Port Townsend - Steinbeck

A fellow Portland Yacht Club member responded to one of my Facebook posts with information that the Western Flyer, of John Steinbeck's Sea of Cortez fame, was somewhere at Port Townsend Boat Haven to be restored. I found it in a shed with work underway and workers busy. It will be interesting to see what $2,000,000 and two years accomplishes.

Eye Candy for Boat Lovers

Any trip to Port Townsend Boat Haven isn't complete without walking the docks and admiring some of the beautiful boats moored there.

The Lord Nelson Tug Minots Light

The schooner Alcyone

Live well, Laugh often, Love much

Port Townsend - Kayaks and a Vineyard

Long on our bucket list, we finally got a chance to kayak the Port Townsend waterfront. We launched at Point Hudson Marina. The water clarity was great. We were easily seeing things on the bottom 6+ feet below.

Northwest Maritime Center (nwmaritime.org) has been a great addition to Port Townsend.  Long a vacant lot that cut Point Hudson Marina off from downtown, the center now serves as the glue between the two.  They rent kayaks, have a coffee shop, public restrooms, a gift shop, boat storage, wooden boat building, and meeting rooms.

It was a joy to paddle along the waterfront and see things from a different perspective.  We went out on a calm, sunny day.

Exploring Port Townsend from the underside was interesting.  Being on the water at low tide allowed us the opportunity to see the critters that make the pilings and rocks their home.

We stayed away from the pier when the ferries were near because their prop wash can be something fearsome.

Laura has really taken to kayaking.  They've been our constant travel companions ever since we bought them for our Catalina 30 sailboat, followed by the adventures on our Bayliner 38 motor yacht, and now our explorations in our 35-foot Safari motorhome.

Finnriver Farm & Cidery

Day trips were one of the attractions for coming to Port Townsend.  While Laura explored the area via Google she learned about Finnriver Farm & Cidery.  Popular for their cider tasting, wood-fired oven pizza, and live music on the weekends we just had to visit.

It was interesting to learn about the 33 acres they have under cultivation using organic farming techniques.

Listening to the live music, soaking in the scenery, while enjoying cider and pizza were popular with visitors.

The tasting room

Campsite #67 and Pizza

We spent two nights in the Upper Campground.  Built into the forest, it has a very different feel than the Beach Campground.

Next, to the woodfired pizza, I had on the trip, pizza on the grill turned out to be a close runner-up.  We got better with each one figuring out the right amount of sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.

Despite being in the Upper Campground, we managed to walk all the way across Fort Worden to the beach after dinner. During the day, the beach was covered with sunbathers, while kids played in the water, and paddleboards and kayaks move about.

Looking toward Point Wilson Lighthouse and the Beach Campground

Point Hudson Marina and RV Park is to Laura's left in the distance.

Except for the lack of Wi-Fi, Fort Worden is nearly perfect, with lots to see and do.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much

Port Townsend - ArtilleryHill - Fort Worden

Despite multiple stays at Fort Worden, we had never been to the top of Artillery Hill or visited any of the gun emplacements. One evening after dinner we decided to ride the bikes to the fortifications at the top of the hill.

Fort Worden was used for filming the 1982 movie "An Officer and a Gentleman"

Overlook part of Fort Worden on the way to the top of Artillery Hill

We were in our bikes' lowest gear on the way to the top.  We took a couple of rest stops on the way and enjoyed the great views.

While construction of Fort Worden began in 1897, these gun emplacements were started in 1903.

Today trees block what used to be an unobstructed view.

Sunset on top of Artillery Hill.

The command post for the guns.

The bike ride down the hill was coasting all the way.  Instead of backtracking, we went passed Battery Tolles and through a thickly forested area on the way back to camp.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much