May 20, 2025 • 16 mins
Native Whispers: Our Journey Through Washington's Indigenous Lands Olympic Peninsula's Cultural Tapestry
Twilight Territory: Exploring La Push and Quileute Heritage
The Real Magic Behind Twilight Country
Standing at the Edge: Discovering America's Corner at Neah Bay
Venture beyond the Twilight-famous town of Forks as we dive deep into the cultural tapestry of Washington's Olympic Peninsula in this immersive journey through ancient tribal lands.
The misty Hoh Rainforest welcomes solo hikers with moss-draped trees and the legacy of the Hoh tribe, whose name derives from "Hox-wool" – referring to the river's fast-moving waters. Walking these ancestral paths feels almost sacred; the forest once provided indigenous communities with materials for shelter, clothing, tools, and the massive cedar canoes that connected their maritime way of life.
Our adventure continues to La Push, where the Quileute Nation's history stretches back thousands of years along spectacular driftwood-strewn beaches. This isn't just Jacob Black's fictional homeland – it's a place of genuine cultural resilience, featuring one of the world's few languages without nasal sounds and a community actively preserving their heritage while facing climate challenges. Those massive timber pieces scattered across the shoreline? Remnants of a 1921 storm that leveled nearly 8 billion feet of timber – enough to build 600,000 homes.
Perhaps most breathtaking is our journey to Neah Bay, territory of the Makah tribe and home to the northwesternmost point of continental America. The trail feels transported from fantasy – twisted trees forming natural benches, wooden planks guiding travelers across otherworldly terrain, and dramatic cliffs overlooking ocean caves. The Makah Cultural Center houses treasures from one of North America's most significant archaeological discoveries: the ancient village of Ozette, where a mudslide perfectly preserved 55,000+ artifacts of pre-contact indigenous life.
When visiting these special places, remember to purchase tribal recreation permits – they're affordable ways to support ongoing cultural preservation while experiencing some of America's most enchanting landscapes. Ready to explore the Olympic Peninsula's indigenous heritage for yourself? Subscribe now and follow our journey across America's most captivating destinations!
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Alexa and Rory
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Alexa and I'm Rory, and together we are the
Romies.
We are married.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
To each other Right.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
We are a touring musical duo.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
And our music has taken us to all kinds of places
all around the world and keepsus always on the go.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So we hope you enjoy our stories and adventures while
running around working to keepall your plates spinning.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And we hope, to facilitate your busy lifestyle
and feed your inner travel bug.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
As we continue our Olympic Peninsula adventures.
A huge thank you to Larissa'sKitchen for being our sponsor
this month.
They specialize in clean,portable protein snacks made
with zero sugar, certifiedallergen-free ingredients and
simple sourcing.
You can feel good about it.
Plus, everything they make ispreservative-free and non-GMO
(00:51):
verified Love that, seriously,snacks you can trust when you're
on the move, like we are.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yes, and in our previous episode we shared
specifically about our visit toForks, washington, and today we
want to dive deeper into theNative American influences that
we encountered in WashingtonState's Olympic Peninsula.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Get this.
Forks gets about well.
You get this because they getthis.
They get about 120 inches ofrain a year, but the locals are
so used to it they don't evencarry umbrellas.
We try to be cool and do thesame.
It's part of the experience,but we got a little bit damp and
cold here and there.
Yep, this area is seriouslypacked with beauty, though
(01:32):
Rainforest.
It's amazing, beautifulgreenness, greenness.
There you go, you can reallyfeel this beautiful blend of
cultures.
There's a tribal heritage mixedwith the pioneer families who
settled there.
It's all packed into Forks.
Now, just outside of the townof Forks, you find the Ho
Rainforest.
Yeah, alexa went for a day tripthere.
I was sleeping in, or no?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
what was I doing?
You were writing.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I was writing, that's right.
I was writing W-R-I-T-I-N-Gbecause I'm a writer.
She went for a day trip to theHo Rainforest.
Of course, she wouldn't missvisiting one of the most iconic
parts of the.
Olympic Peninsula, so she wentwithout me.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
The Ho Rainforest.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Right.
This area is lush, it's misty,it's breathtaking, it's just
outside of Forks and it's alsosteeped in Native American
history and culture.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Yeah, the Ho tribes lived in this region for
generations.
