Mike's on the Hood Canal

It’s getting late on our second full day of travel. We’re making our way south on the eastern side of the
Olympic Peninsula. Port Townsend’s hotels, motels, and B&B’s were booked so we head south with no reservations anywhere, just the type of crazy situation I welcome. According to our AAA guidebook there are no more accommodations further on. The crew is tired after a full day and hungry. We drift south along Highway 101 until the Hood Canal appears on our left.

It’s not really a canal, as in a man-made waterway, but more of a fjord which is natural. Highway 101 cuts southwest along its bank. On the opposite side of the road is private property and the Olympic National Forest. The road winds down this narrow, forested, corridor. Life here is peacefully rural. We take a chance on a place called Mike's Beach Resort Motel.

The motel is built in three levels over the Hood Canal. We get a top level room with a deck and table. A large group of scuba divers occupy the dorms in the mid-section. Every room and cabana

is filled. Up the road is a convenience store with a deli where we pick up dinner. As the day passes into night, Marc goes exploring, I read a book on the deck, and the others play around inside. We have a full kitchen, bunk beds, and a free-standing bed for me. Only one bathroom. Aaron doesn’t appreciate the bugs and flying things and wishes for five-star accommodations. In the middle of the night I find a giant spider trapped in the bathroom sink. What can you expect? The place has been in continuous operation here since 1952.

Just north of Mike’s is where Curt and I first started working as volunteers for the state parks. South of here is where we spent the bulk of our time; in a town called Hoodsport and Shelton. It’s good to be back.