Aberdeen to Olympia, WA

 More Details and Photos to Follow.

Drive from Westport to Aberdeen, then to Olympia, then to Vancouver.

Gray's Harbor, WA, Shellfishing

 More Details and Photos to Follow.

Our rental home was near Westport.

Nice weather. Beachcombing.

Westport, Washington, Clam Digging Trip

More Details and Photos to Follow.

Our rental home was near Westport.

Nice weather. Beachcombing. Dog walking. Mushroom hunting.

Brady's Oyster Shack for oysters and fish.
Grundson Fishing store near Westport docks.
Hot Coffees
Fireplace chats
TV indoors

Fancy high-qulity Chef's meals

Clam Digging at 4:30 pm

Twin Harbors and Grayland Beach, Washington, Razor Clam Digging

 More Details and Photos to Follow.

Drive from Vancouver to Longview, then on WA 4 through Cathlamet and Naselle, then on 101 to South Bend, and Raymond. Then on 106 to Tokeland, Grayland, and Westport.

Our rental home was near Westport.

Nice weather. Beachcombing.

Hood Canal: Adventure I, Day 2

 Hood Canal: Adventure I, Day 2

Day 2

Breakfast at Halfway House.  Drove up Dosewallips Canyon Road.  Drove up to Lake Cushman from Hoodsport.  Stopped at Hoodsport for coffee, supermarket, and at Hamma Hamma for book, shrimp cocktail, salt.  Hiked around campground.  Dinner at Halfway House: Captain's Fish Dinner.  Campfire till rain puts it out.  

Here are some of my photographs from the area:

I will be posting my comments and notes, as well as my own photographs to this blog after May 9th.  Internet reception varies in these mountainous locations. 

Settled into my yurt at Dosewallips State Park, Brinnon, Washington.

Photos below are from the Internet.

Walked around the State Park with my Day Pack.  I place my Sling Bag inside my Day Pack. Used my old long staff as well as my cane.  Cool.

Weather: Low of 34F, and high of 47F.  Cloudy and 50% chance of rain.  Winds light at 6 mph.

Vancouver WA  110 miles north to Olympia

Olympia WA  23 miles north to Shelton

Shelton WA  41 miles north to Brinnon

Shelton WA  - Images

Shelton WA  - Information

Hood Canal, Fjord, WA

Lake Cushman, WA

Skokomish Twana Native Americans

Skokomish River, WA, Images

Potlach State Park

Hoodsport WA

Liliwalup

Hamma Hamma

Duckabuch

Brinnon WA

Dosewallips State Park WA  39 miles north to Port Townsend

Dosewallips SP Images  13 miles north to Quilcene

Dosewallips SP Campground

Dosewallips River Images

Dosewallips Oyster and Clam Harvesting

Quilcene

Dabob Bay

Port Townsend  215 miles south to Vancouver

Four Days at Grayland: Extensive Travel Guides, Yurt Camping notes, local cities and villages, reports, commentary, Yurt Camping Information, Native American Information.  Yurt camping on the coast in Oregon and Washington.  

Tai Chi Chuan at the Beach: Please join Michael P. Garofalo for a Taijiquan Meetup/Gathering/Retreat at Dosewallips State Park, 7 am, Yurt C.  I hang a kite on my Yurt that is shaped like a Salmon Fish.  Campfire chats and a little practice sharing.

The best book I used to study general travel options for the Hood Canal
for my trip in May 2024 was:
Olympic Peninsula with Olympic National Park. By Jeff Burlingame.
Moon, 5th Edition, 2024.

Shelton WA  - Images

Shelton WA  - Information

Hood Canal, Fjord, WA

Lake Cushman, WA

Skokomish Twana Native Americans

Skokomish River, WA, Images

Union WA

Hoodsport WA

Brinnon WA 

Dosewallips State Park WA

Four Days in Grayland  Camping at the Beach
Yurt Camping in the Coastal Pacific Northwest by Michael P. Garofalo.

Books I have found useful in my study of the Native American People of Olympic National Park (fournded in 1938) include:

Olympic Peninsula with Olympic National Park. By Jeff Burlingame. Moon, 5th Edition, 2024.

