Arriving in Saint Martin

As the winter weather descends on the Pacific Northwest and Washington State Route 20 through the North Cascades National Park is closed for the winter due to early heavy snowfall and risk of avalanche (to reopen in the spring), we head someplace tropical for a short stay:  Saint Martin in the Caribbean.

Saint Martin is approximately 374 km (230 miles) east of Puerto Rico and is divided roughly 60/40 between the French Collectivity of Saint Martin and the Dutch side of the island (Sint Maartin) which is one of the four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  The French part of the island is part of the EU, the Dutch part is not.

We are staying in Grand Case, on the French side, and arrive in time to visit the supermarket and then watch the sun set (pictures of  sunset, but not of supermarket).

Sunset across the water

In the morning. we rise and explore our favorite hotel on the island, the Grand Case Beach Club.  The sky and weather change dramatically through the day as tropical rain showers pass through, then we quickly return to a clear, sunny day.

Around the hotel

Looking out across the water

Walking down the street from the hotel, we find a public beach access path with fabulous paintings on the walls, something we haven't see in prior trips (we usually walk down the road the other direction, toward the town of Grand Case).

Public path to the beach

Art on the path

Reaching the end of the path

Soon, after a lazy day, another sunset again welcomes us to the island and indicates that it is time for cocktails and to start thinking about dinner.

Another day comes to an end

We're glad to be back on Saint Martin!

The Hoh River Trail and Hall of Mosses in the Olympic National Park

In addition to hiking on the Pacific beach in the Olympic National Park, we head over to the rain forest for some hiking in the mud.  The Hoh River Trail leads into the forest from the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, where we see signs to beware of elk, bears, and giant slugs, but, today, especially, the elk.

Elk warning

The Hoh Rain Forest is named after the Hoh River that flows through it.  The forest gets a yearly average of 140 inches (3.55 meters) of rain, resulting in a lush, green canopy of both coniferous and deciduous species, with mosses and ferns blanketing the surfaces.

We hike about an hour into the rainforest, to the Mineral Creek Falls and back.

Heading into the rain forest

As we proceed along, we get occasional views of the Hoh River flowing through the forest.

Hoh River

Continuing through the rain forest

Soon we reach the falls, take a few pictures, and turn back.

Mineral Creek Falls

Moss-covered trees

Heading back

Near the entrance to the trail, we follow a short path to the Hall of Mosses, a walk featuring incredible moss-covered trees with moss hanging from every surface.  The mosses thrive in this environment, absorbing their food from the atmosphere and not affecting the trees on which they live.

Hall of Mosses

This has been another great, albeit short, visit to the Olympic National Park, a location to which we'll be returning many times.