Aug 21: Fairborn Campground (Olympic National Park) to Bogachiel State Park (38.2 miles)

It was unfortunate that my campsite was near the lights and sound of the campground restroom, but it was a dry, flat place to sleep.

My route today will be a sorry one: I was scheduled for a 65 mile day to a campsite that, according to my guide book, does not have special accommodations for hikers/bikers, so I may have trouble finding a spot for the night. If I did bike the 65 miles and was turned away, I might be in a bit of a pickle.

Instead, I plan to bike half of the original plan, to a hiker/biker friendly Bogachiel State Park. Hiker/biker friendly means they understand it is difficult for a biker to keep a schedule and so if you show up, they will find a place for you to camp. Yay!

I packed up early and headed out to first climb a bit and then descend a lot! There was still a heavy smoke haze overhead, but I rarely actually smelled smoke.

I passed an interesting museum along the way

And got to camp early enough to grab my site: a tiny hiker/Biker site, sigh, right next to the restrooms. I did get a nice and much needed shower and had time to lounge by the river

While at the river I saw a Caddis Fly larva shell made of stones

This part of Washington is a rain forest, and although it has not rained in over a week, it is still pretty lush

There are also lots of berries, some edible, like the ubiquitous Blackberry

The Salmonberry

And a few that I don’t think are edible, like Salal

And this white berry whose name is unknown to me

I have also seen a group of beetles I did not recognize

While eating dinner I was joined by a decent sized frog that quickly hopped through my campsite, and the joined by an inchworm who dropped onto the table from the canopy above

Later in the evening, Bob and ??? rolled. The campground host placed them into a picnic spot since all the others were full. It is interesting to compare/contrast that couple in the adjacent campsite: my neighbors have been watching videos all day (and late into the night I would soon learn). No walking that I’ve noticed. Well, perhaps they are physical trainers on vacation?

So, here’s my spot for the night, note the use of tent as a drying rack for my tee shirt!