MONDAY - With only a 46-mile travel day ahead of us we were in no hurry to get off our campsite this morning. With an 11:00am check-out time and a NOON check-in, it made for the perfect amount of time to make the drive up the coast of Washington.
But, when it briefly stopped raining around 7:30AM we took the opportunity to quickly hookup and leave.
Twice along the route today we encounter these 1-way sections of the road. Both were the result of a stream washing out the roadway and it falling into a narrow ravine.
We made it to the town of Forks, WA where the film series "The Twilight Saga" was based. There we pulled over in the local Thrifty Mart/Ace Hardware parking lot and YES, you can buy your groceries and hardware without leaving the same store here in Forks.
We parked there for about 4-hours while our solar panels were soaking up every little bit of sun that the heavy rain clouds were letting shine through.
The chart on the left shows what's been happening with our battery charging after we unplugged back in May.
June 1st was a travel day, so we absorbed a little bit of sun driving down the road, but June 2nd-3rd we were parked under the trees in Olympic National Forest.
June 4th was another travel day, but June 5th-6th-7th we were again parked under the trees, this time in Olympic National Park.
Today, June 8th is once again a travel day, but with less than an hour to our next stop we decided to leave early and try to catch a little extra sun on the panels.
We had a hard time squeezing our 28' trailer into this campsite that's listed as 29' max. ROVER and THE POD are both on the site and we even have solar and satellite service.
I think we'll be just fine here for the next 3-days.
These campsites were created in 1938 when Olympic first became a National Park. Since then the RVs have become longer and wider than what was being used back then.
TUESDAY - Today we've got a very easy and interesting sightseeing day planned. Just 2-miles west of the campground, down Mora Road, to where it dead ends into the ocean, is Rialto Beach at the mouth of the Quillayute River.
Rialto Beach is known as a "Tree Graveyard". It seems the tides and currents here push any tree that's fallen into the river or ocean onto the beach in a very concentrated area. Deposited by storms, the uprooted, fallen trees, bleached and scoured bare by the fierce ocean winds and waves, they appear quite ghostly.
Boy did we make a rookie mistake. We arrived at one of the most visited spots along this National Park's coast just 30-minutes before low tide and prime time tidepooling, only to find a line of a dozen cars all waiting for a parking spot to open up.
After the 4th of July Weekend the road to Rialto Beach will be closed for 3-months to make much needed repairs. Currently one of the two parking lots at the beach is being used to store the materials and equipment needed to make those repairs.
We decided rather than wait for a spot, we made a u-turn and headed back towards camp. We'll come down here after breakfast tomorrow and hopefully get to check out the beach.
Just so the day out wasn't a total loss, we stopped by the Ranger Station just outside of the campground and walked across the street to the trailhead for the .3-mile loop James Pond Trail.
Originally we hadn't planned on doing this short hike, but with no other plans for today we thought, why not give it a try.
JAMES POND TRAIL
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This short trail wasn't even on our radar, so we weren't expecting much.
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We darn near stepped on this banana slug as it slowly made its way across the trail.
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Somewhere up ahead is supposed to be James Pond.
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It looks as if this little spur trail is coming to a dead end.
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It sure did! This is the obstructed view we had of James Pond.
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We spotted this strange looking piece of fungi just off trail.
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Does anybody know if that's edible?
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Here's a more proper photo of a banana slug, once again in the middle of the trail.
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Like I said, we didn't expect much, so we weren't disappointed with the hike.
WEDNESDAY - Yesterday we tried to visit Rialto Beach at low tide when everyone is there to do some tidepooling and hiking out to Hole-In-The-Rock which is 1.5-miles north up the beach.
Today we've returned at high tide and there's barely anyone here, of course it is still before 9:00AM.
RIALTO BEACH
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Yesterday at 2:30PM we couldn't get anywhere near this place.
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The problem is the 2nd (overflow) lot is being used to store materials and equipment.
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Looking north on Rialto Beach at high tide.
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The white froth was blowing all over the beach this morning.
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Somewhere out by those sea stacks is the famed Hole-In-The-Wall formation.
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Walking a mile and a half on these rocks to see it wasn't going to happen today.
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Looking south down the beach we could see James Island and Little James Island.
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As ocean levels rise more and more of these coastal trees will fall upon the beach.
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That red and black sign up in the tree points the way out of here.
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Of course you could look for these rock cairns to show you the path out, but people build these little towers everywhere.
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This way Tricia! I found the path back to the parking lot.
Our next stop is also a popular tidepooling area, but we're not going to wait for the crowds and low tide today.
Second Beach is on the south side of the Quillayute River, outside the town of La Push, WA on the Quileute Reservation.
