Cape Flattery

When you get cabin fever from a long and dreary winter, it doesn't really help to spend the weekend at the Washington coast. It does get you out of the house, though, and out on the road - and when you get back to work, you have something to talk about in the break room.

Cape Flattery, the intersection of the Pacific Ocean and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, has always seemed like a particularly interesting place. Big water meets huge shipping channel - it is a gateway from the big wild that leads all the way to the bright lights of the big city. Tatoosh Island stands guard with its lighthouse, just off the point, and you can look out to sea and imagine all of the mariners tales and the many centuries of Makah history. There aren't many roads or towns in the area; there is, however, a lot of rain forest and moss. The Cape Flattery point of land is Makah Indian Reservation and it is pretty much surrounded by national forest land and Olympic National Park. It is hard to miss the impact that logging has had on the region and there is still a strong footprint of shipping and industry. 

Port Angeles

Port Angeles 

We visited a great museum in Neah Bay, the Makah Cultural and Research Center. It houses many artifacts, centuries old, recovered from a village at Ozette which gave us a good look at many of the accomplishments of the native peoples. The full size longhouse was fabulous and the replica cedar canoes were magnificent; the lines of the whaling boat were absolutely perfect. A good museum exhibit can transport you back in time and I looked at that exquisite boat and thought about the huge cedar tree that had stood in the woods, not too far from the beach, being selected by craftsmen who would transform it into the beauty that sat before me. Every detail would be fashioned with tools made only of wood and stone, and the boat would be launched on that rugged coast and the men would go out with paddles to harpoon whales. One of the descriptions of the whale hunt left me stunned - "A diver was assigned to go overboard and sew the dead whale's mouth shut, to keep it from sinking on the tow back to the shore." What a task! It is unimaginable even with modern boats and equipment. 

The hike out to the Cape is short with a good boardwalk trail. It wasn't quite the geographically magical spot I had imagined because the walk ends on a small platform perched on a cliff. The nearby town had felt so quiet and deserted but there were plenty of other folks around on the trail and out at the point so the feeling of expansiveness I was expecting just wasn't there. The seas were calm and there was no wind. I imagine it would feel quite different on a stormy day or in a small boat.

Tatoosh Island

Cape Flattery

Cape Flattery is a seasonal place and most of the tourist related businesses were shuttered for the winter. We found a nice cabin out on Hobuck Beach which was uncrowded and came with two resident dog companions.

Hobuck Beach Resort

Hobuck Beach

Hobuck Beach

All in all, it was a good trip and we learned quite a bit about a remote corner of the country. As the pictures show, there are a lot of green trees and grey skies out there. Descriptive words kept running through my head - damp, decay, dank, decrepit, dilapidated. Hand lettered signs were posted around the village of Neah Bay with slogans like "Don't meth up your teeth" and "Use your brain. Don't fry it". We saw no signs of gentrification and we had a strong wish to get back home and check for moss on our roof. 

It didn't look too bad...