SPEAKING OF awe-inspiring, orcas periodically visit Hood Canal and munch on sea lions while they're here. These two frolicked near Hoodsport in 2005. The average person would not get this close. This photo required a permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service to approach the killer whales.

15. Go back in time at the Matlock Old Timers' Fair at Mary M. Knight School on the first weekend in May. The campus, 19 miles west of Shelton, is reached by heading west out of town on Shelton-Matlock Road and eventually turning left at the Matlock Store onto Matlock-Brady Road, then driving a few miles.

16. Walk through the 135-acre Theler Wetlands in Belfair. A hundred thousand visitors per year can't be wrong. Park at the Theler Center on Highway 3 and walk to the wetlands. Helpful staffers are at the wetlands center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

17. Play a round of golf on one of five courses – Bayshore 3.5 miles north of Shelton on Highway 3; Lake Limerick about seven miles northwest of Shelton off Mason Lake Road; Alderbrook on the South Shore of Hood Canal off Highway 106; Lake Cushman off Highway 119 west of Hoodsport; and LakeLand Village, up the hill from Highway 3 in Allyn.

18. Poke around the Mason County Historical Society Museum in Shelton. The museum is open five afternoons a week at Fifth and Railroad, opening at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

19. Curl up with a book at one of Mason County's beautiful libraries. Look out the front window of the Hoodsport facility for one of the most stunning views you'll ever see from a library – a panorama of Hood Canal. The height and light impress at the new library in Belfair, which is nestled in soothing trees visible from reading areas. The Shelton library also has plenty of daylight and comfortable reading areas and a collection of more than 100,000 volumes. All have book discussion groups and computers for public use.

20. Visit the stream restoration project on Goldsborough Creek west of Shelton. Several miles of fish habitat were opened up when the Goldsborough Dam was recently removed. There are interpretive signs posted. To walk in, drive west from Shelton on Railroad Avenue, go under Highway 101 and take the first right, Hulbert Road. Turn left at Gillis Auto Center and park in the wide area below The Pavilion. Walk down the access road from there.

21. Pull a trout out of a lake. No less than 29 lowland lakes are available for fishing. Obtain a license and obey fishing regulations, including seasons. Check out the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's Web site at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/prospects/ licensing.htm for rules and prospects.

22. Tour the Shelton area's Christmas lighting displays on a Mason Transit bus. Every holiday season, special runs are organized to enjoy the lights. To ride you donate a can of food for a local food bank. Phone 427-5033 for details.

23. Take the kids to the playground at Kneeland Park. The city's largest park features a community-built play area delightful to tots.

24. Spend a week at one of the county's neat camps for kids, Panhandle Lake for 4-H members, and Lake Devereaux and Robbinswold for Girl Scouts.

25. Climb Mount Ellinor and slide down The Chute. It is not a frightening hike to the 5,940-foot peak in the summer. The Chute is a snow-covered slide that climbers coast down on their hind ends with the help of an ice ax for braking. You'll gain 2,440 feet in elevation in 1.5 miles if you hike to the top of Ellinor from the upper trailhead at 3,500 feet. To get there, drive Highway 119 west out of Hoodsport for nine miles to the T in the road, take a right on Forest Service Road 2400 and follow signs seven miles to the trailhead.

26. Take a class just for enrichment at Olympic College Shelton. The growing campus on Mountain View hosts credit and noncredit classes for all ages.

27. Walk around the Huff 'n' Puff Trail across from Shelton High School on Shelton Springs Road. Various loops enable you to walk or jog from half a mile to two miles on groomed trails in a peaceful sea of green.

28. Try a seafood smorgasbord at OysterFest on the first full weekend in October in Shelton. It's the county's largest two-day festival attended by tens of thousands, and you can watch professional oyster shuckers compete for the West Coast shucking championship.

29. Munch a jumbo hot dog and some local Hunter corn on the cob at the Corndoggle in Hoodsport. The fund-raiser is a Saint Germain's Episcopal Church August tradition. The church is up the hill from downtown Hoodsport on Highway 119.

30. Discover Shelton's public art on a walking tour. In a 12-block walk of little more than an hour, you can take in more than a dozen artworks, including a scene of a pioneer mill on the side of the Pine Tree Restaurant at First and Railroad; the Loggers Memorial statue at Second and Railroad and the mural on the Mason County Title building at the same intersection; the "Groucho" sculpture in the 100 block of Railroad; four sculptures depicting local heritage on the clock tower in the 300 block of Railroad; "The Optimist" sculpture at Fourth and Railroad and the sculpture of coffee drinkers at Fifth and Railroad; murals on the sides of Treasures thrift store at Third and Railroad, the Ming Tree Cafe near Fifth and Railroad and the PUD 3 Building at Third and Cota; murals in the post office in the 200 block of Railroad; a sculpture on the courthouse lawn at Fourth and Pine; a Celtic cross from Ireland at Saint David's Church at Fourth and Cedar; and at the library at Seventh and Alder, a statue on the corner and a mosaic in the frieze over the main door.

31. Explore the county's commercial scene, which includes such delights as wine tasting at the Hoodsport Winery and Walter Dacon Wines, watching a blacksmith at work at the Old Cedar Forge in Allyn, being served by a carhop at the A&W in Shelton, getting a milkshake in an old-fashioned metal container at Nita's in Shelton, visiting one of several country stores in the outlying areas of the county, picking produce at the Hunters' farm store in Union or eyeing too many treats by walking into the bakery on Pickering Road.

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