Razor Clam Season Set for 2009!

Razor clam season tentatively set
to open in mid-October

Digging at all beaches will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight.

Tentative opening dates and evening low tides in October are (the best time for digging is 1 - 2 hours before low tide):

• Friday, Oct. 16 ( 5:50 p.m. -0.5 ft.)
• Saturday, Oct. 17 (6:38 p.m. -0.8 ft.)
• Sunday, Oct. 18 (7:23 p.m. -1.1ft.)
• Monday, Oct. 19 (8:06 p.m. -1.1 ft.)

In addition, WDFW has tentatively scheduled four other digs through Jan. 3.

Digs scheduled in November include:

• Wednesday, Nov. 4 (7:33 p.m. -1.3 ft.)
• Thursday, Nov. 5 (8:18 p.m. -1.2 ft.)
• Friday, Nov. 6 (9:07 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
• Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:59 p.m. -0.5 ft.)

• Saturday, Nov. 14 (4:34 p.m. -0.3 ft.)
• Sunday, Nov. 15 (5:21 p.m. -0.7 ft.)
• Monday, Nov. 16 (6:05 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
• Tuesday, Nov. 17 (6:47 p.m. -0.8 ft.)

Digs scheduled December 2 through Jan. 3 include:

• Wednesday, Dec. 2 (6:32 p.m. -1.2 ft.)
• Thursday, Dec. 3 (7:18 p.m. -1.4 ft.)
• Friday, Dec. 4 (8:04 p.m. -1.3 ft.)
• Saturday, Dec. 5 (8:51 p.m. -0.9 ft.)

• Thursday, Dec. 31 (6:16 p.m. -1.1 ft.)
• Friday, Jan. 1 (7:01 p.m. -1.8 ft.)
• Saturday, Jan. 2 (7:45 p.m. -1.6 ft.)
• Sunday, Jan. 3 (8:29 p.m. -1.2 ft.)

The WDFW website lists "Twin Harbors" as the location for a 4 day clam dig. That is actually code for the 18 miles of beach that stretches from Willapa Bay to Grays Harbor, ie. Westport/Grayland/Tokeland.

I have made a little primitive map which shows where the best places to find Razor Clams are. If you want to go to Westhaven, I recommend following the map to Westport, then turning toward Westhaven State Park on Jetty Access Road. Park at the state park and walk down to the beach.

To try Grayland, you can access the beach either on Bonge Road or Grayland Beach Road. The area in between these two roads are prime razor clam habitat.

Good luck & happy Clamming!

Cranberry Festival Week! Grayland/Cranberry Coast

I love autumn at the beach! The crowds are gone, the air is crisp, and most often, the sun is still out. We have been having the most wonderful late-summer-early-fall weather this year, and the weatherman is forecasting sunny skies through this weekend - Cranberry Fest weekend!

I love Cranberry Festival weekend, for the kitschy community festival, for the cranberry harvest tours, for the bog jog, but mostly, because I am one of those people who will do anything for a blue ribbon, I love Cranberry Fest weekend for the cranberry cookoff. Unfortunately, I will be headed south for a wedding, which leaves the cookie category up for grabs this year :) Haha.

If cooking is not your thing, there are other reasons to head to Grayland this weekend. There are harvest tours (by bus), there is a cranberry eating contest (have you ever tried to eat uncooked, unsweetened cranberries?), a "biggest berry" contest among the farmers, and some farm fresh cranberries to be purchased. There are also food vendors, cranberry crafts, and live entertainment. After you stuff yourself with fair food and kettle corn on Saturday, head to the bogs for a friendly 5k "Bog Jog" to work it off on Sunday morning. There may be nothing nicer than the quiet cranberry bog lined roads of Grayland for a fall workout.

Check out the Cranberry Coast Chamber for specifics!

