The storms clear tomorrow and Saturday is looking like 63 and dry. If you've been waiting for a reason to drive Hood Canal, this is it.

This issue: we drove out to Hama Hama Oyster Saloon so you know exactly what to order when you get there. Six generations of one family, five varieties of oyster, one scenic highway, and a chipotle-bourbon butter that'll ruin you for any other grilled oyster. The full breakdown is below.

The Rundown

Oyster Rama Returns After Six Years

Hama Hama's annual spring festival is back this Saturday and Sunday for the first time since 2019. Beach harvest, a shucking competition they're calling the "Shuckathalon," live music from Grace Love and Acapulco Lips, and local food and drink vendors. $45/day, under 16 free. U-Pick Pass ($85) gets you three dozen oysters and three pounds of clams to take home. This is two days away. hamahamaoysters.com

Char Kitchen opened in Bremerton's Marina Square with a fire-focused menu, a rotating whiskey shelf you activate with a button, and a waterfront patio. Think tomahawk steaks and smoked old fashioneds. Meanwhile, Sauce Nouvelle Bistro landed in Poulsbo (second location, first is on Bainbridge) with French-Mediterranean cooking and a chef who uses sous vide and fermentation like other people use salt. Open Wed-Sat.

Three Orcas Have Moved Into the Neighborhood

A pod nicknamed "The Cookies" (for their cookie-cutter shark scars) has been cruising Kitsap shorelines since late March. Spotted at Fort Ward, Fay Bainbridge, Indianola, Suquamish, and Manchester. A Bainbridge rower accidentally got within 10 yards during a practice row from Eagle Harbor, and the video went everywhere. Track sightings at orcanetwork.org.

Menu Decoder: Hama Hama Oyster Saloon

35846 US-101, Lilliwaup  ·  Fri-Sun 11am-4pm (winter)  ·  Reservations via Tock  ·  $$$

The Hama Hama Company has been on this stretch of Hood Canal since the 1890s, when Daniel Miller Robbins bought timberland along the water. His descendants pivoted from timber to shellfish. Now the sixth generation farms oysters, grows kelp, raises cattle, and runs a restaurant where you eat what they pulled from the water that morning. There is no indoor seating. There are A-frame picnic shelters with heaters, fire pits, blankets, and a view of the Olympic Mountains across the canal. The bathrooms are clean (not the porta-potty situation you might expect), and the massive oyster shell midden out back is worth a walk after you eat.

The chef, Dillon Pennell, did time at Michelin-starred Birdsong in San Francisco and cooked with World Central Kitchen in Haiti and on the Ukraine-Poland border before ending up here. That background shows. The food is simple, but it's the kind of simple that only works when you know exactly what you're doing.

How it works:

A $75 reservation (booked on Tock, released Mondays at 9am) gets your group a private A-frame table with a heater and self-serve water, a dozen raw oysters on the half-shell, and a dozen roasted. Additional food and drinks are a la carte. Walk-ins exist, but expect 90-minute waits in peak season. April is off-peak, so your odds are better.

What to order:

The raw dozen. Five varieties rotate. Spring oysters run sweeter. Take your time.

Chipotle-bourbon grilled oysters. Spicy heat, brown-sugar sweetness.

Smoked salmon brandade ($17). Warm, smoky dip with bread. Don't skip it.

The seafood chowder ($11). Warming, well-made, available gluten-free. The right move for an April afternoon on Hood Canal when the wind picks up.

Skip:

The grilled cheese and the fried oyster basket ($19). The grilled cheese is fine but forgettable. The fried oysters are decent but you didn't drive an hour on 101 to eat something you can get anywhere. Get more raw or grilled oysters instead.

The drive:

About 75 minutes from Poulsbo via the Hood Canal Bridge. US-101 south along the canal is a two-lane highway between evergreen forest and saltwater fjord with Olympic Mountain views. It's one of the best drives on the peninsula. If you're going on a weekday through April 24, note the Hood Canal Bridge is closing twice daily (10am and 1:30pm) for inspections. Weekends are unaffected. Bridge-averse? Take SR 3 south to Belfair, then SR 106 west along the south shore. Slightly longer, no bridge.

