Our journey continues and we left the west-side of the Canal and drove over the Hood Canal floating bridge. Our next stop was a tour at the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe. We met with Jennifer and her daughter Dawn who are both native, but Dawn's generation has had the opportunity to get immersed in their culture and learn their native language, songs, etc. They both shared with us a bit about the PG S'Klallam culture, history, language, this year's canoe journey, and we were fortunate to get a tour of their longhouse and cultural center.
As we drove through Seabeck, we waved to Brandon's house as we passed by.
After lunch we set up camp along the Dewatto River and searched the freshwater stream for streambugs such as caddisflies, stoneflies and mayflies.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent kayaking Dewatto Bay which feeds into Hood Canal. The tide was out when we started and coming back in as we paddled. We had an AquaScope that let us see more clearly what was under the water's surface and we saw some small fish swimming in the eelgrass. We passed by the blue heron rookery and also saw a few eagles throughout the day. We made our way up the Dewatto River until a log jam prevented us from going further, but it also made a really nice swim hole that we played around in for awhile. I think this was a hottest day of the year, so we were greatful to be out in the woods and swimming in the refreshing waters! Logan tipped Georgette's kayak over, Katie found a ton of feathers, and Miles lost a shoe in the mud - but Tommy was able to find it. Everyone had a pretty fun time.
In the evening we roasted hot dogs over the fire and then Allie picked a bunch of blackberries which we used to make pies (with the pie irons) over the fire.
Conner and Raven worked on composing some songs and others stopped by to contribute. Several people worked on their necklace pouches made of felted alpaca fiber before the sun went down.
That night everyone slept outside under the stars along the Dewatto River.
