Port Townsend, WA

Forts and lighthouses

We were taking a chance on finding a place to stay without advanced reservations the last weeks of August into Labor Day weekend. After scoring three days at Gilgal RV resort in Sequim, the only place with openings was the fairgrounds in Port Townsend, another first come first serve place. We hoped for electric and water, but would be fine dry camping for a while. After an early start, we pulled into the fairgrounds and grabbed an electric site, dragging our power cord across the field to a building with several other RVs hooked up in a spiderweb. The people around us looked pretty hung over.  There had been a music festival billed as  "Woodstock 50 Years Later" at Fort Worden over the weekend with 4000 tickets sold each day. We decided to pay for one day and take some time to figure out a plan. We took a walk through the campground to see what else was out there, careful to avoid the empty wine bottles laying on the ground. 

We scored one full hookup site in an area that looked pretty docile. I stood guard ready to defend our site while Mike gathered our truck and trailer. By 1pm most people had cleared out, the trash had been cleared and the fields were now empty. We extended our stay to 4 nights in our little slot at $25/night.

A favorite thing to do while visiting Puget Sound is taking a Washington Ferry anywhere. The ferry from Port Townsend is a 45 minute ride to Whidbey Island. Rather than drive on, which

requires a reservation and charged by the foot. We paid $4.40 each way and walked on with our bikes for a ride on the island to Coupeville and Oak Harbor. Some cyclists had ridden the short 3 mile route to Coupeville for lunch or breakfast before heading back. We prefer to ride more miles but it can be pretty hilly in places. Starting at sea level, the only place to go is up.

Walking on and securing our bikes.

Port Townsend from the bay.

The first day was bright and sunny as we crossed. We watched a seal catching breakfast and an otter swimming along the ferry. The second day was foggy. But the fog cleared as we rode giving

us a chance to have fish tacos on the pier as we watched the boats tie up and the loud navy jets flying overhead.

Ring the bell if you see a whale.

We happened upon a Navy gentleman swearing in on the front of the ferry.

 Extending our time in Port Townsend gave us another chance to ride a different route on Whidbey Island to Ebey Landing on Hill Road and on to Fort Ebey.

Set on the western side of Whidbey Island, Fort Ebey was constructed as a coastal defense fort during the Second World War. Its battery was dug into a high bluff overlooking Admiralty Inlet. The park's concrete gun emplacements and underground rooms are great for exploration. A flashlight would have been handy.

On the shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, you can walk a fine sandy beach between high bluffs to reach the Point Wilson Lighthouse at Fort Worden State Park. 

Views are wonderful of Mt. Baker, Vancouver Island, the San Juan Islands, and the Cascades behind them.

Our stop at the post office that was built on a bluff overlooking Port Townsend in 1895 was worth a visit even though we had only planned to mail some things.

The postal employee encouraged us to walk around and check out the views.

Fall is in the air.

A stop at Horsetail Falls in the Columbia River Gorge on our way to Willamette Mission in Oregon.

It was a fun return to a place we had previously enjoyed while working in Bremerton and Seattle.