Thursday-Saturday, July 22-24, 1971

Quinault

on Lake Quinault, Wash

July 22, 1971

Dear Muriel and Palma

Yesterday we arrived in Astoria from Tillamook. On the way up from Tillamook we continued to see the beautiful Oregon Coast making a few view stops but choosing Ecola State Park as our lunch stop. There was a lovely drive through the woods a mile or so to the parking area. Again we saw a pretty bush with bright red berry clusters which I later found were red elderberry. After lunch we walked out on the headland which had rugged rocky cliffs under it much like Carmel. In the area near Astoria we stopped to see Fort Clatsop where Lewis & Clark wintered in 1806. The Astoria Column is high on a hill and honors the many men who first did this & that.

This morning it was dried cereal & fruit before seeing the Bumble Bee Canning factory where we saw tuna (albacore) being slit, detailed & beheaded, skinned, cleaned off, fed to cans, cooked & labeled. Also saw a small job of canning salmon steaks — one to an oval can. I bought Ritchies’ Christmas present.

Then to the Clatsop Co Museum in the old Flavel mansion occupied continuously by family until 20 years ago. [Google also turned up links to a second Flavel house, two of which I am including here because they are so interesting. —LRS] Then the Maritime Museum which we will recommend to Ray. We’ve seen several extensive displays of sailor’s (macramé) knits and several purses made with knots. Finally over the Astoria Bridge into Washington — 4 years since the ferry was replaced.

Fri

Washington didn’t look as good as Oregon at first. We almost froze when we stopped for lunch in the “foggy foggy dew.” But as the afternoon came on we came out of it and the state looked better. We bought bread in Aberdeen and headed toward Quinault on Lake Quinault in Olympic National Forest. The National Park was across the Lake. After renting a rustic cabin we left Laurel and drove about 13 miles into the Nat’l Park along a river canyon into the rain forest. At the end we took a short hike. After supper of beans and Canadian bacon & Daddy’s home grown beans and the last of my Virginia Bakery brownies Daddy and I again set off a short distance to walk a short trail to see some big trees: red alder, douglas fir, Sitka spruce and red cedar.

It was foggy when we awoke and you could just see across the Lake. We stopped for a short walk to show Laurel the beautiful stream we’d seen on the Big Tree Walk. The road took us along the beach area in the Park and we stopped at Beach Walk #2 (there are 5 or 6) and Ruby Beach. It was foggy, chill but beautiful. Lots of driftwood. We chose Hoh River for our next Park exploration. It proved delightful and we walked the moss trail. It hangs down in gobs on the branches like a blanket.

Highway 101 turns and goes until again you enter the Park at Crescent Lake and it looks like Tahoe must have looked even before my time. There are some cottages on the north shore but the lake was beautiful and blue today with no neon signs. A ¾ mile walk with a short steep grade at the end after crossing a log across the river (with a handrail) took us to see Marymar or Marymere Falls. They aren’t very high and they aren’t a single drop but they are very nice — waterfalls always are. Then on to Port Angeles. 

First we stopped at the VisitorsCenter for the Park — I’ve never know one to be outside a park. Then we found a motel with an indoor swim pool. Laurel is in it now. Children under 12 must be with an adult, so Daddy is sitting down there writing a letter. Of course there were no adults with the 3 or 4 other children swimming when I left. Yes I went in but found it very unsatisfactory — it was like swimming in a bathtub in a warm room.

We’ll call you tonight.

Sat am — Laurel’s watching color TV cartoons in bed. We’ve had 7 dinners. Twice we ate on our own, once out of our lunch basket and once in our kitchen as mentioned. Otherwise I’ve had salmon 3 times and crab twice. Daddy is still eating ground cow.

We’ll probably see Canada today but we won’t get there. The northwest has had good weather for about 2 weeks — we’ve been lucky.

Love,

from your mother JRS