Sequim & Port Angeles







Hurricane Ridge at an elevation of 5,242 feet is one of Olympic National Park's most scenic areas, with alpine meadows, the glacier-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains.  In the summer you can enjoy spectacular views of the national park and hikes through the forest and mountains.  In the winter, the area turns into a snowy playground.

 

We had a nice day for hiking at Hurricane Ridge. We did a couple of nice trails just above the tree line, the views were terrific in the afternoon. Turning back is sometimes hard when you want to see what is over the next ridge. 

Nice Jeep, huh?

The Dungeness Spit is the longest natural sand hook in the nation and has become a prime destination of the North Olympic Peninsula.  And it's no wonder with its gorgeous views and  vast sandy beach inhabited by assorted waterfowl and critters, rarely seems crowded.  The sandy hook forms the Dungeness Bay, home to the famous Dungeness Crab.  At the end of the 5 mile spit is the New Dungeness Lighthouse, where you can even serve as a lighthouse keeper for a week.  The New Dungeness Lighthouse, built in 1857, its the oldest beacon north of the Columbia River.  The trek to and from the lighthouse is an 11 mile roundtrip hike along a mostly flat beach - but the trip is well worth the efforts.  Access to the spit is limited between sunrise and sunset, and be sure to schedule your hike during low tides.  The lighthouse is open to visitors daily from 9am - 5pm.

Lots of very large driftwood.... whole trees!

Mile 3 and we can barely see the Lighthouse.

Getting closer.

We made it!

Japan Tsunami Marine Debris 

 Railroad Bridge Park, at the heart of the Olympic Discovery Trail, showcases the Railroad Bridge built in 1915 by the Milwaukee Road. From 1915 to 1980 the Milwaukee Road operated the rail line, which transported passengers and timber, from Port Townsend to Port Angeles and west to connect with several logging railroads. The line was abandoned in 1985. Today the truss and trestle represent the longest bridge over the Dungeness River.

Port Townsend, Washington

Cindy drove us in over Hood Canal Floating Bridge. The Hood Canal Bridge is a floating bridge that carries Washington State Route 104 across Hood Canal and connects the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas. At 7,869 feet long, (floating portion 6,521 feet) it is the longest floating bridge in the world located in a saltwater tidal basin, and the third longest floating bridge overall. First opened in 1961, it was the second concrete floating bridge constructed in Washington. Since that time, it has become a vital link for local residents, freight haulers, commuters, and recreational travelers.

Port Townsend

A Victorian Seaport and Arts Community

Port Townsend is also called the "City of Dreams" because of the early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast of the United States. By the late 19th century, Port Townsend was a well-known seaport, very active and banking on the future. Many homes and buildings were built during that time, with most of the architecture ornate Victorian.



Port Townsend boasts the Northwest's greatest selection of Victorian homes and buildings on the National Register. Because of its unique historic circumstances, the town has retained a fine collection of public and residential structures, many of which have been largely unaltered- except for recent restoration- since the 1890's

Bell Tower 1890

 For more than 50 years, the bell was used to call volunteer Fire Fighters to their posts.  It is the only known tower of its kind in the United States.

Mount Baker in the background behind Admiralty Inlet the and the San Juan Islands.

"Where there is a will there is a way"

Fort Worden State Park

Fort Worden and accompanying Fort Worden State Park are located in Port Townsend, along Admiralty Inlet in Washington. It is situated on 433 acres originally built as a United States Army installation for the protection of Puget Sound.

Fort Worden was an active US Army base from 1902 to 1953. It was purchased by the State of Washington in 1957 to house a juvenile detention facility. In 1971, use was transferred to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and Fort Worden State Park was opened in 1973.

Admiralty Inlet was considered so strategic to the defense of Puget Sound in the 1890s that three forts, Fort Worden, Fort Flagler, and Fort Casey, were built at the entrance with huge guns creating a "Triangle of Fire" that could theoretically thwart any invasion attempt by sea. Fort Worden, on the Quimper Peninsula, at the extreme northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, sits on a bluff near Port Townsend, anchoring the northwest side of the triangle. The three posts were designed to prevent a hostile fleet from reaching such targets as the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the cities of Seattle, Tacoma and Everett.

The forts never fired a hostile shot and the guns were removed during World War I for use in Europe. Subsequently, Fort Worden was used for training a variety of military personnel and for other defense purposes.

Construction on Fort Worden began in 1897 and continued in one form or another until the fort was closed in 1953.

Artillery Hill

 Battery Walker

 North Beach at Fort Worden

Look WHOO we found awake. We believe this to be a Barred Owl. We originally thought maybe a Spotted Owl. Cindy spotted this guy in a tree just above the trail we were hiking in Worden State Park.

Port Townsend wins so far for the most deer just wandering the streets like lost dogs.

Seattle Area

Pike Place Market is a public market overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle, Washington. The Market opened August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the United States. It is a place of business for many small farmers, craftspeople and merchants. Named after the central street, Pike Place runs northwest from Pike Street to Virginia Street, and remains one of Seattle's most popular tourist destinations.
The Market is built on the edge of a steep hill, and consists of several lower levels located below the main level. Each features a variety of unique shops such as antique dealers, comic book and collectible shops, small family-owned restaurants, and one of the oldest head shops in Seattle. The upper street level contains fishmongers, fresh produce stands and craft stalls operating in the covered arcades. Local farmers and craftspeople sell year-round in the arcades from tables they rent from the Market on a daily basis, in accordance with the Market's mission and founding goal: allowing consumers to "Meet the Producer".

Great place for People Watching! .

Watch out for the "Low Flying Fish" at this place.

Don't watch him too closely or he'll get you!

They have a string going through the ice.  When anyone is getting a close look they pull the string.  Lots of screaming.

There were people everywhere and most anything you could want to purchase. We were very impressed with the produce and the flowers for sale.

The Original Starbucks!

Space Needle here we come!

The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, a landmark of the Pacific Northwest, and a symbol of Seattle. Built in the Seattle Center for the 1962 World's Fair, which drew over 2.3 million visitors, nearly 20,000 people a day used its elevators.
Once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, it is 605 ft high, 138 ft wide, and weighs 9,550 tons. It is built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. It also has 25 lightning rods. It has an observation deck at 520 ft and a gift shop with the rotating SkyCity restaurant at 500 ft.  From the top of the Needle, one can see not only the downtown Seattle skyline but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay, and surrounding islands. Photographs of the Seattle skyline often show the Space Needle prominently, above the rest of the skyscrapers and Mount Rainier.
Visitors can reach the top of the Space Needle by elevators that travel at 10 miles per hour. The trip takes 41 seconds, and some tourists wait in hour-long lines. On windy days, the elevators slow to 5 miles per hour. On April 19, 1999 it was  designated a historic landmark.

A School Janitor's Worst Nightmare!

The Market Theater Gum Wall is a local landmark in downtown Seattle, in Post Alley under Pike Place Market. The Market Theater Gum Wall is a brick alleyway wall now covered in used chewing gum. Parts of the wall are covered several inches thick, 15 feet high for 50 feet.
The wall is by the box office for the Market Theater, and the tradition began around 1993 when patrons of Unexpected Productions' Seattle Theatresports stuck gum to the wall and placed coins in the gum blobs. Theater workers scraped the gum away twice, but eventually gave up after market officials deemed the gum wall a tourist attraction around 1999.  Some people create small works of art out of gum. It was named one of the top 5 germiest tourist attractions in 2009. 

After a long day of sightseeing it was time for dinner. The Seafood Boil for two hit the spot!