Olympic Paradise 137 Pierson Road Sequim, WA 98382 360-683-1264

Carving Shop When is an RV park not just an RV park? When Renaissance man Don Dykema is the proprietor. A gentleman of many talents, Dykema opened the Olympic Paradise Park in 1998. Though little more than a barren pasture when he bought it 15 years ago, Dykema's property now also hosts in addition to the Park, a nature path and an aquatic wetland for geese, frogs, and a multitude of other pond-loving creatures. Though it provides the usual services, this is not what you would call a generic RV park. Dykema describes his commons: "It's relaxed, with real openness at each site. We don't line people up like a parking lot here." The park offers 10 spacious full-hook-up RV sites, each having a vista of the pond and easy access to the nature trail. Scattered about the property are Dykema's own mounted woodcarvings. After a career in forestry, it's a natural continuation for Dykema to carry on working with wood. An experienced artisan, he has carved animals and other wooded creations for over 15 years. In addition to running his park and practicing his craft, he even finds time to head-up Sequim's chainsaw carving contest; the annual event takes place in the Sequim Safeway's parking lot on Mother's Day. He often works with a friend he met at a wood carving competition years ago, Alexandre Safanov. A gifted carver and sculptor, Safanov is a winner of the Westport Chainsaw Carving Competition, and is known for his carvings of large-scale religious icons in the greater Puget Sound area. Together the craftsmen create order from chaos using a variety of mediums, including sanders, grinders, chisels and chainsaws. Olympic Paradise Park is located in Carlsborg, just off of Highway 101 on Pierson Road, just west of Sequim. Learn more about these photos and view larger pictures by clicking on the images below.