Kalaloch Beach, Olympic National Park
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| Seattle |
Vancouver |
Stanley Park |
Lynn Canyon |
Victoria |
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| Kalaloch |
Ozette |
Hoh |
Hurricane Ridge |
Seattle |
Coho Salmon (click to enlarge)
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Before exploring the Olympic Peninsula, we had to get there via the M.V. COHO (a ferry that crosses the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Port Angeles). The ferry is named after the Coho, a fish in the salmon family famous for supposedly returning to its birthplace to spawn. The image at left is described as: Oncorhynchus keta. Based on the drawing of a Coho salmon, adult male in "The Fishes of Alaska." Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries, Vol. XXVI, 1906. P. 360, Plate XXXI.
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| Deck of the M.V. COHO, with its coiled lines and anchor wenches.
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| Passport-carrying pedestrians have a place to lock up their bicycles on the COHO.
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| This ferry also had cubicles and electricity jacks for working on a laptop.
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After a relaxing ferry ride we arrive at Port Angeles, gateway to the Olympic National Park.
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| Driving in the Olympic N.P., headed towards Kalaloch Beach.
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Kalaloch Beach was a destination that the group decided on at the last minute. We were all pleasantly surprised by the combined contrasts of one single site: granduer of the Pacific, the medatative tranquility of the beach, and the lush forested campground area. Diversity would prove to be the common theme here in the Olympic N.P. - smooth sandy beaches at sunset, thick rainforest, to rocky beaches at high tide, and snow-capped summits.
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| We arrived at Kalaloch campground just in time. The sun was sinking, and the majority of us had never seen the Pacific.
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| Washed up trunks of fallen giants litter the beach as far as the eye can see in both directions.
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| More beached logs with wind-swept trees in the background.
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| Dane getting shots of sunset on the Pacific.
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Click play to see sunset on the Pacific Ocean at Kalaloch Beach in Olympic National Park. |
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| Interresting tree on the trail back up to the campsite.
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| From the tent, smoldering fire in the background
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The next morning, after a delightful round of French press coffee via the Jetboil Stove, we revisited the beach.
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| It was too cold to swim anyway!
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| Friends walking out to the beach
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| Interesting baskets of green growth in the splits of these trees.
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From what I've gathered, this grape-like bunch of connected pods are an algae with Latin name Halosaccion glandiforme, common name - sea sac. This particular bunch was found stranded on the beach at Kalaloch, but they are commonly found in the more rocky intertidal zone, the area of shoreline between high and low tide. Being a member of this slender strip of coast, these survivors have adapted to their harsh environment.
In his essay, Intertidal Zonation of Halosaccion Glandiforme: A Focus on Height and Slope as Factors of Zonation, Alex C. Fletcher states that, "Similar to all rocky intertidal dwelling species H. glandiforme is well adapted to survive the dynamic conditions presented in this ecosystem... The aqua dynamics of the sea sac's streamlined shape decreases the friction between it and the constantly moving marine waters. H. glandiforme are well anchored to surfaces (usually rock) by strong attachment devices as well as by growing in clusters of its own kind it is more protected. Being a water-filled sac the plant is less susceptible to the changes in moisture and temperature as a result of the tidal waters that are more limiting to other algae such as sea lettuce (Ulva fenestrata) and Purple laver (Porphyra perforata)."
I've scoured the internet for additional examples of this species, and while I am able to locate other photographs, I am yet to find another illustration depicting such brilliant colors and plumpness, especially in an example that has broken free from its rocky tether. Until I am told differently, I am going to assume that this is the best photograph ever taken of Halosaccion glandiforme.
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| This older couple was walking the beach for shells.
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| Dane juggles rocks. Always the thespian.
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| This was an interesting find! It seems as if the tree grew in this spot, and then the ground was ripped out from under it - probably from repedative tidal fluctuation.
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We left Kalaloch and headed further north along the coast, through the city of Forks, to Ozette Lake campground.
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| Constructed in 1990 by the Forks High School carpentry class, the Forks Timber Museum pays homage to the logging industry in the city of Forks, Washington (know as the "Logging Capitol of the World").
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| Blue Star Memorial Highway sign in Forks, WA
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| Angela, armed with her field guide Wildflowers of the Olympics and Cascades, is ready to locate and identify plant life in the park.
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| Seattle |
Vancouver |
Stanley Park |
Lynn Canyon |
Victoria |
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| Kalaloch |
Ozette |
Hoh |
Hurricane Ridge |
Seattle |
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