DAY 18 - RAYMOND - LONG BEACH, WASHINGTON

WILLAPA BAY...A "FLAT" CLAY-SAND SHALLOW BODY OF WATER DEDICATED IN A REALLY BIG WAY TO THE OYSTER INDUSTRY.

A STEAM ENGINE "DONKEY ENGINE" WITH WINCHES...USED IN EONS PAST TO DRAG CUT TIMBER OUT OF THE WOODS. THIS IS A REALLY GOOD ONE

COURT HOUSE IN SOUTH BEND, WASHINGTON, SOME 5 MILES SOUTH ON US 101 FROM RAYMOND...OK OK OK..where is Raymond? It is on the Willapa Bay, near the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean...a MAJOR logging community

WILLAPA BAY OYSTER COMPANY...These trucks are loaded with "empty" Oyster shells destined to serve a great number of purposes all around the world. Three such trailer-loads leave this factory every day...

WILLAPA BAY OYSTE COMPANY OYSTER SHUCKING PRODUCTION LINE. There are four such lines in this factory, each line with 28 employees on each line,

shucking live oysters from their shells...loaded into 5-gallon buckets for markets around the world.

Each DAY, 3,000 bushels (or 1,500 gallons) of Oyster meat is harvested on these lines.

3,000 bushels equates to 100,000 ounds of Oysters-In_the_shell.

Three truck loads of empty shells are "exported" each day, each truck carrying 35,000 pounds of shells...

Shells serve a surprising number of purposes...

FIVE GALLON BUCKETS OF OYESTER...REMOVED "LIVE" FROM THEIR SHELLS IN THE PAST HALF HOUR OR SO. A LAYER OF ICE IS PLACED ON TOP OF EACH BUCKET...A LID IS ADDED, AND THE MEAT IS SHIPPED AROUND THE WORLD.

THIS IS A "SLOUGH". IN THE FLAT WILLAPA BAY AREA, VAST EXPANSES OF LAND ARE COVERED BY MEANDERING WATERWAYS...FULL AT HIGH TIDE...OFTEN DRY AT LOW TIDE...A PARADISE FOR UNCOUNTED BIRDS...A HAVEN FOR SHELL FISH.

A HERD OF WILD ELK...AFTER WALKING FULLY AROUND THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS WITHOUT SEEING EVEN A ITTSY BITTSY MOUSE, THIS MORNING, A HERD OF AT LEAST 75 ELK STAND WATCHING ME WALK NOT 200 METERS FROM THEM.

TAKING MY CAMERA OUT OF MY POCKET SPOOKED THE ELK AND THEY STARTED TO MOVE TO A STAND OF FIR TREES LINING THIS FIELD.

THEIR BARE BUTTS REMIND ME OF BABBONS...SEEN IN THE WILD, AN ELK CAN NEVER BE CONFUSED WITH ANY OTHER ANIMAL.

FOR THE RECORD, I HAVE HUNTED ELK FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL NEARLY EVERY TIME...MY DAD, ON THE OTHER HAND, HUNTED ELK ALL HIS LIFE AND NEVER EVEN SAW A SINGLE ANIMAL.

IN THE SAME FIELD AS THE ELK WAS THIS SMALL HERD OF ANGUS BEEF

THERE WERE 13 ANGUS IN THIS SMALL HERD...THEY HAD 4 YEARLING CALFS...ALL MALE.

ANOTHER "CLAY" BANK. CLAY IS EVERYWHERE IN SOUTH-WEST WASHINGTON STATE

THI IS AN "OYSTER" BOAT. THIS CRAFT IS USED TO "PLANT" NEW OYSTER STOCK INTO THE BOTTOM OF WILLAPA BAY...AND USED TO RECOVER MATURE OYSTERS.

IN WATERS 8 - 12 FEET DEEP, A RAKE TYPE DEVICE IS USED TO "DIG" THE MATURE OYSTERS FROM 3 - 6 INCHES BELOW THE MUD/SANDY BOTTOM, LIFT THEM TO THE SURFACE AND DEPOSIT THEM ON THE FLAT DECK OF THE BOAT. ABOUT 100,000 POUNDS OF IN-THE-SHELL OYSTERS ARE RECOVERED EACH DAY BY WILLALPA BAY OYSTERS.

A BIT OF HISTORY: SOME 80 YEARS AGO, USA OYSTERS CONTRACTED A DISEASE WHICH ESSENTIALLY WIPED OUT NATIVE OYSTERS. OYSTER STOCK WAS IMPORTED FROM JAPAN - MAINLY BAY OF TOKYO - THIS STOCK HAS BEEN USED TO RECOVER THE USA OYSTER INDUSTRY...EVEN JAPAN NOW BUYS "SEED" STOCK FROM THE USA.

"SEED" STOCK IS CREATED UNDER STRICTLY CONTROLLED CONDITIONS.=:

1. LIVE MATURE OYSTERS ARE USED AS "MOMMY & DADDY"...OYSTER HAVE NO "SEX". ANY OYSTER CAN PRODUCE "SEED" AT ANY TIME THEY FIND THE RIGHT CONDITIONS.

2. RIGHT CONDITIONS: PROPER WATER TEMPERATURE AND PROPER AMOUNT OF FOOD IN THE WATER. "FOOD" IS "PLANKTON". "PLANKTON" IS MICROSCOPIC ORGANISMS WHICH PORPOPAGATE THE SALT WATERS OF THE ENTIRE EARTH...THE LARGEST ANIMALS ON EARTH - WHALES - EAT PRIMARILY "PLANKTON"...JUST AS DO OYSTERS AND MOST OTHER SEA CREATURES.