Images of America: Hood Canal.  By Michael Fredson. Arcadia, 2007.

Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula|: Who We Are.  By the Olympic Prninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee.  University of Oklahoma Press, 2015.  This book covers S'Kallam, Skokomish Twana, Sqaxin, Quinault, Hoh, Quileute, and Makah Native Americans in the area. 

The Olympic Peninsula. By Ericka Chickowski.  Moon, 2009.

Longstreet Highroad Guide to the Pacific Northwest.  By Allan and Elizabeth May.  Longstreet, 2000.

Tai Chi Chuan at the Beach: Please join Michael P. Garofalo for a Taijiquan Meetup/Gathering/Retreat at Dosewallips State Park, 6 pm, Yurt C.  I hang a kite on my Yurt that is shaped like a Salmon Fish.  

Four Days at Grayland: Extensive Travel Guides, Yurt Camping notes, local cities and villages, reports, commentary, Yurt Camping Information, Native American Information.  Yurt camping on the coast in Oregon and Washington.  

Images from the Internet

Yurt Camping and Travel Preparations

I will be Yurt Camping at Dosewallips State Park on the Hood Canal near the village of Brinnon, Washington.  I will arrive Monday, May 6th and leave for home on May 9th, 2024.  I will be exploring the area from Shelton to Port Townsend, mostly on 101 along the west side of the Hood Canal.  

I will be yurt camping at Grayland Beach State Park, near Westport, Washington, from June 3rd to June 6.  Karen and I will also be staying at resorts in Shelton, Port Townsend, and Forks in 2024. We stayed in Port Angeles, Bemerton, Lake Quinault, and Ocean Shores in 2023.  Karen and I drove south from Port Townsend to Olympia down 101 via the Hood Canal in 2019 and in 2010.  We have been exploring along Highway 101 (The Olympic Highwaay) from Ilwaco to Olympia, Washington. Basically, we have been exploring the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park, and the Olympic National Forest.  

I will focus on local travel in four days along the Hood Canal from Shelton to Port Townsend.

Vancouver WA  110 miles north to Olympia

Olympia WA  23 miles north to Shelton

Shelton WA  41 miles north to Brinnon

Shelton WA  - Images

Shelton WA  - Information

Hood Canal, Fjord, WA

Lake Cushman, WA

Skokomish Twana Native Americans

Skokomish River, WA, Images

Potlach State Park

Hoodsport WA

Liliwalup

Hamma Hamma

Duckabuch

Brinnon WA

Dosewallips State Park WA  39 miles north to Port Townsend

Dosewallips SP Images  13 miles north to Quilcene

Dosewallips SP Campground

Dosewallips River Images

Dosewallips Oyster and Clam Harvesting

Quilcene

Dabob Bay

Port Townsend  215 miles south to Vancouver

Four Days at Grayland: Extensive Travel Guides, Yurt Camping notes, local cities and villages, reports, commentary, Yurt Camping Information, Native American Information.  Yurt camping on the coast in Oregon and Washington.  

Tai Chi Chuan at the Beach: Please join Michael P. Garofalo for a Taijiquan Meetup/Gathering/Retreat at Dosewallips State Park, 7 am, Yurt C.  I hang a kite on my Yurt that is shaped like a Salmon Fish.  Campfire chats and a little practice sharing.

The best book I used to study general travel options for the Hood Canal
for my trip in May 2024 was:
Olympic Peninsula with Olympic National Park. By Jeff Burlingame.
Moon, 5th Edition, 2024.

Planning and Preparation:

I have been busy identifying and reorganing my camping, recreation, hiking, fishing, and travel equipment.  I updated and purchased new gear for our home back porch improvements, fishing, walking, sighseeing, yurt camping, travel and recreation. I updated my 10 year old Keen boots for high top Danner boots and lightweight Merrill treking boots..  I organized all my outdoor clothing.  Updated my medical bag.  Purchased a small MP3 player.  Purchased many guide and history books for my Olympic Peninsula travels.  Car care, maintainence, and new battery. Getting reading for more Springtime and Summer travel, yurt camping, hiking, fishing, walking, writing.  I am ready for walking in the rain; and updated my Kelty backpack and sling pack, and all necessary rain gear.

