Arriving at Dawn?

Given the total length of the trip, even leaving at 7 or 8 in the evening leaves us getting in when it's really, really dark (likely midnight to 1am). So here's a thought I'll toss out there, but with the feeling that this is just another idea and that I'm simply thinking out loud. What if we try to arrive at dawn?? Is that possible?

Say we planned to take the latest ferry out. From Edmonds, that's 11:45pm. With a crossing time of 30 minutes, we arrive in Kingston around 12:15am. Then we drive. From Kingston to Lake Ozette is 131 miles, and Mapquest estimates a driving time of 3 hours and 21 minutes (curvy, windy roads these are).

So with a stop or two for smoke breaks, we are pulling into Lake Ozette campground around 4am. Sunrise in Sekiu, Washington (the nearest town) is 5:50am these days. So daylight will still be almost 2 hours away.

Another tack is taking the Seattle/Bremerton ferry, but it would increase our total travel time by 45 minutes. The last ferry is at 12:45am, and the crossing time is double that of the Edmonds ferry--60 minutes. That puts us driving out of Bremerton at 1:45am. It's 147 miles from Bremerton to Lake Ozette, and Mapquest estimates a driving time of 3 hours and 37 minutes, so only 16 minutes more driving time.

With a stop or two for smoke breaks, we are pulling into Lake Ozette campground around 5:15am. Only 35 minutes from daybreak.

Only down side with both options is that there is no or relatively little sleep. Though we might have the adrenaline of being together and on the road. And after camp is set up and we've admired the sunrise...well, we can just go to sleep!!

Ferry Schedule

Click on the link in the title of this post to view the Summer 2006 Edmonds/Kingston ferry schedule.

If we're looking at evening ferry times, since we'll likely be leaving after Christopher is in bed, our options on Wednesday evening are:

9:20pm
10:35pm
11:20pm
11:45pm

Note that the Edmonds Terminal is about 10 miles from the house, so it's likely to take us about 25-30 minutes to drive there.

Driving Directions

The Mapquest driving directions link was too long to add to the title of this post, so I added it here in the text of the post.

Looks like the total driving time is 4 hours, 18 minutes, and I assume that does not include the ferry travel time.

Mapquest showed us taking the Edmonds/Kingston ferry, per Kay's suggestion. I'll post the ferry schedules next.

The Weather Forecast

More About Lake Ozette

Click on the link in the title of this post to view a great one-page description of this guy's trip to Lake Ozette and nearby Cape Flattery. It includes some great maps and pictures of the area.

Happy Birthday Kay!!

Happy Birthday To You...
Happy Birthday To You...
Happy Birthday, Dear Kaaaa-aaaay....
Happy Birthday To You!!

Love,
Sarah & Kelly

Lake Ozette It Is!!

Well, I think we have a winner--Lake Ozette!! We'll leave Wednesday night and catch a ferry to the penisula and drive to the Lake Ozette Campground and see if we can score a spot in the cozy campground. I've copied and pasted some information from a web site about the area, and it sounds totally awesome. There is also private campground nearby, The Lost Resort, in that could serve as an option were we to find no open sites at the National Park campground.

Information About the Ozette Area

Located in the northwest corner of the coastal strip, eight-mile-long Lake Ozette is the third largest natural lake in Washington. In the 19th century this area was crowded with 130 homesteaders scratching out a living, but they gradually gave up and moved away. A 21-mile paved road heads southwest from Sekiu, ending at the Ozette Ranger Station. This area has one of the most popular overnight hikes along the Olympic coast, and summer weekends attract outdoor enthusiasts.

Try arriving early to grab one of the 18 campsites accessible by car, but if those are gone, you'll have to drive all the way back to a private campground in Sekiu. The busiest times are weekends in July and August.

Ozette Campground: The small campground has camping ($10) year-round, but get here early to be sure of a space (no reservations). The lake is a popular place for boats, canoes, and kayaks, but take care since winds can create treacherous wave action at times.

Erickson's Bay: The free boat-in campground is halfway down the lake on the west side. Good fishing for largemouth bass, cutthroat trout, kokanee, and other fish.

The Lost Resort: A general store, deli, camping supplies, showers, and private campsites next to the lake.

Trails: Two trails head to the coast from the ranger station. One leads southwest to Sand Point, three miles away; the other three miles northwest to Cape Alva - the westernmost point in the Lower 48. By hiking the beach connecting the two, you can create a triangular loop trip of 9.3 miles. You can also continue south on the beach for 2.3 miles to the Norwegian Memorial, a tribute to the victims of a 1903 shipwreck.

There is much to explore in the Cape Alva area: fascinating tidepools, cannonball shaped rocks, an anchor from one of the ships that ran aground here, and even an occasional Japanese glass ball. This is probably the best place to see wildlife in Olympic National Park, with bald eagles in the air, deer along the beach, sea lions and seals in the water, and migrating gray whales in fall and spring. This area contains the largest population of sea otters in the Lower 48; look for them in the kelp beds off Sand Point.

The Wedding Rocks area between Cape Alva and Sand Point is well known for its petroglyphs, which were carved by the original inhabitants of this land at an unknown time. Pick up a handout describing the petroglyphs from the ranger station.

The famous Makah village site is just a short distance from where the Cape Alva trail meets the beach. During the 1970s, archaeologists from Washington State University uncovered a wealth of ancient artifacts. The dig is now closed and buried, but many of the items found are displayed in the Makah Cultural Center at Neah Bay.

Beach Options

If we want easy access to the beaches, below are some options. Note that Kalaloch is a very popular beach campground, but it is the only one that requires reservations. I've already checked for our dates and there are only a few sites available for Wednesday and Thursday night only.

Ozette National Park
Lake Ozette is the most western mainland US lake and the state's third largest body of fresh water. The campground sits at the north end of the lake. The Parks map from previous post shows that there are some nice hikes down to the beach from the campground, and Shi Shi Beach and Arches is just north along the coast. Smaller campground with only 15 sites. $12/night. Bathrooms but no showers.

http://www.nwsource.com/travel/scr/tf_detail.cfm?dt=2566&cid=2&pageid=WA&cityid=23

Mora National Park
The campground is located along the Quillayute River approximately two miles from Rialto Beach. There don't appear to be as many great hikes to the beach as Ozette but plenty of them from and along the beach once there, and La Push is there as well as the famous Hole in the Wall. 94 sites. $12/night. Bathrooms but no showers.

http://www.nwsource.com/travel/scr/tf_detail.cfm?dt=2567&cid=2&pageid=WA&cityid=23

The Olympic Penisula

Well, I think we had at least settled on the idea of going to the Olympic Penisula for Campfest 2006. Use the following link to view a detailed National Parks map of the penisula with the park campgrounds identified. Except for Kalaloch in the southwest corner, all the park campgrounds are first-come, first-serve.

http://www.nps.gov/applications/parks/olym/ppMaps/OLYMmap1.pdf

The Dates

Woo hoo!! After 10+ years of friendship we are all three taking a camping trip together.

Campfest 2006 officially kicks off on Wednesday, August 2. We plan to drive out of Seattle that night, destination TBD. We will return to the city on Sunday, August 6.

So where do we go??