Sequim hunting regulations are at the top of the stack for reading lately as hunters get ready for hunting season.  Duck season opens today, Friday the 10th of September, and the Olympic Peninsula is a premier hunting area in the northwest.  We’re lucky that way.  We don’t get a lot of drive through traffic and hunters from outside the area this far up the Olympic Peninsula.  The population here is small, and that means we don’t have hunters crowding each other in the mountains or out duck hunting.

Sequim Hunting Regulations

Sequim Hunting – Duck Season

Here’s a direct link to the Sequim Hunting Regulations.  Sequim is in Management Area 3, and the season for Canadian Geese opens September 10th with a daily limit of 5.  From this link you can open up the entire Sequim Hunting Regulations

The Olympic Peninsula is famous for its Salmon and Steelhead runs with King Salmon up to 50lbs and Steelhead up to 20lbs.  The Olympic Peninsula is also well known for its Roosevelt Elk with some huge racks.  If you aren’t a hunter or fisherman, bird watching and wildlife watching are pretty exciting, too.  The Strait of Juan de Fuca hosts Harbor seals, Stellar and California sea lions, porpoise, river otter, bald eagles and the occasional Orca, Minke, Gray and Humpback whale.

“Waterfowl hunting on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula is some of the best in the Pacific Flyway. This area of the Pacific Northwest hosts a wide variety of local and migratory sea ducks, bay ducks, diver ducks and puddle ducks that spend the greater part of Fall and Winter on the inland waters . . .”  This quote is from a website worth looking at:  PeninsulaSportsman.

Don’t forget to check out the Sequim Hunting Regulations for seasons and fees.

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Hurricane Ridge is a short drive from Sequim to Port Angeles and then 17 miles up into the Olympic National Park.  This is part of almost a million acres of National Park lands in the Olympics west of Seattle.  You could say this is a national treasure.  I enjoyed a hike on the trails of Hurricane Ridge this beautiful sunny Labor Day weekend, and I thought you might enjoy the photos.

Hurricane Ridge is Beautiful

Hurricane Ridge from Many Angles.

Hurricane Ridge is Very Impressive

The drive up to Hurricane Ridge is a very pleasant drive, and if you’ve ever driven up to a ski hill, then you can imagine what this drive is like, only without the snow this time of year.  There’s a lot to see, and when I first arrived at the top, I found myself just starring at the mountains and breathing in the fresh mountain air.  A lot of other people were caught in the same trance, and I saw tourists from all over the world, and almost everyone had a camera in their hands.

I strongly recommend Hurricane Ridge as one of your little tours while your here.

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The Sequim Lavender Festival is coming July 15th through July 17th, 2011.  This year we will have two Lavender Festivals.  There is the Sequim Lavender Grower’s Association, which sponsors the Sequim Lavender Festival, and there is a new association called The Sequim Lavender Farmer’s Association, which sponsors the Sequim Lavender Farmer’s Faire.

Sequim Lavender

Sequim Lavender Capital of North America

Sequim is the Lavender Capital of North America, and the festival brings thousands from outside the area, including people who fly in from all over the country.  Lavender is a serious business, and Lavender is a fun business, too.

The Sequim Lavender Festival will include Lavender Central, a downtown Sequim street fair and food court.  They also have a free self-guided tour of seven lavender farms.  The Sequim Lavender Farm Faire will have a bus tour of six more lavender farms.  They will also have an event called “Lavender in the Park,” a street fair at Carrie Blake Park.

Here is a video from last year’s Festival downtown food court.

The Sequim Lavender Farmer’s Faire is sponsored by Cedarbrook Lavender & Herb Farm, Olympic Lavender Farm, Port Williams Lavender, Purple Haze Lavender, Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm and Washington Lavender.

The Sequim Lavender Festival is sponsored by Blackberry Forest, Martha Lane Lavender, Oliver’s Lavender Farm, Nelson’s Duck Pond & Lavender Farm, Lost Mountain Lavender, Peninsula Nurseries and The Lavender Connection.

We’re expecting beautiful sunny weather in the Sequim Rain Shadow, so come and see our Sequim Lavender.

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The Sunland Golf Course in the beautiful community of Sunland in Sequim, Washington has been one of the great attractions to Sequim and especially to the avid golfers who have purchased homes in Sunland.  Over 80% of homeowners in Sunland are not members of the Sunland Golf Club, but part of the appeal of the community is the beauty that the greens add for all homeowners.  But potential buyers have been asking questions for at least a year, like “What’s going on with the Golf Course?  What about the homeowners?  Are they going to assess homeowners $300 a year to help the golf course, and is that going to increase or what?  If the golf course closes, what’s going to happen to the greens?  Who is going to mow the grass, or is it going to grow unattended, or are they going to sell the land and have lots of houses built?”

A year and a half ago I wrote about the Sunland Golf Course issues, “Facts, assumptions, and perceptions are getting entangled.  Rumors are flying about what would or could or might happen.  The elderly on limited pensions are feeling pressured to participate even though some widows have expressed their financial inability.”