They thrive off the river fishand the rich forest life around
them the name Ho itself,actually.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Ho spelled H-O-H.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, ho Comes from the Quinault word Hox-wool.
Hox-wool, h-o-x-w, I guess, ishow we would spell it.
Okay, referring to the river'sfast-moving waters.
Walking among the ancient trees, you can really feel the spirit
of the land.
I mean, it's not just a naturalwonder, it's a cultural
treasure.
The rainforest was vital to thetribes, provided materials for
(02:50):
shelter, clothing, tools andeven canoes carved from the
giant cedars Really cool, lotsof old growth.
Everywhere you turn you sensethat deep connection between the
people and the land.
It's really awe-inspiring.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Everywhere you turn you sense that deep connection
between the people and the land.
It's really awe-inspiring.
Now, in the whole rainforest,my hike was a totally different
vibe from all of the other hikesthat I or Rory and I did in the
area, like the ones in Squim,port Angeles, la Push, at Neah
Bay.
Those were all beautiful, butthe rainforest just has its own
(03:24):
thing.
The foliage was totallydifferent.
But here's the thing Right whenI got there I was hit with a
little bit of a shock.
At the very start of a trailthere was a warning sign saying
do not hike alone because thereare dangerous animals in the
area.
And I'm standing there likewell, I just drove over three
hours to get here alone.
(03:44):
So yeah, I'm going to hike.
Going back to get Rory wasn'thappening, so I just mentally
prepped myself to be like extraalert during the hike.
So this was the most high alertI'd felt on any of my hikes.
Just because of that sign andlike the eerie stillness.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Very cool eerie stillness.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, there really weren't any other people out
there.
It was February so it was extraquiet.
It was not tourist season andhonestly I've kind of felt like
I had the whole entire forestall to myself, which sounds
magical and cool, until yourealize it also means that there
is no noise to scare off thewild animals, so you can be
pretty noisy Well, I can be,yeah, but luckily I ended up
(04:25):
running into another solo hikernot long after I started and so
we were totally going atdifferent paces.
But I chatted with him quicklyjust to kind of like check in,
and I was like, hey, did you seethat sign back there about the
animals?
Should I be worried?
And he was like super chill andreassured me that it was going
to be fine and to just be smart,stay aware, keep an eye out.
(04:47):
But it actually gave me peace ofmind just knowing that like
someone else was out there.
So I asked his name, kind ofjoking but kind of serious, like
okay, cool, now if I need toyell for help I can know who I'm
yelling for.
And so he hiked ahead of me andthen on his way back we crossed
paths again, which was alsocomforting because I figured if
he had made it through okay,things up ahead were probably
(05:08):
going to be fine.
So, despite the littleadrenaline spike at the
beginning, the hike turned outto be gorgeous and peaceful and
I had no scary encounters, thankgoodness.
It was like just wet enough tofeel like misty and magical and
I really wanted to catch somelike waterfalls, which was a big
reason I picked this trail Ihave a big cup to catch a
waterfall, big bucket oh, you'reso funny I'm so funny now there
(05:32):
was a mix of like this lushlower greenery on like the
bottom floor of the rainforestbottom floor.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, there's tons.
Oh, it's cool, ferns galore.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, mossy trees and then like these subtle hills
and different levels, that madethe trail like visually
interesting and the rainforestwasn't so dense that I felt so
closed in, like I could seeeverything around me, and that
also helped me feel a bit safertoo and it was absolutely worth
the drive.
And while I did end up hikingsolo, I definitely say like if,
(06:04):
if you can do, bring a buddy todo it, just for peace of mind.
But even going alone, it wasone of those experiences that
just sticks with you.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Now, together we made it to La Push, which was
another Twilight must-see.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
It's where we see Bella interacting with her
classmates outside of school andrunning into Jacob.
We all know who Jacob is.
This is also where Jacob firsthits at his secret his werewolf
background and it was reallyfunny because while we were
driving around the OlympicPeninsula every day, taking two
to three hour road trips todifferent locations, which is
(06:38):
really cool because everywhereyou drive, it's beautiful
driving.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So it's not like you're driving.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
oh, I got to drive two hours to get there.
It's an awesome drive to getthere.
It's totally part of theexperience.
