8-26-2016 Ocean City, WA

Interesting names of things in Port Angeles:  Hooker Road, Jimmy-completely Creek, Chicken Coop Road and Kitchen-Dick Road.  Kitchen-Dick?  What the…?

Mary and Walt are our friends in Westminster, CA who lived on the Olympic Peninsula long ago.  Walt now strums a harp in Lumberjack Heaven but he used to tell us stories about his days in lumbering and a fellow he knew, John Huelsdonk. 

B2 encounters a lumber truck

The Hoh Valley and Rain Forest is central to the peninsula and receives about 12 feet of rain/year.  In the late 1800s, folks could file a claim for land and if they could make a go of it for 5 years, the land would be theirs.  Am I correct to assume that few wanted land in a place that gets 12 feet of rain/year, including Congress?  Bernard Wilhelm Johann Huelsdonk, a German immigrant, filed and was granted a claim for 160 acres deep in the Hoh Rain Forest.  He reasoned that if he cleared and drained the land, he could make a living at farming and raising livestock.  But then, Grover Cleveland turned the area into a national reserve and no further development was permitted.  There was probably an endangered mushroom.  Well, folks abandoned their claims because there was no way to expand civilization and infrastructure in the area.  Except for John Huelsdonk who, with his wife, Dora, made a living and raised 4 daughters in this impossibly difficult place. 

If you saw this on your ass when you had to
break for a deer, would you panic?!

He was injured in a logging accident and after that, began packing in equipment for scientific exploration teams and so forth.   He could pack the weight of 2 men and so was paid twice as much and used this income to support his family.  Being the strong man that he was, he once hiked a very long distance with an iron stove and 50 pounds of flour on his back, a total weight of about 150-175 pounds.  Because of this and many other feats of strength, he became known as “The Iron Man of the Hoh.” 

Nothing to see here!

Marked on the maps is “Huelsdonk Homestead” and the (location of) Huelsdonk Bridge which did not survive the elements.  John and Dora (“The Iron Woman,” in my opinion) are buried on the homestead and their graves, it is said, are marked with plaques placed on a boulder.  Devoting ~2 hours to this side trip, driving on  narrow, rustic, logging roads, sometimes two little gravel paths for the tires, we nervously entered the rain forest.  The unforgiving difficulties of this land left us in disbelief that someone actually survived here.  Finally, deep in the dark, wet woods, we were halted by a fence with a wood sign, “Fletcher Ranch Huelsdonk Homestead- private property – dead end – no turn around beyond this point – cameras in use.”  I guess they aren’t kidding.  Maybe it was something I said?  My breath?  OK, we can take a hint.  The author of the book, “The Iron Man of the Hoh,” is Elizabeth Huelsdonk Fletcher who is apparently the current proprietor of the Huelsdonk Homestead.  But alas, we traveled as far as possible and were unable to visit John and Dora Huelsdonk’s graves.   Ms. Elizabeth says, “Go away!”  Sorry, Mary and Walt.  We tried.

Stay out!  Go away!

Jeepster in the Hoh Rain Forest

It was a pleasant drive through the trees, trees, trees yesterday

The view

followed by a lazy day, today.  We spent the morning doing a few loads of laundry and found a very nice place near the beach to have lunch.  Later, back at the rv park, we followed the short path down to the ocean.  The beach is a vast expanse of soft warm sand, miles of shallow breakers, driftwood, grass and mist, beautiful in the late afternoon sun.  We sat hypnotized as time stood still.

Lindy, beer and sand

Beach and horses at Ocean City

There is a shuttle that runs people back and forth between the park and the Quinault Casino/Emily’s Restaurant  a few miles from here on the beach, eliminating the worry of driving after cocktails.  This is the evening’s ticket at Ocean City, WA.  The seafood quivers with fear for the DeLaMares are near!

(The Packers beat the Niners, last night.  Colin Kaepernick sat through the National Anthem.  FYI.)

Rob, beer and sand!  Life is good!