The Olympic Mountains rise up sharply from the turbulent shores of the Pacific Ocean. As storms rush in off the ocean clouds are forced up against the mountains and the result is that torrents of rain are dropped on the western slopes. Much of the northern coast is so rugged that it is inaccessible to vehicles and Highway 101 threads its’ way between the mountains and coastal ranges, rarely reaching the coastline until about half-way down the peninsula. The land is cloaked in waves of green as the great coastal forests blanket the land.
Just west of Port Angeles the highway veers southwest through Olympic National Park and crosses a spur of the Olympic Mountains under sunny skies. The road hugs the shore of Lake Crescent, a stunning pool of water filling a deep valley carved by a retreating glacier eons ago.
Further on the peaks of the interior rise on my left as I circle around the national park under gathering storm clouds.
Timber is still king in western Washington, though a pale shadow of the industry it once was. The small town of Forks (approximately 4,000 people) is the commercial center of the forests and it, too, is but a struggling remnant of the town it once was. As the logging industry declined and the large mills closed, the town’s economy became dependent upon employment offered by two large prisons nearby. A brief spur in tourism occurred about 15 years ago when the hugely successful “Twilight” novels, set in Forks, became a series of blockbuster films. Last time I visited Forks nearly 10 years ago the main street was populated with Twilight tourist stops, today little evidence of the fad remains.
Past Forks one of the few roads to penetrate Olympic National Park carves a path through dense forest up the Hoh River Valley, scene of one of the rain forests created by the heavy rains that frequent the area.
Hoh Rain Forest
The incessant rains have created a lush forest draped in moss along the Hoh River. The rampant virility of nature encroaches on the narrow road
At the end of the road the Hoh River Visitor Center sits deep in the rain forest surrounded by bogs and marshes laced with hiking trails that expose the beauty through a misty viewpoint.
A slow stream waves through the marshes leaving undulating waves of brilliant green wafting under the crystal clear water.
Huge trees pierce the rainy skies above the bog, several blown down in the fierce storms that blast in off the Pacific Ocean and beat the forest with tumultuous waves of rain. Because of the constant, prodigious amounts of rain trees do not need to develop deep root systems and thus are easily toppled by the fierce winds that howl up the river valley.
Once trees are toppled by the winds, moisture takes over and the gradual decay allows ferns and moss to take hold in the exposed roots.
A gentle drizzle is falling as I walk around the area.
Driving back down the valley to the highway one again passes through a hall of giants.
Back on Highway 101 I continue to drive through thick forests until suddenly the clouds lift a bit and the wide sunny beaches of southwestern Washington momentarily come into view.
The Olympic Mountains continue to loom east of the highway as it weaves in and out of the forests along the coastal beaches.
Pacific Beach is my stopping point for the night and the state park campground is right on the beach, giving tremendous views north and south. The showers that have been occurring off and on all day pause during the evening, though a cold wind is blowing along the beach.
At Pacific Beach I turn east, passing along the southern reaches of the Olympic Mountains. Sunny, but still cool, skies shine on forests glittering with the colors of fall.
The climate is a bit drier here and the vast forests are intensively managed by timber conglomerates. Tree farms stretch in every direction and along the highway are signs pointing out the last time that the forests had been harvested and replanted.
Views of the surrounding hills show evidence of the varying years of harvesting and replanting.
As we have seen elsewhere, the small towns that grew up around timber mills have dwindled over time as timber mill operations have been centralized in a few locations (in western Washington primarily around the area of Aberdeen) and the small town of McCleary is no exception. Henry McCleary built a sawmill here in 1897 and operations have continued to the present, though now as part of the Simpson Timber Company. Simpson closed all of its’ plants in McCleary by 1985 except the Simpson Door Company, which still operates on part of the massive former mill site.
Heading into the lands around the southern end of Puget Sound the ever-present Olympic Mountains are still reaching into the sky to the north.
Lurking in front of me is the massive Seattle-Tacoma metroplex and I am going to do my best to avoid the legendary traffic. Unfortunately my next stop is right in the center of downtown Tacoma on Foss Waterway, a reclaimed Superfund site on Puget Sound.
Museum of Glass
The Museum of Glass opened on reclaimed land along the Foss Waterway in downtown Tacoma in 2002. The Foss Waterway had long been an industrial wasteland, so polluted that it was listed as a Superfund clean-up site. Key to the creation of the museum was the presence of Dale Chiluly, one of the world’s premier studio glass artists and a native of the area. Today the museum houses the largest “hot room” on the west coast and functions as both an educational center for aspiring artists and an exhibition space for glass creations from artists around the world. The museum sits on a series of terraces that rise from the water. The 90 feet tall cone, designed to honor the history of timber burners found at lumber mills around the area, houses the Hot Room, where the blast furnaces provide the heat for the creation of glass works.
A large central lobby opens on to the three key areas of the museum, the Hot Room, the educational classroom, and the galleries.
Artists working with glass are on display in the Hot Room, allowing the audience on the seats above a birds’ eye view of the creative process. The man in the black t-shirt in the picture below is actually holding a video camera that displays the actions of the artist on the large screen above, allowing viewers a detailed look at the action.
Fulfilling its’ mission as an educational center for glass work, adjacent to the Hot Room is a large studio where workshops are held. Note the large display of tools on the back wall.
Completing the tour of the museum are the galleries. An exhibition entitled “Translations: An Exploration of Glass by Northwest Artists and Weavers” celebrates Native American Culture by interpreting the ancient skill of basket weaving in glass.
A striking glass sculpture “American Mare” by American artist David Bennett is a highlight.
A small gallery features the work of native son Dale Chiluly, including one of his signature striking chandelier sculptures.
Artwork in the medium of glass is one of my particular interests and I have visited here several times. It never disappoints! For a look at another museum of glass, check out Vol. 11 “Autumn in New England”, Chap. 17 – “The Beauty of Glass” where I visit the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.
You might have noticed that my visit to the “rainy” side of the Olympic Peninsula was actually pretty dry. That’s the kind of weather that’s happening this fall! Leaving the museum I have no choice but to get back on Interstate 5, the dreaded main transportation route along the West Coast, and dive into the grid lock. Fortunately I have planned a short cut that will take me around most of the urban sprawl and over Snoqualmie Pass to central Washington. We’ll see how this goes, sometimes my short-cuts go astray…
Next up: Fun with “Dick and Jane”
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