1983 Pacific Northwest Road Trip by Travel Gals

The “No Can Do” Trip

July 22 to August 6, 1983

Kay Gilmour Lois Gray Sharon Feldkamp, Betsy Raiford

INTRODUCTION

We Four, We Happy Four, We Hapless Four had been hiking around the USA in various national parks both near and far for several years, but we had never been to the USA’s North Pacific Parks such as Mt. Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, and North Cascades National Park. Hence, what would four such gals decide should be our next adventure? Of course, what else would we choose but to climb Mt. Rainier and to see all the interesting places in the area, even up into Canada to visit Vancouver. What an exciting way for Kay to celebrate her 41st birthday on July 29th! After all, “what could go wrong?”

According to my notes, we drove to Orlando for the flights to Seattle via Denver. My notes do not record where we left our car; perhaps we rented one and left it there. I do not have any record of how we got back from Orlando to Jax at the end of the flight home. Maybe we rented another car to drop off at Jax Airport?” Those details were not interesting to me since I did not record them

Our flight from Orlando to Seattle was okay except for delays over Denver (much circling) and a crash of static electricity which scared all of us. We were tired by the time we landed in Seattle and Sharon found us a cheap motel nearby for only $30.00 with two big beds. We liked the Royal Arms so much there that we booked the room for the night of August 6 on our return to Seattle. Kay rented us a 4-door Cutlass Supreme for our ramblings.

SEATTLE

We all fell into bed without supper and slept until 6:00 a.m. without any alarm to wake us. Hopped up and headed to a Denny’s for breakfast and then started our explorations around Seattle. Headed first to Pier 52 for the ferry to Bremerton but saw some of the city and the Space Needle before boarding. The ferries are huge, and the ride took 2 ½ hours. Then we drove to Deer Park Road under a gloriously shining sun. The scenery was spectacular with different and amazing views all around us. Then we had a treacherous ride up a 20-mile gravel road to reach our picnic grounds. There we overlooked the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Port Angeles. Profuse and beautiful wildflowers were everywhere we looked.

Part of the road was closed in the direction of Port Angeles due to snow, so we found Hurricane Ridge as an alternate route down. The Ridge was a wonderfully rewarding place to visit. We saw very tame deer, marmots, chipmunks, and gray jays also enjoying the lovely day. Kay even spotted a faraway Mountain goat on Mt. Angeles.

The drive back down to Obstruction Point was 8.9 miles and it was more fraught than the drive up to Hurricane Ridge. Having heard of the destructive tendencies of Marmots, we were not surprised when we encountered them eating rubber parts of some parked cars along the way. Not yet settled into the new time zone, we were all tired out by the time we checked into the Lake Crescent Lodge with its two-room cabin. Once again, we were more than ready for an early bedtime. That was the end of our first vacation days (July 22 & July 23).

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

The next day (July 24) after a warmup walk and breakfast at the lodge, we headed for the Beaches on the western end of Olympic National Park. We stopped at a lumber yard where we had been told we could find licorice slugs and we did see them. Not terribly remarkable but part of the fauna around us. We also spotted evidence of raccoons raiding the garbage bin near our cabin.

To reach Beach #3, we took 1.5 mile walk through rainforest growth which was lovely, especially under finally emerging sunshine. Next, we pushed on to La Push where we were crushed to see the “Closed” sign. But we did get to see a weasel run across the road on the way to our disappointment.

We next bought a picnic lunch and went on to Beach #2 which required a ¾ mile hike to reach. The huge rock stacks standing out in the surf are impressive and make for dramatic photos. The erosion patterns on the rocks testify to their long-time presence on these beaches. The huge logs that crisscross the sand make beach hiking a challenge and raise questions about where they came from (called drift logs). We saw numerous chipmunks as we walked along the beach approach. They were skittering among the leaves, plants, mushrooms, & other detritus looking for who knows what. But they were busy, and we hoped successful.