We kept passing this sign forLaPool.
It cracked us up because youknow there's LaPush and then
LaPool, so of course we had togo see LaPush.
I don't know, did we see LaPoolfor ourselves?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I kind of feel like we went to LaPool.
I'm not sure we realized it.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
On these trips there's always a give and take,
a push and pull.
Yes, yes so there's La Push andLa Pull, literally.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
And the drive closer to La Push was super cute
because we started seeing littlesigns in the town of like no
vampires allowed and so like thewhole town knows that people
are going to visit just becauseof Twilight and they just lean
into it instead of fighting it.
It's fun, so it makes it reallyfun yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
We went in February, which turned out to be a great
time.
The annual festival is inSeptember, so it wasn't crowded
at all when we got there.
Not many people hit cold beachesin wintertime like we did.
Of course, we didn't goswimming, but we did hit the
beach.
We were going to do that, dangit.
So we had that off-seasonadvantage plus lower lodging
prices and way more nature toourselves.
Really, it was a great time tobe there.
(07:49):
The beach at La Push was sopeaceful and quiet.
Hardly anyone was there.
I think we saw maybe two orthree other people.
That was it, yeah.
Yeah, we had on our keens, ourwaterproof hiking boots, which
kept us dry and warm and madewalking along the beach a breeze
.
Totes win.
Can you say that?
Total win?
No, totally.
(08:11):
Totes.
Totes win.
Can you say that?
Total win?
No, totally totes, totes win.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Don't try to be cool, just keep going.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Sorry, I'm not that cool.
There were branches, driftwood,like I mentioned before, so
cool Pieces of huge timberwashed up along the rocks.
It gave the beach a really cooldeserted, cryptic vibe.
Very moody, very beautifulClimbed all over that driftwood.
It's apparently from the 1921blowdown which leveled nearly 8
billion feet of timber.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
That's not much.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah, let that sink in.
That's enough to build around600,000 three-bedroom homes.
That's wild, yeah, and thingsfrom that storm are still
washing up today.
Like I said, some awesomedriftwood to see.
La Push is also home to theQuaalute tribe and their story
is absolutely fascinating.
There's so much depth andhistory in the area.
(08:57):
It's not just the scenerythat's rich, there's so much
depth and history in the area.
La Push a place that a lot ofTwilight fans know as home to
Jacob Black and the Wolf Pack,which that story was birthed out
of the ancestral homeland ofthe Quaalute tribe.
The real Quaalute people areincredibly resilient Living out
there you gotta be.
(09:18):
Their language is unique, oneof the few in the world without
nasal sounds.
That's really cool.
And their culture goes backthousands of years.
How many of us can say thatThey've lived on this coastline
forever, long before the booksor movies made the beaches
famous?
Obviously, when you're standingon First Beach looking out the
driftwood, the mist, the stackedrocks in the area, it feels
(09:39):
sacred.
This isn't just a pretty placeto take pictures.
It feels deeply spiritual.
It's alive with legend.
You can sense it.
We didn't visit the tribalcenter this time, but their
ongoing work to preservelanguage, history and
sovereignty is a powerful thingthey're doing.
The Quaalude Nation is also inthe middle of moving parts of
their community to higher grounddue to tsunami risk and climate
(10:01):
change and stuff like that.
Wow yeah, apparently wecouldn't get enough of the beach
because we also made it down toRuby Beach.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
And if you're a meat eater like Jacob and the wolves
and Rory and you're going tovisit all these beaches.
You want to have your Larissa'sKitchen or LK, as their
packaging says meat sticks alongwith you.
Have those with you for aconvenient way to fuel up with
protein for all these adventures.
Now, another place we visitedthat is on Native American lands
(10:29):
, the Maka tribe is Nia Bay.
Now, nia Bay was such a funhighlight of the trip for us.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Yeah, there's a parking lot where you can stop
and from there signs point youto a trail that takes you to the
furthest tip of the continentalUS y'all Circle, literally the
top left corner of the country.
That was super cool.
Yeah, right after we parked wesaw this giant.
Well, kind of adorable chair.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Obviously, we had to get our picture taken in it you
had to climb.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Yeah, we didn't have a tripod so we waited until
somebody walked by and they werekind enough to snap a pic.