KILL THE "PLANKTON"...ALL SEA CREATURES WILL MOST LIKELY PERISH !!!

3. LIVE "SEED" OYSTERS ARE PUT IN A TUB OF PROPER WATER/PLANKTON MIX AND THEY IMMEDIATELY GIVE OFF THE NEW MICROSCOPIC OYSTER LIFE FORMS.

4. THE "WATER" IS FILTERED THROUGH MICROSCOPIC SCREENS WHICH TRAP THE NEW OYSTER "SEEDS".

5. THE NEW OYSTER "SEEDS" ARE PUT INTO SMALL BOTTLES...ABOUT 1 INCH DIAMETER BY 2 INCHES HIGH. THESE "SEEDS" ARE MIXED INTO A LARGE "VAT"..NOT DISSIMILAR TO A BEER MAKING VAT...WHICH IS ALSO LOADED WITH "EMPTY" OYSTER SHELLS.

6. THE OYSTER "SEED" ATTACHES ITSELF TO A EMPTY OYSTER SHELL AND BEGINS ITS LIFE CYCLE - ABOUT 4 TO 5 YEARS.

7. THE "FERTILIZED" OYSTER SHELLS ARE DEPOSITED IN PRESELECTED SHALLOW SALT WATER BAYS - SUCH AS WILLAPA BAY - WHERE THEY GROW FOR 4 TO 5 YEARS...AT WHICH TIME THEY ARE HARVESTED AND THE CYCLE REPEATS ITSELF.

8. MANY OF THE"FERTILIZED" OYSTER SHELLS ARE SOLD TO OYSTER FARMS THE WORLD OVER - INCLUDING JAPAN.

NOW, I REALIZE THAT MOST OF YOU READERS ALREADY KNOW ALL THAT, ..BUT GIMME A BREAK...I TOOK OUT 30 MINUTES FROM TODAY'S WALK TO LEARN THIS SO I MIGHT SHARE IT WITH YOU "FEW" TO WHOM IT MIGHT BE NEWSY STUFF.

A VERY NICE RANCH HOUSE SITTING ATOP A SMALL HILL OVERLOOKING THE VILLAGE OF BRUCEPORT, WASHINGTON, ON WILLAPA BAY.

WILLAPA BAY, WASHINGTON

ANOTHER SECTION OF THE HURRICANE FORCE WINDS THAT BLEW DOWN SO MANY TREES.

JUST A GROVE OF MATURE TREES...I THOUGHT THE BACK-LIGHT WAS QUITE EFFECTIVE AND BEAUTIFUL...SO, I SHARE IT WITH YOU.

ONE MORE OF THE MANY "MEMORIALS" FOUND ALONG WASHINGTON STATE HIGHWAYS...I LEFT OUR "SAM & ME" CALLING CARD ON THE CROSS

A SHALLOW RIVER NEAR LONG BEACH, WASHINGTON (FORGOT THE NAME)

LONG BREACH, WASHINGTON...ABOUT 2 MILES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER, WHICH I PLAN TO CROSS TOMORROW INTO ASTORIA, OREGON.

A REAL LIVE CRANBERRY BOG...JUST OUTSIDE LONG BEACH, WASHINGTON.

Had a bit of a tuff day, folks...

Started walking in the dark and rain at 6:45 am . Walked to SOUTH BEND, WASHINGTON about 5 miles Southon US 101, where I enjoyed the best breakfast in a very long time.

Stopped in at the WILLAPA BAY OYSTER COMPANY, where I was given a guided tour by Nick...did not want his pic taken...See narrative with above pics.

Continued walking another 6 miles to the turnoff to BRUCEPORT, WASHINGTON, where I turned around and walked BACK to Raymond, Washington, where SPIA was parked overnight next to McDonalds Mall on the SouthWest side.

Then drove a few miles beyond Bruceport - see pic of the beautiful house on the hill - where I walked for another 3 hours to and from SPIA. Moved SPIA two more times, each time walking wicked hills along Willapa Bay, finally arriving at the intersection to ASTORIA, OREGON (21 miles) and LONG BEACH, WASHINGTON (16 miles in the opposite direction).

Chose Long Beach. SPIA is now safe in a mid-town RV Park - complete with water, power, "dump" facilities, and A SHOWER ...boy, do I need a shower ! ! !

In the morning, will drive to ILWACO at the mouth of the Columbia River on the Pacific Ocean...then to Lewis and Clark Camp...then phone David for our meeting to visit a real logging operation.

If there is time, will walk a few miles too. Probably will NOT have time to cross the Bridge over the Columbia River until the next day, Wednesday, February 02...then we head down the Oregon Coast...the most beautiful coast line in the world - says ME -.

DAILY RECAP: Walked 32 miles...count 16 miles

SEE YOUR IMPACT.ORG: Credit 16 miles @ $0.02 = $0.32 for the day.

Both my feet are quite sore this evening. The short but steep hills of the past 3 days have been telling. They are banked steeply on the curves...this results in one foot touching the ground 2 or so inches below the opposite foot. This puts side loading on the foot, the ankles, the knees, and the hip.

These side loads result in straining the muscles and tendons which after a number of hours, tend to become stretched and owie. Must take care not to end up damaging something...