HOH RAIN FOREST

When we left the Beaches, we drove to the Hoh Rain Forest where we took a walk with Ranger Bob. Interesting to find a rain forest in Northwest of Washington State when we had always associated them with the tropics. Then we went to Kalaloch for a nice dinner. Kalaloch is an unincorporated area entirely within Olympic National Park with tourist accommodations, small stores, and ranger quarters.

Then we drove 70 miles back to Lake Crescent, seeing deer, bunnies, cats but no elk along the way.

Next day (7/25) After breakfast we went to Sol Duck Hot Springs Resort to view the Falls. The walk was through the rain forest with rain falling steadily. Everything sported greens of all different shades and even the air seemed greenish. The plant growth was thick and amazing and the smells around us were sweet. Root beer floats at the Lodge made a delicious lunch.

VANCOUVER ISLAND

Butchert Gardens

Then we had to scurry back to Port Angeles because we feared we would miss the ferry to cross over into Canada for our planned visit to Butchert Gardens on Vancouver Island. We arrived at the ferry at 4:30 p.m. only to learn that the 5:15 p.m. ferry had been full since 11.00 a.m. So, we put the car in line for the 9:30 p.m. crossing and went to find some supper at the Red Lion Inn restaurant. Did a little walking after dinner and then arrived at 11:00 p.m. in Victoria. Customs took a long time to complete, and we finally got to our motel very tired indeed.

July 26 found us waking up a little later than usual (thanks to Betsy’s Freudian Slip of setting the clock for 7:30 a.m. but we were rested enough to be enthusiastic about exploring Victoria and Vancouver. We managed a good breakfast and then headed for a bank to get some Canadian money. Then we were off to Butchert Gardens! Never had any of us ever seen such a profusion of colors and varieties of flowers! The displays in the different areas of the Gardens were simply spectacular. Several different areas showed off different kinds of flowers. There was a Japanese Garden, a Sunken Garden and an amazing rose garden which was overwhelming with so many kinds of roses, all in full blossom. We roamed the place for a couple of hours, just enjoying the beauty around us. And we wondered how many gardeners it takes to maintain the place in such perfection. We did learn that a

Canadian man who had made his fortune in concrete and his wife were the donors of this special place.

We enjoyed a different kind of feast at Wicker’s Restaurant for lunch where we dined on an assortment of deviled egg sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon and tomato. The names of the sandwiches were familiar, but the Canadian take made them quite different and delicious.

Empress Hotel

After that indulgence, we drove around the beach area of the island and then headed to Vancouver tourist areas. We saw the famous Empress Hotel, the Houses of Parliament, and the harbor. I actually had the temerity to go into the Empress Hotel to book a high tea for us at that storied spot. The gentleman at the counter looked at me with wonder in his eyes and then said, totally Dead Pan, what year would you like to book the high tea? That’s how far ahead the place is filled. Or perhaps it was because we were not dressed like his usual guests. We had a good laugh over that experience. Then we discovered how efficient the ferry system is here compared to the one from Port Angeles. The boat is larger and faster. As a bonus, Kay saw a bald eagle from the deck. Anyway, we found the Lucky Strike Motel decided to have supper in an Indian Restaurant not far from the Motel. It was called the Punjab, and it was one of the best Indian meals any of us had ever enjoyed. After that experience, we were ready to do the laundry.

July 27: Still in Vancouver City and doing some more sightseeing. We enjoyed exploring Stanley Park and searching the shopping areas for hiking supplies we would be needing later on. None of the stores had glacier glasses for Betsy, but Kay got a pair of wool pants & suspenders, and I found some gaiters. All morning, we drove or trudged around in the continuous rain and decided to leave Canada and return Northern Cascades National Park on the USA side. However, our last meal in Canada was at a Burger King. How inventive of us.

