TA TALKS BACK: GETTING TO FORKS

TA fan Ashley shares the details of her trip to Forks:

Forks. The very name screams rain, mythical beings, and love among the spruce trees. To twihard Twilighters, there is no greater mecca; one’s experience of the Twilight story, I daresay, is incomplete without visiting the otherwise inconsequential town on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state where the saga began. Having finished the novels for a second time, I decided in mid-January that Forks was my spring break destination of choice—though my mother took some convincing. Her visions of an exotic London vacation did not die without a fight, and it took some ingenuity on my part (I was not beyond scattering random Twilight paraphernalia creatively around the house) to assure her that it was either Forks or nothing for me. She at last agreed, God bless her, and began reading the series in preparation for our little pilgrimage.
I had originally intended to write a large exposition on our trip, complete with pointers, interesting facts, and experiences. It was when I reached the sixth page of type and realized I had only made it through 24 hours when I decided that that was a project for another time. So I decided instead to simply explain one aspect of the trip, a subject easily overlooked, yet absolutely essential in enjoying your Twilight in Forks experience: actually getting to Forks.
Of course, how you get there completely depends on where you are coming from. Those who live outside the Pacific Northwest, especially those like me who live on the east coast, will most likely fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and proceed to the Olympic Peninsula from there. For those who are within driving distance of Forks (and for those poor Twilighters who don’t actually know where this is—and yes, some fans I know did not even know such a town actually existed until I told them I was spending my spring break there—Forks sits in the northwest corner of the Peninsula, in Clallam County. Pull out your Google Map and educate yourself), nothing I say here will be of any use to you—just find Highway 101 and follow the signs accordingly!
Those of us unlucky enough to not live in the Pacific Northwest fly into southern Seattle via Sea-Tac Airport. Besides the alarming number of tempting Seattle souvenirs, there is not much to say about this airport; it is easy to navigate and not especially busy. Unless you are planning to walk to Forks from Seattle, and the scenery would be gorgeous, you will naturally need a rental car, and my one tip is this: if you can, request a car that sits off the ground and has a lot of windows. We were in a Toyota Camry, and while the scenery was still breathtaking, I can only imagine how lovely it would have been in an SUV with a sunroof! Of course, a silver Volvo would be the smartest choice, but you would have to call ahead of time to confirm they actually have such a car (or even Volvos…or even a luxury car fleet) available for your dates, and you would be paying big bucks. My advice? Use your imagination—and don’t forget your Twilight playlist!
So, you’ve landed in Seattle, hoofed it to baggage claim, waited hours for your rental car from Dollar, whom you will never ever use again picked up your roomy, open rental car, and taken a moment to scan for newborns on the loose. Now what? Strange as it might seem, don’t proceed directly to Forks. The natives will forgive you for enjoying a day in Seattle before trekking through the wilderness, and you won’t forgive yourself if you don’t. Seattle, in a nutshell, is gorgeous, extremely friendly, and very fun. Just enjoy your day. Forks will be there tomorrow, I promise.
Once you’ve at least taken the time to briefly tour the city and grab some great seafood (because, to be honest, there’s not much in the way of good food in Forks. No wonder Bella cooked so much), you have to decide between two routes that both lead to Forks. The route north and across the Puget Sound, which we will call Route A, takes you through Sequim, Port Angeles, and around Lake Crescent to Forks on the other side of the peninsula. Route B, which goes south through Tacoma and Olympia, goes across to Aberdeen on the southwest corner of the peninsula, before shooting you on a straight path due north to Forks. Obviously, to the avid Twilighter, Route A sounds much more appealing. That’s the way we went when leaving Seattle; no one really mentioned the weekend ferry traffic—it was bad enough for my mother to decide we weren’t going back to Seattle the way we came. We ended up driving the entire circumference of the Olympic Peninsula over our spring break, which actually sounds pretty nifty. I will briefly highlight both routes, and you can decide from there. And don’t worry, the iconic “Welcome to Forks” signs exist on both sides of the town to greet you no matter which way you enter.
