The day started out lightly raining as we headed to the Port Angeles Farmer's Market.
The nasturtiums in the window boxes were happy with the raindrops.
The stars of the show at Farmer's Markets here are the flowers. Bouquets and single stems are available.
And potted plants like these luscious fuchsias. Not sure if it was because it was rainy there weren't many vendors and even the produce wasn't what was expected and it was very pricy so we didn't buy a thing.
From the Farmer's Market we did some exploring along Port Angeles waterfront.
Even the chain link fences are decorated.
There is always a lot of port activity going on.
This is the Coho Ferry that goes to Victoria BC Canada. It takes both vehicle and passenger traffic.
It can even accommodate RV's. Don't forget your passports.
I wonder if these Canadian geese have their passports.
The rain isn't slowing down the activity on the dock.
A good share of that activity is because today is opening day of crab season.
This catch was good......Dungeness and Red Rock.
The Dungeness must be at least 6 & 1/4 inches and male to keep. The Red Rock only have to be 5 inches and either sex is ok.
Fishing is good in the rain.
As we drove out of town we went by the Courthouse all decked out for the 4th of July.
The next morning we took the trail by the RV Park.
The trail is narrow and in some places almost overtaken by the growth of the plants.
As we get further along it becomes more forest like with mushrooms popping up along the path.
The trail leads to the Elwha Dam Removal site overlook.
The Elwha Dam was a 108-ft high dam on the Elwha River approximately 4.9 miles upstream from the mouth of the river on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was completed in 1913.
Not far away the Glines Canyon Dam was completed in 1926.
The dams fueled regional growth, but blocked the migration of salmon upstream, disrupted the flow of sediment and wood downstream, and flooded the historic homelands and cultural sites of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
In 1992, Congress passed the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act, authorizing dam removal to restore the altered ecosystem. Removal started on September 27, 2011 and was completed August 26, 2014.
It was the largest dam removal in U.S. history.
The Elwha River was finally allowed to flow unimpeded from the Olympic Mountains to the Sea, ending over 100 years of restraint on a watershed formerly known for its phenomenal salmon runs.
Now it is said that Steelhead, Chinook, and Coho all spawn well above the old dam sites. Over 70 acres of new beach have been formed at the mouth of the Elwha, built up by the release of 4.6 million cubic yards of sediment that had collected behind the former reservoirs. Dungeness crab and other shellfish are rebounding along the shoreline. Overall, fish populations are the highest they've been in 30 years. Wildlife is migrating and adjusting to the new sources of food. Sounds like a success.
There is an abundance of berry bushes. I am hoping for some sunny days to hasten their ripening so we can enjoy some juicy berries before we leave the area.
A nice morning hike. Now on to an afternoon one.
We drove down Olympic Hot Springs Road that is right at the Elwha River level.
Unleashing the wild Elwha River has not been without its problems. In November 2015, winter floods on the river took out portions of the Olympic Hot Springs Road as well as Elwha Campground and Altair Campground. The National Park Service tasked with providing recreational access to these parts of the park has decided not to restore these camping areas for now. More floods are likely, and park managers are taking a wait-and-see approach. Almost three years seems like a pretty long wait and see time.
The road closure stopped us here. Signs say that the road is washed out and a large portion of the river is flowing over the roadway.
That's OK. The trail to Madison Falls is right here.
The trail bends around the trees on its way to the falls.
The trees are laden with soft springy moss.
The trail to the falls is quite short and because of its easy access it is one of the most photographed falls in the Olympic Peninsula.
The falls here are about 50 feet high but it is said that there is another falls above that is not visible and totally inaccessible.
Pretty impressive falls I think.
Another especially amazing day in this wonderful part of the USA.
Savoring the USA
One day at a time!