Visiting Neah Bay, on the Northwestern Tip of “The Lower 48”

We flew to Seattle April 2 to visit with Wyatt and Sara’s family on nearby Vashon Island. The following day we drove to the northwestern tip of Washington, to the tribal lands of the Makah people, in Neah Bay.

With our grandsons, Emmett (9) and Luca(6), we combed the pristine Pacific Ocean beaches for critters, hiked to the spectacular bluffs of Cape Flattery, visited the Makah Cultural Museum, and took a fishing charter on the Strait de Juan Fuca, the body of water that connects the Pacific Ocean with Puget Sound. It was a relaxing two-night trip that emphasized the extraordinary beauty and diversity of the Olympic Peninsula.

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The Makah Reservation is the 22,000 acres (46.892 sq mi) that form the northwestern corner of the state. The Makah date back centuries, once occupied 700,000 acres, symbolizing the very definition of indigenous. They made national news in recent years, petitioning the courts to allow their people to harvest one whale each year. Whaling is an age-old cultural practice that was a major part of the tribe’s subsistence. Neah Bay is the center of the Makah governing bodies.

We stayed at the Hobuck Beach Resort, which may not satisfy the usual meaning of the word resort. There are no pools, saunas or hot tubs, and the WiFi was spotty at best, but one can park an RV or spend time in one of the cabins that overlook a beautiful Pacific beach and are backed by densely wooded hills. It was lovely and very comfortable.

Rain is usual in this area, with little expectation of a sunny clear day. We were lucky in this regard, as we were treated to three sunny, clear days … in a row. After our drenching week in Hawaii, this was really welcome. The weather was beautiful.

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After our drive 4^1/₂ drive from Vashon to Neah Bay, we spent the rest of the first day enjoying the beach. It was spring break, but the beach was almost empty. Emmett and Luca found lots of rocks to examine for wildlife and we tagged along, just relishing the sound of the waves and enjoying our new surroundings. It was still too cool for swimming, but it is never to cold to watch the approaching tide and admire the different rock formations.

That night, we watched the NCAA men’s basketball finals with our grandsons. Since one of the teams was UConn, Jani and I had a special interest in the game and its outcome. Emmett, in particular, has developed an interest in sports, and it was great watching this championship contest together. Best of all, UConn won.

On our second day, we hiked the Cape Flattery Trail, which took us to the point where the Pacific and the Strait of Juan de Fuca meet and where there are spectacular views of sea caves and rock formations wrought smooth by water and wind erosion. On the northern side of the cap we had clear views of Vancouver Island (Canada), as well as Tatoosh Island, where there is a lighthouse and a governing controversy over the ownership of the island (US Coast Guard or the Makah).

In the afternoon we visited the Makah Cultural Museum, and learned about the Makah people and their history. The Makah have lived on the peninsula approximately 3800 years, subsisting largely on fishing and whale/seal hunting. In the 1600’s the village near Lake Ozette was covered by a mudslide. It wasn’t until a storm in February 1970 that tidal erosion exposed hundred of well-preserved artifacts of the village that serious excavation began, answering many of the questions about early Makah life. 55,000 artifacts were uncovered, many on display in the museum. We were prohibited from photographing any of these, but there were fantastic reproductions of a Makah longhouse and various boats that they used for whaling and fishing.

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Inclement weather was supposed to arrive by our third day, but the sun rose on a lovely day and we embarked on a fishing charter that was a present for Luca’s 6th birthday. We caught our limit of Ling Cod, with Luca catching the biggest fish of all, so it was a great success. Sea Lions serenaded us from the docks as we returned to the harbor. Afterwards, we had an uneventful drive back to Vashon Island.

While we were at Wyatt/Sara’s house managed to share a couple of meals with Sara’s parents, who live on nearby Maury Island; always a highlight.

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