Our campsite in Hoodsport, Washington. It doesn’t get much better than this…and there’s not another soul around!
JUNE 14, 2014.
DOW CREEK RV RESORT. Washington is a state with a widely varied landscape. We left behind us this morning the sound of the surf, yet after a drive of only a few hours we’re in an entirely different geographic area: heavily wooded forest right by the Hood Canal and Lake Cushman. Hoodsport, Washington. Population: About a handful. The canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound. It is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway…it is a natural waterway. Our home for the next few days is the Dow Creek RV Resort…one of the very nicest spots we’ve occupied since our Journey began. The name is deceptive: “resort” sounds sort of “country-clubish.” To the contrary, we’re surrounded by tall pines in an undisturbed forest. Lush ferns and a carpet of pine needles cushion the forest floor. No sound of footsteps here! Not another vehicle or a building in sight. I’m guessing there are bears around here. Why wouldn’t there be?
Hoodsport is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 101 and State Route 119. It’s called the gateway to the Staircase area of Olympic National Park. The first person to settle at Hoodsport was a ship captain who had been transporting lumber along Hood Canal for years. Other settlers soon joined him, forming a small community. Most occupied themselves with farming or logging. The town was officially platted in 1890 by the Mason County Mine and Development company, which owned manganese mines near Lake Cushman. Prospectors found evidence of copper in the area and over 400 mining claims were filed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nearly all failed to yield.
The water in the Hood Canal is home to the Giant Pacific Octopus. Wanna go for a swim?
I had to “thread the needle” to get us into this spot. It was well worth it!
THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING…I PROMISE! Hoodsport is renowned among SCUBA divers as a staging area to view the giant Pacific octopus. These huge invertebrates are found along the coastal North Pacific Ocean, including Washington, BC, Alaska, and Russia. They are best adapted to cold, oxygen-rich water. There are some reports of these animals being as heavy as 600 pounds with an arm span of thirty two feet! The suckers on their arms are as large as 2.5 inches and just one sucker can supposedly support a weight of 35 pounds! They are cold-blooded, have three hearts and blue copper-based blood. So here’s the deal: You already know I don’t like heights. If the entire country had no suspension bridges or ladders, I’d be OK with that. Right behind my fear of heights would be a day of SCUBA diving with the goal of finding a giant octopus! Can you even imagine? “Hey, what do you want to do today?” ” Oh, I don’t know, why don’t we slap on a couple of air tanks and dive into freezing cold water. Maybe if we dive really deep, we’ll be lucky enough to find a 600 pound octopus!” Not…Don’t you just love reading my blog posts? You not only get to follow us as we travel across the country, you’ll also learn all sorts of interesting things along the way. Sort of like being home-schooled, right?