Secrets From The Sea Beachcombing Great Lecture at Westport Winery

Beachcombing is one of the best things about living on the coast. If you have ever wanted to know more about everything from sand dollars to agates, you are invited to attend the next free Great Lecture at Westport Winery. Secrets From The Sea will be presented by Gene Woodwick of the Ocean Shore InterpretiveCenter on Sunday, October 18 from 3-5pm. This class is open to all ages and is free to attend. Pre-registration is required as space is limited.

Gene became an Olympic Peninsula ethno-centric after she and her husband moved to Forks to teach in 1960. She cooked at the Sappho logging camp of Rayonier, Inc. when he was head teacher at the Beaver Elementary School. She later worked for the Port Angeles Evening News and the Associated Press as a hard news reporter covering the area from Lake Cresent south to Lake Quinault and from the ridge of the Olympic Mountains to 200 miles out into the Pacific Ocean. During this time she covered the development of Ocean Shores. She worked for over 32 years at King County newspapers as reporter, editor, and columnist for four newspapers specializing in land use, inter-governmental issues, logging and tourism.

Gene moved back to the coast in 1984 and worked for newspapers in OceanShores and as a freelance writer. She also worked at the Grays Harbor Economic Development Council, Grays Harbor Tourism and the Chehalis Fisheries Enhancement Task Force. In 1987 she was hired to develop the Interpretive where she now serves as the curator under the directorship of Neil Eldridge. Gene continues to write for the Puget Sound Historical Maritime Museum journal The Sea Chest and the Washington State Museum's journal The Columbian.

For more information call Westport Winery at 648-2224.Westport Winery is located on the corner of Highway 105 and South Arbor Road (halfway betweenAberdeen and the Westport ‘Y’). The winery is open daily, year around from 11amto 6pm.

Cranberry Festival Week! Grayland/Cranberry Coast

Just in time for the 14^th Annual Cranberry Festival the Westport Winery is offering its latest culinary learning opportunity with a class called Cranberry Crazy. On Sunday, October 11, Chef Erin Worth will create, sample, and share five recipes utilizing locally grown cranberries. The five-course menu includes: Cranberry Mulled Wine, Bibb and Butternut Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Cranberry Vinaigrette; Chorizo, Kale and Cranberry Bean Soup, Cranberry-Orange Quick Bread, Ruby Chicken, and Pear-Apple Cranberry Crisp. The price to attend this class is $25 per person or $20 for wine club members. And don’t forget to stop by the winery to taste one of three wines made with cranberries on your way to the Cranberry Festival in Grayland on Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11.

Reservations are required to attend this latest culinary adventure. For more information call Westport Winery at 648-2224.Westport Winery is located on the corner of Highway 105 and South Arbor Road (halfway between Aberdeen and the Westport ‘Y’). The winery is open daily, year around from 11am to 6pm.

Crush me, Squeeze me, Make me wine (at the beach)

Are you looking for a grape-stomping good time? Just head to Westport Winery on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 2, 3, and 4 to participate in their annual Crush Me, Squeeze Me, Make Me Wine At The Beach Festival from 11am to 6pm. The winery will provide bins of grapes for you to stomp your way into purple-footed bliss. The featured “stomp grape” this year is Merlot with plenty of fresh wine grape sampling to boot.

On Saturday, October 3 at 5pm the winery will hold their Lucy and Ethyl Look-Alike Contest featuring guest judges...last year’s Lucy and Ethyl. This contest is open to men, women, children, and dogs with one pair of winners selected from each category. All ages are welcome to attend this fun-filled event featuring live music from classical guitarist Scott Lindenmuth along with Italian wedding soup as the hearty repast to get you in the mood of this Tuscan tradition.

This event is free and all ages are welcome at the winery. Wine is available to purchase by the taste, glass, or bottle. Reservations are not necessary to participate in this event just stop by Westport Winery located on the corner of Highway 105 and South Arbor Road (halfway between Aberdeen and the Westport ‘Y’). For more information call Westport Winery at 648-2224.