POINT GRENVILLE.
The modes of amusement are numerous. Wading and bathing in the surf or burrowing in the warm sands; hunting for shells, agates, and Indian relics; rowing, and trolling for salmon; or searching for the rare floral specimens abounding in the neighboring woods occupy the time of many. Others enjoy visiting the canneries, observing the motor races, or watching the sailing vessels, with canvas inflated, gliding quietly into the harbor or, heavily laden, being dragged out across the bar by some fretful yet powerful tug boat. Then there are the clam bakes and, at the end of the day, the big bonfires, the beach parties and the story telling, after which one is lulled into sweet slumber by the unceasing roar of the ocean surf.
So fascinating is this region that its extensive ocean beach will undoubtedly in time be ornate with one continuous array of summer resorts reaching from Ilwaco on Baker's Bay, at the mouth of the Columbia, to Neah Bay at the entrance to the Straits, and interrupted only by the narrow gaps marking the entrances to the two harbors. Every manner of dwelling is provided for those who wish to stay several weeks. Cottages may be rented, camping sites engaged, or board obtained at one of the homelike hotels looking out upon the sea.
GRAYS HARBOR.
To reach Grays Harbor, unless approaching from the ocean, means a trip through the wide fertile valley of the Chehalis river, either by auto or over one of the three transcontinental railroads that serve it. The entire journey presents a panorama of pretty landscapes. The stream itself is conspicuous, tracing the valley's boundary on one side and again on the other, as if choosing the most convenient course to the sea. Sometimes it disappears from view, but its presence is still marked by clumps of willows and cottonwoods protecting its banks, and again by some rustic bridge where the highway crosses.
SCENE ON LOWER GRAYS HARBOR.
More generously the beauties unfold as the valley widens and the harbor is neared. Quaint towns are seen, including Oakville, noted for large shipments of cascara bark; Elma, an industrial center; and Montesano, the county seat and head of river navigation. Green meadows, wooded slopes, and cultivated farms on both sides of the river absorb the attention until Cosmopolis, Aberdeen, and Hoquiam, close by the harbor, are reached. These cities have experienced a remarkable growth within the past fourteen years. Aberdeen and Hoquiam have now a combined population of 29,000 in place of 6,355, the census returns of 1900. Thoroughly cosmopolitan, they contain the homes of some of the wealthiest men in the state.
