Dungeness Spit — We Are Puget Sound

Rein Attemann, Washington Environmental Council

This summer, my wife and I spent the Fourth of July weekend on the Olympic Peninsula to enjoy the wonders of the Olympic Mountains and shorelines of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We chose to stay at a cottage on Marine Drive in Sequim, perfectly situated between Port Angeles and Port Townsend. But more excitingly, our front yard was the Dungeness Spit and Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. We saw several low tides that weekend, prefect for some oyster foraging in Dungeness Harbor! It was also the opening of recreational Dungeness crabbing season as indicated by the dozen buoys bobbing in the water to mark the placement of the crab pots. Two nearby boat ramps provided easy access for the boaters as well as kayakers. I wish I owned a small skiff to go catch my own dinner! Instead, we grilled a few steaks and the oysters we picked during low tide… Yummy!

One day we decided to ride to explore that Olympic Discovery Trail—a 140 mile designated non-motorized, multi-use trail spanning the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula between Port Townsend and La Push. Our bike ride was on the segment from Sequim to Port Angeles which was a very pleasant surprise as we rode through lowland fields, farms, rural homesteads, a vast forest, and over rivers and creeks. The last three miles was along the shoreline with unlimited view so the open waterway until the trail delivers you right into downtown Port Angeles, where we found a burger joint that would fuel ourselves for the ride back to Sequim. Ah, I love it when you have destination in mind!

Each evening we would take a walk along Marine Drive that provided us a fantastic view of the wide expanse of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a saltwater marine vessel thoroughfare. Across the way we could see Vancouver Island and at night the lights of Victoria. The most relaxing and beautiful moments were the four hours we spent watching the sunset. Yes, four hours. In my humble opinion the sunsets are more intensely beautiful, vibrant, and colorful after the sun dips behind the horizon. As the sun set far to the north in early July over Vancouver Island and the Strait, our view was unencumbered. Magical to say the least.