EXPLORING LAKE CUSHMAN

Melissa and David took us for a drive around lake Cushman, a very scenic lake.

It is about 10:am and misty, rain in the forecast.

The shoreline changed dramatically as we drove.

We stopped for lunch at the Geoduck Tavern. Pronounced gooey-duck, this giant clam is one of the longest lived organisms with an average life of 100 years. I thought it was a fake trophy, but they really grow to such huge sizes. They are edible, but kind of like chewing on an inner tube, so we ordered the usual fare, clam chowder and oyster sandwich for me.

My favorite ham wanted his picture taken with the black bear.

The restaurant had mighty hunter trophys all over the walls and silly signs. This one gave me a chuckle.

We came to a couple places on the lake where we could get out and scout the beach a bit. This was a very pretty spot.

Oyster country here, many spots with bleached shells via the gulls, I'm guessing.

Shallow water and oysters growing very close to shore.

We stopped and picked wild apples, but they weren't quite ready yet.

If I painted my house and outbuildings like this, people would think me crazy. I like it though. This house sits on Hamma Hamma Rd. just across the Hamma Hamma Bridge that crosses the Hamma Hamma River. We met the father of the girl who rents the place since the road was so narrow he couldn't get by us. We are such encroachers. But he was fine with our admiration of the artwork.

At one stop I watched for about ten minutes while these guys launched their boat.

That water is glacier cold. Brrrrrr!  I guess it is worth it to them. They fish and ski with it.


Then we drove to Cushman Dam, the area is steep above the water and very picturesque. Melissa and David had never visited the Dam. We made several stops for pictures. We are running close to our recycle time, so I must not publish too many pictures at this time. Another cousin, Bob Moore, will be visiting us today.

I'll be sure to warn him that this is rain forest area and if he allows his vehicle to sit too long, it will gain a roof garden.

COUSINS REUNION.

From Aberdeen, Washington, Melissa and David Moore invited us to their campsite at Lake Cushman Park. My father and David's father were brothers. We're not sure how long its been since we met. We do know it has been over 60 years.  That black ball of fur is Toby.
Our ancestry connects us, but we found we have a lot in common, love of nature and books, and pets. For instance, we both were familiar with the small house movement. David went to see one of those 124 square foot places, but that was a bit too small. He built this neat cabin where he and his wife can get out of the rain and the confines of their small trailer and sit in a leisure chair and read, enjoy a snooze like a mini living room. A small footprint in the middle of a rainforest.

A towering alder forest behind them leads to a delightful creek.

A fallen alder stretches across the spongy duff of mosses and dead leaves. I estimated its height at 70 feet.

Two of them provide a bench at the side of the creek, David's favorite spot.  The quiet, burbling water, cool temperature, a personal haven.

Melissa has her own favored place that looks upon her private "beach".
Of course, this creek roars and rises and gushes through this woods in winter.

The mosses remind us of Louisiana.
They eat into every crevice.

David pointed out to us that this property was once an old growth forest. Average rain here is 100 inches and this is known as the dry side of the Olympic Penninsula. Huge stumps are a reminder of the lust for timber. The area was clear cut years and years ago. Like the Louisiana cypress, men in their folly cut every giant tree.

On this particular stump, he pointed out, you can see where the logger cut a crevice and inserted a shelf to stand on while sawing the tree down, something hard to contemplate. It was most likely a dangerous business to be a sawyer.

This forest may never be the same again, but with people like Melissa and David, in private lots and ownership, it is unlikely to fall to the axe and saws again, though it is questionable if it will ever regrow those giant trees.  (I forgot to ask what they were. Possibly redwoods.) But, mother nature, if given the chance...who knows? In the meantime, we can all enjoy the beauty and appreciate nature.