We'll share it in our socialposts so you can see.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I'm sure you're all very interested how cute we are
in our little chair.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
The trail was amazing , so different from anything
else we'd hiked.
And not like the rainforest no,not like Squim, which we'll
hear about in a couple ofepisodes from now Just its own
thing.
The terrain was super unique.
The trees had these wild shapes, some looked like natural
benches or like you could climbonto them and just chill, which
I did.
Totally cool, yeah which youdid.
(11:31):
It was like the trees weresaying, hey, come sit with me.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
And it wasn't like this dense forest where you
can't see anything, but itwasn't open and dry like a
desert.
It was like this perfectin-between where you could see
full landscape around you whilehiking yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
That makes sense.
Very cool.
It was like stepping into astorybook.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Really cool.
The trail was also laid outreally well.
Wooden planks in some areashelped guide your steps, made it
easier to get through thetrickier sections.
It felt very accessible andvery intentional.
I felt like I was on a movieset.
It was so cool looking.
I kept saying this is like amovie set, Like I'm expecting to
come up on a village of some-Like everything's perfectly
placed.
Magical people or something.
(12:14):
Yeah, Eventually the trail.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
They purposely put this tree here.
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I mean, eventually, this trail takes you to this
incredible cliff.
You're standing there lookingstraight down at the ocean as
waves crash against the rocksway below.
Tons of caves Really reallycool.
I mean caves.
You look at the water splashingdown into caves and stuff.
Really cool and powerful.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And I didn't mean to get too close to the edge, but I
totally did, and Roy had tograb me back.
Dork, he scolded me a littlebit.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Yes, I did.
Don't do that again.
I mean, it was beautiful.
You're staring into theselayered cliffs with swirling
ocean waves crashing overcolorful rocks.
It was wild, gorgeous and scaryNot your everyday view.
No, at least not where I'm from.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
And there were all these fun little like nooks and
crannies along the way too liketwisted tree shapes, like we
said, and like cool rockformations, and so it made
exploring to the edge so fun andjust knowing we were literally
standing at the end of the worldor at least the edge of the
country, like that was such amoment.
I was doing all of these likefunny jumps and stuff.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yeah, and just as we started heading back, of course,
it began to rain.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Right, because you know, hello, you're in the OP.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Yep, just a light sprinkle.
At first.
We made it back to the car justin time before it started
pouring, so definitely check outour socials.
We'll be posting some of ourfavorite moments from Nia Bay.
This was seriously one of myfavorite stops the entire trip.
It's remote, it it's remote,it's rugged, it's rich with
story.
Like I said, it felt like I wasin a movie set and these steps
were going to lead me to somefantastical group of people and
(13:42):
huts built in the trees and intothe sides.
It was just the hillsides.
It was really cool.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
The Maka people did a great job with it.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah, yeah.
Another highlight to visitIndia Bay is the Maka Museum,
the only museum in the nationdedicated to artifacts from the
ancient Maka coastal village ofOzet.
That's cool.
Okay, quick backstory.
In 1970, a storm unearthed agroup of longhouses that had
been buried for centuries in amudslide.
(14:08):
That's really cool, perfectlypreserved, like a time capsule.
What followed was one of themost important archaeological
digs in North American history.
Over 55,000 artifacts wereuncovered.
Just a few Wailing harpoons,woven cedar baskets, tools,
artwork, and today, about 500 ofthe most incredible pieces are
(14:31):
on display at the museum,alongside replica canoes, a
full-size longhouse and dioramasthat put your right back into
Maka life.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
The Maka people were whalers, sealers, fishermen,
warriors, artists, and todaythey remain protectors of that
ocean connection that they have.
And this museum isn't justabout the past, it's about
cultural survival and identityfor them.
And heads up, if you'revisiting Neah Bay, you'll need a
Maka Recreation Permit toaccess the beaches and the
(15:02):
trails.
It's only about $20, at leastit was when we went and it helps
support the tribe and preservethese lands.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Yeah, and that reminds me too, you can also get
a parking pass from theQuaalute Reservation for your
visit to the beaches at La Push.
Yes, so you support theirefforts while enjoying the cool
mystique and mystery in theenchanting area that is La Push.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
And speaking of supporting, we want to thank
again Larissa's Kitchen forsupporting this episode.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Thank you.
