Last night it began to snow in our area. This morning I woke up to a beautiful sight. The ground was frosted with a coat of white snow — not much, just enough to make everything white — and the sun was shining with that sort of crispness that it gets this time of year. The skies were blue, with just a few white clouds. I knew it wouldn’t last, but everything looked awesome. Now as a write this post, the snow is melted away, but the sun is still shining and the skies are still blue, though a few more clouds have moved in. It’s a wonderful day to be living in Mason County. A day to be cherished, because tomorrow it will probably rain.
If you haven’t read my page on Mason county, I invite you to take a look at it. I’ve written a very simple description of our county. Recently I’ve had occasion to visit the community of Potlatch and Hoodsport. These two communities sort of run together, and that’s why I think of them as one community. The drive from Shelton along Highway 101 up to this area is beautiful. If you are in the mood to take a pretty drive along Hood Canal, you will find the drive up Highway 101 to be one of the best, especially on a pretty day when you can enjoy the views. As you get to Potlatch you will see The Lucky Dog Casinoon your right. This casino is smaller than the Little Creek Casino, also located just off of Highway 101, but back at the McCleary turnoff. The Lucky Dog is very friendly, and sort of like the bar on Cheers, where everyone knows your name.
As you continue up the highway you will come to Potlatch State Park. Many people love to picnic here. As you drive by, watch for kayakers. You can often see dozens of them just off shore. I also need to warn you to be on the look out for divers. You will see them in this area. I think it is because this coast is know for its attraction to scuba divers. There is even a diving school called “Mike’s Diving Center” located not far from the park. As you continue your drive you will come to the Saltwater Park. This park is not very big, but it has some really cool stuff on display from the hydro electric people. It is across the road from the Tacoma Public Utilities powerhouse & operated by them. It is usually used by those who want to launch their boats into the Canal, and by birdwatchers.
The drive from here to Hoodsport is one of the prettiest you will see. The highway is close to the canal, so you can see water all along the way. Watch for Mt. Rainier behind the foothills. On a good day, it may bless you with its presence. Watch for the Hoodsport Winery on the left as you drive. You may want to stop and do some wine tasting. They are open from 10 am to 6 pm every day. The last wine my husband brought home from this winery was a raspberry wine.
Hoodsport has a brand new grocery store. This week as I drove up there the store was open, but there were trucks around and people working on the outside, and building stuff stacked around. It is a pretty store. I know that the people who have chosen to live in this area year round are very happy to have this store. Hoodsport also has a branch of the Timberland libraries. If you are like me, having a great library near by is always a big plus when I’m choosing where to live.
If you are in a mood to keep driving, you might take a left in Hoodsport and drive up to Lake Cushman. Many people have chosen to make the Lake Cushman area their year round home, too. Lake Cushman is an unusual situation for real estate, because the land up there is all owned by the City of Tacoma, and leased out with 99 year leases. We keep a list of phone numbers for the associations in our area, so if you want to know more about how the 99 year leases work you can find the phone number here. The Lake Cushman area is where the hikers take off into the Olympics. You can stay at Camp Cushman, and go hiking from there. Most of us drive up and park, and put on our boots and go.
So, why was I in this area so often lately? I have some new properties that I listed for our office. If you would like to be part of Northwest Living at its Best, you just may want to take a look at these properties. I’m very proud of them because of where they are located, and I’m happy with the way the sellers have priced them. I think because one of the sellers is a real estate agent himself, who is presently inactive, he is better aware of the present market values. Each one of these three parcels is an acre +, and have Hood Canal views. They are located just up from Potlatch State Park. One of the properties is fully developed with a home, a large 3-bay garage/shop and a gazebo. The other two parcels are undeveloped, but they do have water, power and phone in the road. As I said, these properties are priced right for the area — for which I am very pleased. If you want to know more you can see my Internet Flyer. I have also posted the home as my latest “Featured Home.”
Tags: 3-bay garage and shop, home, hoodsport, park, potlatch, saltwater
