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

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

The Sea Calls Me

 Karen and I have been dealing with surgeries and rehabilitation for a few months during the late winter of 2023. I have not been Yurt camping at the Oregon Coast, at Bandon, since January, 2023.  

In a few weeks I will be solo Yurt camping at Grayland Beach State Park, near Westport, in Washington.  YES!!!.  

Part I: Southwestern Washington

Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, Long Beach Peninsula, Lower Columbia River
A Traveler's Hypertext Notebooks, Guides, and Resources

Part II: Grayland Beach
A Beach Camper's Hypertext Notebook,
Studies, Readings, Activities, Seasons, and Tips 

Part III: Doing and Seeing   
Photographs, Blog Posts, and Reports from 2021-2024  

Part IV: Reflections of Beachcombers   
Poetry, Short Essays, Commentary, Quotations   

Southwestern Washington

 

Grays Harbor
 

Willapa Bay
 

Long Beach Peninsula
 

Lower Columbia River, North Side, from Ilwaco East to Washougal

Olympia south to Vancouver, Interstate 5 Corridor
 

Native Americans in the Area

Northwest Coastal Oregon: Astoria to Cape Lookout

 

Four Days in Grayland Homepage

 

“The waves broke and spread their waters swiftly over the shore. One after another they massed themselves and fell; the spray tossed itself back with the energy of their fall. The waves were steeped deep-blue save for a pattern of diamond-pointed light on their backs which rippled as the backs of great horses ripple with muscles as they move. The waves fell; withdrew and fell again, like the thud of a great beast stamping.”
-  Virginia Woolf, The Waves

Not many birds seen by
the cold low tide shore;
I thought I see many more.
Saw seagulls at the Westport docks,
Waiting for free fish guts,
Tossed potato chips or popcorn bits,
Tossed aside by fishermen
Laughing over old jokes and riddles,
Hoping for better weather
When the lingcod might bite better.

"The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; – on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanch’d land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in."
-  Matthew Arnold, Dover Beach, 1860

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo

Raymond, Washington

Report from Wednesday, 11/16/2022:  

Report from 10/20/21:  

Raymond

Raymond  Population 2,975  Pacific County  WB  Junction of US101, WA 6, and WA 105. 
The largest town on the east side of Willapa Bay and largest city in Pacific County. 
Raymond is 35 miles north of Naselle, 56 miles west of Centralia, and 25 miles south of Aberdeen. 
Raymond and South Bend are both on the banks of the Willapa River.  

Raymond Images  WB  

Raymond:  Carriage Museum   Willapa Seaport Museum    Harbor/Docks    Sightseeing    Paddling    

Raymond:  Willapa River  Images   WB  There is a north and south fork of the Willapa River in Raymond.  

Raymond:  Steamboats of Willapa Bay   There is a huge Weyerhaeuser lumber mill in Raymond.  Logging trucks are everywhere and the logs are piled high at the mill.  

Many fish canneries are in or near South Bend and Raymond.  There are numerous commercial and public docks in the area. 

Raymond Timberland Library

The small town has a large ACE hardware store, banks, churches, supermarket, fast food outlets.  Old buildings go back to the 1870's.  South Bend, six miles to the west, has a a few stores, shops, and hospital.  

Raymond:  Willapa Paddle Adventures   Paddling canoes or kayaks on the many Willapa Bay rivers is very popular. 

Raymond:  Willapa Hills State Park Trail   56 miles east to Centralia.  River biking trail from Raymond to South Bend. 

Numerous rusted metal sculptures along the roadway in Raymond.  

Willapa Bay Hypertext Notebook by Michael P. Garofalo

Four Days in Grayland

Parts I - IV

By Michael P. Garofalo

 

Willapa Bay, Washington

Report from November 14, 2022:

Mick and April are joining me on this trip.  They are staying in a Yurt from 11/12-11/16.  I am staying from 11/14-11/17.  

Previous Report from October 18, 2021:

I enjoyed the drive from Vancouver to Westport.  Here is my online tour guide for this driving trip.

Today was a very nice day with wide fairly clear views.  I encountered little traffic on WA 4.  I pulled off at my favorite viewpoint rest stops for the Columbia River before Skamokava.  Inland WA4 and US101 was covered with plantation reforestation and with many beautiful large trees in their fading autumn yellow-brown rusted leaves, and the scarlet-green-brown fading leaves of the wild berry vines.  

Then BAM!!  A sough wandering under 101, and vast stretches of wild grasses and then grand views of Willapa Bay all the way to South Bend.

Willapa Bay Hypertext Notebook by Michael P. Garofalo.