Pro tip: You may not need a reservation. We watched a big group walk in at 11am sharp on a Friday and get seated immediately. In spring, walk-ins at opening seem totally doable. Summer is a different story. The Farm Store is open daily if the Saloon is closed. Budget $130-150 total for two people.

Make a day of it: Morning hike at Lena Lake or Staircase Rapids in Olympic National Park, lunch at the Saloon, afternoon at Lake Cushman or Dosewallips State Park. If you're passing through Brinnon, stop at Whitney Gardens & Nursery. It's amazing.

If you want something quieter, Lilliwaup Falls is a short trail through mossy forest. The Seattle Times called this drive "one of Seattle's very best day trips." They're not wrong.

On the Calendar

Hama Hama Oyster Rama  |  April 18-19

Hama Hama Oyster Saloon, Lilliwaup  ·  12-6pm  ·  $45/day, under 16 free  ·  hamahamaoysters.com

Back after a six-year pandemic hiatus. Beach harvest, live music, shucking competition, and the U-Pick Pass ($85) lets you take home three dozen oysters and three pounds of clams. Read our Menu Decoder above, then go.

Bremerton Marathon, Half & 10K  |  April 18

Evergreen Rotary Park, Bremerton  ·  7am  ·  $75-95  ·  kitsaprunner.com

Fifth year. The course loops Dyes Inlet through Manette, Illahee, Brownsville, and Silverdale. New 10K option for 2026. Hilly, scenic, and if Saturday's forecast holds, views of Rainier.

Poulsbo Earth Day at Fish Park  |  April 18

Fish Park, Poulsbo  ·  10am-2pm  ·  Free

Third annual. Community partners, environmental orgs, and a good excuse to finally walk the Fish Park trails if you've been saying you would.

Jaimee Harris  |  April 18

Port Gamble Theater  ·  Social hour 6pm, show 7pm  ·  Pay-what-you-can

Nashville Americana in an 1870s theater in Port Gamble. Pay-what-you-can pricing means there's genuinely no reason not to go.

Earth Day / Discovery Pass Free Day  |  April 22

All Washington State Parks  ·  All day  ·  Free

No Discover Pass required. Hit Manchester, Fay Bainbridge, or Scenic Beach without the guilt of not having the pass.

Port Townsend Victorian Heritage Festival  |  April 24-26

Downtown & Uptown Port Townsend  ·  Various times  ·  Free to $20  ·  porttownsendvictorianfestival.org

30th annual, celebrating the city's 175th birthday. Clocktower tours, walking tours, Victorian fashion show, and a contra dance. The town was built for this.

Bloedel Reserve Earth Day Celebration  |  April 27

Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island  ·  10am-2pm  ·  Timed-entry admission  ·  bloedelreserve.org

Nature activities, lawn games, guided garden walks, and pizza from One Two Kai. Also hosting a City Nature Challenge iNaturalist walk (9am, free, pre-register) and a native plant sale.

Poulsbo Art Walk  |  April 26

Downtown Poulsbo Arts District  ·  5-8pm  ·  Free

Gallery hop through downtown. Good way to spend the last hour of daylight before dinner.

Live Music

THU 4/16  ·  Vagabond w/ Water Penny & Desolate Gateway (Seattle Grunge)  ·  The Charleston, Bremerton  ·  8pm  ·  $10

FRI 4/17  ·  Colin James, Matt Andersen & Terra Lightfoot (Canadian Roots)  ·  Admiral Theatre, Bremerton  ·  7:30pm  ·  From $34

FRI 4/17  ·  Rafael Tranquilino (Funk/Blues/Soul)  ·  Brother Don's, Bremerton  ·  7-10pm  ·  Free

FRI 4/17  ·  Flutewood Mac (Classic Rock w/ Flute)  ·  Bushel & Barrel, Poulsbo  ·  6-8pm  ·  Free

