muse despite the steady rain. I do wish I had framed it a little more loosely but otherwise like the contrast of the smiling truck face with the sadness of the decay, as well as the reds and oranges and greens.

I took a handful of pictures but haven’t edited the others, so more pictures of this experiment may come online down the road.

Speaking of the Quinalt Rainforest, one word of caution: it might be tempting to huddle inside one of the massive trees to shield yourself from the rain, but do so at your peril. If a tree should grab hold, no mysterious nature-sprite will answer your summons, you’re on your own. Fortunately for me, for reasons unknown the tree seemed to expect someone half my size and I took advantage of its confusion to make my escape.

Olympic National Park is home to several rain forests with the Hoh Rainforest being the most famous and most visited. And with good reason, the Hoh hosts two short loop trails that take you past massive Sitka spruce and western hemlock hundreds of feet tall, moss-draped maples, plus firs, cedars, alders, and cottonwood. If you’re visiting the park and have only a little time, I’d recommend the Hoh Rainforest and Hurricane Ridge as two must-visit sites, both boasting easy access and short hikes that capture the unique nature of the park.

But if you have more time, wander around the less visited parts of the park like the Quinalt Rainforest pictured here. My wife and I visited here four years ago during the summer and enjoyed this quiet rainforest, we saw only a few other hikers even while the Hoh was swamped with people.

On this visit in the fall, the Quinalt again proved a quiet respite, after driving past a large herd of elk I stopped off for a short hike on the Maple Glade Loop Trail and the Kestner Homestead Trail. I only had a couple of hours before dark and it was raining steadily but I had a great time in the forest. It hadn’t rained at all during our summer visit so I was happy to finally get rain in the rainforest!

Most of the water levels were low at this time of the year, but it looked like some downed trees had dammed up this creek. Most of the trees aren’t as large on these short loops as the trails in the Hoh, but I like the moss-draped trees amidst the gentle creek.

Another shot from sunset, this one is zoomed in a bit more so the circle isn’t as visible, but I like it as well.