Pat Neal

PAT NEAL: A short history of fire

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news, but we still have plenty of fresh air. Washed by the ocean, the rain and the trees,… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Real questions from real tourists

THIS MUST BE one of the busiest tourist seasons ever. It has the locals hoping that school will hurry up and start so everyone will… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The bug sacrifice

OF THE MANY phobias I cultivate, such as the fear of the government, fear of the mailbox and the fear of work, to name a… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Safety first on vacation

There’s no doubt about it. I’ve got to stop picking up women at the bar. It’s not safe. The last one put a lump on… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Voyage of the Doomed

There are no mental wellness days here at Hoh River Rafters, because you’d have to be crazy to work here. We are in the trenches… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The hunt for blackberries

THERE ARE FEW outdoor activities more enjoyable than picking wild blackberries. By wild blackberries, I don’t mean the exotic berries that ripen along every roadside… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A profitable extinction

In last week’s episode, we traced a cause for the degradation of our ecosystem to the elimination of spawning salmon from our creeks and rivers.… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The rivers’ babies are disappearing

Looking at a baby salmon, it’s hard to believe that something not much bigger than a mosquito larvae could have such a tremendous impact on… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A very berry Fourth

This is the season wild creatures wait for all year. When we can walk in the woods and meadows stuffing our gullets with free food.… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Jefferson County’s resiliency plan bad for Hoh River, salmon

In last week’s episode, we followed the extinction of the salmon from Europe to the Eastern shore of the New World and across the Continent… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A short history of extinction

FOR SOME, THE new year begins in January. Out on our rivers, the new year begins now with the warming temperatures and the emergence of… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Does it always rain here?

With the blustery weather we have been experiencing lately, it seems like either the mildest January or the coldest June we’ve ever had. Rainfall events… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Traffic jam blues

when plans for the biggest traffic jam in the history of the Olympic Peninsula were made… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Things could always be worse

Recently, we described the deterioration of our antique transportation infrastructure on the Olympic Peninsula. State Highway 112 was closed by landslides and there are no… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Olympic Peninsula driving guide continued

In last week’s episode, we were traveling west on U.S. Highway 101 and had just successfully crossed the Elwha River bridge. This antique structure’s foundation… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Olympic Peninsula driving guide

With the real and present danger of an imminent tourist invasion, it’s time once again for the Olympic Peninsula driving guide. Escaping Pugetopolis, you head… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: No selfies in the outhouse

From our majestic melting glaciers to the acidified ocean, and all the scenic splendor in between, this year’s tourist migration seems even heavier than last… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The voyage of the Lydia

In last week’s episode, we discovered the unhappy coincidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition spending a hard winter at Fort Clatsop, surviving on lean… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A saga of spring, salmon and supplies

Spring is a time of spiritual renewal along with Easter, Ramadan and Passover. There is, however, another seasonal ritual that’s older than all these traditions… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A short history of fishing laws

In last week’s episode, we were exploring a bizarre bit of bureaucratic bungling where the state of Washington demands that we purchase our new fishing… Continue reading