Right across the street was a nice restaurant. Nice in the sense of clean, simple with plenty of big windows to look out into the fishing port. Every local I met was polite, friendly and helpful. This is not a middle-of-nowhere town after all.
Cape Flattery is just a few miles away from Neah Bay, separated by beautiful Olympic forest connected by twisty roads. That’s my cup of tea! As I was driving on the roads leaving town, there were a bunch of hand painted signs, signs that illustrates the problem that native Indian community faces. Alcohol and drugs, which of course lead to more problems. In general, I feel that, even though the community seem to be in a vulnerable state from the stand point of survival and struggling with challenges, it is tightly knit, just like the small village that my grand parents grew up at. The signs are not just some standardized manufactured signs issued from the government telling people to stop taking drugs in an cold, emotionless and authoritative manner. They are hand painted with personal touch with messages that speaks right into the heart of the locals. It’s about a better life, not just things that will get you into trouble.
The drive to Cape Flattery is, needless to say, an enjoyable one. The trees are shorter, thinner and smaller as I approached the coast. Then I arrived at the trail head and to my surprise, there were quit a few hikers. Just yesterday, feeling that I was in a remote town, I thought I will be the only one on the trail and was feeling a little resistive to hike it by myself not knowing how long it is. Well, I have a lot of senior folks around me to make me feel less unwanted.
Talk about forest bath! If you have watched Miyasaki’s Prince Mononoke animation, you will know what I am talking about. Moist air with lush green where algae covers the landscape along with ferns and temperate trees. The hike is simple. The trail is easy to walk, and in no time, I was at the end of the trail.
“Is that it?!” I asked, starring into the white fog of….. nothing. Well, this is the most north-western tip of the country, and I drove 7000 miles to see nothing but white. At least I have a photo to prove it.
Here's the view of the most north western corner of the country. Sigh.....
So it wasn’t much of a hike at all, good! Now I am finally on my last drive, heading to Seattle!
Between Neah Bay and Port Angeles was the last stretch of twisty roads. Thinking that this will be the last time I am driving my car on an enjoyable route, I just want to live every second of it. However, instead of pushing for hard braking, I strive for minimum braking instead, modulating the speed with how much gas I put in and choosing the right gear. The result is smooth driving cruising around the corners in a way that both the car and I will appreciate. I think the road trip is the best I can ever give to my car. It’s amazing how many different types of roads and surfaces it’s been through. Straight open roads of Texan highway, high speed turns in the desert canyon mountain pass, dusty and hot desert off road that even SUVs fear, endless salt plain of the Bonneville Salt Flats, mountainous and scenic pass of Yellowstone and lastly, lush green and twisty roads of the Olympic Forest.
But wait, there’s one more that it hasn’t experienced. Ocean.
As I was driving towards Seattle, I have two options. I can either take the land route and detour to Tacoma before heading north to Seattle, or I can take the ferry. Just another experience to fulfill, I took the ferry. It’s a lot simpler than I imagined, just like taking a bus. For once, my car didn’t have to do the traveling, and enjoyed the ride as the rider, not the horse. Just one more to add to the resume I guess.
That that’s it, Seattle! Now, it’s city driving time. Short unpredictable turns, dodging traffic and pot holes. I guess my car has really seen it all now. Tomorrow is a day that I have mixed feelings about. It’s the end, but also a beginning of a great relationship.
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