I enjoyed eating at the River View Restaurant along the Willapa River docks in South Bend.  I watched one chef tending a big 6 foot long steel steamer.  He added wood logs and used a flame torch to arouse the fire.  Then he placed many fresh Willapa Bay Oysters on the huge steel grill.  He closed the top of the steamer and talked amicably with a passing walker for a few minutes.  The cook looked Nordic, and the walker looked Indian-Asian.   Then, the big man, went back to tending his steamer oysters, and he added some magical pasting for local flavor.  

I enjoyed two oysters, and a bowl of clam chowder.  Memorable eating and seeing!  Two women and a man at a nearby table ordered a dozen oysters and more for their feast of the day.  

The word for oyster in the Chinook Jargon was chet'-lo, or jet'-lo.    
Clams were called o'-na, luk'-ut-chee, la-kwit'-chee.
Water or River called chuck

Native peoples, speaking different languages, lived for thousands of years along the Willapa River, the Chelais River, the Cowlitz River, the Naselle River, the Lewis River, and the Columbia River.  

Here are the books I have been reading about Willapa Bay:

Coast Country: A History of Southwest Washington.  By Lucile McDonald.  Long Beach, Midway Printery, 1989.  Index, 183 pages.  TRLS = Timberland Regional Library System, WA [I pick up my reserved books and videos as the Westport Branch of the TRLS.].   

Shoalwater Willapa.,  By Douglas Allen.  Snoose Peak Publishing, South Bend, WA, 2004.  Index, notes, sources, 286 pages.  TRLS.  

Telling Our Stories: Voices of Grays Harbor.  By students of the Evergreen State College, Grays Harbor Campus.  Gorham Printing, Centralia, WA, 2012.  155 pages.  TRLS.  

A Tidewater Place: Portrait of the Willapa Ecosystem.  By The Willapa Alliance, Long Beach, WA, 1993.  Color photographs and text, 50 pages.  TRLS.  

Willapa Bay Estuaries   There are many estuaries at the mouths of the various rivers that flow into Willapa Bay, and the Bay itself is an estuary. 

"Willapa Bay is a major estuary on the Pacific Coast and at mean high tide encompasses approximately 70,400 acres (28,500 hectares). An estuary is defined as the area near the mouth of a river, or rivers, in the case of Willapa Bay, where oceanic tidal waters and freshwater currents collide and mix. Biologically, estuaries are among the most productive environments on earth and provide important habitat for a large variety of organisms. This high productivity is due basically to physical and biological processes unique to estuaries. Dissolved organic nutrients from detrital (dead plants and animals, and excrement) material enter the estuary from inflowing rivers. Saltwater pushed along the estuary bottom by the incoming tide brings in other nutrients of marine origin. Currents and tides circulate fresh and salt water, distributing and, to a certain extent, trapping dissolved and suspended matter. Deposition of these substances fertilizes the estuary and plant life flourishes. This plant life includes grasses, rushes, sedges  of estuarine marshes, benthic algae (diatoms), epi-benthic algae, and eelgrass on intertidal sediments. Some plants are fed upon directly by fish and wildlife but most die and enter the food chain in the form of detritus or partly decomposed plant material. This detritus, suspended in the water and deposited on the bottom, is a high-quality food for consumers because of its high nutritional value. A number of studies have shown that many species of fish and invertebrates feed wholly or partially on detritus. Therefore, detritus feeders are the critical link between plant production and the production of higher consumers. Consequently, the ultimate ecological value of primary production in marshes occurs when detritus of marsh plant origin enters the food web of the estuary."  Willapa Estuary

"An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments and are an example of an ecotone. Estuaries are subject both to marine influences such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water and to riverine influences such as flows of freshwater and sediment. The mixing of seawater and freshwater provides high levels of nutrients both in the water column and in sediment, making estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world."

"Estuaries are a happy land, rich in the continent itself, stirred by the forces of nature like the soup of a French chef; the home of myriad forms of life from bacteria and protozoans to grasses and mammals; the nursery, resting place, and refuge of countless things."  -  Stanely A. Cain

Four Days in Grayland, Part I    
Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay: A Traveler's Hypertext Notebook and Guide 

Four Days in Grayland, Part II   
Grayland Beach: A Camper's Hypertext Notebook, Studies, and Comments 

Four Days in Grayland, Part III   
Photographs, Blog Posts, and Notes from 2021-2022  

Four Days in Grayland, Part IV   
Reflections of a Beachcomber:  Poetry, Short Essays, Commentary, Quotations   

The Four Days in Grayland Series began in September, 2021.

Chelais Country

I drove southeast from Grayland Beach to Tokeland and then to Raymond.  The road travels along the edge of the Willapa Bay.  The low tide revealed immense blocks of sand in this very shallow Bay.  Over half the water in the Bay comes in and goes out each day.  

The countryside from Raymond to Pe El or Doty is very beautiful rural country.  I took back roads from Pe El to Vader, and from Vader to Longview along the Cowlitz River.  The main Chelais river goes through Pe El and Chelais while making its way northwest to Aberdeen and Grays Harbor Bay; and, the south Chelais river flows further southeast from Pe El.  The level of "green" is astounding!  