FRI 4/17  ·  Adam Thorne (Singer/Songwriter)  ·  Hood Canal Brewery, Kingston  ·  7pm  ·  Free

SAT 4/18  ·  Staxx Brothers (High Voltage Hit Machine)  ·  Treehouse Cafe, Bainbridge  ·  7pm  ·  $25

SAT 4/18  ·  Jaimee Harris (Americana/Folk)  ·  Port Gamble Theater  ·  7pm  ·  Pay-what-you-can

SAT 4/18  ·  Hippy & the Squids (Acoustic Rock)  ·  Tracyton Public House  ·  8-11pm  ·  Free

SAT 4/18  ·  Planet Groove (Soul/Funk/Rock)  ·  Brother Don's, Bremerton  ·  7-10pm  ·  Free

TUE 4/22  ·  Tish Hinojosa (Texas Folk/Country/Latino)  ·  Rainshadow Recording, Port Townsend  ·  7:30pm  ·  $25-30

THU 4/23  ·  Umami Jazz Fusion ft. Sarah Laven Jones  ·  The Roxy, Bremerton  ·  7pm  ·  $20

FRI 4/24  ·  Choro Northwest Faculty Concert (Brazilian Music)  ·  Wheeler Theater, Port Townsend  ·  7:30pm  ·  $25-40

FRI 4/24  ·  Washed in Black (Pearl Jam Tribute)  ·  Clearwater Casino, Suquamish  ·  8:30pm  ·  $15

SAT 4/25  ·  Super Diamond (Neil Diamond Tribute)  ·  Admiral Theatre, Bremerton  ·  7:30pm  ·  From $26

SAT 4/25  ·  Sub-Serious (Classic Rock)  ·  Brother Don's, Bremerton  ·  7-10pm  ·  Free

This is what we'd go to. There's more out there. Reply and tell us what we missed.

Spotted

· Three orcas nicknamed "The Cookies" have been swimming past Fort Ward, Fay Bainbridge, Indianola, and Manchester for three weeks straight. If you haven't spotted them yet, keep looking.

· Four derelict boats were hauled out of Phinney Bay last month. State paid the full $80K tab. Residents flooded the sheriff's office with thank-you notes, which is the most Kitsap thing imaginable.

· Construction equipment is moving in near Olympic College for the PERC project. Phase 1 gets us turf fields, pickleball courts, and a walking path. Completion is late 2027 if everything stays on schedule, which around here means 2028.

The Tides

Best low-tide windows for oyster and clam picking. Excellent stretch this weekend on Hood Canal.

Sat Apr 18 · 12:17pm · -2.21 ft  ·  Hood Canal (Hoodsport)

Sun Apr 19 · 12:59pm · -2.88 ft  ·  Hood Canal (Hoodsport)

Mon Apr 20 · 1:46pm · -3.02 ft  ·  Hood Canal (Hoodsport)

Tue Apr 21 · 2:36pm · -2.64 ft  ·  Hood Canal (Hoodsport)

Monday hits -3.02 ft, which is about as low as it gets. If you're heading to Hama Hama for Oyster Rama this weekend, the timing is perfect for a beach harvest.

Always check harvest status before you go: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish

Ferry Watch

Hood Canal Bridge: Twice-daily closures continue through April 24. Draw span opens at 10am and 1:30pm on weekdays, up to an hour each time. If you're driving to Hama Hama, Port Townsend, or anywhere west on a weekday, depart before 9:30am or after 11am. Weekends are clear. The Belfair/SR-106 route avoids the bridge entirely.

Kingston-Edmonds: Still bumpy. Seismic retrofit at Kingston terminal means 20-30 minute delays on the 9:40pm departure Tues-Thurs, and the SR 104 lane project near the terminal adds weekday delays. Runs through July.

Bremerton fast ferry extended through August. Extra weekday sailings funded by $2.9M from the state, partly to handle FIFA World Cup traffic this summer. More boats, same route.

Full schedules and real-time alerts: wsdot.com/ferries

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