Aug
22
2009
by Mr Cubes
Elwha Dam to Bear Creek (39.3 miles)
Total Miles: 2,564.7
The only thing better than bacon sandwiches for breakfast are bacon sandwiches that you haven't had to cook, so a huge thank you to Chris who was frying up some of the best bacon I'd experienced in North America (surprisingly hard to come by). Was a sunny and warm morning so the huge hill on the way out of the campsite was not too well appreciated. The road followed round the outskirts of the Olympic National Park with stunning mountains on one side and huge lakes on the other. There wasn't a great deal of shoulder on the road though, so it was a bit scary in places.
The huge Lake Crescent lasted for over ten miles and had plenty of rest areas for taking photos and stopping for lunch. In the forest was a picnic area where I made up noodles and remained totally uninterrupted for the hour I was there - a rare treat. After this I made it to a small store and met Steve and Barb, a couple from Minnesota riding around on his Harley. Leaving the store was a huge two mile steep climb but after
this it was flat again until I got to Bear Creek, a small community with a restaurant and a free campground. The restaurant offered Twilight themed drinks, such as Bella Berry, and Twilight Tea. Forks, the setting for the series of books about a high school girl caught in a love triangle with a vampire and a werewolf (yep, really) was just down the road and bringing in thousands of tourists. And everyone was trying to squeeze every last cent out of it while it lasted.
The campsite looked great and I was impressed that it was free to stay there. That was until the party started at about 9pm. Several of the campers had been drinking and barbecuing all evening and now decided to start a karaoke competition. Thankfully it didn't last too long as some of the elder campers, of which I seem to have become, threatened to call the sheriff if they didn't pipe down. Was still plenty of noise though which kept me awake and I was just starting to think about packing up and moving on when tiredness took over and I fell sound asleep.