Sep 7, 2011 - Week 52 (9/1-9/6):

Week 52 (9/1-9/6): How exciting to see more familiar faces! Fellow camp hosts from Arizona, Lynn and Mark, happened to be in the area for five nights. We had plenty of time to visit, attend some ranger programs together, and spend some beautiful days at Ruby Beach and Beach 4. It felt like seeing family, as our friends from the road have become like extended family. It's almost time to say goodbye to our Kalaloch family. It's been a good experience here, but we have some sights to see before winter arrives.

Aug 31, 2011 - Weeks 50-51 (8/17-8/30):

Weeks 50-51 (8/17-8/30): June and July were pretty cool and wet. It felt that way to us, anyway. August has been delightful. We've heard a little about a heat wave gripping much of the nation. We have had none of that. I suppose we have been lucky here on the Olympic peninsula in that respect. Just when the summer weather has finally arrived it seems the summer season is winding down. As proof, the going-away parties have begun for the seasonal workers; those returning to school or some other aspect of life. It's personally rewarding to...

Aug 17, 2011 - Week 49 (8/10-8/16):

Week 49 (8/10-8/16): First thing in the morning was a perfect time for the hike to Sol Duc Falls. It's a popular trail, but the crowds were not out yet. We soaked in the sights and sounds for a bit before returning to the truck for our patented PB&J lunch off the tailgate; one of three things that really enhance our camping and hiking experiences. The other two are: “camping oatmeal” (just instant oatmeal, maple & brown sugar preferred; as compared to our regular slow-cook steel cut oats); and “chicken & noodles” (canned chicken and some...

Aug 10, 2011 - Week 48 (8/3-8/9):

Week 48 (8/3-8/9): On the fifth we ventured around to Seattle for the first time. We spent the day at the Pacific Science Center, then met my mom at the airport. It's always great to have family visit! We enjoyed some better-than-just-decent pizza; then squeezed into our bathing suits to take advantage of the hotel pool. It had been a long while since our last hotel stay. It felt a little odd, but was a nice change of pace. The breakfast buffet in the morning helped to eliminate any remaining odd feelings. We introduced my mom to the art of...

Aug 3, 2011 - Weeks 45-47 (7/13-8/2):

Weeks 45-47 (7/13-8/2): The librarian in Forks informed us that if we are looking for good pizza, then we have to try Waterfront Pizza in Port Townsend. It just so happened we needed to make a trip to Port Angeles to get my passport, so that would give us an excuse to make the extra jump to Port Townsend. The pizza was only decent, and expensive. We camped overnight at Heart O' the Hills, in the Hurricane Ridge area, followed by a short hike. One of the nice perks of this volunteer gig is we get to camp for free all over the park. So we...

Jul 13, 2011 - Week 44 (7/6-7/12):

Week 44 (7/6-7/12): A new phrase has entered our vocabulary. A “sucker hole” is a patch of blue in an otherwise cloudy sky, that leads one to incorrectly believe the sun is coming out, and the rain jacket can be left at home. Wrong! The rain jacket should remain within reach at all times. Period. But lose the umbrella; they are seen as a sign of weakness and should not be owned. There is a reason why Kalaloch (pronounced “Claylock”) is referred to by park staff as Greylock. And we thought we were clever calling it “Cloudlock”. Other common...

Jul 6, 2011 - Week 43 (6/29-7/5):

Week 43 (6/29-7/5): It's nice to be between two libraries, both about thirty miles away. We flagged down the shuttle bus in front of the campground and took it to Amanda Park. The library is small, quiet, and new. And it's part of the Timberland library system, so combined with our card at the Forks library, we have doubled the materials available to us. Access to even more seasons of “MacGyver”! Score! Season 1 of “The Middle”; “Survivor” Seasons 1 & 2. Score, score! And of course, tons of books. Currently, we're captivated by the History...

Jun 29, 2011 - Week 42 (6/22-6/28):

Week 42 (6/22-6/28): On our next day off we took a drive to Rialto Beach, where a three mile roundtrip hike brought us to Hole-in-Wall and some great tidepools. We have quickly learned out here to remember to check the tide chart next to our door on the way out. We timed this hike perfectly, and M was in heaven (she loves tidepools), especially when a sea urchin grabbed her finger. A stop in Forks on the way home for supplies rounded out the day. In case you've been in a cave somewhere for the last few years (lucky you), Forks is the...

Jun 22, 2011 - Week 41 (6/15-6/21):

Week 41 (6/15-6/21): We are settling into a nice work routine in the campground. We do an attendance round around 8 a.m. It takes maybe twenty minutes. We start cleaning vacated sites around 10 a.m. On the busiest of days we're done around 1 p.m. Then we have several hours of downtime before an evening round which basically involves talking to campers and answering questions. The rest is just a matter of being available to campers and park staff. We work four days, and then have three days off to explore the peninsula. And there is a lot to...

Jun 15, 2011 - Week 40 (6/8-6/14):

Week 40 (6/8-6/14): We hit the ground running with our Camp Host duties here. We had a full day of general park training in Port Angeles, and a half day of driving around the Kalaloch region with our supervisor. Then, we got to work preparing campsites for the busy summer season. Working hard as a team of six we made quick headway. The kids love riding around in the electric carts. On a day off, we discovered the shuttle bus to town. It's a bargain at 25 cents for the kids and 75 cents for adults, for an all day pass. It's a no-brainer,...

Jun 8, 2011 - Week 39 (6/1-6/7):

Week 39 (6/1-6/7): The Banks-Vernonia rail trail passes through Stub Stewart SP, so a bike ride was in order. Yes, we got wet. But it was cleaner than the trail run of a day earlier that had us clawing through a sticky mixture of mud and horse poop. At first, we tried to step lightly around the messiest spots, but that was soon abandoned in favor of plowing through as quickly as possible, in the interest of time. Thankfully, we stayed on our feet We had to hose off when we got home, but we did get most of the gooey mess out of our shoes....

Feb 24, 2010 - Forks, Hoh Rain Forest and the Ocean

We made it back into Forks this morning and found a place that was able to remove and fix our trailer tire. Not bad actually, 1 nail and we’ve done somewhere around 11,000 miles now. After the tire was repaired, we did find and stop at the Visitor’s Center in Forks and take a picture of “Bella’s Truck”. After a quick lunch, we were on our way again. We made a quick stop at the Olympic National Park, Hoh Rain Forest today, and what an awesome place. Again, you would really have to see it for yourself, but we can only hope that our pictures...