This is not just a local topic of conversation.  Nationally golf courses have been hit hard by the recession, and most golfers around the country know this.  A recent article in the online Statesman shared, “The National Golf Foundation this week released its report for 2010 that tracked course openings and closings by state, region and nation. The report found 46 18-hole equivalent course openings against 107 closures for a net loss of 61 such equivalents.”

Buyers have been asking me, and I’m sure many other Sequim real estate agents, “What’s the update on the Sequim Golf Course?”  After some phone calls and emails, here’s what I’m being told by the Homeowners’ Association and homeowners:  Nothing has changed.  The Sequim Golf Course Manager, Tyler Sweet, was kind enough to share an update with me.  He said, “The proposal from Sunland Golf & CC to SLOA was dropped over a year ago. Never once did SG&CC mention bankruptcy as an option, however your website did mention it.  SG&CC has a balanced budget for the 2011 & 2012 season and looks forward to providing  both social and golfing memberships along with weekend public tee times for years to come.”

This is good news, and it would seem to me from this information that the issues of the Sunland Golf Course financial concerns (if there were any) and any concerns that homeowner assessments for non-golfers would go up to assist the Golf Course are history.  There is no evidence of a persuasive nature that prospective buyers need to be concerned about the financial health of the Sunland Golf Course.  While I have no inside knowledge of the financial health of the golf course, I take the Golf Course Manager at his word that the Club is doing well and, “looks forward to providing  both social and golfing memberships along with weekend public tee times for years to come.”

There are two things I would add to this discussion.  The first is that this whole thing has been a public relations disaster for the Sunland Golf Course and for the community of Sunland.  This is obvious I know.  Something like this can cause so many hurt feelings in the community, so much ill-will, and we all know that issues like this that affect so many people (844 Sunland residents and all the homeowners in Sunland who have had their homes for sale and the prospective buyers) develop a life of their own that can take years to slowly fade away.  The art of public relations addresses potentially difficult issues proactively, rather than let them get out of control and cause far more problems than the original concern.  Public relations involves knowing when there may be a hot issue, understanding human behavior (and when an issue may adversely affect people), understanding effective sales and marketing (presenting facts and issues with a positive perspective), and knowing how to be persuasive with humility.  Honesty is always the best policy.  We’ve all seen politicians violate these values and principles and end up resigning even though the original transgression would have been forgiven.

Unfortunately, when many keep saying, “nothing has changed,” that does nothing to allay the fears of potential buyers, and the real people who get hurt are the Sunland residents who have been trying to sell their homes.  In a real estate recession, it doesn’t take much to scare buyers away.  Any uncertainty about the future of the Sunland Golf Course can scare buyers away.  It seems to me that there still is no one on top of public relations here.  PR is an important part of promoting any community or golf club.  Neither the Club nor the homeowners’ association have taken up the obvious need for a PR campaign on this whole subject.  That’s too bad.  Perhaps I’m the only one doing that by suggesting that this whole issue is behind us.

Home sales in Sunland have dropped substantially, and only three homes in Sunland have sold in the first six months of this calendar year (2011) according to data from the Olympic Listing Service.  I would not blame this on the Golf Course issues, but buyers have raised these issues every time I’ve shown a home in Sunland, and I was not the one to bring the issue up first.  Buyers learned by talking to other people.

In my opinion this is a good time to buy a home in Sunland.  As of this writing, there are 43 homes listed for sale in Sunland and all its divisions.  You can go to this link and see all the Sunland Homes for Sale.

Here is a graphic showing how many homes have sold in Sunland each calendar year since 1998, and even though only 3 homes have sold during the first 6 months of 2011, I am projecting that 9 homes will sell this year.  One might think we should just double the 3 since we are halfway through the year, but the best selling months are ahead of us, so 9 is a realistic number.  It may go higher to 12, and that would be good, but these numbers are not a great encouragement to Sunland homeowners trying to sell in this recession.  [Click on this image to enlarge it.]

I have been telling buyers for the last year that they do not need to be concerned.  I continue to tell buyers that, and I am saying it again here.  The Sunland community continues to be one of the most beautiful little communities in the entire Sequim area on the Olympic Peninsula, and if you’re an avid golf enthusiast, you could not find a better opportunity than now to buy a home in Sunland in this incredible buyer’s market.  The golf course is gorgeous and well maintained–there’s never been a doubt about that.

You can learn more about the course at Sunland Golf Course, and you can read more about the community at Sunland Homeowners Association.  I hope this article about the Sunland Golf Course has been helpful.

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Sweat dripped off their faces. Deltoids and six packs glistened under the glare of the spotlights. From ringside the sound of heavy breathing could be heard between the lightening quick punches. The sickening slap of flesh absorbing a powerful side kick would cause an already excited crowd to moan in unison. No one dared blink . . . inside or outside the cage. Everyone understood the fight could be over in a fraction of a second, and who wanted to miss that?

