MOBILITY (Confessions of a Photographer's Wife)

It’s the 4^th of July and time for a shake-down cruise in our new (used) 21’ motor home.  We splurged with the idea that a small unit would provide the perfect mobility to explore the Pacific Northwest on weekends without the expense of hotels and restaurants.

In preparing our new toy, we removed the TV and VCR it came with so we’d have room for the LARGE camera bag.  My trusty tripod fits behind my seat, so once we add a few other extraneous items like food, clothing, bedding, we’re off to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.

Now the Hoh is a place of beauty beyond description.  It features trees up to 300’ tall with a girth that 10 people holding hands can barely span.  Add a curtain of moss draped over every branch, a carpet of sword ferns, a blanket of oxalis that, with their three leaves remind me of shamrocks, and you have the perfect habitat for leprechauns, gnomes, and other woodsy creatures.

            After a 2 hour drive, we park in our campsite at the Hard Rain Café.  Aptly named in most years, but this is a year of drought.  They’ve seldom seen the Hoh with dusty trails like this year.  It’s still beautiful, but the trees and mosses seem to be stretching toward the sky with thirsty longing.  Tripod carrying here is not a chore but a joy as we explore the Hall of Mosses, and the Spruce Trail.  A side trip to Ruby Beach presents another aspect of this amazing national park which covers a good portion of northwestern Washington.  Once again I’m thankful to Teddy Roosevelt and his successors for preserving such unmatched beauty.

            Hiking is fun, and waiting for my husband while he kneels to examine a close-up of a fern frond is OK with me, since there is so much to see.  I’m overwhelmed by the size of these trees, Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Red Cedar, Maple, they make me feel so small and insignificant in their grandeur.

            Then it’s back to the Hard Rain campground where we meet the nicest person right next door.  I’d kind of forgotten that the best part of camping is the people you meet.  The lady next to us is setting up her large 4-man tent and I’m thinking that she must like to spread out when she camps.  Smart lady!

            As our dog, Bella, wanders over (on her tie-out cable naturally) to get acquainted, we learn that the lady’s name is Judy and she’s expecting company.  Turns out her husband and 21-year old daughter are doing a 6-week biking trip with Judy as the support crew.  She drives ahead to set up camp for them at the end of the 80-90 mile peddling day.  What a nice wife and mother!  Of course, she gets to stop and enjoy places like Ruby Beach, the Hoh Rain Forest, and unmatched views all through the northwest where they’re traveling.  I must admit that biking every day for 6 weeks isn’t my idea of fun, but when Dan and Laurel pull in, they have smiles on their faces and the satisfaction of knowing that they are fulfilling their dream.

            Carrying the tripod allows for all kinds of experiences including the one we have on our last hike in the Hoh.  As we’re returning to the motor home we hear some noises coming from the forest and then see movement.  It’s a family of Olympic Elk, including a mother, a bull, and 4 of the cutest baby elk ever!  Then there’s another group with several elk sporting large racks of antlers.  This really is such a special place, and I know we’ll return, hopefully on a rainy day.