Pat Neal

PAT NEAL: The lost and the not yet lost

THERE ARE ONLY two types of mushroom pickers. Those that have gotten lost in the woods and those who haven’t, yet. The sudden arrival of… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Blue-tarp camping misery

THERE’S NOTHING QUITE like the sound of rain on the roof, unless you have a leaky roof. And the roof is a chunk of leaky… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: You can’t go crabbing in a tidal wave

THANK YOU FOR reading this. Sometimes I think if you didn’t read this no one would. But you do. I know that because of all… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The coming subduction event

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news. The state Department of Natural Resources just came out with the latest version of its Tsunami Inundation… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Up in smoke

THOSE WHO IGNORE history are doomed to watch television. This enduring truth is nowhere more evident than the current notion that the smoke from wildfires… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The orca task force not to the rescue

THE VISCERAL SPECTACLE of the mother orca carrying her dead baby for 17 days and the emaciated female orca that might or might not be… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: There are no do-overs with the orcas

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news. It’s bad enough enduring endless images of war, pestilence and medieval corruption in a modern setting but… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Stages of a Sasquatch sighting

THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA’S first Sasquatch Symposium, held last November at Studio Bob in Port Angeles, resulted in an outpouring of Sasquatch sighting reports from people… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Top tourist questions

AS GOODWILL AMBASSADORS of the tourist industry, it is our civic duty to share our precious local knowledge of the Olympic Peninsula with our foreign… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Salmonberry deserving of honor

THERE’S NOTHING QUITE like the first salmonberry of the year. It is a juicy mix of sweet and sour with a wild taste that can’t… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The horse fly menace

THIS IS A story about wilderness survival, told in hopes it will provide inspiration to others. I remember it like it was yesterday, because it… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Olympic tourist troubles

WHETHER IT IS an effect of climate change, the economy or the Fourth of July, it’s become apparent that we are in the middle of… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Sympathy to new state Department of Fish and Wildlife director

DEAR MR. KELLY SUSEWIND: Allow me to express my deepest sympathy. It is hard to imagine the tragedy of a situation that would cause a… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The joys of cutting firewood

THERE ARE FEW outdoor recreational activities I enjoy more than cutting firewood. Maybe it is the roar of the saw, the heady mix of exhaust… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The fish duck blues

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE spending the night along one of our rivers where it is still possible to experience one of the rarest things on Earth:… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Remembering D-Day

JUNE 6 MIGHT not mean much to people these days. Maybe it’s one day closer to a summer vacation or time to mow the lawn.… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Summer driving guide: You were warned

IN LAST WEEK’S episode of the Olympic Peninsula summer driving guide, we embarked on a westward journey down U.S. Highway 101 across the Elwha River… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Olympic Peninsula summer driving guide

IT’S TIME ONCE again for the Olympic Peninsula summer driving guide. With the approach of the three-day Memorial Day weekend, we are about to face… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The funding crisis

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news. The Peninsula Daily News outdoors column last Friday, “WDFW facing severe shortfall,” from Jerry Cornfield of The… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The spud and I

THERE ARE FEW things more enjoyable to a gardener that planting potatoes. They are easy to plant. In fact, you can often just replant the… Continue reading