Hood Canal ~ An almost Mile and a Half Long Floating Bridge

(written on 7-26-18)

*Author’s Note: The photographs in this blog entry are all my own. (except the one I caption as being from Google) I respect that it may be easy to save them and print them on your own. But they are copyrighted and use of them is prohibited without my knowledge and consent. If you wish to use them, please send me an e-mail and we can discuss their use or purchase.  Thanks for your cooperation.
MoonNStarMommy@gmail.com
~ Nissa Rae

Saved from Google Images

I love the drive out to the Hood Canal & Port Gamble area.   The roads are lined with trees and green and it's just really pretty.

This is the Hood Canal Bridge .....   you might say, well what the heck is so special about a freaking bridge ..... well, bridges are BEAUTIFUL .... besides that though, Hood Canal is a FLOATING bridge....  There are around 20 that I could find, world wide....  and searching "How many floating bridges exist worldwide" isn't very helpful...  But I found out that FOUR of the FIVE longest floating bridges are in Washington State....

The Hood Canal bridge is #3 of those five....

The Hood Canal Bridge (officially William A. Bugge Bridge) is a floating bridge in the northwest United States, located in western Washington. It carries State Route 104 across Hood Canal of Puget Sound and connects the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas. At 7,869 feet (1.490 mi; 2.398 km) in length (floating portion 6,521 feet (1.235 mi; 1.988 km)), it is the longest floating bridge in the world located in a saltwater tidal basin, and the third longest floating bridge overall.  (<--- from Wikipedia) 

The view is purty from the bridge ....

(I type up what the below plaques say that are on location)

Your Hood Canal Watershed :  Formed over the course of millions of years, the Hood Canal Watershed is a jewel of Puget Sound.  Covering 550 square miles, it is rugged mountains and quiet beaches, roaring rivers and lush forests, eagles, elk and salmon.  It's one of the wor'd best places for clams and oysters.

But for all this natural beauty, the watershed is very sensitive to pollution.  Water circulation is slowed by shallow underwater ledges, or "sills."  Hood Canal flushes much more slowly than the rest of the sound - it can take more than a year before it's waters are exchanged.

The Clean Water Connection :  The Hood Canal Watershed is home to a very diverse population.  More than 12 species of clams and oysters, growing along 242 miles of shoreline.  Four species of salmon, spawning in many of the watershed's 200 streams and rivers.  More than 30,000 people, living, working and playing here.

What's the connection?  They all need clean water to live.  We're all neighbors in the watershed.  With clean water, we can all grow and thrive together.  Without clean water, Hood Canal is just another place.  That's the Clean Water Connection.

Solutions to Pollution : The Hood Canal Watershed doesn't always have clean water. Pollution from failing septic systems, poor construction practices, road runoff, poor farming practices and boat wastes threatens the watershed.  Thousands of acres of productive shellfish beds are closed to harvest and salmon runs continue to decline.

What can you do?  Plenty!  Have your septic system inspected and pumped regularly.  Support local stormwater and clean water programs.  Keep animals from streams.  Protect wetlands.  Use non-toxic alternatives to hazardous chemicals.  Apply fertilizers wisely.  Follow good boating practices.  Drive less and recycle oil, paints and solvents.

William A Bugge

Hood Canal Bridge 

The Washington State Highway Commission at the request of the 1977 State Senate renamed the Hood Canal Bridge in honor of William A. Bugge, a leader in the planning and construction of the structure and in the development of the transportation system of this state.  He served as director of
the Washington State Highway Department from 1949-1963.  The 6,471-foot-long bridge opened on August 12, 1961 was the second pontoon floating bridge constructed on state highway system, and the first such structure in the world built on a tidal waterway.

Washington State Highway Commission  -  July 12 1977

For outstanding performance in the construction of the Hood Canal Bridge Replacement Project, the J.A. Jones Construction Company was selected 1983 Contractor of the Year by the American Public Works Association nominated by the Washington State Chapter, AP WA

The above signage is on the Jefferson County side of the bridge, as are the photo directly above this and the two below of the Hood Canal Bridge stretching across the waterways ...

Illahee State Park

(written on March 14, 2018) 

Illahee State Park is nestled between Bremerton and Bainbridge Island ...  in Port Orchard Bay.

This is absolutely one of my favorite places to be.  You have a great view of Mount Rainier from the dock, you might see a ferry or two depending on how long you are hanging around and if you are looking at the beautiful sight of "The Mountain" as it's called here. 

Weather is determined on if you can see "The Mountain" or not...  "Oh look, the Mountain is out!"

No pictures of "The Mountain" for this entry though.

Illahee has both tent and RV camping sites on the 75-acre marine camping park.  There is 1,785 feet of saltwater frontage along with parking, bathroom facilities, access to the water.

The park also features a veterans' war memorial,  There is a small little totem area. There are also horseshoe pits, volleyball courts, a softball field.  There is also the opportunity for geocaching and metal detecting.  For those interested, there is bird watching and wildlife viewing (if you are lucky enough to be there at the right time!)  There are also plenty of un-sheltered picnic areas, a couple of sheltered picnic areas, and even kitchen shelters.

And on a hot day, if you dare, you can swim with the jellyfish!  I mean, if you want to live on the edge.

If you have a WA State Fishing License you can go saltwater fishing, clamming, oyster harvesting, crabbing, etc.

In order to go into any state park in Washington State, you should probably have a Discovery Pass, which costs about $30 for a year, or you can pop $10 per day in one of the pay stations located at (I think) all the parks.  DISCOVERY PASS WEBSITE

ILLAHEE PARK INFORMATION

On of my favorite parts of being at Illahee are the huge trees, but this is one of my favorite parts about Washington itself.  These aren't the BIGGEST trees I've seen but they are beautiful.  One of the things I like to joke about - being here in WA - and every time we go to Illahee - I feel the need to point out how moss grows on the north side of the trees does not apply here in Washington, at least here on the peninsula.  Moss literally grows all around the trees around here ...

Actually, moss doesn't only grow on the north side of trees, anyway, it just MOSTLY grows on the north side. Also, that rule only applies in the northern hemisphere... fun fact, in the southern hemisphere, moss mostly grows on the south sides of trees.

But this part has the last stand of old-growth timber in Kitsap County and also has one of the largest Yew trees in the nation.

And now that you learned something today!  Carry on ...

One of the fun and kind of scary things about Illahee is that in order to get down to the public access to the water, the docks, and the beach, you have to go down this long winding steep road ...

Now, the oysters and calms can get REALLY large around here.   As you can see by the first picture, I have rather big feet for a lady (size 9) ... and you can see the size compared to my foot.

If you want to show your kids something pretty cool and fun to see, as you are walking along the beach (and this goes for any beach along the saltwater in our area - I've done it a few times.) ...  turn larger rocks over and watch all the baby crabs disperse to find new hiding places.  Later on in one of the newer entries you'll see for Illahee, you'll see me do this in photos ... and it is something else.

People will go clamming/harvesting oysters and then shuck them and toss the shells back into the saltwater.

There are some gorgeous houses along the water front, this one I adore....

Here are some good to know information, and you can find this sign which clearly states what you can and can't harvest .... 

THIS IS SOMETHING WE WOULD RECOMMEND AND WE WOULD DEFINITELY GO HERE AGAIN (and we do).