I think it is time for another post on why it is so awesome to live in the Pacific Northwest. In my other post I filled you all in on the stupendous weather of the region. This time I want to talk about a personal obsession: The Olympic Peninsula.I’ve talked about the Olympic Peninsula a few times before, and, even after this post, you all will hear much more about it in the future. It’s just that awesome. And I’m not crazy, you’re crazy! Blarg!If you don’t believe the complete and utter fact that the Olympic Peninsula is the best peninsula ever, then you are just wrong. Completely wrong, probably broken, and there isn’t anything I can do to save you. But oh well, let me try and explain a bit about why I love that region of lumpy forested land so much.
It’s Wild!
Most of it is wilderness. The landmass, which is about the size of Massachusetts, is far too rugged to for humans to traverse other than by foot. Very few roads reach anywhere near the Olympic’s citadel of high Alpine style mountains. Even the trails mostly follow the glacier carved river valleys zagging towards the base of the highest peak, Mount Olympus. Seriously though! Doesn’t it sound completely amazing already?
It’s Gorgeous!
It really is. Not only are their mountains there is also the only temperate rain forest in the world surrounding them, and it is extremely dense. The bits of it not under protection by the national park or national forest services are major sources of lumber for the still thriving timber industry in the region.And and it all bordered on three sides by salty sea water. To the north and east are the Strait of Juan De Fuca and the Puget sound, and to the west is the vast Pacific Ocean. And it is complete fact that rugged Pacific Coast along the Peninsula is the best stretch of coast available. The dense forest butts right up to the edge of the continent and huge waves crash over sandy and pebbly beaches. Stone spires and sea stacks stand guard over the remote coast protecting it from whatever dares come close. Oh, and there are waterfalls too.
It’s Remote
And here’s my favorite bit. It is remote. The landmass is only accessible by a handful of highways, many of which require passage by ferry. When I am out there I truly feel that I separated myself from the hustle and bustle of the real world and all of its issues. Good luck with contiguous cell service out there than alone finding a Wal-Mart. Towns of any substantial size are in extremely short supply.From Forks, WA (logging town of Twilight fame) it is about an hour and a half’s drive in either direction before the next major city. For me, this is a wonderful thing. When we moved out here from Oklahoma we serious considered a move to Forks. The only thing that held us back was the lack of speedy internet (a very important commodity as a remote worker in the software industry).
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2 responses to “By Golly, The PNW is Awesome! And Here’s Why – Part 2: The Olympic Peninsula”
I will forever sing the praises of where I live. Scotland is a thousand kinds of beautiful. I live in Edinburgh, where ghosts wander buried streets and the city bursts at the seams every August as the world arrives to celebrate art. Further north, mountains reach for the sea and everything in that bleak landscape has fought for its right to live. This is a place where history breathes and the strongest things are the most beautiful.
That sounds beautiful. Scotland is one of many places we want to visit someday.