Mike and Beth's Adventures

In 1792, George Vancouver, British Royal Navy,  ventured into Hood Canal in longboats. He left his ships, the  Discovery  and  Chatham , in nearby Port Townsend. Vancouver and his crew journeyed as far as the mouth of the Skokomish River, near the present day town of Union, where Menzies, his botanist, was amazed by the rich vegetation as well as the natural beauty of the area. He wrote in his journal, “here the arm was hemmed in by lofty Mountains on one side and low flat country of considerable extent on the other.” We also have been captivated by the beauty of Hood Canal.  There are no large towns, so it looks much the same today as it did when initially explored.  Its beauty continues to be defined by the clear blue skies, blue water and lush green forests descending all the way to the water.  The Fjord, which is often more than 500 feet deep, separates the Kitsap Peninsula from the Olympic  Peninsula.  The towering mountains of the Olymp...

This week we are starting an exploration of the Hood Canal area of the Puget Sound.  We departed Everett Marina Monday morning Previously we had torn down the carburetor, on the outboard for our dinghy, for a good cleaning.  We were looking forward to trying it on this trip, to insure it was working as expected. Weather was good as we left Everett and got better as we entered the Hood Canal.  Beth shared that it reminded her of the fjords we saw in Norway.  Once we rounded Foulweather Bluff, the water was glass smooth thanks to the protection of the tree covered hills on both sides.  The water depths were consistently 300 feet or deeper.   This probably explains why the US Navy has a major submarine base located here.  We here not able to get close, but through binoculars could see both missile boats and attack subs at the docks.   Pleasant Harbor is located in a quiet cove about 23 nautical miles south from the entrance to Hood Canal....