Pat Neal

PAT NEAL: The Highway 101 blues

Thank you for reading this. Somebody must. Because when I mentioned in last week’s column that the Highway 101 bridge over the Hoh River was… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Peninsula’s Wild West roadways

In last week’s episode, we were hurtling west of Port Angeles and, having crossed the Elwha Bridge, headed west on U.S. Highway 101. This bridge… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Olympic Peninsula driving guide

The signs of summer are all around. The roar of the lawn mower, the stench of burning charcoal and the seasonal spike in gasoline prices… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Requiem for a river

Spring is a time of hope on the river. The salmon eggs that survived the winter floods are getting ready to hatch when the weather… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The Orca Task Force

Last week we examined the tragic results of capturing the orca for captivity in theme parks and aquariums, where an estimated 164 captive orca died… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A history of whaling continued

Last week, we reviewed the industrial slaughter that pushed our large whales to the brink of extinction. As whales became harder to find, their renderings… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A short history of whaling

It’s always fun to look back at this day in history to measure the changes brought to the Olympic Peninsula. These changes can be discovered… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A fouled future for nature

Thank you for reading this. After reading about my ill-fated clam dig at Discovery Bay, where the clams and oysters were all dead, people sent… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A poisonous past

What started as a simple quest to dig a bucket of clams was not as simple as it seemed. There were no clams. Usually, when… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A history of pandemics

IN LAST WEEK’S episode, we were discovering Discovery Bay, a favorite scenic waterway known for its beauty ever since Captain Vancouver anchored up in 1792.… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Discovering Discovery Bay

IT WAS GOING to be one of those days. With the razor clam season shut down, the blackmouth salmon season shut down and the steelhead… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A short history of hurricanes

IT WAS A dark and stormy night. The wind roared through the timber like a freight train. I thought it would rip the roof off… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Digging the Ozette potato

POTATOES MUST BE my favorite thing to dig, next to clams, but clam season is closed so I’m digging potatoes. I know what you’re thinking,… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Going down the sucker hole

IT WAS GOING to be one of those days. I remember it like it was yesterday, because maybe it was. It all started with a… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Yet another bad idea

THAT WAS YET another bad idea in last week’s column. When out of concern for the well-being of our fellow sportsmen and women who pursue… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Steelhead season’s sinking feeling

EVEN WITH GLOBAL warming, January is the coldest month. When all the rabid chickens come home to roost. When the slings and arrows of outrageous… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: New Year’s resolutions

OFTEN, NEW YEAR’S resolutions that seem like a good idea on New Year’s Eve can seem like a bad idea in the harsh light of… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Christmas of yesteryear

IT WAS DAYLIGHT in the swamp on the shortest day of the year. Christmas was coming and I wanted to get a goose for Christmas… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The fish and game commission is irrelevant

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news as the Washington Fish and Game Commission passed more laws restricting steelhead fishing on the waters of… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Waiting for steelhead season

IT’S BEEN ANOTHER tough week in the news, as we wait for the state to decide if they’ll cancel steelhead season. This would be devastating… Continue reading