You know that old game, “If you were stranded on a deserted island, who would you pick to be there with you?” My answer these days would include Wheeling Nina, because I know if there is a lighthouse on the island, she would most certainly find a way to it! 😉 Continue reading
I awake early to the campground sounds, for which my tent offers little insulation. It’s not like the Winnie where I can close the windows and sleep in. It’s not yet 7:00am, and the neighbors have already started breakfast. I have no cell signal in the campground, which makes me even more restless, so I pull out my paper brochures and begin to do research for my next destination, Orcas Island. Continue reading
I am excited to arrive at Anacortes for many reasons, none the least of which is its proximity to the San Juan Islands. I have budgeted two weeks here, so I can spend the weekend island hopping. As an avid sailor, I have heard many tails of sailing the San Juans; short-distance cruising between forested islands, lots of marine life, and idyllic emerald green coves with mooring balls so you don’t have to anchor. I would give anything to be on a sailboat charter! But if I can’t get to these islands on a sailboat, at least I can get there by ferry! Continue reading
I am understandably reluctant to leave Port Townsend; a town that warrants three blog posts speaks for itself. But I have been told there is a place even better just a short ferry ride away…Anacortes. So I am eagerly anticipating my next stop, which helps ease some of the sting of departure. Continue reading
I am not so naive as to think my love affair with Port Townsend wasn’t tinted through sky-blue glasses. The weather was nothing short of perfect by my standards. Waking up to chilly mornings under the down comforter, looking out across the Sound blanketed in a soft, willowy layer of fog. Long before the alarm starts to shriek, I am awakened by the haunting sound of laughing gulls echoing across the Point. Continue reading
I always manage to find something I love in every town I visit, which is why my friends have often told me before, “You should write travel brochures, because you always make me want to go there.” But in all the places I have visited, I can’t recall ever being in a town where I have found so many of my passions all in one place as Port Townsend. I am falling for this little town, and falling fast… Continue reading
After a very brief overnight stop at the 7 Cedars Casino along Hwy 101, I roll into Port Townsend on a brilliant sunny Monday. I have reservations to stay at the Point Hudson Marina, yet another find that I lifted from the Wheelingit blog. I arrive during the midday heat, the marina smells of low tide, and there are enough laughing gulls to make a Hitchcock fan think they have arrived in the midst of a remake. Continue reading
I’ve now driven just about all of Highway 101 from south to north through three states, starting in Arcata, California in mid-May all the way to Forks, Washington, where the highway soon begins to turn eastward. This feels like a significant milestone after traveling in a northwesterly direction for so many months. Continue reading
Cape Flattery is the northwestern-most point in the Continental United States. It is at the end of the tiny tip that protrudes off the upper left corner of Washington State, seperating the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Pacific Ocean. This point was named by one of my heroes of discovery, Captain James Cook, who wrote in his ships log, “there appeared to be a small opening which flattered us with the hopes of finding an harbour … On this account I called the point of land to the north of it Cape Flattery.” I am fascinated by the courageous exploration of Captain Cook and his accuracy for navigational charting. In fact, one of my favorite books was “Blue Latitudes,” where the author, Tony Horowitz humorously retraces the voyages of Cook in attempt to honor his legacy, (syphilis and murderous ending withstanding, of course.) Continue reading
My original intent in working my way around the OP NP (Olympic Peninsula National Park) was to make South Beach Campground my first stop. Several people suggested it was a “must do” because of its proximity to the beach. But I take one look at the RVs lined up bumper to bumper, jockeying for beachside real estate and realize I am still traumatized by Camp Agoraphobia. I just can’t do it. So I keep driving toward my next planned stop, Continue reading