I think the totem pole was located at the head of the beach. No doubt removed long ago since no one has seen it.
Cascadetraverser: my parents would probably have stopped taking us there if they saw nude people strolling about so good thing the beach was totally deserted
Thanks for the great TR! I too was lucky enough to spend some time at ShiShi in 1970-71. As high school kids we brought our girlfriends for the weekend. I had the brilliant idea to tell everyone that ShiShi was a nude beach, and then so it was till Sunday night. The " road", originally constructed during WW II, was built to bring in men and materials for concrete bunkers on the bluffs. One remains at Portage Head. I camped inside once. The road had devolved into a narrow muddy track with frequent swamp sections. My MG sports car finally high centered in a giant mudhole about where the present day Park boundary sign is. We packed in our beer, steaks and eggs and set up camp at Petroleum Creek, near the Arches. At that time several small rustic cabins could be found in the trees near the creek. Each couple selected one. Of note was a large life sized chainsaw carving of a Sasquatch at the creek. Very cool.
I had brought a wetsuit for bodysurfing the big waves and was able to stay in the water until exhausted. We built a large fire that burned all weekend. Our 48 hours of Eden ended way too soon and sunburned and exhausted we returned to our " normal" lives in Edmonds.
The next year we returned to find a large cargo ship (300'?) broken in half against the rocks in the small cove at the north end of the beach. Oil had covered the beach and tidepools. The ship had broken its towline during a winter storm and became yet another victim of the Graveyard of the Pacific. Shi Shi beach is one of the most sublime places I have experienced. The Makah Cultural Center and Museum in Neah Bay is a must see to appreciate the First People here. Many artifacts from the famous archaeological dig at Ozette (15 miles south of ShiShi) are on display.
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