Hood Canal Shellfish Event A Time To Dig In

The Washington State Parks Department will stage the third annual Shellfish Shindig on Hood Canal April 25-26.

The event will be at two state parks - Dosewallips and Potlatch - and include informal lessons on how to dig for clams, shuck oysters and prepare shellfish for dinner. The beach walks are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at both parks. At 7 each evening at Dosewallips, the rangers will give a campfire presentation on shellfish.

Participants will need a small hand rake or trowel for digging, an oyster knife, a shellfish harvest license and appropriate clothing, including rubber boots.

Campsites at Dosewallips and Potlatch are first come, first served. Visitors can rent a new wall tent at Dosewallips. The tents are nestled in a maple forest and cost $35 a night for four people. Call (800) 452-5687 for reservations. RV utility hookups are also available.

Dosewallips is one mile south of Brinnon on U.S. Route 101. The 425-acre park has 128 campsites. Potlatch State Park is 12 miles north of Shelton on U.S. Route 101 and has 35 campsites.

For more information on the Shellfish Shindig, call (360) 902-8500.

Coincidentally, the annual shorebird migration at Bowerman Basin near Gray’s Harbor, Wash., will also be in progress at that time.

During the last week of April, more than a quarter of a million shorebirds stop to feed in the tidal flats of Bowerman Basin, the last stop for the birds en route to the Arctic tundra to breed.

The best access to view the shorebirds is adjacent to the airport at Gray’s Harbor. Call ahead for information about the tides, since the birds are best seen at high tide, when the water pushes them into a smaller portion of the bay.

For more information about the shorebird migration, call the Aberdeen/Gray’s Harbor Visitor and Convention Bureau at (360) 532-1924.

Deal combines Seattle, island

If anyone needs an excuse to go to Seattle, there’s the new Sample Seattle package. The package includes two night’s lodging at the Inn at Harbor Steps, dinner at the new Wolfgang Puck Cafe and two passes to the Seattle Art Museum or the Space Needle.

The package also includes ferry transportation to Whidbey Island, where guests stay one night at the Saratoga Inn and dine at Cafe Langley or Star Bistro.

The package includes full gourmet breakfasts each day, and afternoon hors d’oeuvres.

The Inn at Harbor Steps is across the street from the Seattle Art Museum. Amenities include in-room fireplaces, Jacuzzi, sauna and lap pool.

At the Saratoga Inn, guests have complimentary use of the inn’s bicycles.

The package is $450 per couple and is available through May 31. For details about Sample Seattle, call the Inn at Harbor Steps, (888) 728-8910.

Here’s how to save money

Arthur Frommer, the granddaddy of budget travel, has launched a magazine devoted to seeing the world without spending a fortune. Budget Travel, a quarterly magazine, vows to provide practical advice for people who aren’t able - or willing - to spend $450 a night for a hotel room.

Frommer, who helped open up overseas travel in 1956 with his trend-setting book, “Europe on $5 a Day,” takes a swipe at glossy travel magazines and television shows. He says they promote expensive trips and experiences that 90 percent of the public can’t afford.

The first issue of his magazine offers 40 bargain vacation ideas, 10 Caribbean resort deals, and a list of inexpensive weight-reducing spas. Articles discuss experiencing “Las Vegas on almost $0 a day,” and examine how three families each visited Orlando, Fla., for less than $2,500. Another section called “The Cheapest Places on Earth” premieres with two favorites: Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Turkey.

The magazine does come at a price, $3.95 an issue or $14.95 for a year’s subscription. It should be available on newsstands. Subscriptions: (800) 829-9121.

The Dallas Morning News

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