IT'S FIVE OCLOCK SOMEWHERE

No I'm not talking about happy hour and that Jimmy Buffett tune.  That's what time we got up yesterday.  While I realize that many of you get up every morning at that time or earlier, I am not what you would call a morning person unless there is a very good reason.

We had planned a day trip to the San Juan Islands and with the need to catch 2 different ferries, and the need to have reservations on one of the ferries, we had to be in Port Townsend at 6:00am to catch the 6:30am ferry to Coupeville on Whidbey Island.  Our ferry left on time and we were in Coupeville, off the ferry at 7am, and were treated to a beautiful sunrise as we headed north.  We crossed over the beautiful bridge at Deception Pass and arrived at the Anacortes ferry docks in time to catch the 8:30 ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

After leaving the ferry we headed out to visit the San Juan National Historic Pa which commemorates the "12 year pig war" between the Americans and the British.  If you are a history buff you would enjoy visiting this area and learning about the disputed territory.  Our first stop was the American camp on the south end of the island.  The visitor center was open and we met a delightful couple who were there volunteering for a couple of months.  They had also volunteered at Petrified Forest where our friends, Bob and Linda, have volunteered.

Since this may be in our future plans, we love meeting volunteers and hearing about their adventures.  After our visit at the American camp we headed north along the coast to visit the British camp. 

There are still formal gardens there and a few remaining buildings.  It's fun to stand and imagine what it must have been like for the soldiers on both sides.

We then turned southeast and headed back towards Friday Harbor stopping at San Juan Vineyards. 

We of course did a wine tasting and left with a couple of bottles.  We had lunch in Friday Harbor at the Market Chef  and then had time to visit a few shops including Concepia, a photographic gallery.  I had a nice visit and 'talked shop'  with the gallery owner for a few minutes.   We then got our car back in line for the return trip to Anacortes.  Of course there was still time to check out a few boats in the harbor.  Guess which one I like best?  If you guessed the old converted tug, you guessed right. She looks like something you could take to Alaska.

 

We retraced our route, leaving the ferry in Anacortes, driving south to Coupeville, and boarded the 7:30pm ferry back to Port Townsend.  It was a very long day but well worth it.

Until later.

A MINI VACATION

We took a quick trip to Portland for the weekend.  We were planning to go down late Sunday morning and visit with our 2 daughters and their families.  As I was reading some photo blogs on Saturday I noticed that Art Wolfe a famous nature photographer and host of the television show Travels to the Edge was giving a one day seminar in Portland on Sunday from 10:00 to 4:00.  Judy encouraged me to attend so I signed up online. We got up early Sunday morning and drove the three and half hours to Portland so I could be there by 9:30, in time to get a seat for the seminar.   Judy dropped me off in downtown Portland and found her way over to our daughter Julie's place. 

The seminar was really great and the time went fast.  Judy picked me up promptly at 4:00 pm and along with Julie and Jeremy we joined Michelle and her family for evening church at Mosaic.  After church we headed over to Michelle's for homemade soup and a great time wrestling with Nemo and Mia.  After getting them properly wound up, it was time to go back to Julie and Jeremy's for bed.  It was a long day but we had a great time.

We packed a lot into our Monday.  Julie fixed breakfast for us and Michelle arrived in time for breakfast as well.  Then it was time for me to head to the barber while the girls did a little shopping and then picked Mia from Preschool.  We then met up at Fire on the Mountain for lunch and then we again went off in different directions.  Julie and I headed to a camera store and computer store while Michelle and Judy headed to an antique mall.  We all joined up again for dinner last night, this time at a Hawaiian restaurant called Ohana.  We had a leisurely dinner and then it was time to say our goodbyes to Michelle's family and give them a last round of hugs.  This morning after breakfast with Julie and Jeremy  we packed up and headed back home to Chimacum.  It was a beautiful sunny day and after stopping in Olympia for lunch and a stop at Trader Joes, we headed north on 101.  After  a leisurely drive along the Hood Canal, and a quick stop at the Post Office to pick up our mail, we were back at the motor home and unpacked in plenty of time for happy hour.

