#16 Coveys Adventures – September 2015 – Puget Sound and the Oregon coast

 September 2015

Puget Sound and returning to the Oregon coast

When I retired a couple of years ago, we knew we wanted to move out of southern California, but had no idea where we wanted to live. Buying Ripley and setting off to explore as many places as we could was our answer to that question.

Washington, especially the area around Puget Sound, has been at the top of our list of places where we might live since our first trip to the San Juan Islands in 1985. We have lost track of the number of subsequent visits to the Islands and Seattle, and to Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. This year we decided to return to Port Townsend, a place that we passed through on the way to Victoria thirty years ago. When we checked into the  RV park we discovered an added bonus: the annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show would coincide with our visit. Its been over 25 years since I built boats, and I was really looking forward to going.

Evergreen Coho SKP Park in Chimacum, Washington, about 10 miles south of Port Townsend is another of the Escapees co-op RV parks. It has about 160 leased spaces and roughly 30 more for transients. We stayed almost two busy weeks in site 13. The dogs really enjoyed the large dog park and immediately made several new friends.

As usual, we spent a lot of time in the car, exploring the area. We have been through Port Angeles several times, but just to take the ferry to or from Victoria, BC. We hadn’t spent much time just looking around, so one day we set out to do just that. Port Angeles is still a working port focused on shipping timber and timber products to Asian markets. The waterfront is predominantly commercial operations, with a couple of small marinas and a few restaurants tucked into the corners. Logging trucks are constantly rumbling through town. Downtown has a number of interesting shops and small eateries, but it isn’t a destination that most people would seek out.

While in Port Angeles, we decided to revisit Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. Hurricane Ridge is a very scenic 20 mile drive straight up hill from the center of Port Angeles. The road takes you from sea level to over 5,000’ through the only temperate rain forest in North America. On a clear day, it is some of the most spectacular scenery we’ve ever seen. Even on a cloudy day, it is well worth the time.

One of hundreds of lovingly built wooden boats at the show

Among aficionados, the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show is right at the top of the list. There are several wooden boat building schools and boat yards dedicated to building and preserving wooden boats around Puget Sound that keep interest in the craft alive, and keep large numbers of classic boats afloat. Every year, thousands of enthusiasts flock to Port Townsend to see hundreds of boats and talk to owners and builders. I had a great time. I was especially interested in two work boats, a 60’ fishing trawler and a 90’ tug that have been converted to cruising yachts. The tug had even been repowered with a vintage Atlas diesel engine, a treat to see in its own right. I also picked up information on a couple of small boat kits; maybe I’ll get back to that someday.

Larry Girardi treated us to a great lunch in Poulsbo

It is always a treat to get together with people who live in the areas we travel to. We had the pleasure of meeting Dixie, another of Midge Paterson’s sisters, for dinner at the Alchemy Bistro, a great restaurant in Port Townsend. We also enjoyed seeing her house near the center of town that she has restored and transformed into a bright, sunny home with a great yard.

Later that week we met Larry Girardi, an old friend from my business days at his home in Poulsbo. Luckily the resident black bear wasn’t around so we could enjoy the yard and pond before going to Poulsbo marina for lunch overlooking the harbor. Great food, a nice wine and good friends made for a very pleasant day.

In May we went back to Carlsbad, CA, for Ted Anderson’s 65^th birthday; in August it was St. George, UT, for Liesa’s 25^th. One of the reasons we came to Chimacum was so that Kayeanne could go to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island to help Michelle Shober celebrate her 60^th birthday. From all reports it was a great party. The dogs and I had fun riding the ferries to and from Coupeville on Whidbey Island to take Kayeanne to Anacortes so that she could get the big ferry to Friday Harbor. I look forward to every opportunity to ride the Washington State Ferries.

After our busy time in Chimacum it was time to head south to the Oregon coast. We had stayed at Fort Stevens State Park in Hammond, OR, near Astoria for a couple of nights last year. We looked forward to returning to see some of the sights that we missed, especially the fort museum, a local effort run by dedicated volunteers. We spent three night there on the way south this year. It turned out to be interesting, especially learning about I25, the Japanese submarine that shelled the fort and the surrounding area during WW ll. No damage or injuries resulted from the only successful attack on the US mainland during the war, but it had an impact out of all proportion at the time.

We had a great site, number I271, tucked way back in the trees with plenty of room between us and the neighbors. It had nice fire pit that we took advantage of on the one dry evening. Hammond doesn’t have much to offer, but it does have a great off-leash dog park that Schroeder and Lucy were really happy to visit.

Home sweet home at Tillamook Bay City RV Park

It was time for Kayeanne’s annual visit to the beach house on Nedonna Beach with the ladies from San Juan Island, so the dogs and I needed a place nearby to hole up. It was also time to put new tires on the coach, so Tillamook had the services we needed and the location we wanted. The Tillamook Bay City RV Park, about 4 miles from town and 15 miles from the beach house, delivered adequately sized spaces, 50 amp power, cable TV and decent WIFI at a reasonable cost. We were all set for the next couple of weeks.

On the Kilchis trail to the bay

An unexpected bonus was the Kilchis Point Nature Preserve, just across US 101 from the RV park. The Preserve has over 2 miles of trails in two loops that meander through dense foliage to  the shore of Tillamook Bay. Maybe the best part is that dogs don’t have to be on leash in the Preserve. We visited Kilchis a couple of times everyday, and all of us enjoyed it.

I like Tillamook; it has enough of everything to meet most needs, lots of things to do and see, and reasonable access to Portland if you really need something like sushi or a good bookstore. With time on our hands, the dogs and I toured the area. We hit the coast south of town, the seaside towns of Netarts and Oceanside, and the forests, meadows, farms and vineyards to the east. 

The hanger is so large it has its own micro-climate

We also visited a couple of the local highlights. The Tillamook Air Museum is housed in a W ll blimp hanger, maybe the largest standing wooden structure in the world. Blimps were used very effectively throughout the war for anti-submarine patrols off all three US coasts. The Tillamook Naval Air Station became operational in 1943. The hanger building itself was more interesting than the exhibits. It is over 1000 feet long and 175 feet high, the sheer scale of it made it impossible to photograph with my small camera, so I cribbed this one from the web. 

Tillamook's famous cheese factory, a must-see spot

Tillamook State Forest virtually surrounds the town, providing many campgrounds, OHV trails and hiking trails. Combine all that with the bay and ocean and I’m surprised that it hasn’t become more popular.

Tillamook Bay City RV Park is the 51^st campground that we have stayed in this year, and the 65^th since this odyssey began. Next week we return to Nehalem Bay State Park to camp host for the month of October, as we did last year. We have a sense of closure and accomplishment, and a growing feeling of confidence. 

We are especially looking forward to upcoming visits with old friends next month.  

More soon.

Bob