Actually that's not 100% true. The parking lot for the trailhead to Second beach, along with the first 1/4-mile of the trail is on the Reservation, but the beach itself is part of the Olympic National Park.
As of March 2026, the Quileute Tribe has started charging $10 to park anywhere on the Reservation for the day. We didn't mind paying the $10 to park, because we saved 83¢ a gallon on gas over the price in nearby Forks, WA. That's how much State Tax there is on a gallon of gas here in Washington which the Tribe doesn't have to pay.
We paid $4.66 today on the Reservation verses $5.49 in Forks.
OUR HIKE DOWN TO 2nd BEACH
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Every hike should start with a bridge over a rushing water stream.
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Odd looking tree roots seems to be a common sight here in the Pacific Northwest.
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And these burls appear in all kinds of trees here along the coast.
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While the trail was easy to follow there were spots that felt more jungle like.
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We must being getting close to the beach, I think I can hear the surf.
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Just another five flights of stairs and we should be on the beach.
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Now that's what I'm talkin' about.
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One more obstacle to traverse and we should arrive on the beach.
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There it is! We made it!
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The beach was filled with giant sea stacks just offshore.
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To the north is where all the good tidepooling occurs during low tide.
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Look there's even a sea arch at the end of the beach.
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Similar to this arch is the more famed Hole-In-The-Wall arch up on Rialto Beach.
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This one was a lot easier to get to.
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The sea stacks continue way off shore out in the ocean.
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I don't believe any of these sea stacks has a name, but this one deserves to be named.
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These two stacks were completely inhabited by shore birds.
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Leave it to Trica to find a tidepooling opportunity at high tide.
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OK all you dirty minded readers, what does this remind you of?
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Well, for Tricia, it reminds her of this.
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This stack was completely high and dry, even at high tide.
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There was a decent sized stream of water running passed it from up in the mountains.
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I'm surprised noboby has salvaged this bouy, it's got to be worth some money?
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No that feather wasn't there when we first arrived on the beach.
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After 30-minutes it was time to start back up the hill to the parking lot.
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I knew coming down all these stairs it wasn't going to be easy going back up them.
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We're not even halfway back to the parking lot and I'm already pooped.
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This short trail wasn't even on our radar, so we weren't expecting much.
We darn near stepped on this banana slug as it slowly made its way across the trail.
Somewhere up ahead is supposed to be James Pond.
It looks as if this little spur trail is coming to a dead end.
It sure did! This is the obstructed view we had of James Pond.
We spotted this strange looking piece of fungi just off trail.
Does anybody know if that's edible?
Here's a more proper photo of a banana slug, once again in the middle of the trail.
Like I said, we didn't expect much, so we weren't disappointed with the hike.
Yesterday at 2:30PM we couldn't get anywhere near this place.
The problem is the 2nd (overflow) lot is being used to store materials and equipment.
Looking north on Rialto Beach at high tide.
The white froth was blowing all over the beach this morning.
Somewhere out by those sea stacks is the famed Hole-In-The-Wall formation.
Walking a mile and a half on these rocks to see it wasn't going to happen today.
Looking south down the beach we could see James Island and Little James Island.
As ocean levels rise more and more of these coastal trees will fall upon the beach.
That red and black sign up in the tree points the way out of here.
Of course you could look for these rock cairns to show you the path out,
This way Tricia! I found the path back to the parking lot.
Every hike should start with a bridge over a rushing water stream.
Odd looking tree roots seems to be a common sight here in the Pacific Northwest.
And these burls appear in all kinds of trees here along the coast.
While the trail was easy to follow there were spots that felt more jungle like.
We must being getting close to the beach, I think I can hear the surf.
Just another five flights of stairs and we should be on the beach.
Now that's what I'm talkin' about.
One more obstacle to traverse and we should arrive on the beach.
There it is! We made it!
The beach was filled with giant sea stacks just offshore.
To the north is where all the good tidepooling occurs during low tide.
Look there's even a sea arch at the end of the beach.
Similar to this arch is the more famed Hole-In-The-Wall arch up on Rialto Beach.
This one was a lot easier to get to.
The sea stacks continue way off shore out in the ocean.
I don't believe any of these sea stacks has a name, but this one deserves to be named.
These two stacks were completely inhabited by shore birds.
OK all you dirty minded readers, what does this remind you of?
Well, for Tricia, it reminds her of this.
This stack was completely high and dry, even at high tide.
There was a decent sized stream of water running passed it from up in the mountains.
I'm surprised noboby has salvaged this bouy, it's got to be worth some money?
No that feather wasn't there when we first arrived on the beach.
After 30-minutes it was time to start back up the hill to the parking lot.
I knew coming down all these stairs it wasn't going to be easy going back up them.
We're not even halfway back to the parking lot and I'm already pooped.
