Forks to Cape Flattery, Washington State

August 20th, 2022

Forks, where we stayed last night, is a town with a population of about 3500. This town gained notoriety with the Twilight series. Tourism suddenly went up three times after the book and movie were released. Since my kids grew up in that frenzy it was part of the itinerary today for Amita(my daughter) to take pictures at some of the landmarks related to the series. Only after that could we be on our way for the next destination.

It was a very scenic drive along highway 113 going up north along the rainforests on one side and the bay waters on the other. Patches of purple, white and yellow wildflowers added color to the greenery and complemented the blue waters. Passing by Clallam Bay and the pretty town of Sekiu we arrived at the Makah Indian Reservation. The day before, at the Hoh rainforest the Ranger had highly recommended to see the museum here. We were glad we stopped. 

In the 1960s the University of Washington Archeological Department was given permission by the Makah Tribe Government to carry on excavation at a site called Ozette that was historically the land of these indigenous people. It  had submerged as a result of a massive landslide after an earthquake. Valuable artifacts were retrieved with this excavation operation. These included tools made out of stone, wood, bones and other natural resources such as feathers, bear skin, cedar bark etc. The evidence of the high skills of the people stands displayed magnificently in this museum today. One of the exhibits that particularly caught my attention was tools and products of wool beating, spinning and looms to create fabric and other woven items such as baskets and purses. Motifs depicting flora and fauna around the site were beautifully integrated into woven items. Even wooden items such as oars and sticks had sea lions, fish and other figurines carved into one end. Whoever visits this part of the country must surely stop to see this with their eyes to believe the artistry of the Makah people. 

Driving further up we reached the farthest piece of land at the northwestern corner of the continental USA. This is Cape Flattery, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets the Pacific Ocean. James Cook named it so because he “saw a small opening that flattered him with the hopes of finding a harbour”. We parked our car and took the 1 mile trail to the cape. It was a majestic view of the waters of the strait and the Pacific Ocean. British Columbia was seen at a distance and was partially covered by clouds. Just off the cape stood a lighthouse on Tatoosh Island. A cruise ship was seen sailing off on the eastern side of the cape, probably headed to Alaska. The trail seemed to be popular with dog owners perhaps because several trails we had been to earlier did not allow pets. Here there was no restriction. 

The nearest town from Cape Flattery is Neah Bay. After our trail we were famished and looking for food. Sadly the town didn’t have any flattering options for lunch.  We picked some Native American version of veggie tacos and made our way out of the cape area on highway 112 and continued on US highway 101 going east. Before reaching Port Angeles we stopped at Lake Crescent. 

It is a huge lake and there were a lot of people enjoying in the waters, either swimming, boating, kayaking or water boarding. Some were sun bathing on the shores. Unfortunately the boat rentals had closed by the time we reached there. Instead we enjoyed a drink from the lodge before carrying on to Port Angeles. Dinner at a really nice Thai restaurant was entirely satisfying.  Missed a beautiful sunset however while enjoying dinner. Oh well! Can’t always have it all ! Still grateful for a beautiful day. 

Penned this note partly while waiting for our dinner and later while we drove to our hotel. All checked in by 9 pm and ready to call it a day. 

Saree was one of my favorite cotton Ganjam Bomkai with double weft motifs on pallu. I was very lucky to get this coveted weave at a bargain price from one of my favorite websites a few years back. The site was closing down because it’s owner took an extended maternity leave. This saree is woven by a national award winning artisan Mr Kabiraj Nayak who unfortunately passed away during the Covid pandemic. His legacy is carried forward by his widow.

Compared to the beauty of the sites we visited today couldn’t get pictures that did justice. Sometimes there were railings or fences obstructing view, sometimes lot of crowds and sometimes sun direction was not favorable. It is what it is.