Sunday through Tuesday I took a circular road trip along the Northern Washington coast. It was the perfect time - the weather was beautiful, and since it was not the weekend traffic was nearly nonexistent, I was able to get great camping spots, and I was left in blissful solitude most of my trip.
As you know, I had some trepidation about making this trip...the last time I was in the area, it was 1995. I was a depressed 19-year-old Coast Guard enlistee, fleeing from the desolate area and vowing never to return. 2 years after I left, while I was stationed in Boston, MA, there was a tragic accident at the station and three Coasties died during a rescue, including two former coworkers of mine. One of them was my good friend and mentor. It was several years later that I reluctantly acknowledged that I had to go back, if not for me, then to pay my respects to my friend.
Finally, Sunday was the day. I packed up the dog and my camping gear and set out in the sunny afternoon. I arrived at Kalaloch campground in the early evening and set up camp at a beautiful oceanside spot - another one of the benefits of unemployment is being able to camp midweek. Sadie and I played on the beach, then I made dinner and did some reading, then it was time for bed.
Sadie romping on Kalaloch beach
The next morning I broke camp and we headed for Forks, Washington. I was both excited and fearful to see it again. I remembered Forks as this dismal little podunk town populated with out-of-work loggers - this was shortly after the spotted owl controversy that severly limited logging in the Washington coastal rainforests - and punk-ass high-school kids. I was pretty impressed with myself, having spent part of my young life in Seattle, and did not want to mingle. (Actually, I didn't know how to meet new people...I used to be really bad at that. But I digress.) And always the dark and the rain. Oh god, the rain. Maybe good for a vampire family, but not good for people suffering from S.A.D., that's for sure.
And...Forks was nothing like I remembered it. I'm sure it helped that it was sunny. And that now I'm 33 years old, not 19, and can appreciate small towns. There are cute Victorian houses there. And of course the surrounding Hoh Rainforest is absolutely gorgeous. If you've never seen it, you must go. Seriously. I'm not sure how the logging industry is going these days, but the whole town has been revitalized by the Twilight series. There are shops selling Twilight merchandise, several Twilight tours, and the visitor's center even has a 'Twilight map' that shows all the locations mentioned in the book, including Bella's and Edward's homes. Everyone I talked to in town seemed excited about the Twilight phenomenon. The punk-ass kids were still there, but that's small town life for you.
As you know, I had some trepidation about making this trip...the last time I was in the area, it was 1995. I was a depressed 19-year-old Coast Guard enlistee, fleeing from the desolate area and vowing never to return. 2 years after I left, while I was stationed in Boston, MA, there was a tragic accident at the station and three Coasties died during a rescue, including two former coworkers of mine. One of them was my good friend and mentor. It was several years later that I reluctantly acknowledged that I had to go back, if not for me, then to pay my respects to my friend.
Finally, Sunday was the day. I packed up the dog and my camping gear and set out in the sunny afternoon. I arrived at Kalaloch campground in the early evening and set up camp at a beautiful oceanside spot - another one of the benefits of unemployment is being able to camp midweek. Sadie and I played on the beach, then I made dinner and did some reading, then it was time for bed.
Sadie romping on Kalaloch beach
The next morning I broke camp and we headed for Forks, Washington. I was both excited and fearful to see it again. I remembered Forks as this dismal little podunk town populated with out-of-work loggers - this was shortly after the spotted owl controversy that severly limited logging in the Washington coastal rainforests - and punk-ass high-school kids. I was pretty impressed with myself, having spent part of my young life in Seattle, and did not want to mingle. (Actually, I didn't know how to meet new people...I used to be really bad at that. But I digress.) And always the dark and the rain. Oh god, the rain. Maybe good for a vampire family, but not good for people suffering from S.A.D., that's for sure.
And...Forks was nothing like I remembered it. I'm sure it helped that it was sunny. And that now I'm 33 years old, not 19, and can appreciate small towns. There are cute Victorian houses there. And of course the surrounding Hoh Rainforest is absolutely gorgeous. If you've never seen it, you must go. Seriously. I'm not sure how the logging industry is going these days, but the whole town has been revitalized by the Twilight series. There are shops selling Twilight merchandise, several Twilight tours, and the visitor's center even has a 'Twilight map' that shows all the locations mentioned in the book, including Bella's and Edward's homes. Everyone I talked to in town seemed excited about the Twilight phenomenon. The punk-ass kids were still there, but that's small town life for you.
The city of Forks welcomes you
And lest you think the residents of Forks are annoyed by the renewed interest in their tiny town due to Twilight, here is some evidence to the contrary:
A note from Esme Cullen to visitors of the "Cullen family residence," which is actually a B&B.
Dr. Cullen has his own parking spot at the Forks Community Hospital
The Swan residence, which is a private home, has a sign outside for visitors
After my Twilight self-tour, I was off down the road to La Push to see the Coast Guard station that was my home for a little more than a year from 1994-1995. I visited the memorial at the station and it was more emotional than I thought I'd be. I'm getting to be such a sap in my old age.
Then I took Sadie to First Beach, which is another location from the Twilight series. For some reason, they renamed it in the movie as "La Push Beach," though it was written correctly in the book. Lame.
I'm pretty sure that's Jacob the werewolf in the distance...
Finally, the memory lane jaunt mostly concluded, I pointed the car East and drove through the beautiful rainforest and past Lake Crescent, stopping once for rumination. How could I have ever hated this place??? Its forested beauty is intoxicating.
I ended the second day at Sequim Bay State Park, which was mostly deserted - only 2 other campers besides me. On the beach I found this strange object. WTF is it??? I feel a sci fi story brewing...
I ended the second day at Sequim Bay State Park, which was mostly deserted - only 2 other campers besides me. On the beach I found this strange object. WTF is it??? I feel a sci fi story brewing...
Radioactive dinosaur egg?
Yesterday I came home and resumed the regularly scheduled programming of my life. The end.
More pictures here.
