Saturday, July 16, 2022   Washington

Got back on Hwy 12, drove west until it joined I-5, then went north to join Hwy 12 again when it went west.  Drove on 12 out to Aberdeen, Washington, then got on Hwy 101, which makes a complete loop around the Olympic Peninsula.  Went to the town of Quinnault inside the National Park.  All Forest Service campgrounds were full (or you had to walk into your campsite, which doesn’t work too well when you’re sleeping in your vehicle) so we stayed at a private RV park down the road.  It had water and electrical hookups, so it was expensive compared to the campgrounds.  Our parking spot was next to the “world’s largest Spruce tree”.  It was a Sitka Spruce, 191 feet tall, 59 feet circumference, and estimated to be about 1000 years old.  It was humbling to be sleeping next to such a giant.  Across the road was a general store, laundromat, and pay showers, one minute per quarter.  I needed 7 minutes.

Sunday,  July 17, 2022    Washington 

Drove on Hwy 101, northward and around the Olympic Peninsula.  Took side stops to see the beaches along the way.  Stayed at Dungeness Rec Area in Squim, a county campground up on bluffs above the Juan de Fuca Strait.  Canada was in the near distance.  The general area was full of campers, so we were glad to get a spot for the night.  We ate at the Asian Buffet in Port Angelus before going to the campground.  It rained heavily during the night and our camp chairs got all wet.  A good wakeup call for us, since we had not encountered overnight rain on our travels before this day.