Puget Sound reaches south with gnarled and twisted fingers toward Olympia, the capital of Washington. One of these fingers, Eld inlet, reaches further south than any of the other bays and inlets of the Sound. Eagles can often be seen perched in the Douglas firs along the shoreline. Gravity defying madronas provide perches for shorebirds as they stretch their smooth red trunks and twisted leafy branches out over the water. To the south the forest covered Black Hills rise up into the clouds and send their streams flowing into the tip of the inlet. The waters here are rich with the nutrients oysters and clams love. And unlike our northern farms, the conditions are mild. Our Maple Point oysters and geoduck grow very quickly here indeed!