Larissa's Kitchen, remember.
They offer clean on-the-gosnacks, like today's feature,
herbalicious.
It's a savory herb turkey stickmade with free-range turkey and
packed with 8 grams of protein.
Perfect for fueling up withoutall the bad stuff.
Certified allergen-free.
So grab yours, because I likemine.
(15:51):
You can't have mine.
Grab yours at Costco, atWalmart.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And because they're certified allergen free, you're
going to be looking forLarissa's Kitchen in the
gluten-free aisle.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
See you there and see you next time.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
We hope we've inspired you this episode, so
join us next time.
Please subscribe to rate andshare our podcast with your
friends or you know whomever?
And please like and follow uson Instagram, youtube and
Facebook.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
We're also on X and on all social platforms.
We are at TheRomies that'sT-H-E-R-O-A-M-I-E-S, and our
main hub is our website.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
At wwwtheromiescom, that's right, that's.
T-h-e-r-o-a-m-i-e-scom.
We'll be there until next time.
Yeah, thanks for listening, bye.
Hi, I'm Alexa and I'm Rory, and together we are the
Romies.
We are married.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
To each other Right.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
We are a touring musical duo.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
And our music has taken us to all kinds of places
all around the world and keepsus always on the go.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So we hope you enjoy our stories and adventures while
running around working to keepall your plates spinning.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And we hope, to facilitate your busy lifestyle
and feed your inner travel bug.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
As we continue our Olympic Peninsula adventures.
A huge thank you to Larissa'sKitchen for being our sponsor
this month.
They specialize in clean,portable protein snacks made
with zero sugar, certifiedallergen-free ingredients and
simple sourcing.
You can feel good about it.
Plus, everything they make ispreservative-free and non-GMO
(00:51):
verified Love that, seriously,snacks you can trust when you're
on the move, like we are.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yes, and in our previous episode we shared
specifically about our visit toForks, washington, and today we
want to dive deeper into theNative American influences that
we encountered in WashingtonState's Olympic Peninsula.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Get this.
Forks gets about well.
You get this because they getthis.
They get about 120 inches ofrain a year, but the locals are
so used to it they don't evencarry umbrellas.
We try to be cool and do thesame.
It's part of the experience,but we got a little bit damp and
cold here and there.
Yep, this area is seriouslypacked with beauty, though
(01:32):
Rainforest.
It's amazing, beautifulgreenness, greenness.
There you go, you can reallyfeel this beautiful blend of
cultures.
There's a tribal heritage mixedwith the pioneer families who
settled there.
It's all packed into Forks.
Now, just outside of the townof Forks, you find the Ho
Rainforest.
Yeah, alexa went for a day tripthere.
I was sleeping in, or no?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
what was I doing?
You were writing.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I was writing, that's right.
I was writing W-R-I-T-I-N-Gbecause I'm a writer.
She went for a day trip to theHo Rainforest.
Of course, she wouldn't missvisiting one of the most iconic
parts of the.
Olympic Peninsula, so she wentwithout me.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
The Ho Rainforest.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Right.
This area is lush, it's misty,it's breathtaking, it's just
outside of Forks and it's alsosteeped in Native American
history and culture.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Yeah, the Ho tribes lived in this region for
generations.
They thrive off the river fishand the rich forest life around
them the name Ho itself,actually.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Ho spelled H-O-H.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, ho Comes from the Quinault word Hox-wool.
Hox-wool, h-o-x-w, I guess, ishow we would spell it.
Okay, referring to the river'sfast-moving waters.
Walking among the ancient trees, you can really feel the spirit
of the land.
I mean, it's not just a naturalwonder, it's a cultural
treasure.
The rainforest was vital to thetribes, provided materials for
(02:50):
shelter, clothing, tools andeven canoes carved from the
giant cedars Really cool, lotsof old growth.
Everywhere you turn you sensethat deep connection between the
people and the land.
It's really awe-inspiring.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Everywhere you turn you sense that deep connection
between the people and the land.
It's really awe-inspiring.
Now, in the whole rainforest,my hike was a totally different
vibe from all of the other hikesthat I or Rory and I did in the
area, like the ones in Squim,port Angeles, la Push, at Neah
Bay.
Those were all beautiful, butthe rainforest just has its own
(03:24):
thing.
