As I indicated in my last post, we were planning to paddle up the Duckabush River on Saturday, to check out an old abandoned apple orchard. And, as you can see, we brought back the most beautiful red apples, perfect for applesauce! George wasn't quite certain if the orchard was up the Duckabush or down it, outward into the Hood Canal and around the mudflats. But, I remembered the location, and we headed out, traversing very shallow water. Several times we had to get out of the canoe and walk in shallow water as the canoe was scraping bottom.
The low tide made it difficult to determine an entrance to the particular channel we needed, and so we just gave it a guess...and guessed wrong. We bogged down with no creek in site. I climbed up onto the dry grass bank and explored, looking for the channel while George stayed with the canoe and ate lunch. When I came back with good news - I'd found it - and I found him covered with mud! He'd tried pulling the canoe up onto dry land and got mired in the mud. His water-boots got stuck, and he toppled over! But, once we got the canoe up onto the grassy bank, he pulled it across the wetlands over to the right channel. We paddled up as far as low tide would allow, explored, and found our little tree. It took only a few minutes to pick our bushel.
One of the concerns we always have paddling in low water is the possibility of dogs running out at us, protecting their territory. We always try to paddle in deeper water to avoid a confrontation. Low tide and portaging always involve the possibility of this hazard. Wouldn't you know, we happened upon our first dog when loading up our canoe.
He came around a corner in the brush, and waddled over to me. His owner said he was friendly, and we had a nice chat while George loaded up the canoe. This dog can only waddle, as his legs were crippled at birth, due to breeding practices that cause the dog to squat for shows. The genetics got mutated, and his legs turned out like a rabbit's. When we were driving home along the Hood Canal, we drove through the Twanoh State Park and I mentioned how I'd love to camp there sometime. George said, "How about setting up camp Sunday afternoon after devotions? I could just drive to work the next morning (a half hour commute), and you could spend the day. I'll pick you up when I get off work." I was thrilled!
Twanoh State Park has the sweetest little campground, with a resident host and a park ranger. Since it is off-season, there were just several other campers. It was like having the entire place to ourselves.
We set up the canopy over the picnic table, pitched our tent, and prepared a big fire. On Sunday we had warm temps and sunshine, but on Monday there was a forecast for light, intermittent rain. (This photo shows my fire on Monday morning - green wood makes a lot of smoke.)I had only a few hours to plan this trip. I pulled out a salad, some homemade breads (zucchini-carrot, whole wheat, and molasses), and left-over home-made minestrone soup.
George picked up some sweet-potatoes, bratwurst, and sirloin kebabs for barbecuing. 
I brushed on a honey-teriyaki marinade on the kebabs early in the morning, and added a little garlic. These take only about 20 minutes on the grill. I put a plum syrup glaze over the sweet-potatoes, and they took a little longer. Next time, I'll just roast them in the fire, along with the russet potatoes. We roasted the brats with skewers over the fire. George left for work at 7:00 a.m. on Monday morning, and I made coffee, built a fire, and prepared breakfast. It was not easy to get the fire going because the wood we bought was still green, it was lightly raining, and I had no kindling left from the night before. So, I shaved the bark off some of the logs and fanned the small fire with a piece of cardboard. Suddenly the wood caught fire. I was careful to nurse it along as George did the night before.
This is a vegetable stir-fry, with left-over bratwurst, the grilled sweet-potatoes, a couple of fried eggs and a little banana and pear. 
I made some peanut-butter toast for a mid-morning snack, slathered the works with a little plum syrup, then took an hour hike through the forest along a well-maintained trail. It is a simple loop, with several switchbacks, an upward climb with benches along the way. Rain fell lightly, and it was an incredibly peaceful forest experience...I learned later from the ranger that a bear was sighted earlier this summer near the trail, so I'm glad I sang out-loud the entire way! ("If You're Happy and You Know It....clap your hands, stomp your feet...")
This is the beach at Twanoh State Park. Other than one man smelt-dipping, it was deserted - just like the campground and the trails. I had the place to myself. I noticed about 20 different mushroom species, took some notes, and beach-combed, thoroughly enjoying my little pursuits.
The Civilian Conservation Corp built the park and its shelters in 1936.
This poor little shark was breakfast for the crows.George drove into camp about 3:30, arriving about two hours earlier than I'd expected, and while he broke camp, I checked off my 'things to explore list', with one last visit to the ranger station to collect information about the Hood Canal, Twanoh State Park, and other recreational opportunities in the area. This is a prime shellfish collecting area. In the summer there are opportunities to see whales, porpoise, seals and sea lions. Before collecting anything, such as shellfish, it is important to check regulations and advisories, to determine if they are safe for consumption.
We got home at 6:15, I took a shower, and we picked up Rahmat for Feast. Today, I'm facing mounds of comforters that have to go into the dryer to ward off any mildew. The tent and canopy have to air dry out in the middle of the living room since it is raining, and I've got to wash and clean every container before they are stored in the garage for winter. Alas, my camping season has now officially ended, but this last trip was one of my favorites, especially memorable for the solitude and the gentle rain.
