Back down to earth

Well, it's been a wonderful vacation, but I am now back to work! We got a few pictures of the Dungeness spit and nearby Olympic mountains, a fearless deer and some other stuff, but none of the actual rainforest itself since it was raining the day of our hike and we didn't think it'd be very good for the electronics to be out in the wet.

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

Mind you, it wasn't unpleasant inside the forest with the rain. The foliage is so thick that you don't actually get rained on too much. More it's like you're walking inside a cloud with occasional drips. We'd brought the water-resistant shells from ski jackets, and we were rapidly too warm even without the liners, so we just gave up on it and threw the shells in the backpack. It was warm enough for me to wear just yoga pants and a tank top with my boots, and Patrick was in a t-shirt, etc. Definitely not chilly. Weirdly, in spite of the incredible humidity, we dried very quickly. After being dripped on for a couple hours, our skin and clothes were still almost completely dry. No idea why this was, but I wasn't complaining.

Before you get down to Dungeness spit

We went on two short hikes, the Hall of Mosses Trail and the Spruce Nature Trail. The other trail near the Visitor Center is a pretty long one (17 miles or so) that has a near-exponential elevation gain as you go along it, and since Patrick's heel was bothering him and I was starting to get a blister after a couple miles, we decided to call it a day. This worked out pretty well, since we had enough time to get back to our bed and breakfast and clean up before going out to have a nice dinner.

Just looking out toward Canada

Saw a few funny things on the way over and back:

• A "WE SELL BUTT RUB!" sign on our way out of Sequim toward the rainforest. I don't know what Butt Rub is, but they seemed very enthusiastic about it.
• A dumpy little roadside stand in Forks with Twilight Firewood for sale. Does it sparkle when you light it? Does it stare creepily at you while you sleep? You just don't know.
• Very festive-looking signs for an Irrigation Festival. This means there might actually be something lamer than Pullman's Lentil Festival.

The Deer of Fearlessness just wandered right past us

We survived both ferry trips without being eaten, which I considered a major victory. Having your car tightly packed in a dim tunnel with a bunch of other vehicles reminds me of every zombie movie ever where the stupid heroes are all, "Well, we have to get past this hill, and this dark tunnel full of gridlocked, abandoned cars looks like the easiest route, so 1-2-3-GO!" And then they get eaten. Ferries give me the wig.

Dungeness spit itself; only the left side is open to people

Lost Mountain Lodge, our bed and breakfast, was just lovely. Huge bathroom, awesome double shower, nice tub. One neat thing about it was that the fireplace was between the bedroom and bathroom, with glass on both sides, so you could see the fire whilst soaking in the tub or lounging on the bed. The breakfasts were consistently delicious, and they stayed with us for a long time. Must've been all the protein. I didn't need food for hours afterward both days.

So peaceful!

The two things that I wish were a little different about the suite: 1) a door on the bathroom and 2) a bigger tub. It is hard to fit a 6'4" guy in a tub, never mind trying to add a 5'6" girl. They also have a jacuzzi, which we did not end up trying out, and that would've fit him better. Maybe next time. The bathroom was gigantic, and the toilet was behind this little maze of walls, but those don't really block sound, so in order to get privacy we would take turns stepping out into the living room (outside our suite) or listening to music with headphones. As I told Patrick, "I love and adore you, but I'm not ready for you to hear me poop. Nor will I ever be." And he was fine with that. I have such a considerate husband.

The Olympics you see here provide a rain shadow for Sequim and tons of moisture for the rainforest

In other news, we have 830 cranes and my little sister got a job! Not only did she get a job, but it's in a cute little town over here by us, so I can actually see her more than once a year. Hooray! The clinic is exactly the environment she wanted, and the cost of living should be low enough that she and her husband can get a nice house. So happy for her!

Olympic Mountains in the distance