Cape Flattery Trip

From The Extended Group

Revision as of 06:12, 11 February 2006

The Cape Flattery Trip was a trip undertaken in July of 2005 to Cape Flattery at the extreme northwestern tip of Washington state. It is notable for being one of the more ambitious undertakings by group members in recent memory and was a prototype of a good hangout.

The Trip

At some unknown meeting, it was decided that a road trip should be undertaken, if only for a day, preferably to the Olympic Peninsula. Asher, Brett, Kevin, and Lukas all were involved in the planning process, but when it was decided to travel to Cape Flattery, Brett had the poor luck of having just completed a tonsilectomy, and was still in no shape to travel. That left Asher, Kevin, and Lukas. After a brief meeting in front of Kevins house the night before (in which Asher furiously air-drummed to Comeback Kids "Playing the part", and Allan Koski dropped by to pick up Owens cell phone) Plans were finalized for the party to leave Shoreline around 9 AM the next day.

The next day dawned bright and sunny, and true to his word, Asher picked up Kevin and Lukas at 9 the next morning in his Scion xb-70 and the trio proceeded to drive south down I-5 in the post rush-hour traffic. The trip commenced pleasantly through the morning with various tunes playing over the stereo and ample leg room in the front and back. Lukas engaged in a cell phone conversation with Gavin while in the vicinity of Montesano, and soon the car was almost to Aberdeen. While rounding a bend, a Washington State Patrol car was noticed in the background which rapidly accelerated and flashed its lights indicating that Asher should pull over. Cursing, Asher pulled the car over to the side of the highway and was approached on the passenger side by the officer who cited Asher for going nearly 70mph in a 50mph zone. Sadly, Asher was issued a ticket to the amount of $107.

With a slightly dampened mood, the trio continued on their way through Aberdeen and into Hoquiam. It was decided to stop there for food and a KFC was quickly found. Not knowing exactly what to get, a family meal was ordered including 8 pieces of chicken, plus mashed potatoes, coleslaw and biscuits. It was here where the infamous Asher Dropping the Biscuit incident occured. Once the hunger was sated, a quick stop was made for snacks and gas, and once again the trip was underway, this time driving through the intermittent clear cuts and managed forests of southwest Washington. Driving past such scenic sites as Lake Quinalt and the Rainforests of the Olympic National Forest, it was decided to make a stop at Kalaloch beach to stretch legs and get a view of the area. Although surrounding areas were in bright sunshine, Kalaloch and low-lying areas nearby were socked in with fog. Stopping only long enough for a few pictures and to urinate in the Pacific ocean, the trio was soon on their way yet again. Driving through the north coast forests, Kevin soon became drowsy and nearly fell asleep due to the fact that he had gotten only 2 hours of sleep the night before. Time passed uneventfully but peacefully as the group drove up through Forks, getting off highway 101 and heading towards Sappho, and on towards the straight of Juan de Fuca. From there a narrow winding highway overlooking the straight with Vancouver island in the distance, brought them past Sekui towards the end of the paved road at Neah Bay. Neah Bay is a primarily indiginous town on the Makah Indian Reservation and much of the economy centers on guided fishing trips and other forms of fishing. A large banner with the words "Big Salmon" on it was sighted, causing Kevin to say "Hey Lukas, they knew you were coming".

Outside the town limits, the road to the cape snaked past some marshes and then took into the woods where it was a winding dirt road up through the hills finally ending in a parking lot. A parking permit was required to park there, which were available in town for $3, but the group had neglected to purchase one, but were given one by a kind couple who were leaving the site. From here, it was a half mile hike to the cape itself. In the cool of the woods, the trail passed over boardwalks and between tall cedar and douglas fir trees to emerge on top of 100 foot sea cliffs borderd on the north by the Straight of Juan de Fuca and on the West by the mighty Pacific Ocean. The view was spectacular with sea stacks visible to the southwest and swells crashing to the rocks below. A fog bank sitting approximately a half mile offshore caused Tatoosh Island to be obscured, much to Lukas's chagrin. On the rocks below a flock of black Oystercatchers were seen searching for food among the barnacles. Several deep inlets on the coast showed the undercut cliffs forming into sea-caves with kelp floating in the gently bobbing waters, leading the trio to wonder what kind of sea life might lurk in them. After posing for several pictures at the vista and sitting around watching the waves crash, it was decided to start the long journey home. [[1]] Driving out of Neah bay and past Sekui, it was back onto Highway 101, and on towards Port Angeles. After an hour or more, the trio decided to make a stop at the scenic Crescent lake, a fjord like lake in the northern edge of the Olympic National Park. Plunging to nearly 700 feet in depth, it is the home of 2 endemic trout species which thrive in its crystal clear waters. It is also of note because several people have dissappeared into the lake hand have years later been discovered fully saponified, their fatty tissues becoming mineralized into a soap-like substance. Hearing about its steeply sloping shores, the trio wanted to see what they could see themselves. (at one point in the 1930's, a car ran off the road flying out into the lake, it wasnt discovered until about 2002, when it was discovered by technical divers in about 160 feet of water) Anyway, it was decided to attempt to heave large stones into the lake from the bank overlooking it. Basketball-sized boulders were tossed into the water resulting in huge splashes, once or twice soaking the thrower of the rock. The largest boulder attempted was wrestled out of the hillside by Kevin and Asher and hoisted onto a highway barrier. It weighed perhaps 80 lbs and was exremely hard to weild by one person. On the count of three, Asher and Kevin threw the rock with all their might, but it landed comically on a rock right by the waters edge. With slowly fading daylight, it was decided to continue.

Hunger once again gripped the travellers who hadnt eaten much since the KFC feast in Hoquiam early that afternoon, and it was approaching evening. Driving through Port Angeles in search of a famous burger joint, it was not found, and a consensus was reached to try to find "The Three Crabs" in Sequim. Unfortunately, Sequim was considerably out of the way, and it was decided to try and eat an enormous hamburger at a fabled roadside gas station near the Hood Canal floating bridge. Unfortunately, this apparently was nowhere near where the group ended up, so final plans were made to eat fish and chips in Kingston. Upon getting in the ferry line, the trio ran up to a small Fish and Chips joint and ordered their meals from the attractive female waitress and large male cook. Fish & Chips as well as fried oysters were purchased as well as copious amounts of tartar sauce and ketchup and salt taken, and the food rushed to Ashers car before the ferry started loading. After eating a satisfying meal in the car, it was driven onto the ferry and the trio got on top deck to get a better view. The sun had long set, but the view was still impressive. For some reason the group discussed falling off the ferry into the dark water below which caused Asher to feign vaulting over the railing which caused outbursts of rage from Kevin and Lukas who found his stunt hilarious and also nerve-wracking. Upon landing in familiar Edmonds, a bee-line was made for Kevins house as he needed to use the bathroom badly, so badly it turns out, that Asher couldnt finish his story as Kevins house was reached because Kevin ran out in haste. Lukas was dropped off next, and then Asher went home.

The trip still lives on in the minds of the participants as a great way to spend a summer day, as well as one of the better hangouts on record. Future trips may be in the works for trips to the peninsula.