Tag: Washington

A stress-free guide to camping at Olympic National Park

Unwind and enjoy yourself.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already well aware of how gorgeous Washington’s beloved Olympic National Park is. This destination has a lot to offer, from magical views of the Hoh Rain Forest to outstanding wildlife spotting opportunities. For adventurous travelers who enjoy the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant greenery and dramatic shores, this park is one of the most alluring spots for a weekend getaway. Start sorting out your trip to the park with this simple guide to Olympic National Park camping spots. Below, you’ll find info on three of the park’s most popular campgrounds, plus three hidden gems that provide visitors with a more relaxed experience.

A blue tent set up in an Olympic National Park camping area.
Photo by Jason Pratt

Olympic National Park camping options

Currently, Olympic National Park’s camping page features 15 campgrounds. Don’t worry, we’re not going to just list all of them here. Instead, we’ll focus on some of the park’s best campsites and what they have to offer guests. While securing a spot at these campgrounds can get competitive (especially in the summer), the incredible sights you’ll see there make them worth the struggle.

Three of the park’s best camping spots are: Kalaloch Campground, Hoh Rain Forest Campground, and Sol Duc Hot Springs RV Park & Campground. While the Kalaloch and Hoh Rain Forest campsites are open year-round, Sol Duc Hot Springs is only open from March to November this year. All three are popular for their gorgeous scenery, and snagging a reservation can be tricky. If you can’t manage to book a spot when planning your trip, keep an eye on the reservation website as your travel dates approach. Last-minute cancellations could be your ticket to scoring one of these coveted campsites.

Greenery surrounding a sign at Hoh Rain Forest Campground in Olympic National Park.
Photo by NPS

Willing to branch out and try some different camping spots? Try South Beach Campground, Fairholme Campground, or Graves Creek Campground. This year, South Beach Campground is open from May to October and operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Fairholme Campground is open from April to September, with reservations required from late May to September. Graves Creek Campground, within the Quinault Rain Forest, is open year-round on a first-come, first-served basis.

Except for Graves Creek Campground, all of the above Olympic National Park camping spots feature RV camping sites. All campgrounds also welcome leashed pets.

A developed area overlooking a river at Hoh Rain Forest Campground in Olympic National Park.
Photo by NPS

Dennis Allen shoots down report about Saints’ Michael Penix Jr. trade talks

Dennis Allen shot down a report about Saints’ Michael Penix Jr. trade talks: ‘It was never discussed that we would move up for a quarterback’

The Atlanta Falcons put themselves in the middle of controversy to kick off the 2024 NFL draft by picking Michael Penix Jr. just one month after they signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a landmark free agent contract — and New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen wants it known that’s a landmine his team wasn’t about to step on.

Dueling reports have said the Saints were among teams looking to trade up into the top 10 picks, targeting Penix, while local outlets have said those conversations never happened. When asked whether they had explored that trade, as had been reported, Allen responded with a flat “No.”

“It was never discussed that we would move up for a quarterback,” Allen continued. “I think any time there’s a quarterback that you think has a chance to be your future quarterback, it’s always something that you’re going to consider. I had heard that report, it was brought to my attention (Thursday) night, but there was zero effort on our part to move up for a quarterback. There’s always discussions about trading up or trading back, but none of those were in an attempt to get a quarterback.”

Allen acknowledged that the quarterback is the most important position on the field, though he noted that the team is happy with the quarterbacks that they have. They didn’t feel a compulsion to chase another quarterback early in this draft, and they didn’t discuss any of this year’s prospects with the 14th pick. It’ll be Derek Carr starting with Jake Haener fighting off Nathan Peterman and Kellen Mond behind him this summer.

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Steelers select OL Troy Fautanu with No. 20 overall pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Steelers land the best interior offensive lineman in the draft.

The Pittsburgh Steelers needed help at offensive tackle and at center, and with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, they got a guy who could do either: offensive lineman Troy Fautanu of Washington.

In Fautanu, the Steelers get one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the entire draft. A massive offensive tackle at Washington and former Pac-12 offensive lineman of the year, he has the skill set to play anywhere on the line.

Adding Fautanu is perfect for the Steelers as he could start at right tackle and allow Broderick Jones to move to the left side but could also slide inside and start at center. He’s got tremendous length and is going to make a lot of Pro Bowls in the NFL.

