MY MIND SAYS the same thing over and over every time I go for a long drive here in our little corner of the world.
“Man, am I lucky to live here.”
I have no idea where my life will take me throughout the next seven or eight decades (I plan on living to see at least 100) or the overabundance of riches that await me, but I am certain I will never live in a place as pretty as the North Olympic Peninsula.
I was reminded of the luck of my location last week as I made the long and winding drive to Neah Bay to interview the undefeated Red Devils’ football team.
There’s Lake Crescent, which had a darker blue color than I have ever seen from a body of water.
There are all the trees, sometimes imposing green cliffs on the side of the highway and other times forming a welcoming tunnel over the road.
I stopped in Clallam Bay to, ahem, take care of something, and looked across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and saw what looked like cliffs on the Canadian side.
Then, on the last stretch of the drive to Neah Bay that goes right alongside the Strait, you can look at waves and boulders.
The hard part is keeping your eyes on the road.
There are great drives in every direction, towards Port Townsend, up to Hurricane Ridge, along Hood Canal, and even the road between Port Angeles and the turnoff that takes you to Poulsbo and the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal.
I know that after living in a place for a time, a person can become desensitized to the beauty because they see it every day, so as a newcomer let me remind you how great the Peninsula is compared to the rest of the world.
Other things I’m grateful for on this day of thanks:
■ The saltwater salmon fishing in Sekiu.
We didn’t get a lot of rain from late July to the middle of October, which wreaked havoc on the outdoors activities on the Peninsula.
No rain made rivers low, and the hunting terrible.
But the good old Sekiu coho fishery kept plugging along, giving this unseasoned outdoors writer something to write about.
■ There are so many outdoors seasons.
When one hunting or fishing period closes, another one always seems to open or be close to opening.
Then, there are some that close, then reopen weeks or months later.
The more I do research, the more I realize there are more outdoor things to do than hunting and fishing, which will give me even more to write about in the coming year.
For instance, I hear there is snow accumulating on Hurricane Ridge.
■ Though I remain true to the objectivity required of my occupation, I’ll admit to being a bit relieved when Sequim beat Klahowya in football last month.
I was on a huge losing skid before the Wolves scored in the final minutes on a fourth-down pass from Jack Wiker to Christian Miles to win the game, 37-32.
Up to that game on Oct. 12, every football game I attended involved covering a losing team.
The only winning team I had covered was Forks, but it came at the expense of another Peninsula team, Chimacum.
This being my first season, I was starting to wonder if I was a football jinx.
Since Sequim’s win, I only have one true loss on my season record.
I’m on a roll.
■ The good people of this area.
Whether it’s neighbors, coaches or strangers, it has been a pleasure getting to know you.
I’m especially grateful to the people who have been valuable sources for information about the Peninsula’s outdoors scene.
There are too many to list each person in this column, and I fear I would leave someone important out, but here are the people I talk to most frequently (in no particular order): Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More, Ward Norden, Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store, Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods, the Lawrences at Big Salmon Resort and Gary Ryan of Van Riper’s Resort.
Also, thanks to everyone who has sent in a photo or written me a note or email.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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Outdoors columnist Lee Horton appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
