One evening in September 1975 at Patrick Henry Inn after a long day of touring Williamsburg VA along with hordes of tourists, we watched a report on the evening news of two chimps, named Chuckie & Judy that had escaped from the local zoo. Just opened the door of their enclosure and walked away. From then on “Chuckie & Judy” have become code names for ourselves when we are uncomfortable in crowded situations. Visiting the most gloriously beautiful Hurricane Ridge of Olympic which is not just a national park but a World Heritage Site were a thousand, billion, kazillion visitors from not just the US but from around the world today was one of those times. We enjoyed the views, the clouds, the glaciers shining in the sunshine, the Cirque Rim Trail, some Ivar’s Fish & Chips and coffee, chipmunks, wildflowers, and meadow grasses all while watching out not to bump into or accidentally photo bomb the pictures of the myriad other visitors. Finally Chuckie & Judy looked at each other and said, “Let’s get out of here!”
Winter Magic in Medina
By deliberate choice we were in Medina for all the winter holiday festivities from Candlelight Walk in the days before Thanksgiving through A Christmas Carol and A Celtic Christmas as well as an Alex Bevan Concert and a historic house tour all the way through Medina’s 31st Ice Festival but perhaps the highlight was the town hosting hundreds of folks whose homes and lives were devasted by Hurricane Helene at the A Promise of Christmas Event the middle of January. It’s an honor to be a part of this amazing community!
Yikes, definitely not a place for quiet contemplation! Try Quinault, a beautiful quiet area south of ONP. http://www.quinaultrainforest.com/
Just caught up on your blog – – I took the same photo in 2004!