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Former Oakland Raider hired as California high school football coach

Former Oakland Raider and University of Washington running back Napoleon Kaufman was announced as the Dublin High School head coach.

The legend of Napoleon Kaufman continues as the former California prep star, University of Washington standout, and Oakland Raiders running back has been hired as head coach of the Dublin High School football team in California.

He will replace Brandon Black, who became head coach of Granada High School (Livermore, Calif.) earlier this month.

Kaupman has a track record of high school dominance. As a teenager, he broke 1,000 rushing yards as a sophomore, got 2,953 all-purpose yards and 39 touchdowns as a junior, and as a senior, rushed for 1,960 yards and 34 touchdowns despite injuries as he led Lompoc High School to a CIF state championship, according to the Dublin Gaels website. The USA TODAY First Team All-American was also a track star, winning CIF titles in the 100- and 200-meter races.

At Washington from 1991-94, he became the lead back as a sophomore, breaking 1,000 yards in each of his final three seasons and averaging 1,345 rushing yards and 23.5 rushing touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons, still standing as one of just three Huskies running backs to rush for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. Kaufman was a first-round draft pick by the Raiders, where he spent six seasons and rushed for about 4,800 yards.

According to the Gaels site, Kaufman coached his sons in the Pleasanton Junior Football League for almost a decade and then became their head coach at Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) in 2014. He spent six years as head coach of the program, winning a championship in 2016 and recording a record of 51-25 overall during his tenure.

According to the Mercury News, Kaufman has been a pastor at a nearby church for the Last Four Years.

Now he’s back on the sideline, taking over for the Dublin team that went 25-21 over five years with Black as the head coach. After going 6-4 in 2022, the Gaels went 5-5 in 2023.

More: Sundays take on new significance for former Raiders RB Napoleon Kaufman

Saints pick a couple of Washington Huskies in this 2024 mock draft

The Saints picked a couple of Washington Huskies college teammates in this 2024 mock draft, addressing two of their top needs:

We’ll start with the bad news: it’s tough to glean much from a four-round mock draft when the New Orleans Saints only own two picks. Out of the first 135 selections in the 2024 draft, just two belong to the black and gold (at Nos. 14 and 45). A series of trades by general manager Mickey Loomis has cost the team a lot of draft capital, and they don’t have much to show for it.

Now let’s focus on the good news. The Saints can still come away with two impactful players with these two picks. That’s what happened in this four-round mock draft from Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy. And each player happened to come from the same school: the Washington Huskies.

In the first round, at No. 14, Popejoy has the Saints picking Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu. Popejoy alluded to Fautanu’s versatility, writing: “We love Troy Fautanu’s ability to play any spot on the offensive line.”

While he put up dominant tape at left tackle for Washington and excelled in the same outside zone-heavy running game that Klint Kubiak is installing with the Saints, some analysts feel his talents would be best employed at guard. If there’s any hope of Trevor Penning winning the starting job at left tackle, drafting a versatile blocker like Fautanu would allow the Saints to field their five best linemen.

What about the second round of this projection? Popejoy went back to Washington and picked wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk for the Saints at No. 45. He isn’t as big as other wideouts in this class but he plays bigger than his frame (6-foot-1, 203 pounds with 32-inch arms) and wins on a lot of contested catches. He can make some nice moves with the ball in his hands, too. He’d provide a nice counterpunch to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed while leaving room for someone like A.T. Perry to carve out a niche in the offense.

It’s uncommon to see teams pick college teammates in the same draft class like this. Since the team was founded in 1967, the Saints have done it 31 times, and six times during Mickey Loomis’ run as general manager. So it’s more likely than you’d think.

What about the rest of this mock draft? The Saints don’t have any picks in the third or fourth rounds, but a trade or two is a very real possibility. They own four selections in the fifth round and two in the sixth, and New Orleans should definitely be seen as a team that could package some of those picks together to move up into an earlier frame.

If talented prospects slide down a bit, as happened in this mock draft with Western Michigan defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland (who fell to No. 76), western Kentucky slot receiver Malachi Corley (No. 85), Boston College left guard Christian Mahogany (No. 92), LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith (No. 108), or Texas right tackle Christian Jones (No. 119), fans shouldn’t be shocked if Loomis cuts a deal to go get them.

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Breaking down picks for Chargers in The Draft Network’s 4-round mock draft

The Chargers kick off the draft by selecting Rome Odunze.