NORTHERN CASCADES NATIONAL PARK

The Diablo Lake Resort is in a lovely setting on a dammed part of the Skagit River. Our cabin is huge: there are three bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, dining room, and a kitchen. We will rattle around in this space. We went to a Ranger program after our dinner at “The Hidden Restaurant.” She told us about her research and field work on Alpine plants. It was interesting and we admired her career choice.

Slate Peak

July 28: After breakfast in our cabin and then a short jog, we drove up to Rainy Pass and Washington Pass for some thrilling views of the terrain of this mountainous park. Then we took a heart-stopping drive up Slate Peak. The tremendous view made the drive worthwhile. A short hike up to the fire tower yielded a 360 degree panorama. On the way up, we saw marmots, deer, chippies, golden-mantled ground squirrels. An added benefit for us. We had brought with us a rather spartan lunch of Vienna sausage sandwiches and banana chips. But it was totally rescued by the surrounding breath-taking high country.

We had supper at the cabin and then went to the 2nd ranger talk of this visit. We had seen two mystery critters during the time in the high country which we hoped the ranger could identify from the pictures Kay and Betsy had taken. One was a bird we had never seen before, but the ranger quickly cleared that question. The bird was an Oregon Junco. The weasel-like animal that ran across the road in front of us was a Mountain Beaver, according to the ranger. His formal talk was on mountain building and on the plants in this part of the park. We were still very skeptical of his pronouncing the animal with that name. So today (January 17, 2024), I googled that identification and learned there is a creature called a Mountain Beaver, but it is not a beaver at all. Many taxonomists agree that it is probably one of the world’s oldest species of rodent. Before taxonomy became important, local people believed it was a beaver because of its feeding habits of gnawing on tree bark and other woody plants. So, we had indeed seen that elusive creature.

Marble Mount/Cascade Pass

July 29: Kay’s 41st birthday. We celebrated it starting at the cabin with waffles, wildflowers and little gifts. To really make the day memorable, we drove to Marble Mount where the trailhead to Cascade Pass began. The hike itself was dubbed “one for the masses” and it did turn out to be a very enjoyable experience for all of us.

We had lunch in the saddle of the pass and then Kay, Betsy and Lois were crazy enough to take a 1 mile hike straight up to Doubtful Lake Overlook. This hike was brutal and gave us all second thoughts about the Mt. Rainier climb we planned on for later in the trip. After rejoining Sharon in the saddle, it took 2 more hours to get back down to the car and we were all tired and thirsty. No one felt like cooking or preparing supper that night, so we had a hearty meal with lots of water at the Log Cabin Inn in Marble Mount. Back at our cabin, we had time for showers, rest and sleep. It had been a truly memorable birthday for Kay!

July 30: Today was a long driving trip from Diablo Lake to town of Concrete to find Baker Lake Road to get views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. We saw Baker Lake Dam as we climbed further up to see the conical shaped Mt. Baker covered lightly in a snow cape which added to its loveliness. Mt. Shuksan is much more rugged and wore much less snow over its shoulders.

We had a picnic lunch at Rockport State Park and then took the “scenic route” to Route 5 down to Enumclaw. Route 5 was not very scenic, but it was probably quicker than other more confusing routes shown on the area maps. However, at one point we could see My. Rainier, both inspiring and humbling to us would-be climbers. From there was another 25 miles to Enumclaw, where our room at the King Motel had the virtue of being already paid for. Delicious supper of prime rib at the High Climbers Restaurant. That very name put more butterflies in our stomachs.

HIKING DAYS

July 31: We left Enumclaw at 6:15 a.m. after breakfast at Charlie’s Cafe for delicious cinnamon buns. Reaching Rainier at sunrise gave us a glorious sight which really beggars description.

