A Forks in the road
We’re making our way up the Olympic Peninsula, traveling on the western side with mountains on our right and the Pacific Ocean to our left. We’re returning to Highway 101 from a short visit up the Hoh River. Our next stop is the town called Forks. Those familiar with the Twilight novels and movies will know the names Forks and La Push. These are the locations where much of the Twilight stories take place. Forks has received a lot of attention and tourist traffic because of the Twilight series.
Aaron has read most of the Twilight books and we’ve talked about Forks when we hadn’t a clue where it was in Washington. In planning our little trip (two days prior to leaving), I discovered Forks is on Highway 101 and we’ll be passing through. I hint to Aaron that I have a special treat for him. He forgets what I said until he sees the sign for Forks. Then he knows. Actually, we’ve been seeing the Forks sign since the journey began he just hasn’t noticed. Only now have I learned that the movies weren’t filmed in Forks at all but in Oregon.
Since we’ve been on the 101, I’ve noticed something familiar on the road. It’s logging trucks. There’s only a few, but I do bring up the subject of logging and clear cuts with the kids. Nobody cares, but it’s an important subject to understand Washington. A clear cut is where forested area is nothing but stumps. It’s like shaving a portion of your hair to create a bald spot, only these trees don’t grow back.
A hundred years pass and you still have a clear cut. It’s the underside or ugly part of Washington, especially the Olympic Peninsula where some of the best wood and old-growth forests are located. The closer you get to Mt. Olympus and the high country, the more primeval the forest is. This is because the forest up there is unreachable by roads.
But in the lowlands here, there is a patchwork of clear cuts. What grows from a clear cut is bushes or very young, skinny trees. Replanting is done to mitigate the affects of mass cutting and that has helped. It’s not the same, but better than nothing. I show the kids and Michele the clear cuts and the devastation that logging has caused. If you know the signs, it’s everywhere, especially around Forks and La Push.
I’ve never read the books or seen the movies, but however they portray Forks to be, you really have to go there to understand towns like Forks, Aberdeen, Hoquiam, and others. These are old logging towns,
not tourist destinations quite yet. They’re in transition, but come across as dreary, worn, and almost depressed. Forks was known as the logging capital of the world at one time. Now, visitors come from all over the world to see it, and there just isn’t that much appealing about the town. It has an old, quaint downtown and a few motels and restaurants, but it’s aesthetically challenged, and the timber museum just won’t cut it. What it does have is the nicest people and strong community spirit that will get it through.
The Twilight theme pervades the town of Forks, but there is really only one store with memorabilia. There are Twilight themed motel rooms and Twilight discounts are offered everywhere including the hotel we stay at in La Push. I only take a few pictures of Forks before we push on to La Push. As a side note, Forks gets 70 inches of rain a year. When we pass through, it's clear and sunny.
Aaron has read most of the Twilight books and we’ve talked about Forks when we hadn’t a clue where it was in Washington. In planning our little trip (two days prior to leaving), I discovered Forks is on Highway 101 and we’ll be passing through. I hint to Aaron that I have a special treat for him. He forgets what I said until he sees the sign for Forks. Then he knows. Actually, we’ve been seeing the Forks sign since the journey began he just hasn’t noticed. Only now have I learned that the movies weren’t filmed in Forks at all but in Oregon.
Since we’ve been on the 101, I’ve noticed something familiar on the road. It’s logging trucks. There’s only a few, but I do bring up the subject of logging and clear cuts with the kids. Nobody cares, but it’s an important subject to understand Washington. A clear cut is where forested area is nothing but stumps. It’s like shaving a portion of your hair to create a bald spot, only these trees don’t grow back.
But in the lowlands here, there is a patchwork of clear cuts. What grows from a clear cut is bushes or very young, skinny trees. Replanting is done to mitigate the affects of mass cutting and that has helped. It’s not the same, but better than nothing. I show the kids and Michele the clear cuts and the devastation that logging has caused. If you know the signs, it’s everywhere, especially around Forks and La Push.
I’ve never read the books or seen the movies, but however they portray Forks to be, you really have to go there to understand towns like Forks, Aberdeen, Hoquiam, and others. These are old logging towns,
The Twilight theme pervades the town of Forks, but there is really only one store with memorabilia. There are Twilight themed motel rooms and Twilight discounts are offered everywhere including the hotel we stay at in La Push. I only take a few pictures of Forks before we push on to La Push. As a side note, Forks gets 70 inches of rain a year. When we pass through, it's clear and sunny.
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