Route A begins on Interstate 5 (actually, both routes do, they just proceed in different directions). Wherever you are in Seattle, all you have to do is find I-5 and go north, take 104 West, and exit at 177 (Edmonds). In suburban Edmonds, you get the eerie feeling that you are miles and miles away from a sound of any sort, but don’t fret—just follow the handy signs that say “Ferry Traffic,” “Edmonds Ferry,” “Kingston Ferry,” and the like. Basically, you are trying to get to Kingston, and you have to take a ferry from Edmonds to do so (unless you are a vampire, in which case you simply cease to breathe and swim across the sound yourself). If you come upon a line of stopped cars in the direction you are heading, bravo! You’ve made it to the ferry and are now stuck in what could be a very, very long line. (When Mama saw the sign that said “90 minute ferry wait”…let’s just say, if looks could kill…) Much like those restaurant waits that are just there to scare you, this one proved to be shorter than reported. Basically, just keep your spot and follow everyone else—they’ve likely done this many times before. The standard ferry rate for an average car or SUV and driver is $14.95. Passengers cost extra. The ferry ride is a little short of 30 minutes, giving you time to step out onto the deck and snap some great photos of the mountains in the distance or play with the 3-D wall mural of Washington state, which does include Forks and Port Angeles, making for great fun! All in all, to get from Seattle across the ferry to Kingston will likely take around 1 ½ to 2 hours, depending on the amount of ferry traffic and Seattle traffic (weekends are bad), so plan accordingly.
Once you are across in the cutesy town of Kingston, you will stay on the 104 West for a while, going through Port Gamble, across a big bridge, through lots and lots of trees, until you connect with Highway 101. Turn right—north—if you ever want to get to Forks…or simply to Port Angeles in time for dinner at Bella Italia. Once you are on 101 North, you just keep going straight. You will stop in Port Angeles (duh), enjoy yourself, and then follow the signs for 101 towards Forks—yes, the signs begin here, so get out your cameras. From Kingston to Port Angeles takes a little over an hour, and from Port Angeles to Forks, a distance of about 60 miles, will also take a little over an hour. In my opinion, Route A is much nicer than Route B, through Aberdeen and Olympia. It is prettier, shorter, and goes right through Port Angeles and past Lake Crescent, which is gorgeous; there is that nasty ferry wait, but weekdays probably aren’t that bad, and when you are in good company with Twilight to read or the soundtrack to listen to, what’s an hour wait?
Route B, which is the route you will have to take whenever the Hood Canal Bride is closed (this is the bridge you cross when on the 104, going from Port Gamble to Highway 101, and into Jefferson from Kitsap County), is longer than Route A and not nearly as picturesque in my opinion—save for the lovely ride along the coast you have north and south of Kalaloch. You begin in Seattle on I-5 going south, following the signs to Tacoma and Olympia. In Olympia, you will merge onto Highway 101 via exit 104 (Aberdeen/Port Angeles). If you continued on this road, it would take you on the east side of the Peninsula, north to Port Angeles. But you probably don’t want to do that, so you want to take the WA-8 west (Montesano/Aberdeen). Follow this for a good 40 or so miles (WA-8 will turn into US-12—don’t panic, like I did), until you come to Aberdeen, where it will turn into Highway 101. It is easy to get sidetracked here as what was a highway now turns into a two-lane street in the middle of a town and all, but if all else fails, just follow the signs to Hoquiam, which is Aberdeen’s literal next-door neighbor to the west. Once in Hoquiam, follow the signs for Highway 101 north, which you are technically on anyway. From there, just keep going straight, through the Quinault Indian Reservation, across Queets River (yes, where Waylon was killed in the movie), through Kalaloch and into Forks! Route B is 416 miles and will take a good 4 ½ hours. For the majority of the ride, there’s not a whole lot to see, so be sure to bring some tunes (because you still don’t want to close your eyes!).

However you get there, Forks is a charm. Enjoy your pilgrimage!

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