Reprise of Salt Creek Post

From memory (it has been a whole day), here it is.  

We made a spur of the moment decision to take a couple of days to go camping with friends.  Two of the six of us work, and needed a little break.  We were hoping to make it a fishing trip out a Sieku, out near the mouth of the Strait, to catch some rockfish and refill the freezer.  However, the wind was up to its usual performance out there, blowing hard, and we were not looking forward to fighting it in an open boat.  We moved to plan B, Salt Creek, just for relaxation.  

It took no time for us to load up the camper. The

 drive was 45 minutes, and we were overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The weather was some of the best you can get here, sunny, warm and just breezy. 

 We did a lot of walking up and dow

n the coastal area, exploring tide pools, talking and playing Petanque and horseshoes.  Oh, we also ate pretty well.  Maryvonne and I are really learning how enjoyable it is to spend time with friends.

And, where there is water, Maryvonne will find a way to get into it, regardless of temperature.  The Strait is not known for being a place to swim- rocky coastlines, muddy bays, very precipitous fall offs as you step away from the shore, treacherous currents, and water temps in the low fifties.  But at Salt Creek, there is actually a beach that is gently sloping, pr

otected from currents, and where the clear water of the Strait is not muddied by tidal flow.  Maryvonne was in the water as soon as she got there.  Oh, the scenery is pretty good too! 

Did I say the campground is well situated?  It is.  It was a major gun emplacement in WWII, and while the bunkers are still there, they were not turned into a monument, probably because it is so out of the way.  The view of the water demonstrates why this site was selected.  Happily, though it was not made a monument, the land was turned over to the county, who made it a park, and both custodians of the area managed to resist the urge to log it, so the coast is backed by a pretty good forest of moderately old growth timber.  Very nice for walking, or watching shipping traffic on the water.