The foliage was totallydifferent.
But here's the thing Right whenI got there I was hit with a
little bit of a shock.
At the very start of a trailthere was a warning sign saying
do not hike alone because thereare dangerous animals in the
area.
And I'm standing there likewell, I just drove over three
hours to get here alone.
(03:44):
So yeah, I'm going to hike.
Going back to get Rory wasn'thappening, so I just mentally
prepped myself to be like extraalert during the hike.
So this was the most high alertI'd felt on any of my hikes.
Just because of that sign andlike the eerie stillness.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Very cool eerie stillness.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, there really weren't any other people out
there.
It was February so it was extraquiet.
It was not tourist season andhonestly I've kind of felt like
I had the whole entire forestall to myself, which sounds
magical and cool, until yourealize it also means that there
is no noise to scare off thewild animals, so you can be
pretty noisy Well, I can be,yeah, but luckily I ended up
(04:25):
running into another solo hikernot long after I started and so
we were totally going atdifferent paces.
But I chatted with him quicklyjust to kind of like check in,
and I was like, hey, did you seethat sign back there about the
animals?
Should I be worried?
And he was like super chill andreassured me that it was going
to be fine and to just be smart,stay aware, keep an eye out.
(04:47):
But it actually gave me peace ofmind just knowing that like
someone else was out there.
So I asked his name, kind ofjoking but kind of serious, like
okay, cool, now if I need toyell for help I can know who I'm
yelling for.
And so he hiked ahead of me andthen on his way back we crossed
paths again, which was alsocomforting because I figured if
he had made it through okay,things up ahead were probably
(05:08):
going to be fine.
So, despite the littleadrenaline spike at the
beginning, the hike turned outto be gorgeous and peaceful and
I had no scary encounters, thankgoodness.
It was like just wet enough tofeel like misty and magical and
I really wanted to catch somelike waterfalls, which was a big
reason I picked this trail Ihave a big cup to catch a
waterfall, big bucket oh, you'reso funny I'm so funny now there
(05:32):
was a mix of like this lushlower greenery on like the
bottom floor of the rainforestbottom floor.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, there's tons.
Oh, it's cool, ferns galore.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, mossy trees and then like these subtle hills
and different levels, that madethe trail like visually
interesting and the rainforestwasn't so dense that I felt so
closed in, like I could seeeverything around me, and that
also helped me feel a bit safertoo and it was absolutely worth
the drive.
And while I did end up hikingsolo, I definitely say like if,
(06:04):
if you can do, bring a buddy todo it, just for peace of mind.
But even going alone, it wasone of those experiences that
just sticks with you.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Now, together we made it to La Push, which was
another Twilight must-see.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
It's where we see Bella interacting with her
classmates outside of school andrunning into Jacob.
We all know who Jacob is.
This is also where Jacob firsthits at his secret his werewolf
background and it was reallyfunny because while we were
driving around the OlympicPeninsula every day, taking two
to three hour road trips todifferent locations, which is
(06:38):
really cool because everywhereyou drive, it's beautiful
driving.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So it's not like you're driving.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
oh, I got to drive two hours to get there.
It's an awesome drive to getthere.
It's totally part of theexperience.
We kept passing this sign forLaPool.
It cracked us up because youknow there's LaPush and then
LaPool, so of course we had togo see LaPush.
I don't know, did we see LaPoolfor ourselves?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I kind of feel like we went to LaPool.
I'm not sure we realized it.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
On these trips there's always a give and take,
a push and pull.
Yes, yes so there's La Push andLa Pull, literally.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
And the drive closer to La Push was super cute
because we started seeing littlesigns in the town of like no
vampires allowed and so like thewhole town knows that people
are going to visit just becauseof Twilight and they just lean
into it instead of fighting it.
It's fun, so it makes it reallyfun yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
We went in February, which turned out to be a great
time.
The annual festival is inSeptember, so it wasn't crowded
at all when we got there.
Not many people hit cold beachesin wintertime like we did.
Of course, we didn't goswimming, but we did hit the
beach.
We were going to do that, dangit.
So we had that off-seasonadvantage plus lower lodging
prices and way more nature toourselves.
Really, it was a great time tobe there.
(07:49):
The beach at La Push was sopeaceful and quiet.
