Welcome to the lower 48’s most northwest point! We spent two nights on Hobuck Beach near Neah Bay. The main reason we came…to stand at Cape Flattery at sunset.
The drive on Highway 112 along the Straight of Juan de Fuca included about 30 miles of white-knuckle, narrow, windy, hilly roads, but the view was often spectacular. The route is a “National Scenic Byway” ( http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/13740/index.html ) and the section between Clallam Bay and Neah Bay was beautiful. We stopped briefly in Neah Bay to sample some of the best fresh smoked salmon ever. Even burping it up later was a treat!
Hobuck Beach campground was split in two parts. One had 10-15 full hook-up spots that were taken by folks spending the summer. But we were able to empty our black and gray water tanks and load up on fresh water and then headed to the other section. The other section was wide open, stay-wherever-you-want, dry camping. There were over a hundred people camping mostly in tents. We chose a quiet corner and were very comfortable. The beach was only about 300 yards away and we had great access. We enjoyed walking along the beach and throwing sticks for our dog. Though we couldn’t see the ocean from our spot, we could hear the surf. It was very soothing.
Two hikes to Cape Flattery and the bear bells…
We hike with a bell attached to the backpack. The bell steadily rings as we hike through the woods. It’s supposed to alert critters, mainly large four-legged ones, to our presence. This region, especially Olympic NP, has bears and cougars. Though the bell robs us of peace and quiet, it might keep us from being lunch. We decided to take the bell off for the 3/4 mile hike to Cape Flattery and enjoy the sounds of nature. Just a couple of hundred yards down the trail was a sign that said “Warning, cougar sighted the week of 4 July”. As if that wasn’t enough, somebody wrote “This sign is accurate” on the sign. In less than a minute the bell was back on the backpack! If the bell didn’t make enough racket, we repeatedly let the big kitties know that we didn’t taste good. The first night we were rewarded with an amazing view, but clouds kept us from seeing the sunset. The hike back through the thick woods and waning light was a bit spooky, but we didn’t get eaten! The second night we were treated to a glorious sunset. We knew it would be chilly so we took thermoses with hot tea and toasted each other on the farthest northwest point as the sun went down…
We also hiked nearly 6 miles to Shi-Shi Beach in Olympic NP. There were quite a few people that hiked in and set up tents on the beach. There were even a couple of surfers. We walked about a half mile down the beach listening to the surf and checking out the “sea stacks”. We sat on a comfortable log for awhile and enjoyed the amazing view. After fueling our bodies with snacks and beverage and taking a few self portraits, we headed back.
Now these worn out bodies have gotten exercise 6 days in a row…they are screaming “GIVE US A BREAK!!”. They’ll get their break the next couple of days as we head to the Port Angeles area and the weather turns soggy.
Still no sasquatch! We’ll keep searching…
Sunset at Cape Flattery…the Lower 48’s most northwest point. See Japan?
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