This is the view from our window at the Miller Tree Inn, taken at dawn on Sunday morning. I made coffee, and we sat together to greet the morning.The gentle ground fog and the beauty of the sky lingered, but, with freezing temperatures. We were quite comfortable in our room at the Inn, with the firelight from a gas fireplace warming the room.The day before, we drove from Tacoma over to the Olympic Pennsula, to Forks, along Lake Crescent. The areas throughout the Pacific Northwest had just experienced one of the worst storms in recent history. Huge trees had fallen, and debris littered the highway everywhere. Powerpoles and electric lines were being rebuilt, workcrews had taken power-saws to all the splintered trees and local rivers were still sending torrents of rainwater down to the ocean.
It was like traveling through an area hit by a tsunami or a tornado. I've never seen such damage. Sixty- two mile an hour winds and the rainstorms had ravaged the forests and compromised the roadways. Other than the roadcrews cleaning up, very few people were on the roadway - and here we were, heading for an anniversary celebration at the Miller Tree Inn, nested right in the thick of it! We called the owners to see if the Inn 'had power'.
They said they were ready for our arrival, so we chanced the trip. The big tree limbs broken off here were from another storm they had in November.Newspaper stories in our area at the time said the Governor had declared a 'state of emergency for western Washington. Also in the news, rescue attempts for the three stranded climbers on Mt. Hood in Oregon were beginning, and magazines had hit the news-stands describing the sad outcome of the James Kim family, lost on a remote logging road up in the mountains. Both stories were filled with tragic outcomes and personal suffering. I felt a little apprehensive as I contemplated our get-away!
As I packed for our trip, I decided to pack emergency items in case we encountered any difficulties along the way - a tent, propane stove, food and water for several days, emergency clothing and bedding. I even packed our huge down comforter, which we ended up using in our room at the Inn! Our room was heated only by a gas fireplace, which we turned off at bedtime (so the room would darken). Come morning, that room was about 46 degrees!
Over the next two days we spent most of our time hiking and exploring beaches.
We saw people suited up for surfing and kayaking the large waves in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. People had built a big fire on the beach to stave off the cold temperatures.
This is George at Rialto Beach on the ocean, where we spent several hours walking along the beach. I saw a variety of large fish swept onto the beach - and also a huge stingray. Afterwards, we went into Forks, for a nice dinner at 'The In Place'. I was in the mood for deep fried, lightly battered cod, and George had a steak. There was an exceptionally good salad bar. We were quite fortunate to get such a good meal, as I wasn't sure what the accomodations would be way out in the 'boonies'. A lot of places were closed due to power outages, and some were closed - the heavy tourist season was over.The Inn served Eggs Bennedict for breakfast on Sunday morning, with various fruits, specialty breads, and cereals. We had a hearty breakfast out on a closed-in porch, then scouted out the lakes in the region. I'll have to admit that I forgot my snowpants, which were packed out in the garage somewhere, and the thought of paddling any lake without them, in 32 degree temps, was quite discouraging. Sitting out in the mist, paddling a canoe or filming, just seemed a foolish way to get unbearably cold. I'd rather stay warm in the van, with a laprobe over my legs and a hot beverage in the thermos.
We walked along Beaver Lake here, but given my appre- hensions - it just plain 'felt' spooky - we decided that it would make a better summertime paddle. We took a long hike on the Spruce Railroad Trail on Lake Crescent instead. A work crew was clearing the trail. Power saws, gallon jugs of water and orange juice, and heavy jackets were stashed along the trail.
The hike was quite chilling at first, but as the trail meandered upward, I warmed up. Unfortunately, our hike was along the shaded part of the mountain, and the sun was pouring warmth and sunshine on the other side of the lake. We hiked through some beautiful forest, coming along a trail over big boulders and a footbridge that basked in the sunshine. We stayed there awhile, to soak up the warmth. (I didn't pack any cameras on this hike.)
Speaking of warmth - Ruhiyyih kept the home fires burning while we were gone. Since power-outages were still all over the Puget Sound area, she invited family members over for a hot meal and showers, and an afternoon of videos and photo albums.
She was also there to greet our friends who were doing the Ruhi study circle, a routine Sunday evening event for us. There is something comforting about returning home, to find family and friends sitting at our fire with a cup of tea, like a little shelter after the storm.