Hardly anyone was there.
I think we saw maybe two orthree other people.
That was it, yeah.
Yeah, we had on our keens, ourwaterproof hiking boots, which
kept us dry and warm and madewalking along the beach a breeze
.
Totes win.
Can you say that?
Total win?
No, totally.
(08:11):
Totes.
Totes win.
Can you say that?
Total win?
No, totally totes, totes win.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Don't try to be cool, just keep going.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Sorry, I'm not that cool.
There were branches, driftwood,like I mentioned before, so
cool Pieces of huge timberwashed up along the rocks.
It gave the beach a really cooldeserted, cryptic vibe.
Very moody, very beautifulClimbed all over that driftwood.
It's apparently from the 1921blowdown which leveled nearly 8
billion feet of timber.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
That's not much.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah, let that sink in.
That's enough to build around600,000 three-bedroom homes.
That's wild, yeah, and thingsfrom that storm are still
washing up today.
Like I said, some awesomedriftwood to see.
La Push is also home to theQuaalute tribe and their story
is absolutely fascinating.
There's so much depth andhistory in the area.
(08:57):
It's not just the scenerythat's rich, there's so much
depth and history in the area.
La Push a place that a lot ofTwilight fans know as home to
Jacob Black and the Wolf Pack,which that story was birthed out
of the ancestral homeland ofthe Quaalute tribe.
The real Quaalute people areincredibly resilient Living out
there you gotta be.
(09:18):
Their language is unique, oneof the few in the world without
nasal sounds.
That's really cool.
And their culture goes backthousands of years.
How many of us can say thatThey've lived on this coastline
forever, long before the booksor movies made the beaches
famous?
Obviously, when you're standingon First Beach looking out the
driftwood, the mist, the stackedrocks in the area, it feels
(09:39):
sacred.
This isn't just a pretty placeto take pictures.
It feels deeply spiritual.
It's alive with legend.
You can sense it.
We didn't visit the tribalcenter this time, but their
ongoing work to preservelanguage, history and
sovereignty is a powerful thingthey're doing.
The Quaalude Nation is also inthe middle of moving parts of
their community to higher grounddue to tsunami risk and climate
(10:01):
change and stuff like that.
Wow yeah, apparently wecouldn't get enough of the beach
because we also made it down toRuby Beach.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
And if you're a meat eater like Jacob and the wolves
and Rory and you're going tovisit all these beaches.
You want to have your Larissa'sKitchen or LK, as their
packaging says meat sticks alongwith you.
Have those with you for aconvenient way to fuel up with
protein for all these adventures.
Now, another place we visitedthat is on Native American lands
(10:29):
, the Maka tribe is Nia Bay.
Now, nia Bay was such a funhighlight of the trip for us.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Yeah, there's a parking lot where you can stop
and from there signs point youto a trail that takes you to the
furthest tip of the continentalUS y'all Circle, literally the
top left corner of the country.
That was super cool.
Yeah, right after we parked wesaw this giant.
Well, kind of adorable chair.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Obviously, we had to get our picture taken in it you
had to climb.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Yeah, we didn't have a tripod so we waited until
somebody walked by and they werekind enough to snap a pic.
We'll share it in our socialposts so you can see.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I'm sure you're all very interested how cute we are
in our little chair.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
The trail was amazing , so different from anything
else we'd hiked.
And not like the rainforest no,not like Squim, which we'll
hear about in a couple ofepisodes from now Just its own
thing.
The terrain was super unique.
The trees had these wild shapes, some looked like natural
benches or like you could climbonto them and just chill, which
I did.
Totally cool, yeah which youdid.
(11:31):
It was like the trees weresaying, hey, come sit with me.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
And it wasn't like this dense forest where you
can't see anything, but itwasn't open and dry like a
desert.
It was like this perfectin-between where you could see
full landscape around you whilehiking yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
That makes sense.
Very cool.
It was like stepping into astorybook.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Really cool.
The trail was also laid outreally well.
Wooden planks in some areashelped guide your steps, made it
easier to get through thetrickier sections.
It felt very accessible andvery intentional.
I felt like I was on a movieset.
It was so cool looking.
I kept saying this is like amovie set, Like I'm expecting to
come up on a village of some-Like everything's perfectly
placed.
