Doe, A Deer, A Female Deer!

So, we have spent the last day and a half in Port Angeles, Washington.

It was an hour and a half ferry ride from Victoria during which we had a bit of a bumpy ride but I'm happy to report that Rachel's motion sickness wristbands are brilliant and there was no vomit appearances at all *wipes brow* phew. The place itself is very small, a handful of shops, a 24 hour safeway (strangely) and a few restaurants. Yesterday we decided to check our the mexican place that was a block away from our motel. I ordered vegetarian fajitas and got  enough to feed a family of five for a week! I had a huge plate filled with salad, sour cream and guacamole. Then a bowl full of beans on a plate of rice. THEN there was a whole plate of fried vegetables - onions, broccoli, carrots, spring onions, peppers, sweet corn mushrooms and  few I didnt recognise. I managed six tortillas stuffed to the gunnals before admitting defeat and the plates looked like I'd hardly touched them. I can see why Americans are larger than most!

Today we went up to Olympic National Park Visitor Centre. Port Angeles is set at the base of a HUGE mountain range, 98% is National Park. As we have no car we had to walk, it was a trek all the way uphill. We arrived huffing and puffing, but fully aware we proably wouldnt of been able to do it without a very long sit down before we left so yay us! The two old dears manning the information desk gave us a map of a local walkable trail, and after a quick look at the notice board informing us that couger sightings were rare however gave us tips on how to avoid being attacked if we did encounter one we set off. The trail was quite basic, just bare, rather muddy earth, meandering through the woods, reinforced on the more perilous parts by man made stairs. We followed the stream for a fair way and stopped for lunch when the trail got too muddy.

We decided to walk a little way up the hill off the trail and sat down on a fallen log. We were halfway through our packets of crisps when I looked up the slope behind us and froze. Standing there, having arrived in silence and gazing at us with huge brown eyes was a Roosevelt Elk doe. I hurriedly shushed Rachel so we didnt scare her off and slowly put my crisp pack down and reached for my camera. She stood there as calm as the breeze, she even grazed in our prescence before moving off up the slope. Just  as we were standing there still in shock we got shock number two, a second doe wandered into view. It was third times a charm when yet another doe ambled past to join her friends. We followed them, creeping up the hill as quietly as possible, cringing and instantly freezing every time we made a twig snap. To be fair the does werent overly bothered, they would look at us. calculate the distance between us, and relax, safe in the knowledge that we inferior specimens are way too slow to close the distance before they took off to safety. At the end of our walk we emerged muddy, knackered but very pleased with ourselves.

Tomorrow we get on a bus to head back to Seattle where we have to catch another bus yay(!) to Portland.