Olympic Peninsula Trip - Day Eleven

Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Port Townsend, WA to Brinnon, WA
Distance: 40 miles
Campground: Dosewallips State Park
Cost per Night: $35
Site #5
Duration: 3 nights
Departure Weather: 70 degrees and sunny

We had another pretty sunrise over the mountains. It was such a serene morning, sitting by the water, listening to gentle sound of the waves lapping against the rocks. What a life!

Mount Baker was much more visible than previous days.

Mount Rainier is showing her glory, too.

The fall colors were just beginning to appear and the morning light on the marina and the buildings in town was so beautiful. Is there a morning "golden hour?"

I really didn't want to leave this lovely area! The view from our bed was almost perfect. Next time, we'll try to get a spot closer to the shore (or turn our trailer so the dinette faces the water).

There's Mount Baker!

The drive was very quick, taking only an hour. The fall colors were so pretty, but next year we should try to arrive a week later in order to see them in their full glory. We never go very far without making a stop to admire the view! 

Or get shots of the cute trailer, manly truck and handsome husband. :)

We arrived at our campsite, which was situated at the far end of the campground, on a loop with five RV sites and five small cabins. The asphalt-paved sites have a generous amount of space between one another and the campground is full of trees and shrubbery, providing plenty of shade. We loved our site since we didn't have anyone behind us and had a nice grassy area, backing up to a dry creek bed, as well as the pad for the picnic table. We also had a fire ring (a bundle of wood & kindling was available to purchase for $6 at the ranger station), which we used every night. The road into the park was right behind us and Hwy. 101 was alongside our loop, but we weren't bothered by the road noise. It was actually fun to watch the new arrivals driving into the park, giving us a chance to check out all the various RVs & travel trailers. Our very level site was equipped with water and power and the dump station was nearby, behind the ranger station. The restrooms and token-operated showers were within walking distance and very clean. 

We arrived mid-week, so there were lots of empty sites and the campground was very peaceful. The night before we departed, the park filled up with a lot of people getting away for the weekend and we noticed a lot more children. It still wasn't noisy and it was fun to watch the little kids riding their bikes around the park. With a very slow speed limit, it's a perfect place for kids to play and ride. Quiet hours are 10:00 pm to 6:30 am and generator hours are 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. 

After getting settled, we walked down to the Dosewallips River. I spotted an eagle nest up in one of the trees, but it was empty. I made a mental note to return with the Olympus camera on my return walk.

The salmon were spawning and there were dozens of the dead fish all along the shore. It smelled terrible and was rather depressing. Neither Rod or I had ever seen salmon spawning, but it's their life cycle and just part of nature. Thankfully, our campsite was far enough away so we weren't bothered by the nasty odor!

You can't see it, but there was a fair amount of elk poop in the grassy area behind our site. Apparently, there's a resident herd of Roosevelt Elk that we were hoping to see during our visit.

Note: Those are just small pine cones in the foreground. :)

Pretty sweet spot with my dad and stepmom camping beside us with their Airstream motorhome (and cute little Smartcar).

Our home away from home. Life is good!