Magical people or something.
(12:14):
Yeah, Eventually the trail.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
They purposely put this tree here.
Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I mean, eventually, this trail takes you to this
incredible cliff.
You're standing there lookingstraight down at the ocean as
waves crash against the rocksway below.
Tons of caves Really reallycool.
I mean caves.
You look at the water splashingdown into caves and stuff.
Really cool and powerful.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And I didn't mean to get too close to the edge, but I
totally did, and Roy had tograb me back.
Dork, he scolded me a littlebit.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Yes, I did.
Don't do that again.
I mean, it was beautiful.
You're staring into theselayered cliffs with swirling
ocean waves crashing overcolorful rocks.
It was wild, gorgeous and scaryNot your everyday view.
No, at least not where I'm from.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
And there were all these fun little like nooks and
crannies along the way too liketwisted tree shapes, like we
said, and like cool rockformations, and so it made
exploring to the edge so fun andjust knowing we were literally
standing at the end of the worldor at least the edge of the
country, like that was such amoment.
I was doing all of these likefunny jumps and stuff.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yeah, and just as we started heading back, of course,
it began to rain.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Right, because you know, hello, you're in the OP.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Yep, just a light sprinkle.
At first.
We made it back to the car justin time before it started
pouring, so definitely check outour socials.
We'll be posting some of ourfavorite moments from Nia Bay.
This was seriously one of myfavorite stops the entire trip.
It's remote, it it's remote,it's rugged, it's rich with
story.
Like I said, it felt like I wasin a movie set and these steps
were going to lead me to somefantastical group of people and
(13:42):
huts built in the trees and intothe sides.
It was just the hillsides.
It was really cool.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
The Maka people did a great job with it.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah, yeah.
Another highlight to visitIndia Bay is the Maka Museum,
the only museum in the nationdedicated to artifacts from the
ancient Maka coastal village ofOzet.
That's cool.
Okay, quick backstory.
In 1970, a storm unearthed agroup of longhouses that had
been buried for centuries in amudslide.
(14:08):
That's really cool, perfectlypreserved, like a time capsule.
What followed was one of themost important archaeological
digs in North American history.
Over 55,000 artifacts wereuncovered.
Just a few Wailing harpoons,woven cedar baskets, tools,
artwork, and today, about 500 ofthe most incredible pieces are
(14:31):
on display at the museum,alongside replica canoes, a
full-size longhouse and dioramasthat put your right back into
Maka life.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
The Maka people were whalers, sealers, fishermen,
warriors, artists, and todaythey remain protectors of that
ocean connection that they have.
And this museum isn't justabout the past, it's about
cultural survival and identityfor them.
And heads up, if you'revisiting Neah Bay, you'll need a
Maka Recreation Permit toaccess the beaches and the
(15:02):
trails.
It's only about $20, at leastit was when we went and it helps
support the tribe and preservethese lands.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
Yeah, and that reminds me too, you can also get
a parking pass from theQuaalute Reservation for your
visit to the beaches at La Push.
Yes, so you support theirefforts while enjoying the cool
mystique and mystery in theenchanting area that is La Push.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
And speaking of supporting, we want to thank
again Larissa's Kitchen forsupporting this episode.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Thank you.
Larissa's Kitchen, remember.
They offer clean on-the-gosnacks, like today's feature,
herbalicious.
It's a savory herb turkey stickmade with free-range turkey and
packed with 8 grams of protein.
Perfect for fueling up withoutall the bad stuff.
Certified allergen-free.
So grab yours, because I likemine.
(15:51):
You can't have mine.
Grab yours at Costco, atWalmart.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And because they're certified allergen free, you're
going to be looking forLarissa's Kitchen in the
gluten-free aisle.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
See you there and see you next time.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
We hope we've inspired you this episode, so
join us next time.
Please subscribe to rate andshare our podcast with your
friends or you know whomever?
And please like and follow uson Instagram, youtube and
Facebook.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
We're also on X and on all social platforms.
We are at TheRomies that'sT-H-E-R-O-A-M-I-E-S, and our
main hub is our website.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
At wwwtheromiescom, that's right, that's.
T-h-e-r-o-a-m-i-e-scom.
We'll be there until next time.
Yeah, thanks for listening, bye.
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