Drive to Port Angeles, Washington - part 4

We left Sea Ranch feeling pretty good about our stay. Nice cool temperatures Ocean beaches and scenic ocean views. Lots of hikes in the Redwoods. The only thing missing from this party was mountains and national forests. We had a great time there.

The evening before we left for Port Angeles, we went to Gualala, Ca., to watch the sunset one final time. Unfortunately, our battery failed on us while we were watching the sunset and wouldn't start at all.

It wouldn't even engage the starter, after only about 3 years since when the battery was purchased for the Highlander. It was a Wal Mart special, which was quite a dissapointment, especially since there are no late hour services in that area, and it was 8PM. So I ran up up the road as quickly as I could to get help at the service station. They loaned me a "charger battery" for flat batteries.

Unfortunately, that didn't get the job done. So I went ahead and bought a new battery. Fortunately they stayed open 15 minutes after the normal closing time to help me out. I only had a pair of pliers, and fortunately, I was able to get the job done with just that.

Alls well that ends well, but it made for a lot of excitement on our last evening in the area.

We got a start at about 9:30AM the next morning, and we drove up through Humboldt state park and stopped to see the visitor center, then drove along the scenic highway of the "giants" road that first day, taking our time, and we stayed in a motel not too far north of there.

The next morning we got out at out usual time, and drove up along highway US199 through the forests up to Grants Pass, and then on up I-5 to Salem, Oregon, where we stayed the night in our favorite motel chain, LaQuinta Inns. Due to the pro- dog attitude we normally experience there.

The next day we drove up through Portland, and on to Olympia on I-5, and then cut over to Highway US 101 to Port Angeles, Washington.

We drove up US 101 along the east side of Hood Canal, and through the reservations and throught the national forests, and by mid afternoon on the third day of driving we arrived at out house which backs up to a cliff over the Strait of Juan De Fuca.

When we arrived, there was a marine layer of clouds on the water, but when it cleared out the next day, It was fun to look out over the strait to watch the tankers, cruise ships and container ships parading east and west from the Seattle and Tacoma ports.