More to Explore in Winthrop, WA

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Suzanne

I took an unexpected liking to the little town of Winthrop and it’s Pine Near Campground on my 2014 tour through the Pacific Northwest. I am not typically a fan of towns with an “Old West” theme…too much shtick. But something was different about Winthrop. It felt like authentic Western ambiance, with just enough tourism thrown in to make it convenient. A couple of well stocked outfitter stores, the Old Schoolhouse Brewery, and the cozy Rocking Horse Bakery offered Continue reading →

The Best Things in Life Are Free — At Least in the North Cascades

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Suzanne

Highway 20 is Washington State’s longest highway. Known as the North Cascades Scenic Highway and part of the Cascades Loop, it runs right through the heart of North Cascades National Park, earning its billing as “The most beautiful mountain highway in the state of Washington.” Continue reading →

Speed Tour Around the OP

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Suzanne

When I made the loop through the Olympic Peninsula back in 2014, the one thought I kept repeating in my head consistently was, “My brother Don would LOVE this place!” We have always shared a similar love for the “beauty in the pathless woods” and the serenity of a “lonely shore.”

So although I had not planned on making the loop any further west than Port Townsend this year, once he decided to join me, I could not miss the opportunity to show him Continue reading →

Slack Tide

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Suzanne

I ended up staying my maximum allowed 14 days in the quaint little Point Hudson Marina. Slowly throughout the day after the mass exodus following the Wooden Boat Festival, the marina began to come to life again as a new crew of RVers settled in and weekenders moored their yachts in my back yard. Every day was spent Continue reading →

Reflections

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Suzanne

Through all my years of living in Manhattan, it always amazed me how the seasons were dictated by holiday weekends. Memorial Day marked the beginning of summer, and once Labor Day rolled around, the shorts and sandals were put away regardless of weather, lest you be mistaken for a tourist. It was back to “serious casual” clothing in the Financial District. No more Continue reading →

Sail By on the Adventuress

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Suzanne

The three-day Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival concludes on Sunday afternoon with a grand finale in an event known as the “Sail By.” For three hours from 2:00pm to 5:00pm, it’s a mass exodus of the sailing fleet as 300+ boats congregate in Port Townsend Bay for a festive informal parade.

In doing some research prior to the festival start, I somehow landed on the website for the Sound Experience, an environmental education and sail training program on Puget Sound aboard the historic schooner, the Adventuress. Sound Experience is a non-profit whose mission is “to educate, inspire, and empower an inclusive community to make a difference for the future of our marine environment.” The Adventuress was offering a three hour passenger sail during the Sail By, and it was listed as one of the best vantage points for viewing this end of festival celebration. And so I splurged. Continue reading →

A Closer Look Inside the Wooden Boat Festival

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Suzanne

I spread out the three day seminar program from the Wooden Boat Festival to plan my weekend with low expectations. Not being exactly skilled in working with my hands, I didn’t have much interest in learning laminating techniques or tying thump mats, though some of the tech sessions like Maintenance of a Diesel Engine could have transferred over to RVing. Still, I anticipated that most of my time at the festival would be spent outdoors, going from boat to boat Continue reading →

Port Townsend’s 40th Annual Wooden Boat Festival

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Suzanne

I’m not sure where my fascination with wooden boats comes from…a most unlikely passion for a person raised on a land-locked farm in Central Texas for the first third of my life.

My first introduction to sailing came in an attempt to make the PE requirement at the University of Texas more palatable. Bobbing around on the Colorado River in a twelve foot Laser while the instructor screamed at me through a megaphone from a rowboat, it’s a wonder I ever set foot on a boat again. Continue reading →

Harvest Moon

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Suzanne

We interrupt this blogcast from the Port Townsend 40th Annual Boat Festival for a quick music break.

If you are not familiar with Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” do yourself a favor and click on the link or go to Youtube and have a listen to one of the best “feel good” tracks of all time, while you enjoy this slide show of the Harvest Moon, straight from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Continue reading →

Hull Raising

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Suzanne

Now within striking distance of Port Townsend, my “pinnacle of summer,” I needed a place to hole up for the Labor Day weekend before I and a few thousand of my like-minded friends descend upon the small town for the 40th Annual Wooden Boat Festival. The Evergreen SKP park in Chimacum, Washington seemed like a convenient place to ride out the holiday weekend, particularly with their $5 per night dry camping lot. Continue reading →

Take To The Highway

There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway…

Category Archives: USA