 

Four Days in Grayland  Camping at the Beach, Northwest Coastal Travels

Yurt Camping in the Coastal Pacific Northwest by Michael P. Garofalo.

Hunting for Mushrooms and Raxor Clams

 We enjoyed a beautiful clear day of camping at Twin Harbors State Park.   November 14, 2023

We went walking in search of mushrooms in the Park.

We ate Dungeness crab, Kumamoto oysters, Little Neck clams, homemade squash soup, fresh bread, and wine. Shopped at the fish market at Brady's Oysters.

Went razor clam digging at Grayland Beach Road. Caught 49 clams after 5 pm at low tide.

For many photographs and more information go to: Four Days in Grayland by Michael P. Garofalo.

Westport, Southwest Coastal Washington

Today (11/13/2023) We drove to Twin Harbors State Park, between Westport and Tokeland, WA. This beach park is about 4 miles from the downtown and fishing docks of Westport.. We are camping and staying in small cabins at the park.

We (April, Karen, Mick, and I) enjoyed breakfast at the Blue Bird Cafe in Centralia, WA.  Mick and April then toured an abandoned mill in Centralia, and then the decommissioned Satsop nuclear power plant above the Chelais River. Karen and I dove WA 6 from Centralia to Raymond, and then WA 105 along Willapa Bay to Tokeland, Grayland and then to Twin Harbors State Park. Twin Harbors is located between Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor Bay along the Washington Coast. Then, at 4:30 pm, we all went razor clam digging at low tide.

For many photographs and more information go to: Four Days in Grayland by Michael P. Garofalo.

Chelais River Scenes

 Here is a repost of my report from 9/21/2021: 

Today, the beaches from Westport to Grayland (9 miles) were filled with people digging razor clams.  

From my yurt campsite at the Grayland Beach State Park campground the distance to walk to the surf is about a 2 mile or more round trip over sand.  I was the only person walking.  

I walked out to the surf at 7:30 am this cool morning, 55F light wind.  Surprisingly, the sky was clear blue and cloudless.  Most important, it was a low tide of  -0.2 at 7:30 am.   

I could see about 100 vehicles parked along the shore for about a mile.  Maybe 150 people were clam digging.  Others huddled in chairs around their vehicles and talked, or sat and sipped coffee in their truck, big RV, SUV, or sedan.  

I carefully walked in the digging area.  I watched the people digging up many razor clams - a first for me.  I did not dig - I observed.  

One couple told me they got their limit (15 razor clams per person) in 30 minutes.  Another old man was telling me about clamming at night at low tide at a full moon.  Children talked about how hard it was to get the tube in and out of the wet sand.  People seemed to like to talk.  

Then, while walking the mile back to my yurt campsite I continued my normal nature studies.  

I went back to the beach at around 4 pm.  It was a receding high tide.  

There were only 3 vehicles parked on the same one mile stretch of beach, nobody flying kites, nobody surf fishing, a few people walking - deserted compared to this morning.  

One middle aged lady emerged barefoot from her big RV, walked to the surf, and got wet.  She was thrilled, shouted, and threw her arms in the air.  

I ate a good bowl of clam chowder at Long's Bar and Grill on WA105.  Everything in Grayland is located on WA105.  Some knowledgeable guy at the bar was telling us about how he would grind up the foot of the clam and cook in a flour recipe patty then freeze, and other clam cooking and digging tips.  Some old fellow told me about his USA travels, his Air Force days, his stroke, and his love of Westport.  His wife was very cute and flirty.  Both were drunk, as people often are in bars.  

Yesterday, I enjoyed delicious Portuguese Bella canned smoked sardines in olive oil with fresh French bread.  For me, I have made tasting seafood dishes a regular part of my beach travels experiences.  