Fremont Overlook Trail

We at once took the Fremont Overlook Trail (a 4-5 hour hike). It was gorgeous with the most splendid display of wild flowers ever. It was a virtual color war between all the different species of flowers. The sight of Mt. Rainier is overwhelming. We were told that the indigenous name for the mountain is “Skookum Tillicum Skookum tum tum” meaning Brave Men Brave Hearts. We weren’t sure where we fit in now. On the walk we saw marmots, pica, a grouse hem with chicks and a cute little girl with a Teddy Bear in her Knapsack) and we wondered if she was going to climb Rainier? There are a lot of people congregating around and all of us are already sunburned from the local hikes we have been taking.

Stevens Canyon/Myrtle Falls

We took another hike to Stevens Canyon which is a box canyon to see Stellar Jays, and Clark’s Nuthatches. Wonderful and large birds. We took an evening walk with a ranger to see Myrtle Falls. The ranger also gave an evening talk about the animals of the Park. Even though we had a delicious supper of Fettuccini, we were all tired and a bit overwrought about what we had been thinking of doing. Mt. Rainier is a daunting sight.

Comet Falls/Van Trump’s Park Hike

Aug 1: Nerves showed up again this morning and none of us were very hungry at 7:00 a.m. But we started off to Comet Falls and then on to Van Trump’s Park Hike at 9 a.m. Sharon got the skitters first and turned back at 10:45 and she made a good choice. The route was continuously steeply uphill. The Falls were impressive, but I hated that we had to cross a log bridge along the way and that really freaked me out.

We rested a while and watched a marmot family at play in the sunshine. The 6 kits were play fighting, chasing picas, running here and there and pestering their Mama who was very patient with them. Then we tackled the VTP hike, and it was grueling with many of what we had learned to call “Inca steps” because they were like the steps at Machu Picchu as you reached the top of that hike. We did not see the mountain goats hoped for though there was a nice view of the valley. This whole jaunt took 5 & a half hours. Sharon’s camera met with a mishap so after we all got together again, we drove to Eatonville & Tacoma to find a camera shop. As it turned out, they fixed the camera quickly and charged nothing.

Return trip was uneventful except that the last few miles were covered in a thick fog and that was not fun. Stopped at Longmire for something to drink and to wait for the fog to clear. We got back in time to attend another ranger talk, this one on birds of the area. It was interesting & we did not fall asleep.

Bench and Snow Lakes

Aug 3: This was a day of many different hikes and a couple of shopping stops for necessities for the climb. We hiked to Bench and Snow Lakes, which was mainly through meadows bursting with wild flowers and views of both Mt. Rainier and the Tatoosh Mountains.

Nisqually Glacier Vista Trail

After lunch, we headed for Nisqually Glacier Vista Trail which also provided lovely flowerfilled sights. The mighty Glacier itself was very impressive for what it has wrought on Mt. Rainier. Now in 2024, I wonder what is left of the marvel of nature since all the glaciers all over the world and melting away due to climate change. After lunch, we took to the Alta Vista Trail even though heavy clouds were rolling in. It was a beautiful short walk even though Rainier was hiding in the clouds. We made it back to the Visitor’s Center before the rain fell.

Went to another ranger talk given by a lady ranger who told us about the first women to climb the formidable Mt. Rainier. On the way back from the Visitor Center to Paradise Inn, I

slipped in the snow which was quite wet and required a change of clothes, but at least it was near bed time and I suffered no injury other than to my pride.

Skyline Trail/Panorama Point

Aug 3: Woke up early again today, but when we saw that the sky was socked in still, we waited until 10 to get started on the da y’s activities. First order of the day was another hike (natch!), this one was around the Skyline Trail. The sky remained gloomy and ominous, but we enjoyed the walk anyway. Finally, the clouds passed, and the sky became a lovely blue over our heads. We are all really sunburned now.

But we soldiered on and went to Panorama Point for our alfresco lunch which was beautiful! We had to plow through snow to find our way back on the trail to get down from the heights. Got back to Paradise about 4:30 p.m. and went to the cafeteria at Longmire for a good dinner. Kay and Betsy took a short postprandial walk back to Nisqually Glacier while Sharon and I people-watched and waiting for them in the lobby of the Visitor Center. Then we all went to the ranger talk on meadows. To bed early with everyone feeling a little apprehensive about tomorrow.