No one understood that better than 6′ 1″ Bristol Marunde at SCC-1 in the cage at Ballys in Las Vegas on May 21st as he faced 6′ 6″ Chuck “The Reverend” Grigsby with an impressive 19-6-0 record and an M-1 champion. Chuck’s height and longer legs and substantially longer reach have intimidated many, and his powerful bombs have knocked out more than a few good fighters.

Bristol came into the fight with less high profile fights and a record of 12-6-0, and not known as well around the world as The Reverend, but all that would change on this night. There’s no question The Reverend entered the ring confident he would win. MMA fans around the world voted their predictions, and the odds were 88% in favor of The Reverend. Only 12% believed Bristol would win. But all those fight fans did not know what the rest of us knew–that Bristol was a fierce competitor who had been training like few fighters in the world.

Bristol had been training mind and body, and rounding out his grappling and submission skills with boxing and kicking. While Bristol is known as a master of the mat, he chose to fight The Reverend head on, face to face, and on The Reverend’s terms–stand up boxing and kicking.

The first few seconds of the first round was a surprise as The Reverend charged with a barrage of punches, and in a short but unconventional and even awkward looking combination, The Reverend missed with a left uppercut but followed up with a quick right round house and caught Bristol by surprise, knocking him back to the mat. Before The Reverend could take advantage, Bristol was on his feet in a flash and apparently 100%. There was no delay, no hesitation, and Bristol turned the situation into an offensive strategy immediately.

The Reverend must have envisioned himself winning this fight, but his vision fell apart in the first round. He underestimated Bristol’s tenacity, technical skills, and incredibly effective defenses against The Reverend’s superior reach. He also did not comprehend Bristol’s dangerous jabs and well-rounded fighting skills. The Reverend, who came into the ring looking like a muscular version of Tarzan, was simply overpowered by the shorter Bristol. Bristol man-handled The Reverend on the mat and against the cage.

But the biggest surprise for The Reverend were the lightening fast kicks that struck out at The Reverend’s legs throughout the fight. Had these kicks simply been the kicks of the average MMA fighter, The Reverend would not have worried too much, but Bristol’s kicks are some of the most powerful in the cage, bar none. The crowd winced every time Bristol’s foot slammed into a thigh or any part of a leg, and the sound traveled the length of the entire stadium. But the fans weren’t the only ones wincing.

Those devastating kicks took a serious toll on The Reverend. He almost collapsed several times. No wonder. In Bristol’s last fight with Shane Primm, Primm was heard saying to his corner after the fight ended, “I think he broke my leg.” Primm was barely able to leave the ring under his own power. The Reverend had no idea he was about to get punished in front of the whole world in the same way.

In an interview with Bristol before the fight, I asked him how he intended to win the fight. He said, “If Grigsby wants to go to the mat, I’ll beat him there. If he wants to stand up, I’ll beat him that way. I’ll beat him anyway he wants to fight. Doesn’t matter to me.” Bristol Marunde was true to his words. He beat The Reverend. Period.

Into the second round you could see The Reverend’s uncertainty. Nothing he tried was working. Bristol beat him boxing. Bristol beat him kicking. Bristol beat him against the cage. Bristol beat him on the mat. The Reverend knew he was in trouble. And he was. The fight went three full rounds, but at the end of the third round, it was clear Bristol was hardly spent. He was as spry on his feet as he was in the beginning. The judges ruled unanimously in Bristol’s favor.

The fight card was packed with great fights this night. The quick knockouts are always exciting and at the top of everyone’s favorite list, and we all love a knockout with the rumored “Steven Seagal” Crane technique. But this fight between Bristol Marunde and The Reverend had much more going on behind the scenes in their mutual histories and their technical skills than most fans realized. It may not have been as dramatic for the fans as the TKOs, but the strategies and skills that played out during this fight were textbook material. And believe me when I say that the implications of this victory will reverberate throughout the fight world for years to come. Remember that next time you see Bristol Marunde fight.

Superior Cage Combat’s first promotion was well run, and they clearly spared nothing to put on a good show. The cage was one of the best I’ve seen, and the Bally’s venue was fantastic. The fighters had everything they needed, and the fans had everything they wanted. When SCC-2 is schedule, I’ll be there.

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The Elwha River is beautiful, and is both a calm and smooth river as shown in this photo, and in other places a raging wild river.  It is one of our major rivers on the Olympic Peninsula. It comes out of the Olympic Mountains and winds its way down through two dams, which are currently getting removed to restore Salmon habitat, and then it flows into beautiful Freshwater Bay west of Port Angeles.

You can fish and boat on the Elwha River, and kayaking is a popular Elwha River activity.  If you don’t have your own kayak, you can rent one or you can take a kayak tour.

If you’re a movie buff, you might recognize the Elwha River Dam in the movie, The Hunted, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Benito del Toro, where they had an intense knife fight just below the dam. The Elwha River is definitely worth seeing.

There are some homes, but not very many, with stunning views of the Elwha River, and there are still fewer homes for sale along the Elwha River or with a view of the river.  I did recently help clients purchase a home near the mouth of the Elwha River in Freshwater Bay, but that was a rare find.

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