I keep a fairly detailed hypertext notebook on Gray's Harbor and Willapa Bay in Washington State.  Activities at Westport, Twin Harbors, or Grayland Beach (e.g., surf fishing, clam digging, crabbing, jetty fishing, beachcombing, kite flying, camping, walking, reading, nature studies, photography, sit/stare/listen, your favorite hobbies, etc.) are covered in my:

Gray's Harbor and Willapa Bay: A Hypertext Notebook and Guide

By Michael P. Garofalo 

Westport South Jetty

Westport docks, boardwalk, and fishing pier.

Surf casting for redtail surf perch.

Here are my notes about Westport and Grayland Beach. 

I am camping at Grayland Beach State Park in a yurt.   

Twin Harbors State Park, Washington

We are going to camp at Twin Harbors State Park next week: Karen, April, Mick and I.

We plan to visit Centralia downtown and the Satsop decommissioned nuclear reactor along the Chehalis River as we drive into Aberdeen and then Westport.

I will be walking in the Shifting Sands Nature Trails inside Twin Harbors State Park.  

Clam digging from 4:30 to 7 pm. 

My Atrial Fibrillation heart disease has been acting up after 6 months of remission.  Hopefully, I can enjoy the activities at the beach.  I have a cardio conversion scheduled the day before Thanksgiving this month.  We shall see.  Studying the excellent book by John D. Day, MD, and T. Jared Bunch, MD, titled: The AFib Cure: Get Off Your Medications, Take Control of Your Health, and Add Years to Your Life. 2021.

Up before daybreak at our wood cabin C3.

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo

Feathered Friends, Shell-Fish, and Epidemics

"The feathered tribe are numerous, and during the season flock hither in clouds: white and black swans, white geese, Canada geese, brant, sheldrake, cormorants, loon, mallard, ducks, red-head, gray and canvas back ducks, teal, curlew, snipe, plover, pheasant, quail, pigeons, crows, and robins. During the summer months pelicans are plenty, and go sailing round in the heavy, lazy flight, occasionally dashing down into the water in the most clumsy manner to catch a fish, and at all times an easy prey and an acceptable banquet to the Indians, who swallow their coarse, fishy, oily flesh with the greatest avidity. Innumerable flocks of gulls of various species are constantly to be seen, and at times, when attracted by any quantities of food, appear like clouds. These birds, also, are readily eaten by the Indians, who never are at a loss to find means to appease their appetite."

- James Gilcrest Swan, 1852, Willapa (Shoalwater) Bay, Southwestern Washington, from his book "The Northwest Coast: Or, Three Year's in Residence in Washington Territory, 1957."

Willapa Bay  A Hyper-text Notebook by Mike Garofalo

Brown Pelicans

In 2022, I will be Yurt camping at Grayland Beach State Park twice and Pacific Beach State Park once during the spring bird migration fly-by. Millions of birds rest and eat in the shallow bays, wetlands, marshes, sloughs, sandy islands, and rivers in Grays Harbor Bay and Willapa Bay.  Looking forward to visiting Bottle Beach and other bird watching locations.  



A Birder's Guide to Coastal Washington. By Bob Morse, 2001. Featuring Ocean Shores, Long Beach Peninsula, Forks, Westport, Tokeland, and 160 Birding Hot Spots. Detailed coverage of birding locations near Westport and how to get there. Excellent resource!  RWMorse, 2001, 270 pages, ring-bound. VSCL. FVRL.  First Choice!!

Coastal Washington Shorebirds and Waterbirds. By Ruth McCausland. 116 pages.

Birds of Washington Field Guide. By Stan Tekiela. Adventure Pubs., 2001, 332 pages.

American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of Washington. By Dennis Paulson and Brian Small. Scott and Nix, 2020, 368 pages.

Birds of the Pacific Northwest. By John Shewey and Tim Blount. Timber, 2017, 560 pages.

Birds of Washington State. By Brian Bell and Gregory Kennedy. Partners, 2017, 284 pages.




"The shoals are covered with shell-fish, among which the oyster is the most abundant, and constitutes the primary article of export. Several species of clams, crabs of the largest size, and of a most delicious flavor, shrimps, mussels, and a small species of sand-lobster, are in the greatest abundance, and furnish nutritious food, not only to the different tribes of Indians who resort to the bay at different seasons to procure supplies, but also the white settler, who is this enabled to greatly reduce the expenses of living when compared with those settlements on the Columbia River and interior where provision of all kinds are usually scarce and high."
- James Gilcrest Swan, 1852, Willapa (Shoalwater) Bay, Southwestern Washington

Fort Vancouver (1824-1845) and Portland (1845-) were the settlements inland on the Columbia River.  