As the 2024 NFL draft inches closer, The Draft Network’s Damian Parson released his latest four-round projections.

To kick things off, the Chargers stand pat at No. 5 overall after the Cardinals select wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and take WR Rome Odunze.

At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, Odunze is a talented receiver with great size, good route running and savvy, strong hands and contested catch ability.

Odunze set a school record this past season with 1,640 receiving yards, the most in the NCAA. His 92 receptions were just two shy of a single-season program record, and he was named a first-team all-American.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh has already had a good look at Odunze when Washington faced Michigan in the National Championship game. Odunze finished with five catches for 87 yards.

In Round 2, Los Angeles beefs up the offensive line with the selection of Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton.

Guyton is a raw player at the position, having only started playing tackle in college after being a defensive end. However, he is a great athlete with the physical ability to mold into a good NFL starter.

Guyton could sit behind Trey Pipkins and continue to develop his game before taking over at right tackle.

In Round 3, the Bolts get a familiar face for Harbaugh by picking running back Blake Corum.

After signing Gus Edwards, Los Angeles is still building their backfield, and they see Corum as a complement.

Corum was productive for the Wolverines this past season, rushing for 1,245 yards and a program-record 27 touchdowns en route to the school’s national title. He finished his collegiate career with a whopping 58 rushing scores.

Corum isn’t the youngest player—he will be 24 this upcoming season—but he has already put in plenty of mileage. He has the patience, vision, and quickness to be an effective back in the NFL.

With their first selection in Round 4, L.A. addresses the secondary with cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett. Pritchett is well-built for the position, with the speed and foot quickness to stay in phase with receivers and the versatility to play inside/outside and in different coverages.

Five picks later, Harbaugh takes another Michigan player in wide receiver Cornelius Johnson. Johnson is a big-bodied deep threat with raw athleticism and good playmaking ability to make contested catches. He is also physical in the run-blocking department.

Saints have more Washington 2020 draft picks than the Commanders do

There are more players from Washington’s 2020 draft class in New Orleans than on the Commanders’ roster. But they outnumber the Saints’ own 2020 draft picks, too:

Don’t look now, but the New Orleans Saints have rostered more players from the Washington Commanders’ 2020 draft class than Washington themselves. There isn’t a single player that the Commanders picked in 2020 remaining in Washington. Two of them landed with the Saints this offseason: defensive end Chase Young (a first-round pick) and linebacker Khaleke Kudson (a fifth rounder). The Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Matthew Paras, a former Washington beat writer, first shared this observation.

But here’s the twist. There are more players from Washington’s 2020 draft class now suiting up for the Saints than New Orleans’ own 2020 draft haul. The Saints went into the 2020 draft talking up a quality-over-quantity approach, trading up three times and coming away with just four players: right guard Cesar Ruiz, linebacker Zack Baun, tight end Adam Trautman, and quarterback-turned-tight end Tommy Stevens.

That plan blew up in their face. The Saints cut Stevens early in the season after initially stashing him on their practice squad. They traded Trautman during the 2023 draft (to the Denver Broncos, reuniting him with Sean Payton). Baun left in free agency last month to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. The only player remaining from that four-man band is Ruiz, who signed a contract extension last September.

So the Saints have two players from Washington’s 2020 draft class and just one of their own. That’s not the best of resources by either team. Regime change has already come for the Commanders (plus a change in ownership), and it might be on the way for New Orleans if the Saints miss the playoffs for the fourth year in a row and the third season with Dennis Allen as head coach. Hopefully they can turn things around, one way or another.

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New Orleans Saints sign another free agent linebacker

NFL Network reports the New Orleans Saints signed another free agent linebacker, adding Khaleke Hudson from the Washington Commanders:

Here’s more help at linebacker. The New Orleans Saints are signing free agent Khaleke Hudson from the Washington Commanders, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who says it’s a one-year deal. Hudson played a lot of snaps on both defense (405) and special teams (344) last season, and he’s looking to build on that growth in 2024. He had 74 tackles in 2023.

A former fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft out of Michigan, Hudson is stepping into a good situation to compete. The Saints lost Zack Baun in free agency and have not re-signed special teams aces like Andrew Dowell, Ryan Connelly, or Ty Summers. Another one of their top backups, Nephi Sewell, isn’t expected to be ready in time for training camp after suffering a late-season ACL tear. Hudson has a good shot at making the team.

