Scenic Drive - Hood Canal & Port Angeles

These are the beautiful Olympic Mountains as viewed from the bridge over the Hood Canal.  I stopped the car just past the bridge and walked back to take this shot. 

Although you can't tell from this angle, the Hood Canal Bridge (according to Wikipedia) "... is 7,869 feet (2,398 m) long, making it the longest floating bridge in the world located in a saltwater tidal basin, and the third longest floating bridge overall..." Just so you know.  That's amazing, I think.

And THIS photo is a view of Hurricane Ridge.  Well, I think it's Hurricane Ridge.  I was just past Sequim (pronounced Skwim - does that make sense?) which is only about 15 miles from Port Angeles and took this when I detoured off the road after spotting a Starbucks sign.

Hurricane Ridge is not to be missed in the summer if you're ever over on the Olympic Peninsula.  Breathtaking views.  The road is closed right now because of a large slide of some sort...not sure if it's mud or rock or what.  But there's lots to do there in winter, too.  This link to Hurricane Ridge gives an overview of winter sports to enjoy if the mountain is open. But check it out, anyway...there's a webcam with a view from the ridge plus more photos.

Stacked Rocks at Ediz Hook

There's a 3-1/2 mile spit of land in Port Angeles Harbor.  It's called Ediz Hook and back in 1862 driftwood was placed on a tripod at the very end of the spit and burned as a navigation light for ships coming into the harbor.  Port Angeles Harbor is the deepest harbor in the Pacific northwest.  How deep I do not know...I just know that it's the deepest.

Nobody seems to know when it started but there's an interesting impromptu art exhibit out by the Coast Guard station on the Ediz Hook.  Balanced upon the rip rap along the shore are stacks of rocks here and there.  There are dozens of them.  So now whenever people drive out to the end, they'll stop and build a little piece of stone sculpture of their own or they'll rearrange one that's already there.

Just a couple of shots of the driftwood and rocks along the shore.  It's easy to find nice flat stones in all sizes which explains why building these little stone temples is a popular pastime.  Incidentally, I took these last three pictures on my last visit to Port Angeles (aka PA.)

I didn't take any photos of downtown  but we'll be going back there from time to time so more to come...