Ghost forests aren’t just a Copalis River thang!
In 2018, while moving out here from Tacoma, we met Leo, an old-school used car salesman who long ago peddled hot rods on South Tacoma Way (a legendary cruzin’ strip, back in the day). Long since retired, he owned the scrappy looking former site of Sam Cameron’s Tourist Garage in Copalis Beach, across from the […]
Is the hidden coast scenic byway really a “thing”?
Having spent a lot of time on the North Beach over the course of our lives, it was rather shocking to see a hidden coast scenic byway sign on State Route 109 while house hunting out here in 2018. Not that SR 109 doesn’t deserve the lofty title but — what the heck, how did […]
Over the Rivers & Through the Woods at .5 MPH — Traveling the Hidden Byway in 1883
Occasionally on the quick, 90-minute trip between the beach and Olympia I think about what it must have been like to live out here, long ago. From what I gather, homesteading on the Hidden Byway wasn’t easy but for those who did it, I have yet to come across a tale of regret. In one […]
Sampson Johns: First ‘Modern’ Hero on the Hidden Coast
Over a century ago, North Beach resident Sampson Johns received a congressional life saving medal for rescuing over a dozen shipwrecked men who were otherwise doomed at sea. Can you imagine being a 19th century sailor; far from home on a sinking ship in unforgiving waters, praying for someone, anyone to jump the breakers and […]
Washaway No More: The eerie story of North Cove
In 2018, before settling on the North Beach we put an offer on the most adorable, small, round-ish house we’d ever seen. Stocked with remnants of a simple mid-century modern life, Phyllis whose husband hand-built it, lived there until 2017 when she passed away at the ripe old age of 91. It’s a red zone […]