So the Saints will have Demario Davis starting at one spot and Pete Werner competing with Willie Gay next to him. Hudson enters the mix with Sewell, D’Marco Jackson, Anfernee Orji, and Monty Rice to round out the depth chart. Last year five linebackers made the 53-man roster and four more were kept on the practice squad, so we should expect more additions in the months ahead.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell optimistic about a Commanders stadium in Washington

Roger Goodell hopeful for a new Commanders stadium in Washington, D.C.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell grew up in Washington, D.C., as a fan of the Washington Redskins, attending games at the legendary RFK Stadium.

Since taking over the franchise, new owner Josh Harris has been looking for the home of his team’s next stadium. The old RFK Stadium site, in addition to sites in Maryland and Virginia, is in the running.

Last month, House lawmakers passed a bill to allow D.C. to use the RFK Stadium site for a potential new home for the Commanders. The passing of that bill is only the first step for a potential return to the District for the NFL franchise; the bill goes to the Senate next.

However, everyone is optimistic that Washington and the Commanders can find common ground, including Goodell.

“Well, I’ve talked to (D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser) several times going back, I think, two years, about allowing D.C. to have the ability to have a long-term lease,” Goodell said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

“As you probably know, I grew up in Washington, D.C. I spent a lot of time at the old RFK Stadium. It’s something that I think Josh and the Commanders want to evaluate. I think the city wants to evaluate (it), and I think the NFL does. So, I see it as a very positive development that we can have another alternative that will allow us to get the kind of stadium in our nation’s capital that is warranted, in my view.”

The Commanders’ chances of landing a new stadium deal increased exponentially when Harris and his ownership group purchased the franchise from Daniel Snyder last year. Under Snyder, Washington had no hope of striking a deal anywhere for a new stadium.

Speaking of Snyder, do you think Goodell was happy not to discuss Washington’s former owner this year at the NFL meetings?

What WR guru said about Bills signing of Curtis Samuel

What WR guru said about #Bills signing of Curtis Samuel:

Count Yahoo football analyst Matt Harmon as one of the most excited enthusiasts of the Bills signing free agent WR Curtis Samuel.

During a podcast with Dalton Del Don, the duo capped the end of their airtime with the announcement.

“Final piece of news, as we are taping this,” Harmon proclaimed. “The biggest news, the biggest signing in the NFL has happened. Because, according to Adam Schefter as we were taping this, former Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel is signing a three-year, $24 million deal with the Buffalo Bills.”

Harmon created the Reception Perception methodology of evaluation which charts a receiver’s performance on every route run during a multi-game sample to map an understanding of how they perform beyond box score and independent of the influence of outside factors in a variety of ways. 

That evaluation includes…

  • How good of a route-runner is this receiver and on which patterns does he create the most separation?
  • Where does this receiver “win” on the field and what are his best attributes?
  • Where are they best deployed?
  • What quarterback of offense would they best gel with?
  • What kind of coverage foils this wideout and is there a role he best fits in?
  • Is this receiver capable of excelling or breakout if tasked with a greater target workload?

That the creator of such a deep-dive analytic method of evaluation has been and is bullish on Samuel in his career as a pro receiver is certainly positive. That he is authentically so excited at the Bills signing him may also be a good sign.

“I mean, I’m alive. I’m alive, bro. I’m alive. This is awesome. I’m completely thrilled,” Harmon expressed when asked for an immediate reaction during the podcast.

He and Del Don even went as far as to comment on their belief that the Bills got better at the receiver position, stating that Samuel was a clear upgrade.

“This is awesome. What an upgrade over Gabe Davis! You get Curtis Samuel out there? That is really interesting to me.”

He echoed the same sentiment that multiple media analysts have noted that the Samuel signing does not preclude Buffalo from adding a receiver in the draft to replace Davis’s deep-threat abilities while noting Samuel had his best season under Bills OC Joe Brady when he was in Carolina.

“Oh baby, I mean… Curtis Samuel had his best season in the NFL in Joe Brady’s offense. In 2020, he had 1,000 total yards. Over 800 receiving yards. Over 200 rushing yards. He was awesome. I think that he can be used in more true receiver ways and I think he can probably be deployed more as a flanker… I love this signing for the Bills. I love this signing for my guy, Curtis Samuel. I mean, this is absolutely electric. What a time. What a freaking time to be alive.”

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