Moominmama's Adventures

Wherein Moominmama returns to the Olympic Peninsula and the Oregon Coast... Last year, Moominmama discovered the Klahhane Ridge trail in the mountains of Olympic National Park but was unable to hike its length after a check-engine light ate up the day at the local Toyota dealer. This year, coming back into the U.S. from Vancouver Island, she had a second chance. I awoke to some fog, but the sun was trying to push through. I figured it would clear during the morning so at least, I'd get the spectacular views on the way down. Not so much. In fact, by the time I got back to the parking lot in the afternoon, the fog was so thick I could barely see to back the car out safely. So this hike is on my re-do list, but that said, I had a marvelous time. On my way up, I met a couple who had just turned back because the wife had seen what she thought was cougar scat. (It looked like dog poop to me.) The husband wanted to continue, so there was a bit of a dispute ongoing, which I was able to sol...

In which Moominmama visits the north end of Vancouver Island and ferries to Malcolm Island in search of Orcas before meeting up with fellow Altoistes... Moominmama has been jumping from place to place, proving how exhausting that can be. Normally my travel plans allow for stays of at least a week. This has served as a reminder that fast-paced travel is too much! Moominmama's arrival on Vancouver Island was by ferry into Nanaimo and from there, my reservations required a long drive to Port Hardy in the far north! My campground was along the Gwa'dzi or Quatse river estuary, where this small totem pole, featuring a bear holding a salmon stood, a gift of the indingenous people of the area. This estuary (low tide here) supports the salmon runs of the Coho, Pink and endangered Chinook salmon. It's also home to many bald eagles. I was awoken daily by the bald eagle chirps and whistles, even though I rarely saw them high up in the trees. I had no idea they made so much noise! Moomi...

Wherein Moominmama crosses from the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver Island with a few stops on the way... This past week was focused more on getting from one place to the next than exploring any individual location in detail. Moominmama had an appointment outside of Vancouver to have her trailer bearings repacked, a regular maintenance need that required being there on time!  But with a few days to get there, Moominmama opted for stops in Revelstoke and Kamloops, after original plans were scotched due to an unexpected campground closure. A scramble to find alternatives ensued.  Moominmama found an open spot at Revelstoke National Park, where she visited last year. This gave me a chance to repeat a favorite hike to Eva Lake in sunshine (above), and to swim in the beautiful, clear water, something I opted against last year when it was cold and rain threatened.  This time around there were fewer wildflowers in Revelstoke, but the lupins were still out in all their glory. Famil...