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Salmon fishing lures sport fishermen to Washington
  
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By Jim and Jane Whitcomb
What we love about the Olympic National Park is that it is such a land of beauty and variety. The park was created in 1938 to protect the Roosevelt elk, primeval forest and wild coast. The Park encompasses nearly 65 miles of wild coastline, ancient forests and snowy mountains. This week we visited all three-park features.
Garage saling has been recreation for us so you can imagine how excited we were when we heard about the first annual Great Strait Sale! The sale was 61 miles of bargains from Port Angeles and Neah Bay running along the Juan de Fuca Strait. It was great scenery and great bargains. We purchased a set of four song bird/wildflower cups and saucers produced by The National Wildlife Association for $4. A bed and breakfast confessed that the china was a little too delicate for their guests.
The wilderness coast begins at Neah Bay at the furthermost tip of Washington. There are no direct roads to the beaches on the Pacific Coast of this remote area. A short three-quarters-mile walk inside the Makah Indian Reservation takes you to Cape Flattery overlook to the northwesterly point of the lower 48 United States. At trail’s end walkers are rewarded with a view of cliffs of the Olympic Coast Marine Sanctuary and of Tatoosh Island with its picturesque lighthouse. Weather was not cooperating with us. Our journey was foggy with very low visibility most of the day adding to the mystical magic of the rain forest and beaches but making photography almost impossible.
Returning from our trip to Neah Bay we noticed miles of RVs camped side by side. The salmon are returning from their four-year Pacific trip and determined to migrate to their birthplace to spawn. Sport fishermen were out in large numbers fully determined to catch the ‘big one.” Sekiu, Wash. is a delightful fishing village that offers panoramic views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and some of the best salmon fishing. The locals say the fish are returning late this year. Fishing anywhere inside Olympia National Park requires no licenses, just a free “punch card,” acquired where fishing licenses are sold. Please read the fishing regulations thoroughly!
Along Highway 112 to Port Angeles we were reminded of the meeting of woods and water that accent the beauty and wildness of this natural world. This progressive city hosts a port on Juan de Fuca Strait with ferry service to Victoria BC. Jim’s Seiko watch needed a new battery so we found a jewelry store in downtown Port Angeles. Quickly the watch battery was replaced and to our surprise the clerk said “no charge.” We spent some time exploring the waterfront and started our return trip to the RV.
Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is above the tree line and offers views of five glaciers in the Olympic Mountain Range. The road to Hurricane Ridge is 17-miles and only reopened last October. Major construction is still in progress. The area has experienced brutal winter snows, landslides and winds the last few winters. Like most glaciers the ice of the five glaciers is melting and receding at alarming rates. Our whole day trip was foggy and cloudy but to our surprise when we reached the summit the sun was shining and we stared in awe at the magnificent views.
Returning past Lake Crescent, a picturesque glacier-carved lake and its old growth forests, leaves turning gold with fall color, we took time to drive the Sul Duc Hot Springs Road. On the drive up we stopped at Salmon Cascade. We have visited this natural water cascade once before. Neither time have we seen salmon ascending Sul Doc River. The sign at the falls reminds us that over fishing and barriers to the salmon’s natural spawning grounds make it unlikely to see any fish.
Gasoline and diesel prices were unaffected by Hurricane Ike in Washington state. We recently filled up for $3.89 a gallon diesel at an Indian Reservation fuel stop. Since we budgeted our trip with diesel fuel at $5 maximum we are doing pretty good. We saw regular unleaded for as low as $3.39 a gallon. Fuel costs do vary throughout the state depending on location.
Interactive RV trip
Next week we will visit Forks, LaPush and Rialto Beaches and the Lake Quinault Area with its wilderness alpine meadows, rain forest, giant old growth trees and jeweled lake. Keep up with the Whitcombs travels at www.imagehouseusa.com.
Garage saling has been recreation for us so you can imagine how excited we were when we heard about the first annual Great Strait Sale! The sale was 61 miles of bargains from Port Angeles and Neah Bay running along the Juan de Fuca Strait. It was great scenery and great bargains. We purchased a set of four song bird/wildflower cups and saucers produced by The National Wildlife Association for $4. A bed and breakfast confessed that the china was a little too delicate for their guests.
The wilderness coast begins at Neah Bay at the furthermost tip of Washington. There are no direct roads to the beaches on the Pacific Coast of this remote area. A short three-quarters-mile walk inside the Makah Indian Reservation takes you to Cape Flattery overlook to the northwesterly point of the lower 48 United States. At trail’s end walkers are rewarded with a view of cliffs of the Olympic Coast Marine Sanctuary and of Tatoosh Island with its picturesque lighthouse. Weather was not cooperating with us. Our journey was foggy with very low visibility most of the day adding to the mystical magic of the rain forest and beaches but making photography almost impossible.
Returning from our trip to Neah Bay we noticed miles of RVs camped side by side. The salmon are returning from their four-year Pacific trip and determined to migrate to their birthplace to spawn. Sport fishermen were out in large numbers fully determined to catch the ‘big one.” Sekiu, Wash. is a delightful fishing village that offers panoramic views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and some of the best salmon fishing. The locals say the fish are returning late this year. Fishing anywhere inside Olympia National Park requires no licenses, just a free “punch card,” acquired where fishing licenses are sold. Please read the fishing regulations thoroughly!
Along Highway 112 to Port Angeles we were reminded of the meeting of woods and water that accent the beauty and wildness of this natural world. This progressive city hosts a port on Juan de Fuca Strait with ferry service to Victoria BC. Jim’s Seiko watch needed a new battery so we found a jewelry store in downtown Port Angeles. Quickly the watch battery was replaced and to our surprise the clerk said “no charge.” We spent some time exploring the waterfront and started our return trip to the RV.
Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is above the tree line and offers views of five glaciers in the Olympic Mountain Range. The road to Hurricane Ridge is 17-miles and only reopened last October. Major construction is still in progress. The area has experienced brutal winter snows, landslides and winds the last few winters. Like most glaciers the ice of the five glaciers is melting and receding at alarming rates. Our whole day trip was foggy and cloudy but to our surprise when we reached the summit the sun was shining and we stared in awe at the magnificent views.
Returning past Lake Crescent, a picturesque glacier-carved lake and its old growth forests, leaves turning gold with fall color, we took time to drive the Sul Duc Hot Springs Road. On the drive up we stopped at Salmon Cascade. We have visited this natural water cascade once before. Neither time have we seen salmon ascending Sul Doc River. The sign at the falls reminds us that over fishing and barriers to the salmon’s natural spawning grounds make it unlikely to see any fish.
Gasoline and diesel prices were unaffected by Hurricane Ike in Washington state. We recently filled up for $3.89 a gallon diesel at an Indian Reservation fuel stop. Since we budgeted our trip with diesel fuel at $5 maximum we are doing pretty good. We saw regular unleaded for as low as $3.39 a gallon. Fuel costs do vary throughout the state depending on location.
Interactive RV trip
Next week we will visit Forks, LaPush and Rialto Beaches and the Lake Quinault Area with its wilderness alpine meadows, rain forest, giant old growth trees and jeweled lake. Keep up with the Whitcombs travels at www.imagehouseusa.com.
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