Entrance to ODT from Lower Elwha Rd towards Port Angeles
One of the things we really like about where we live, besides the cute vampires and muscular werewolves of course, is our proximity to the Olympic Discovery Trail. ODT, according to its website, "The Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) runs through many different types of terrain, several towns, 2 counties, Olympic National Park, and Native American tribal jurisdictions on its 126 mile route across the northern Olympic Peninsula." It basically runs from Port Townsend at the top of the eastern end of our peninsula all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It's really a fantastic asset for our residents as well as visitors. It highlights our unique coastal setting with temperate rain forest in the west to our sunnier rain shadow climate to the northeast. The best part is all the nature in between!
We are about 5 minutes to a trail head that will take us east to Port Angeles and to the west to the Elwha River, Crescent Lake and eventually the Pacific coast. We've been talking about riding our bikes into town for breakfast and the Farmer's Market ever since we moved here a few years ago. The hold up was a bridge over Dry Creek.
The bike and pedestrian only bridge is in! The trail is looking pretty wet, but nothing a trail bike can't handle. It's my understanding that by the summer of 2012 it will be completely paved to Port Angeles, but for the next year parts will be closed as they work on it. I'm just so excited that the most expensive part has been completed.In September of 2009 the beautiful new Elwha River bridge and its suspended bike and pedestrian bridge, that is part of the ODT, opened. I took photos of the salmon spawning below that year from the bridge. They used to spawn miles up the river and if all works as planned will once again with the removal of the 2 dams starting this September! 
Elwha River below dams, September 2009