Rainforests and Vampires.

After enduring a string of 100°+ days in Boise, I decided a trip to the coast was in order. Temperatures there were in the mid to high 60s. Delightful.

I drove to Portland and visited with friends there, enjoying sunny days in the low 80s, excellent food, and even better company.

We've been to the Oregon coast several times, but I had never really explored the Washington coast, so I headed northwest to Ocean Shores, WA.

I was expecting a wild, rugged coastline like that in Oregon. Instead I got miles and miles of flat, windswept beach. I guess the draw here is that you can drive on the beach (not high on my to-do list). So people park on the sand, set up their chairs, and drink cold beer while watching the cold Pacific lap at the shore. Too windy for umbrellas, so bring your sunscreen.

And the food is nothing to write home about, either, especially after a few days in Portland. Fried fish, burgers, and pizza. Not a raw oyster or a craft cocktail to be found.

Still it's always a pleasure to be by my beloved ocean.

 

And the sunsets were semi-spectacular.

All in all, I was not thrilled with my decision to stay in Ocean Shores, but then the most amazing serendipity changed my mind. I met up with a guy I hadn't seen in about 40 years! Pat Cranor used to work with O and I at RWD in the early 80s. He still lives in southern California, but just happened to be in OS that weekend. So random. We had coffee, then he invited me to have dinner with him, his son, and his son's wife. We feasted on fried fish and talked about anime, manga, and music until the restaurant closed for the night. Such fun!

The next dayI drove north toward the Olympic peninsula. Almost immediately the coastline changed. Here were the gorgeous, rugged vistas I'd been craving.

I stopped for a nature walk at the imaginatively-named Beach 4. The morning mist was still clinging to the rocks and trees. Truly magical.

The forest is so lush that young trees sprout from the stumps of the older generations.

The Hoh rainforest section of Olympic National Park was nearby, so I turned inland toward the park entrance. So, apparently, did everyone else. The line to get into the parking lot took a hour-and-a-half to negotiate. Space is limited, so once the lot is full, no one can go in until someone else leaves. 

It was a tedious wait, but it was worth it. The trails are extensive, so the area doesn't feel excessively crowded once you're there.

And the rainforest is really a remarkable and unique ecosystem. 

These trees all sprouted from the huge trunk of a fallen tree. Over the years, the old trunk rotted away leaving only the exposed root systems of the successor trees.

Someday the same will happen here.

A huge tree fungus.

The forest abounds with streams and pools encouraging lush undergrowth.

The Hoh River runs nearby, setting off a more typical northwest landscape.

Just north of the Hoh rainforest area is vampire country.

The little town of Forks is the setting of the popular "Twilight" series of books and movies. I saw no emo teen vamps during my visit, but then I didn't hang around after dark. I don't trust vampires to honor their treaty commitments.

About 20 minutes west of Forks is the seaside town of La Push. Since it's situated at the mouth of the Quillayute river, French traders named the place "La Bouche." Local Chinook speakers changed that to La Push, and the name stuck. The largest town on the Quileute tribal lands, the small harbor is a beautiful place to visit.

Driftwood everywhere! Most of northwest coastal Washington is either national park or tribal lands, so tourist development is limited. There aren't many places to eat or stay, but that just makes the relatively untouched coastline an even lovelier place to visit.

After returning to Ocean Shores, I headed south to the Oregon Coast. I stayed a couple nights in the little town of Waldport, which is pretty enough, but nothing to write home about.

Just south, however, is Cape Perpetua, a particularly lovely section of coast.

Long fissures in the volcanic coastline make for a series of spectacular blowholes when the waves are large. Alas, that was not the case when I visited.

 

I encountered a jellyfish in a jam.

There are no interesting restaurants in Waldport, but 25 miles north in Newport I found a little Italian restaurant run by a chef twice nominated for Best Northwest Chef in the James Beard Awards. The housemade pasta was delicious, and the smoked Negroni was amazing. I went twice.

My last evening on the coast was capped by a visit to the Yaquina Head lighthouse, built in 1873.

As I walked toward the lighthouse, I caught a pungent whiff of bird. Sure enough, the rocks nearby were covered with cormorants and seagulls and their foul-smelling deposits.

Still, the place was a beautiful close to my road trip.

The next day, I returned to Portland for one last delicious dinner with friends. 

P.

Going South.

Luckily, Ecuador was spared any major aftershocks, and I was able to get my ride at the bus terminal without incident. The terminal was completely back to normal, as if the madness of yesterday had never happened.

Looking back at downtown Guayaquil from across the wide mouth of the Rio Guayaquil.

The bus from Guayaquil to Cuenca takes about four-and-a-half hours. The first hour or so is across the lush flatlands of the Rio Guayaquil delta. The the mountains suddenly rise before you and you begin to climb.

And climb, through verdant hillsides planted with bananas and other tropical fruits.

And climb, into the clouds, past cascades and small farms.

And climb, past little mountain villages clinging to the steep slopes.

Past cows tethered precariously to the vertiginous hillsides.

Past 10,000, 11,000, then 12,000 feet. And still the abundant crops thrive.

The vibrant green of these high-altitude pastures are amazing to those of us expecting a more alpine landscape.

The cows were plentiful, but I saw no pigs. And yet I kept catching the distinctive whiff of pig shit. I couldn't figure out where that smell was coming from.

Until the bus passed the truck ahead of us.

There were actually two trucks packed with pigs on their way to market. Fortunately, we were able to pass them both and enjoy the rest of the journey with fresher air.

Once in Cuenca, I checked in to the lovely old Hotel Victoria, where I would finally reconnect with Ophelia for the rest of the trip.

The room had a spacious terrace.

With a fabulous view of the city.

O was supposed to arrive at 3:00. She finally showed up just before 5:00. Apparently, her women's group was coming back from visiting a park and their driver got pulled over by the cops. They harassed him over some minor paperwork he had left behind and wouldn't let him go until he gave them all the money he had, about $30. 

Naturally, the group pitched in and paid him back. It seems this kind of thing is not unusual here.

This trip has really been an adventure.

And the adventure is better when shared.

Cuenca is a beautiful old colonial town. Since it sits at just over 8,000 feet, the weather is pretty delightful year round. Today it was sunny and in the low 70s. We saw no evidence of yesterday's earthquake.

We visited the central market and marveled at the incredible array of colorful fruits and vegetables.

This is what happened to the little piggy who went to market. Sad, but delicious.

But we settled for fruit juice instead. O had carrot and ginger and I had pineapple and ginger. The fruit here is simply stellar.

Rambo tonic looks guaranteed to wake you up in the morning.

In the afternoon, we caught a shuttle to the little town of Vilcabamba, about 4.5 hours south of Cuenca. The road is long and windy, reaching about 11,000 feet before descending to Vilcabamba at 5,500 feet.

The ecolodge Izhcayluma is a gorgeous little jewel of a place. Our cabin is set well apart from the others in the midst of well-planted gardens.

The lodge sits on a hillside overlooking valley and the town of Vilcabamba. The area is known as the Valley of Longevity because it is supposed to be especially salubrious. It certainly looks the part.

There's a small restaurant with views of the valley.

It's a remarkably beautiful and tranquil spot.

But we're only here for one night. Tomorrow we start an 11-day retreat at a nearby retreat center. We'll be out of contact with social media during that time.

See you on the other side.

P.