The end of the road

At the place where the Quinault River empties into the sea, there is a town named Taholah. It is the Tribal HQ for the Quinault Nation and, in any practical sense of the words, "the end of the road." According to http://www.city-data.com/, the population of 470 men and 405 women are overwhelmingly Native American (94.2%), and make less money than the Washington average (Taholah - $30,645 / Washington - $55,591). There are other statistics, but they don't really tell the whole story.

It has been many years since I've been to Taholah. I went there on Labor Day once to go kayak surfing. I remember the waves at Point Grenville wrapping around the top of the bay and gliding toward shore, miles it seemed, before they started to break in regular-interval, perfectly formed barrels. I remember catching a paltry half-dozen waves that day, but they were so good, and the rides so long, that it remains one of my favorite Northwest kayak surfing experiences. I am not sure why I haven't gone back.

At some point during the day, I went the extra couple of miles into town. It's a small place, and it felt just like you might expect a rez town at the end of the road to feel. La Push and Neah Bay have similar vibes (although Hollywood has been making some inroads in La Push of late). Rusted cars and double-wide trailers, a general sense of unemployment and dogs. Lots of dogs. This was before the Indians figured out that in gambling, it is best to be the House. I am sure there have been changes.

All is not, however, rust and rot. There is great beauty there as well. The black river flowing quickly past and mixing with the nearby ocean waves. The deep, corrugated green of the northern hills and the simmering yellows of the riverside grasses. Natural beauty and wild spaces are hard to find, but when you are in Taholah, you are there. And that is worth something that would be difficult to quantify using internet stats... but by my calculations, the 875 residents of Taholah are millionaires.