August 9th and 10th. This part of the trip was entirely my fault. I had been building up expectations for our two-day stay at the Lake Quinault Lodge. 
This lodge was to be our special treat after staying in hostels and budget motels. I'm not sure what I was expecting but boy were we dissapointed by the accomodations. Our room was very small, barely enough space to accomodate the two beds and a sink. The sink was not in the bathroom, but in the corner of our room, how weird is that. The indoor pool didn't have enough deck chairs, the game room for the kids was bleak. The ping pong paddles had to be 50 years old with all the rubber surface stripped away and the management doled out one ball at a time like they made from gold. The only on-site restaurant was very expensive and we don't eat very expensive. The staff was polite, but curt. Overall, the ambiance didn't ooze warmth and welcome. There were more expensive lakeside cottages that perhaps were nicer, but overall the experience was a let-down and I'm not sure I would be willling to go back.
This lodge was to be our special treat after staying in hostels and budget motels. I'm not sure what I was expecting but boy were we dissapointed by the accomodations. Our room was very small, barely enough space to accomodate the two beds and a sink. The sink was not in the bathroom, but in the corner of our room, how weird is that. The indoor pool didn't have enough deck chairs, the game room for the kids was bleak. The ping pong paddles had to be 50 years old with all the rubber surface stripped away and the management doled out one ball at a time like they made from gold. The only on-site restaurant was very expensive and we don't eat very expensive. The staff was polite, but curt. Overall, the ambiance didn't ooze warmth and welcome. There were more expensive lakeside cottages that perhaps were nicer, but overall the experience was a let-down and I'm not sure I would be willling to go back.Okay enough negatism; on the plus-side the lodge was in the middle of the ONP Quinault Rainforest and we could simply walk outside to trails that wound through the area, and it was on a very scenic lake, and the great roo
m was grand. One morning after an early morning hike, we relaxed in the great room while a roaring fire crackled in the fireplace. That was nice, but it would have been memorable (in a good way) had there been complimentary coffee and a moderately priced breakfast available. Despite my dissapointment with the Lake Quinault Lodge, the surrounding rainforest was worth visiting. This area, in particular, has a handful of noteworthy large 'giant' trees. We visited one on a driving tour around Lake Quinault. This spruce, the largest in the world, perhaps a 1000 years old, was really impressive. Pictures do not do it justice--so I didn't include one here. But seriously, all the trees here are big trees and on any hike you see huge moss-laden trees. We enjoyed walking the trails and observing the thick mats of moss hanging from the trees and stepped over more than a few banana slugs. Although the vacation brochures virtually guarantee that you'll spot herds of elk, you'll see more slugs than anything else (funny, they didn't mention that in the brochures). One of the more interesting sights were trees, and sometimes large trees, that would grow out of the trunks of fallen logs. Evidently the need for nutrients in a rainforest is so great, and fallen trees are a good source of nutrients, that new trees will grow out of the fallen logs. These are called 'nurse' logs becuase they support the growth of---oh, you get it. Lastly, one other downer was when driving on the western side of the ONP, anytime you travel outside the boundaries of the park there are vast areas where all the trees have been cut down and the view is one of acres and acres of tree stumps with weeds growing in between. What a pitiful sight it was to see such destruction. Even if timber is their major industry, they should have left the trees along the roads in place to provide a buffer. This picture (I think representing a salmon), painted on a back of a barn we passed by on one of our hikes at the Lodge, will be my lasting good memory from Lake Quinault. 
m was grand. One morning after an early morning hike, we relaxed in the great room while a roaring fire crackled in the fireplace. That was nice, but it would have been memorable (in a good way) had there been complimentary coffee and a moderately priced breakfast available. Despite my dissapointment with the Lake Quinault Lodge, the surrounding rainforest was worth visiting. This area, in particular, has a handful of noteworthy large 'giant' trees. We visited one on a driving tour around Lake Quinault. This spruce, the largest in the world, perhaps a 1000 years old, was really impressive. Pictures do not do it justice--so I didn't include one here. But seriously, all the trees here are big trees and on any hike you see huge moss-laden trees. We enjoyed walking the trails and observing the thick mats of moss hanging from the trees and stepped over more than a few banana slugs. Although the vacation brochures virtually guarantee that you'll spot herds of elk, you'll see more slugs than anything else (funny, they didn't mention that in the brochures). One of the more interesting sights were trees, and sometimes large trees, that would grow out of the trunks of fallen logs. Evidently the need for nutrients in a rainforest is so great, and fallen trees are a good source of nutrients, that new trees will grow out of the fallen logs. These are called 'nurse' logs becuase they support the growth of---oh, you get it. Lastly, one other downer was when driving on the western side of the ONP, anytime you travel outside the boundaries of the park there are vast areas where all the trees have been cut down and the view is one of acres and acres of tree stumps with weeds growing in between. What a pitiful sight it was to see such destruction. Even if timber is their major industry, they should have left the trees along the roads in place to provide a buffer. This picture (I think representing a salmon), painted on a back of a barn we passed by on one of our hikes at the Lodge, will be my lasting good memory from Lake Quinault. 
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