Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 1 - 10 of 10
Last month was my first time driving on the beach. Formerly I was totally against the idea of cars rolling down the Washington coast, based on the principle that rubber tires don't belong on sand. Rubber-soled shoes, now that's another matter. OK, so I've also entertained the argument that salt and sand can't be very good for your car either. Squealing brake pads, clogged air filter, salted chassis, right? Well, never mind. This old dog learns a new trick. Thus I find myself with Linda on a...
Some of my best days are days when I travel. And the best of my traveling days always seem to be those times when I talk to locals and ask them something about the place where they live. I've noticed that if I do this one thing right - that is, engage with the locals - I am "off to the races," as the expression goes, and having the time of my life as I gather all sorts of first-person information about the places I visit. No tourist map or guidebook comes close to this. No guidebook is going to...
Here comes the seasonal thaw: when winter unlocks and pours into spring. For some of us house dwellers, spring is reduced to words in poems you once read as a kid; "Flower, bloom, warmth, sun," all those English sonnets on heather and yore, sweet Canterbury flavored words. Sadly, these same house dwellers satisfy themselves when Channel 5 shows them two minutes of tulips. Rarely will they go outside to see what spring really is. Too bad for them. For spring will slap your face like a flying...
This week, no matter the weather, you need to visit Lake Cushman while the lake water is low. At the far end of the lake, just before the Staircase entrance gate to Olympic National Park, is a small day park that serves as a beach and kayak launch in summer. Bear Gulch is its official name. You'll know it by the restrooms and tumbling creek on the right side, just after you pass the Lake Cushman causeway bridge. This is a beautiful spot in summer, with shallow, sheltered water especially suited...
In the early 1990s, when I lived in an apartment on Olympia's west side, I loved looking west to the southern peaks of the Olympics. You had a great view of them from Budd Inlet over the marina when walking along East Bay Drive. The Olympics felt immense, yet very close, making sense of the "gateway" term often used to describe Thurston County. Indeed, a few more years in the Olympia-Lacey area provided all the priming I needed to get me ready to leave the crowds and hustle off the Interstate 5...
What a pleasant surprise to arrive at Lake Isabella State Park the other day and see that the main trail system was 99% litter-free. I also noted several cars at the trailhead parking lot - I was expecting none - and soon realized that good ol' Lake Isabella was embracing the first waves of spring 2022 as a most healthy and welcoming park. From the surprising sample of visitors I saw, I estimated the park playing host daily to dozens of hikers and dedicated dog walkers. I hadn't visited the park...
If you've lived in Mason County most of your life, and most of your life constitutes 60 or 70 years, then get ready to hear the following statement and have it clash with what you know to be true. "Live music, dancing, outdoor dining with fresh local seafood buffet at the Shelton Waterfront Bistro next to Shelton's beautiful Waterfront Park." Really? Beautiful park ... waterfront ... outdoor music and dining ... Shelton? OK, it will be a while. But in less than 10 years, I predict the term...
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Start fresh. Follow through on your dreams." That message greets me at the front door. The words are printed on a thin strip of white paper taped beside the county sheriff's notice of eviction. The "ee-vict," as they like to call it in the landlord business, shows a date just short of Thanksgiving to be vacated by order of law. My friend Chuck, who is paying me to help him clear out the house, did not notice the ironic placement of that message....
I heard about the Brooklyn Tavern 10 years ago from a guy who grew up in Raymond. He was never much for description, and he didn't let me down this time, either; he just managed to convey that it was far, far away. So about eight years pass and I'm at the Artic Tavern with George Stenberg, watching the Kansas City Chiefs spank the hapless San Francisco 49ers in whatever Roman numeral Super Bowl it was that year. That's where I learn that the Brooklyn Tavern is 17 miles straight up the road from...
Snow level will determine if this Saturday's TrashMash adventure leads us to the trailheads on Mount Ellinor. My gut says we'll not make it that far, but if we do, we'll be visiting two impressive (but lesser known) waterfalls as part of the excursion. Upper Big Creek Falls is a short hike down what used to be a logging road before it collapsed under a landslide. The access point is between the lower and upper trailheads to Mount Ellinor, down a short spur with decent parking. For serious...
