Neah Bay and Cape Flattery

Friday, October 11, 2019

Hi Blog!

We had a very dramatic drive yesterday as we moved our RV from Sequim to Neah Bay. Highway 101 was closed just past Port Angeles and all traffic was detoured to Highway 112 which runs along the coast. The road twisted and turned with many 20 mph curves. The slow speed allowed us to take in the spectacular views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca when we weren't trying to dodge oncoming logging trucks! Most of the traffic returned to the 101 south on Highway 113 and we continued north on 112 into Neah Bay.

Neah Bay is a small coastal village located on the Makah Indian Reservation on the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula.  We are staying in a small family-run camp, Hide Away RV Park, which has its own espresso bar and cafe. We started our day with a coffee walk to Hobuck Beach. Here we got our first look at the Pacific Ocean.

We walked south along the beach to check out some rock formations and tide pools.

We discovered Giant Green Sea Anemones. This green plantlike creature is actually an animal with algae plants living inside it. In this symbiotic relationship, the algae gain protection from snails and other grazers and don't have to compete for living space, while the anemones gain extra nourishment from the algae in their guts. Contrary to popular opinion, this anemone's green color is produced by the animal itself, not the algae that it eats.

The sun finally made it over the mountains of Olympic National Park lighting the north end of the beach.

After breakfast, we went to explore Neah Bay. We stopped to admire the Wa'atch River as it meandered its way to the Pacific Ocean.

After picking up our Recreation Permit at the General Store, we stopped at the Makah Cultural & Research Center, home of the Makah Museum, to learn more about the Makah people. The name Makah was attributed to the Tribe by the neighboring tribes, meaning “people generous with food” in the Salish language. Archaeological research suggests that Makah people have inhabited the area now known as Neah Bay for more than 3,800 years. Ancient Makah lived in villages, inhabiting large longhouses made from western red cedar. These longhouses had cedar-plank walls. The planks could be tilted or removed to provide ventilation or light. The cedar tree was of great value to Makah, who also used its bark to make water-resistant clothing and hats. Cedar roots were used in basket making. Whole trees were carved out to make canoes to hunt seals, gray whales and humpback whales.

Makah artist Lance Wilkie created these twelve-foot tall Welcome Figures. These monumental human figures were common among many indigenous cultures in Western Washington.

The Makah Museum houses and interprets artifacts from the Ozette Archeological Site, a Makah village partly buried by a mudslide 300-500 years ago and discovered in 1970. The museum provides an exceptional, extensive and intimate glimpse of pre-contact Makah life. The exhibits feature 500 artifacts including whaling and fishing gear, basketry and replicas of a full size long house and canoes. Over 55,000 artifacts were discovered at Ozette.

The museum did an amazing job curating the exhibits to follow the different seasons. After exploring the exhibits, we watched an amazing documentary on the discovery of Ozette, how they had to excavate the site and the creation of the museum itself.

After the museum, we drove along the bay in search of lunch. We wanted to see for ourselves if the Makah were truly "people generous with food." We found Pat's Place, noted for its Indian Tacos made from wonderful fry bread. We were not disappointed. The fry bread was piping hot, crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside without being greasy. The toppings were piled high. It certainly met the "generous" criterion.

Here was our view of Neah Bay.

After lunch, we decided to trek out to Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point of the continental US. The trailhead is just a short drive from Neah Bay. Fueled by fry bread, we were ready to tackle the trail.

Just as we started down the trail, Kathy found a big blue chair. Apparently, blue is the new red.

Not to be outdone, Dave began looking for a chair of his own. He found this "two-cedar":

The trail meanders through the coastal rain forest, sometimes climbing over roots, dancing down boardwalks or hopping cedar log rounds.

At the first viewpoint, we got to look down on a couple of "haystack rocks." The rocky coastline near Cape Flattery is a sea kayak playground.

Did you know that Cape Flattery is the oldest permanently named feature in Washington State, being described and named by Captain James Cook on March 22, 1778? Cook wrote: "... there appeared to be a small opening which flattered us with the hopes of finding an harbour ... On this account I called the point of land to the north of it Cape Flattery."

Tatoosh Island is a small island offshore of Cape Flattery. Historically, Tatoosh Island was inhabited seasonally by Makah fishing camps and employees of the United States Coast Guard, Weather Bureau, and Navy. Currently there are no residents on the island. Access to the island requires written permission of the Makah tribe. The island's name comes from a Makah chief known as Tatoosh.

Tatoosh Island has been home to the Cape Flattery Light, which has overlooked the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca since December 28, 1857. The Cape Flattery Light was Washington's third lighthouse. The whole island was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The lighthouse's light was decommissioned in 2008 after a 30-foot skeletal structure with a solar-powered beacon fitted with six-year solar pack batteries was built on the island.

The Cape Flattery coastline demonstrates the power of tides and storms through sea caves, sea stacks, and rocky islets. Here is our best view of one of the sea caves.

Before long, it was time to head back to camp. Here's our last look at the Cape Flattery coast.

We have two more days here and hope to get out and explore more of the Olympic Peninsula coast. Until then, stay thirsty my friends.