Along the way to our next stop in Washington, we crossed The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, a suspension bridge crossing part of the Puget sound.
A fun fact about this bridge is that it was once called “Galloping Gertie,” a nickname given by the construction workers because the deck once “galloped” up and down in the wind before it even opened. Engineers at the time believed this movement was typical of suspension bridges, so it was cleared for use. That theory was proven wrong when the bridge collapsed in 1940 following sustained winds of forty miles per hour, just four months after opening, though no one was injured.
Today the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is sometimes called “Sturdy Gertie,” in contrast to the original bridge.
The trees are becoming more and more interesting.
Views of a lake in the Olympic Park area.
It is always fun to see the range of campers.
We made it to Olympic National Park in Washington. Time to start exploring!
Olympic National Park is home to four very distinct climates including temperate rain forests, the coast, alpine, and forests. We spent our time in a rain forest and on the coast.
The HOH Rain Forest within Olympic National Park was a unique experience. It is a temperate rain forest meaning that it is cool and wet, not tropical or hot and humid like the kind we usually picture when we hear the word “rainforest.”
We found clear streams.
This stream had clover like grass (how many four‑leaf clovers might be here?)!
The rainforest’s “forest floor.”
The wood in front of the ferns are peices of bark, which we had to double take as we thought they were animals.
The tree roots appear to be growing above the soil on the ground.
The trees are covered in moss. The moss survives on just air and light, both provided by the rainforest atmosphere.
We couldn’t help wondering how these huge trees will compare to the ones we’ll soon see in the Redwoods and Sequoia National Parks.
The coastline of Olympic National Park is also very unique.
At lower tide, the enormous rocks are easily accessed, turning the beach into a natural playground for climbing.
The rocks are also perfect for exploring the sea life in the tide pools that form in and around them.
This piece of wood has been perfectly polished by the tides of the Pacific.
The rocks were once part of the ocean floor, pushed up when a big chunk of the Earth’s crust slid under the ocean and lifted lava rock, mud, and sand, all of which the waves eventually carved into the landscape we see today.
We visited Lake Quinault Lodge, one of Washington’s historic lodges known for its rustic architecture. We stopped in to explore the lodge and stayed for the views!
Next stop: Astoria, Oregon.