Friends,

As one of the wettest winters in Western Washington history slips away we look forward to another beautiful spring and summer at the guesthouse. Glancing at the site calendar I can see that there are still some very prime dates available for those of you who would like to spend some time during the summer and early fall seasons. So, this is just a little nudge to remind you that those dates probably won’t be there for those “I’ll get to it tomorrow” folks who fail to heed the old saying about time and tide…

Also, we are about to enter the “spring special” period-April 16 through June 10, when you can stay three nights for the price of two, an affordable way to get out to the rainforest while things are still quiet, the native plants are bursting forth and it’s finally warm enough to take a stroll among the mosses, ferns and local wildlife. Speaking of wildlife, the elk herd has been spending each morning and evening across the road and it’s a good time to take some special pictures of these huge animals before they go into seclusion for the calving season. A couple weeks ago the rufus winged hummingbirds arrived and Pat and I counted as many as 10 at the feeder at one time. Atavistic little guys, they usually don’t share very well but for once they made room for each other, at least a little room…By the way, if you happen to be there when the feeder goes dry, feel free to refill it. I just use a 5-1 mix of water and sugar and it clearly gets three stars from the greedy little things. They really are fun to watch as they try to intimidate each other and chisel their way into their feeding cohorts.

As I mentioned, it was a very wet winter. Fishermen didn’t get much of a chance at the Queets River steelhead once January was well under way but fishing was good during the times the river dropped into good shape. Clamming has been very good since the openings began in March and if you don’t mind the hour drive to Mocrocks you won’t have much of a problem scoring a fine limit of incredibly tasty razor clams. We still have no word on whether or not the Kalaloch Beach will open this spring, lots of rumors but nothing concrete. It would be so nice to be able to dig there again…

An old friend who’s taking part in the annual beach clean-up at Kalaloch asked me to remind you that on Saturday April 23rd the volunteers will be cleaning up at the beaches as part of the Coastal Cleanup. So, if you’re interested in something altruistic go over and help out at Beach 2. You can also sign up at www.coastsavers.org.

One other thing to mention: For any of you interested in a longer-term stay, I have a 2 bedroom, mobile home (the one to the south of the guesthouse) available this summer. It is clean and ready for occupancy during the summer months. A minimum stay of a month would be necessary, but a three month rental (June through August) would be preferable. For a party that loves the area and is tired of hoping and searching for a campsite during the very busy summer months, this would be just the place. Let me know if you’re at all interested and we can discuss things.

Well, that’s all for now. I hope to see at the guesthouse this spring and summer and thank you for your visits in the past.

Sincerely,
Joe Novak
253.759.8738
www.clearwaterguesthouse.com