Traffic on Interstate 5 was quite light both driving from Vader to Vancouver.  The lack of traffic was very surprising to me.  

"I saw from the beach, when the morning was shining,
A bark o'er the waters move gloriously on;
I came when the sun o'er that beach was declining,
The bark was still there, but the waters were gone.

And such is the fate of our life's early promise,
So passing the spring-tide of joy we have known;
Each wave that we danced on at morning ebbs from us,
And leaves us, at eve, on the bleak shore alone.

Oh, who would not welcome that moment's returning
When passion first waked a new life through his frame,
And his soul, like the wood that grows precious in burning,
Gave out all its sweets to love's exquisite flame."
-  Thomas Moore

Birds of Willapa Bay

 

Dunlin Flock Over the Surf

Today, I will drive from Vancouver to Longview, and then up two lane country backroads 411 and Westside Highway which follow the course of the Cowlitz River up to Toledo.  Then, up Jackson Highway through Chelais and Centralia.  Finally, Highway 6 to Raymond, and 105 to Grayland.  

I will be camping in a Yurt at Grayland Beach State Park.  Expecting some showers and cool weather.  I will return to Vancouver on Thursday morning.  Observing birds will be a highlight of this Spring trip to the sea.  

"Spring provides shorebird migration spectacles, and summer offers a tremendous diversity of breeding species from the rain forest inhabitants of the Olympics, alpine tundra breeders in the Cascades and desert shrub steppe specialties in the Columbia Basin.  Spring is the season of migration spectacles, the shorebird passage through Grays Harbor, seabird migration offshore, Sandhill Cranes through the Columbia Basin. Landbird migration can be good too, particularly in the riparian areas and desert oases of eastern Washington. Several bird festivals at this time provide the out-of-town birder with a great introduction to local birding and birders; look for the Othello crane festival and the Grays Harbor shorebird festival on the web."

A Birder's Guide to Coastal Waqshington.  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, photographs, ring-bound.  VSCL.  FVRL

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. 

Pelagic Zone (Epipelagic) Boat Trips for watching oceanic seabirds out of Westport Marina in the summer months. 

Bird Watching

All About Birds Website

Shore Birds

Sea Gulls    Western Gull 

Birds from the Northwest Perspective

Seabirds of the Pacific Northwest

Birding in Willapa Bay Wildlife Refuge

Notable Shorebirds in Washington

Birding in Washington State

Bottle Beach State Park  Near Westport  SS   Bird Watching Area, Mudflats, Swamps, low shrubs.    

Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge

Johns River Wildlife Area   Images   Near Westport  SS   History  Game Farm Road off 105  Walking trails, boat launch, bird watching.  

Jetties, marina, and pier in Westport. 

Jetty and small marina and wetlands around Tokeland.  Tokeland   Population 200   Willapa Bay   Images  

Martha Jordan Birding Trail, Ledbetter Point, Long Beach Peninsula

In the Spring, many birds flock to the shallow waters and river estuaries of both Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. 

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo

Surf Sounds Through Shore Pines

 

Enjoyed the fish and chips from Merino's Seafood Market in Westport.
Got books from the Westport Timberland Library.
Walked the docks of Westport.  
Relaxed at my picnic day campsite at Grayland Beach.
Beachcombing, walking, listening, looking.

Four Days in Grayland

Parts I - IV

By Michael P. Garofalo

 

Fishing at Grayland Beach, Washington

Fishing, Surfcasting, Jetty Fishing, Pier Fishing   NS SS  WP  OP  

Fishing  Washington State Fishing Regulations  NS SS

Fishing: The Complete Guide to Surfcasting: Tackle, Technique, Species, Locations and More.  By Joe Cermele.  Burford, 2011, 288 pages.  VSCL. 

Fishing From the Beach

Grayland Beach and Twin Harbors Beach Surf Fishing 

Surf Fishing Grayland Images

Fishing from the North Jetty in Ocean Shores

How to Catch Redtail Surf Perch UTube

11 Best Beaches for Surf Perch Fishing in Washington and Oregon

Redtail Surf Perch - Wikipedia

Westport: Fishing from the South Jetty in Westport. 

Westport: Fishing and crabbing from the Docks, Boardwalks, and Pier at Westport. 

Fishing  My surfcasting rod is an 11 foot Fiblink Surf Spinning Fishing Rod, 4 piece.  Reel: KastKing Sharky Baitfeeder III Spinning Reel.  Line: Kast King Braided line, 30 lib, 327 yards, Moss Green.  Tackle box with surf fishing and jetty fishing gear.  I have a valid current Washington fishing license and shell fishing license.   

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. 

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, pier fishing, 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