We had a great weekend and enjoyed being together for an all too brief time with family.  Being with our grand kids Nemo and Mia made us miss our other grand kids, Emma, Ella, and Harrison back in Michigan. On that note I am posting a brief video that our son Jonathan made of our 4 month old grandson Harrison.  It made us smile and I hope it does the same for you.



Until later.

P.S.  Tomorrow we'll share some info about our 30 day challenge.  Stay tuned.

TRIP TO THE GREAT NORTHWEST

We have enjoyed following the blogs of our friends Bob and Linda about their trip to Alaska this summer.  If you haven't been following you can go here for Bob's and here for Linda's.  They just arrived back in the states after a trip of over 6000 miles.  Whenever we read about intrepid travelers like them it gets us in the mood.  So we decided to head Northwest ourselves.  We chose as our destination the northwestern most point of the contiguous United States, Cape Flattery.

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Had we wished to travel to the western most point we would have gone to Cape Alava, south of Cape Flattery.  It is 360 feet more west than Cape Flattery.  But since we were in the mood for the North West it was off to Cape Flattery.

Judy packed our provisions, and since this was a day trip, she packed a lunch.  We loaded up our trusty vehicle aptly named Explorer and headed out.  We even brought Mollie along, since she was anxious to share in our adventure and perhaps leave her mark as an intrepid explorer.  We headed west on 101 to Port Angeles.  It was there the adventure really started.  There was lots to see in the harbor town of Port Angeles, large ocean freighters, the ferry to Victoria and lots of fishing boats.  But our real destination lay to the NW.

So we left 101 to head NW on 112.  This was a curvy up and down road that lead us through the small villages of Joyce, Clallam Bay, and Sekiu.  The road wandered up and down through the mountains and would occasionally dip down to hug the waterline of the Straits of Juan de Fuca.  At one point we considered turning back when our GPS quit working after dropping on the floor during a particularly treturous turn.  But Judy, prepared for such an emergency, pulled out a map and so we continued on. We arrived safely in the town of Neah Bay, also the headquarters of the Makah Indian Reservation.   Since our destination was on the reservation we needed to pick up a recreation permit.

Permit in hand we motored through  the town of Neah Bay, past the Presbyterian church and senior center, and on to Cape Flattery.   After another 4 miles the road came to an end short of our final destination.  Mollie led the way down a steep 3/4 mile trail to our final lookout point.

The scenery was breathtaking.  Just off the cliffs was the The Cape Flattery lighthouse on Tatoosh Island.  The lighthouse is closed to the public so we settled for a long distance view.

 After taking a few pictures it was time to head back.

 Why is it that every time you go down a steep trail, you have to come back up?

 And yes, true to her word, Mollie did what few dogs can claim to have done.  She left her mark not once but twice at the most northwestern point in the continental United States.

We retraced our steps and motored back down highway 112.  South of Neah Bay we found a little spot to pull over and enjoy the lunch Judy had prepared.  With the engine off we sat listening to the surf as we ate our sardine salad and carrot sticks.  After a reset, our GPS returned to life and we retraced our path home.  We arrived home just in time for happy hour.  We toasted our good fortune, me with a glass of Bourbon on the rocks, Judy with red wine, and we shared some pistachios.   Just another day exploring our little corner of the great northwest.

If you would like to see more of my photography you might enjoy my new blog Camera Vagabond.  I put one new image up each day.  These may be classic black and white, color landscapes, or abstract impressions.  Eventually I might even write about them, but for now just one new image each day.

Until later.

JUST LIFE

It's been a quiet week.  We've had a lot of rain up here, and that tends to put a damper on outdoor activities.  So we keep ourselves busy with other tasks.

We  took the ferry over to Seattle last Friday, and did some shopping.  We stopped at the REI flagship store and we each bought a new pair of shoes and a couple pairs of socks. See I told you we have an exciting life. Then it was on to the camera store to pick up a replacement lens cap and then we had lunch at a local specialty gluten free bakery.  I don't like to write bad reviews so I won't go into details, but I don't think it will stay in business much longer.  Either that or our standards are very different from the locals.

We then headed north to Edmonds to stop at PCC, one of our favorite grocery chains in the Seattle area.  It's like a small Whole Foods.