By 1851, epidemics of disease (1795-1845) had decimated the Chinook and Chelais Indian tribes on the Shoalwater (Willapa) Bay coastal area. In 1856, for example, a large tribe of Chelais Indians were camping in Westport and digging clams. A smallpox epidemic erupted and killed hundreds of Chelais Indians of all ages, and the Indians never returned to Westport.

In 2022, tens of thousands of people go to dig razor clams on fixed approved days on the sandy beaches of Twin Harbors and the Long Beach Peninsula.  My son and his wife are expert razor clam diggers.  And, we all have been challenged by our own COVID flu pandemic in America the past three years.  

Most of us enjoy finding ways and means to appease our appetites, despite any obstacles.  

Willapa Bay 

Grayland Beach

Four Days in Grayland

Travel Notebooks by Mike Garofalo

Clam Digging at Twin Harbors

Mick and I spent the whole day at Twin Harbors State Park.  We liked the easy driving access to the sandy beach via Bonge Road.

Mick surf fished and dug clams.  You need to be strong to quickly dig into clam shows.  I helped some with clam digging; but my right shoulder can't work so hard for long.  It was around 55 degrees with an onshore breeze of 10 mph.  It was a 150 yard walk from where vehicles were parked to the digging area.

We both are licensed fishermen.  We dug today and yesterday and found 45 clams.  This season it is a 20 clam limit per licensed fisherman per day.    

Last month, Mick and April and I had no luck in digging up any clams.  

I personally witnessed Mick dig up 20 clams in 40 minutes this afternoon.

Many other people were out digging clams from 2 pm to 7 pm; both today and yesterday..  Low tide was from 5 to 6 pm.  

We drove up to nearby Grayland State Park beaches to surf fish for surf perch.  But no luck.  

We both took long walks in the Shifting Sands Nature Trails in Twin Harbors State Park and along the shoreline.  I did some beachcombing.  

20 clams limit per licensed fisherman per day

We both took long walks on the
Shifting Sands Nature Trails

The campground was nearly empty.
One old guy in his trailer and we in our cabin.
One family came in tonight using a cabin.

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo

Clam Digging Razor Clams   Washington State Fish and Wildlife 

Clam Digging  Razor Clam Rules and Best Beaches for Digging  

Clam Digging Seasonal Schedule [Sept-Dec 2021]

Clam Digging Tides Grays Harbor

Clam Digging and Crabbing in Washington.  By John A. Johnson.  Adventure North Publishing, 1997, 125 pages.  VSCL. 

Clam Digging and Crabbing in Oregon.  By John A. Johnson.  VSCL.

Clamming in the Pacific Northwest.  By Ken Axt.  Frank Amato, 2016, 88 pages.  VSCL. 

Clam Digging Westport 

Clam Digging Grayland and Twin Harbors   This stretch of beach is referred to in books as the 'Twin Harbors' Beaches. 

Preparing and Cooking Razor Clams

The Secret Life of Clams: The Mysteries and Magic of Our Favorite Shellfish.  By Anthony D. Dredericks.  Skyhorse, 2014, 286 pages.  FVRL

Clam Digging Tools:  Waist waders with attached boots.  Waterproof top as needed.  Waterproof and warm gloves, hat, and warm clothing.  Cylindrical clams digging tube (metal or plastic) and a clam shovel (11'x31").  Headlamps for night clamming.  Mesh basket for holding razor clams.  Snacks in your pocket.  Friends to have fun with at the seashore. Your fishing license in your jacket. 

If you work at shellfishing and have some luck then you will need: A clam opening knife and cutting pad.  Pot in camp big enough to clean and cook clams, oysters, or crabs. Surf fishing for redtail surf perch is supposed to be very good using clam baits on the high tide immediately after the razor clammers have dug at low tide.