Kalaloch

Kalaloch (pronounced Clay-lock) is a part of the Olympic National Park system. Kalaloch has a lodge, general store, campground and cottages that you can rent out on the headlands. You can see some of the cottages off to the left of the picture as well as the small stream/river that flows into the sea.

We ate lunch at the Lodge and found it to be good but a bit pricey as one would expect. The server complained that the sun was hurting his eyes as he seated us. I told him that he had been in Washington way too long. He laughed and agreed with me. As for us, we just soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed the afternoon. Nothing like a little sun to lift up one's spirits.

As we headed home, we were again on the lookout for the Roosevelt Elk. No sight of them again today. When we got back to Hard Rain, we found that our neighbors from Elwha Dam RV Park, Gilbert and Kathleen, had pulled in and were setting up. Gilbert asked us if we saw the elk and we said no. Both he and Kathleen laughed and said they were just down the road from us on the left. So we got back in the truck and starting driving from hence we came. John pulled over at a driveway to let the traffic get by was when I saw the elk standing in the driveway.

As the road didn't say Private Road, John slowly drove down the road until we got a bit closer. Slowly, the large herd of about 40 crossed in front of us that included calves, cows, and bulls. We were surprised to see that the bulls were with the herd as we have been told that the bulls don't hang with the cows until rutting season which doesn't begin until some time in September.

We also noticed that some of the young bucks still had their horns in velvet.
We finally had our Roosevelt Elk sighting.

When we got back, Gilbert invited us to join him and Kathleen around their fire after we had dinner. We took our chairs over and joined them around their fire. Gilbert and Kathleen are avid hikers, started full timing in April 2007, and are based out of Tennessee. They plan their travel routes out a year or two in advance. We discussed the Black Hills in South Dakota and they are hoping to make it there in 2009 and 2010. It seems very foreign to us to plan out in detail where you are going a year or two in advance. We are enjoying this "no plan" plan as it is working well for us. Gilbert and Kathleen are by far the most structured of fulltimers that we have met so far. Just goes to how you that there are many paths to happiness.

Soon it was after 10 p.m. and the fire was dying out, so we said our good nights. They were good company.