Forks, Washington Area

Forks is named after the forks in the nearby Quillayute, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Sol Duc rivers.
For many years, the city's economy was fueled by the local timber industry. With recent declines in the industry, Forks has had to rely on the two nearby Corrections Centers as a source of jobs. Forks is a popular destination for sport fishers who fish for salmon and rainbow trout in nearby rivers. It is also supported by visitors to Olympic National Park.  The city has gained popularity for being a key setting in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.  Visitors are coming from all over the world to see the town where Twilight is based.  They had over 9,000 visitors in the month of July.  Forks is historically the “rainiest place in the United States,” which is why it was chosen as the setting for the Twilight book series. The average annual rainfall is 121 inches per year and the average snowfall is 11 inches per year. The average low temperature is 49 degrees in summer and 33 degrees in winter. The average high temperature is 72 degrees in summer and 45 degrees in winter

 We were not familiar with the Twilight Series before arriving in Forks. But just one visit to the Visitors Center and we learned all about it.

The Shay Locomotive  - Rayonier #10

Not only could the Shay Locomotive run on  crude wooden rails but it had tremendous power and traction to pull heavy loads up hill.  It could also negotiate sharp curves and uneven terrain.  Shay was one of the first in the United States to use locomotives to haul logs.

Unexpected surprise

 We were staying at the Elks Lodge.  In the late afternoon another motorhome pulled in for the night.  We didn't really see them out and about.  The next morning Dave went out to start loading the jeep with our backpacks.  The lady came out of her motorhome, spoke with Dave briefly.  He mentioned that we were getting ready to go hiking for the day.  She got in her tow car and off she went.  She returned shortly, came straight over and knocked on our door.  When I opened the door she handed me a bag of fresh baked cookies from the bakery to take on our hike.  She asked which way we were headed when we left there and started rattling off several great places to eat along our way.  She then said good-bye and we never even got her name.  We did use her recommendations and they turned out great.

2nd Beach (that's it real name)

On the Quileute Indian Reservation  a .7 mile trail winds through an old growth rainforest before descending 200 feet to a wonderful sandy beach with seastacks and tidepools. There were lots of backpackers camping overnight in their tents along these beaches.  San Diego has June gloom and Washington has Foggust!

3rd Beach

The 1.4 mile trail descends 270 feet through natural second growth forest, a result of winds up to 170 mph in January 1921.  The "21 Blow" leveled nearly 8 billion board feet of timber, enough to construct 600,000 3 bedroom homes. 

The fog lifted just in time for our picture.

 Found this creature just laying around doing nothing!

  Rialto Beach

Located on the north side of the Quillayute River. This drive-to beach is a beautiful spot to enjoy the surf and watch shorebirds, eagles and seals.  The 1 1/4 mile trek north to "Hole-in-the-Wall" begins here.  We tried this hike in the morning but the tide was high and the walking was very difficult so we decided to try again in the afternoon. It was a good thing cause the lower tide helped out and the fog had cleared some making for some very pretty views.

Hole in the Wall was our destination. During low tide we were able to pass through and enjoy the tide pools.

 Hoh Rain Forest

When you visit Rain Forest Country, you'll be surrounded by wonders of nature.  You'll see the temperate wild rain forest with its huge 500 year old trees, and the working rain forest where wood fiber products are replenished faster than anywhere on earth.

12 feet of rain per year, but not a drop on this day!

 Hope you enjoy our day in the HOH. We took our time and enjoyed the trees, ferns and moss.

One of many very large Sitka Spruce trees in the rainforest

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Moss covered trees is not something we are used to seeing at home!

Large nest on top of the tree

 

 Dead and downed trees decay slowly and support new life as "nurselogs".  The eternal cycle of life and death is strikingly apparent in the magnificent forest community.



 We were enjoying our hike through the forest and feeling very small compared to the large trees we were surrounded by when we heard a thunderous crash of what had to be a large tree falling in the forest. We could not see where the noise was coming from which was probably a good thing! It sounded like several trees were falling like dominoes and went on for what seemed like a couple of minutes.

Ruby Beach
Gets it's name from the red garnet sands occasionally found on the beach.

 We were driving along the highway and when we saw a sign pointing to the  "Largest Western Red Cedar Tree" So we head down the gravel road then park and walk further down a short trail. In the middle of nowhere we come across this very large tree that has become a playground toy.