Olympic Penninsula - Week One

One week in to our RVing journey and we have settled into an easy routine that keeps the RV from becoming cluttered and ensures we are not climbing over one another. Tawny (the dog) wakes us up in the morning with a barrage of wet kisses, at which point I pull her under the covers to warm me up and I settle in for a few more winks. While I do that, Judith has generally leapt from her bed with the energy of superman to get dressed and put her murphy bed up and turn on the cappacino machine and furnace. Slowly Tawny and I emerge from under the covers where I slowly make my way to the espresso machine and make us both a latte. 

If I am not fast enough, Judith has often made my bed too - which requires a whole system of things done in a specific order:fold and store the sheets and blankets, remove the mattress foamy and seat cushions, heave it all up onto the upper storage loft, and then reconfigure the bed into our benches and table, replacing the cushions and raising the table...just in time to receive the two hot steamy lattes! By the time I have  finished my second latte and emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, Judtith has taken out the garbage, plugged in or unplugged various hoses and cords and such, swept the floor, and maybe even run a lap or two to the laundry room.

Judith is a morning person, and I am, well, NOT. However, we have slowly begun to morph into a schedule that works for both of us. She is sleeping later and instead of heading out for an early morning walk with Tawny, we put the dog out for a quick pee, and then relax for a bit while my achy joints wake up, and then by 10 am we are usually headed off to the trail head for our first long hike of the day.

The rain forest in The Olympic National Park is spectacular and we are very glad we decided to start at the very beginning of the famed highway 101. Neither of us is a fan of the cold, so we were a bit leary about lurking in the north too long, but seeing the fall colour has totally been worth the rain and cooler temperatures.

Old growth conifer forest and moss covered dissiduous trees are otherworldly and down right enchanting to walk in. The smell of earthy decay and fresh wet leaves is sweet and the rain seldom finds its way through the canapy to where we are, far below, scrounging around in the mulch in search of fungi - a new pasttime we have taken up to add interest to our daily walks. 

Mushroom hunting...taking pictures and cataloging various fungi. We often pick them, wrap them carefully in wax paper, and bring them home where I do some research - looking up pictures in my fungi book, online, and even posting for second and third opinions on the Pacific Northwest Foragers Facebook group. I then place the cap on a white piece of paper to leave it over night. The mushroom will drop spores onto the paper in a specific pattern and colour - an important feature to take note of in deciding on a final identification.

We have seen literally dozens of different and beautiful species, and have even enjoyed eating some shaggy manes and boletes (below).

Mushrooms are facinating - something I became interested in many years ago. 14,000 different mushrooms have been described, however, there are likely many, many more, and I aim to find as many of them as possible!

We have spent a few extra days in the Olympic penninsula as we have enjoyed the hiking very much (and Judith was unwell one day). We have enjoyed two hikes a day and even spent some time soaking in some hot springs. Travelling in an RV means no daily baths - as we are both use to - so we will do our best to find natural hot springs along the way. We have also been lucky to visit a couple of wineries that had some good wine, and we are looking forward to escaping the coast next week sometime to head inland towards Oregon's Willamette Valley a wine region known for its Pinot Noir.

Today we had an exciting (and dangerous) encounter with a rogue wave where Judith was swept off her feet and soaked to the bone (in her winter coat, toque and gum boots), and I, while attempting to outrun the wave, fell face first onto a log, cutting open my face. We were quite a sight driving back to town - Judith butt naked in the car, having doffed her soaking clothes, and me driving with blood running down my cheek!

Apparently there is an atmospheric river running into a low pressure system off the west coast creating what the weather people are calling an atmospheric bomb...sure to cause historic rain and flooding and up to 8 feet of snow in the mountains. There is no way to outrun the storm (and of course I don't want to being a storm loving soul), so we have instead booked an extra couple of nights in the area so we can ride it out - and hopfully watch it come ashore. I am looking forward to taking some great storm photos.