MOUNT RAINIER

8/4/83 We were all up a little later than usual because we were filled with jitters. After a lot of soul searching and few tears from Lois, the three of us headed off to climbing school, but with great reluctance on Lois' part. The men leading the school set a pace that left the three of us lagging behind conspicuously and it felt like we were on the Bataan Death March, except for the cold weather. Though we tried valiantly, it was clear that we were not going to make it up Mt. Rainier with this fast-paced group. We really believed, and still do, that those leaders knew what they were doing. They were weeding out the weaker wannabe climbers so that laggards would not slow the group down because all were supposed to stay together during the climb for safety reasons. We didn’t need to be told that we hadn’t qualified.

After yet another supper at Longmire, we attended the last ranger show of this trip and the topic was the erosive effects of water on the mountains and glaciers. So now you know why I titled this journal of the trip “The No Can Do Trip.” However, we did not feel like failures because we hiked all over the Pacific Northwest for many days and loved everything we saw and experienced: the scenery, the birds and animals, the delicious meals we enjoyed, the sights we saw, the miles we walked, and our own company.

Aug 5: We left Rainier National Park earlier than expected and went straight to Longmire cafeteria for breakfast and then to the Visitor Center to check out. We could not see Mt. Rainier for a last goodbye because he was wreathed in heavy clouds. The three of us who thought it would be fun congratulated ourselves that we were not up on the side of that mountain today. We drove to Seattle and arrived about 11:00 am. Since we had not expected to have extra days to spend in Seattle, we went to the AAA office for maps and guides for what to do in this wonderful city.

RETURN TO SEATTLE

Space Needle/Elliot’s Bay

We started off at the Space Needle which we enjoyed very much even though we had already been seeing vistas from high altitudes. Then we hopped on the monorail to downtown and the Wharf. We had a so-so meal at Elliots Bay. We shopped around for typical gifties for folks back home and then searched for a motel for the night. Sharon and I did the laundry and then wanted to go to the movies to see” The Star Chamber” with Michael Douglas. Betsy and Kay didn’t want to go, so Kay drove us to the theater and picked us up afterwards. I think we enjoyed the movie.

Woodland Park Zoo

Aug 6: Last day of this marvelous exploration of the Pacific Northwest. We were up and out of the bridge motel at 7:30 a.m. and had a huge breakfast at Gus’. Wonder why we were so hungry that morning? Anyway, we headed for the Woodland Park Zoo. The Glorious Rose Garden came first and then to the first animal exhibit which was the African Savannah, really special. The whole zoo is wonderful, and we saw some new creatures there. For example, we saw Sand Cats, Meercats, potoroos, elephant shrews, and huge Brazilian cockroaches (I could have done without seeing those critters). Sharon and Betsy saw Mountain Goats and Elks for the first time. The gorilla exhibit was first rate. We stayed in the Zoo 5 or 6 hours, so you know we were captivated.

Aquarium

After lunch at Lyndy’s, we went downtown to the Seattle Aquarium, another excellent attraction with interesting fish and other creatures of the sea, rivers and lakes in the area. Sea otters and puffins were the main attractions. Another plus was that the entry fee was quite cheap. And at the end of the trip, we were beginning to run out of money.

Supper at Jim Moore’s Steak House and then back to the motel to finish packing. To bed early in anticipation of an early trip to the SeaTac airport for the flights home.

In conclusion, I have to say that though we did not climb Mt. Rainier as had been our first plan, the trip was amazing in mountain Scenery, the Hoh Rainforest, the many creatures and birds we saw and the wonders of Butchert Gardens and Vancouver City and Seattle. I ended the handwritten diary with three exclamation points after the words: a Great Vacation. Still seems perfectly apropos!!!

1983 Pacific Northwest Road Trip

PACIFIC NORTHWEST ROAD TRIP 1983