We were only a mile away from the ferry, but since it was Friday there was a long line.  We took our place in a line of at least 50 cars.  And proceeded to inch ahead.  It kind of reminded me of being in a Chicago rush hour.  As we inched closer to the ticket booth we saw a car zoom around everyone and cut in line.  We couldn't believe what happened next.  As the driver approached the ticket booth, the driver who was cut off jumped out of her car and ran up to the booth.  After some pointing and gesturing, she returned to her car.  When the line cutter pulled up to the booth, it was apparent that she was being told to return to the end of the line.  After several obscene gestures, the driver realized she was not going to win any argument, and left.  As we pulled up to the booth, Judy noticed a sign saying to report anyone cutting in line.  They take line cutting very seriously out here.

On another note we paid for a month at the Evergreen Coho Escapees Park, which means we should be leaving tomorrow.  Well we are moving, but only about 100 yards over to a different site.  We are currently on a leaseholders lot and pay a monthly fee and our electricity.  Since we are only going to be here for 2 more weeks we are moving to an area reserved for daily and weekly rentals.  The fee is higher but includes electric. 

Judy has been fighting some stomach issues since last winter.  When we were back in Michigan, she visited our primary care doctor and he prescribed the normal medicines ( the expensive purple stuff you see on TV ads), and said to try that for a while and if it didn't get better they would run some tests.  Don't you love modern medicine.  The problem has not gotten better, and we decided to see a doctor here in Port Townsend.  This doctor took an entirely different approach, including running some tests for food allergies.

So we are here waiting for the results.  We will be here another 2 weeks before we can hit the road again.  Meanwhile, Judy is to avoid coffee, foods containing gluten, and dairy products. Judy loves her coffee so giving that up has been especially hard.  So you might ask, what can she eat.  Simple whole foods like fruits, vegetables, fish, and chicken.   So we are eating very simple foods right now and not eating out much.

We are both getting a bit of hitch itch.  We still hope to spend some time in central California before heading SE.  We want to spend a few more days with family in Portland, so I think we'll throw the AeroBeds in the back of the car and go and camp out in Portland this weekend.  Then when we finish up with appointments we'll be ready to hit the road.

On a closing note I read a really funny blog entry from another full-timer.  It's entitled "Whats in a name?"  Go take a look. It will put a smile on your face.

Until later

Newborns, Pizza, and Goat Cheese

The longer we are here in this area the more we like it. Not only is the scenery spectacular but the food is too. Restaurants are proud to serve local and seasonal food, and the Port Townsend farmers market is enjoying large crowds and record sales. Apparently this area is becoming known as one of the most successful models in the local food and farm movement. On Sunday we went on their 8th annual WSU Farm Tour, which they were calling 'a celebration of local food'.

Our first stop was to pick up a map and then we headed out to Marrowstone Island to visit Mystery Bay Farm.  The focus was on goats and the great cheese they produce.

Then it was on to Red Dog farm an organic farm which grows over 150 varieties of carrots, beets, corn and broccoli.  While we were there we shared a scoop of Basil Balsamic Strawberry ice cream from the Elevated IceCream shop in Port Townsend.

Next up was Bishop Dairy.  This farm is over 100 years old and inspired the famous book "The Egg & I"  by Betty MacDonald.  We were able to see a couple of calves, that had just been born that morning, take their first wobbly steps.

Our next stop was Wild Harvest Creamery.  Another family run operation, they milk goats, sell cheese, have pigs, beef cattle, duck and chicken eggs, and you can even order a goose for Christmas.

It was time for lunch, so our next stop was Finnriver farm.  They grow berries, apples, and other assorted vegetables.  You could try your hand at a bike-powered grain mill, watch a blacksmith demonstration, or listen to local musicians.  But we were there for the pizza.  We prefer Italian style, thin crust pizza with only a few ingredients and we were not disappointed.  Dented Buoy Pizza has a wood fired oven mounted on a trailer and travels around to the local markets making pizza.  They were certainly doing well at this location.  And yes the pizza oven was made from an old channel buoy.

Our last stop was Wildfire Cider.  There we were able to taste 4 different hard ciders paired with local cheeses.  In between rain showers we toured the orchard of 900 apple trees, all pruned and trained on trellis wires.  These apples are specifically chosen for their flavor in producing cider.

It was a lot of fun to see these farms up close and we had a great time. For more information regarding these farms click on the links and it will take you to their website.

Until later.