Port Angeles to Cle Elum

We had a beautiful, sunny day for our departure from the Olympic Peninsula.  We pulled out at 9 AM after hugs and farewells to our friends.  Thanks, Tony and Diana, for a great two weeks and we look forward to meeting again in Virginia next year.

We had a very uneventful drive with light traffic even though we had the Seattle/Tacoma metropolitan area to get through.  We had a couple of road construction areas along the way, but nothing that held us up for any length of time.  We arrived at our campground by mid afternoon.  Since this is just a one-night stand, we didn’t unhitch the trailer from the truck and I left some of the inside furniture tied down for travel.

We had great views of Mt Rainier although it was a bit hazy in the distance.  Passing through Snoqualmie National Forest offered fantastic mountain scenery.

Tomorrow, we will continue across Washington, Idaho, and land in Montana for another one-night stand.

Turning East

Our time on the west coast has come to an end.  Tomorrow we turn our rig eastward and begin our journey to Tennessee.

Today, we have cleaned both the Everest and the truck and made preparations for travel.  I do the inside stuff which is usually very easy and only takes a few minutes.  Today, however, I had more than usual cleaning to do since I had not done much while my parents were here.  I also had that kitchen cabinet to clean and disinfect where the mouse had taken up residence.  I’ve gotten it all done except the laundry.  I just couldn’t work up the where-with-all to do that chore.  I think it was the rain.  It was easier to stay inside than to walk back and forth in the rain to the laundry room.

I am not as diligent about putting things back in a travel safe position when we are parked somewhere for an extended period.  Today, I went through all the cabinets and refrigerator making sure everything was turned so as not to fall over or rub against something else.  All is ready now.  In the morning it will be a simple matter to move the coffee pot to the trash can, the toaster to the sink, and turn the recliners around.

We plan to make a pretty steady run to Tennessee driving 200-300 miles each day for two or three days, then take a day off.  We only have one stop where we plan to stay for  several days--Custer, South Dakota.  We are hoping to be back in Nashville by the first of October.

This evening we will have our last meal with our friends, Tony and Diana, until we meet again.  We’re surely going to miss them.  We’re going back to that small restaurant with the great blackberry shakes.  I’m having fish and chips since I have managed to spend an entire month on the Olympic Peninsula and not had any yet.

One Thing After Another

We took my parents to the airport today.  We had a nice visit; a week to catch up on all the little things that have happened since we left Nashville last December, but have not discussed at length over the telephone.  Our week was not trouble-free, however.  It seemed like each day brought with it a new issue to be dealt with.

Under the best of conditions, house guests in a space as small as our Everest (about 380 sq. ft) is a challenge.  Four people sharing one bathroom is a challenge.  Four people riding in a pick-up truck is a challenge.  Under ideal conditions, even house guests for an extended period is a challenge.  These past eight days have certainly had their challenges.

Of course, anytime you are entertaining guests, you want things to run smoothly and to provide opportunities for new and exciting things to do and see.  I studied the guidebooks, asked recommendations of local residents, and drew on personal experience to come up with a list of things to do while my parents were here.  Naturally, most involved being outside; being outside without rain.  We haven’t had much rain on this trip.  I can count the number of rain days we’ve had since January on one hand.  It rained more than that during the course of this week.  The first day, the day we picked them up in Seattle, it was raining.  That meant, of course, that all three pieces of their luggage had to be inside the truck with us.  It was a cozy three-hour ride.

My parents just love to shop.  In fact, there may not be anything else they’d rather do.  That first day had a stop in Port Orchard built around shopping.  The rain certainly put a damper on that, but also the economy.  So many of the small shops in the small towns and villages of the Olympic Peninsula have gone out of business.  The nearest mall, always a good retreat on a rainy day, is in Tacoma--a two hour drive from Port Angeles.  Well, I guess the mall in Victoria is actually closer, although it takes 2 hours to get there.  But that makes no difference anyway, since, on the day before their departure from Nashville, they discovered their passports had expired.  One of the main reasons for coming was to go to Victoria.  That certainly left a big gaping hole in our itinerary.

That first day was also the day we came home to find Peanut sick.  Having a sick pet is a challenge.  Pets are tender and delicate, especially cats.  They don’t deal with change well.  These folks, who are really strangers to him, moved into his personal space.  His blanket, which stays on the foot of the bed, is his safe haven in troubled times.  To have that blanket on the sofa at a time when he wasn’t feeling well was almost more than he could handle.

The first night of my parents’ visit was also the first night we had had the opportunity to sleep on the sofa bed.  This one is different than the one in the Montana.  It pulls out from the back rather than the middle and has an air mattress rather than a foam mattress.  We found out in the middle of the night that the mattress has a small leak somewhere leaving us on the medal frame.  Not comfortable; in fact, totally unacceptable.  We abandoned the sofa for our backpacking sleeping pads and slept on the floor.

It was the second night on the floor that I heard the mouse in the cabinet.  It was back to the sofa for me.  I’m short, but not as short as the sofa.  Not having enough room for either my feet or my head was of little concern when the main objective was to get away from the mouse.  After five nights, however, I may have a permanently crooked neck.

By the way, we caught the mouse yesterday.  Having a mouse in the cabinet necessitated washing everything before it could be used.  Since there is absolutely no place to store those items, they were returned to the cabinet and washed again and again before every use.  Nothing like filling up the day washing pots and pans.

The day after we murdered the mouse, the kitchen faucet sprang a leak.  At least, it only appears to have been a loose connection--something easily fixed and not requiring washing the dishes in the bathroom.  On the same day I heard a very strange noise when I lit the gas oven.  Gene seems to have fixed that with a minor adjustment to the lever on the propane tank.  I think that would have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

On the fourth day of their visit was when my mother started having cold symptoms and the rains came down in earnest.  She needed rest and certainly didn’t need to be out in the rain.  We pretty much abandoned our original sightseeing plans after that and stayed close to home.

I had read a couple weeks ago about what sounded like a very nice place to eat in Gig Harbor.  In my mind that would be the ultimate dining out experience of their visit and we saved it for the grand finale.  What could beat Tide’s Tavern with outdoor deck seating overlooking the harbor with views of Mount Rainier in the distance?  You can imagine my dismay when we saw the large sign over the door “closed for a staff party”.

Well, we had a good visit anyway, despite all the “issues”.  After all, they say, “when it rains, it pours.”

A Very Rainy Day

We finally got the rain the weather forecasts have been predicting for the past 4 days.  It started during the wee hours of the morning and has rained all day.  It is still raining and, if the forecasts hold true, will continue to rain throughout tomorrow.

So what do you do with house guests on a rainy day?  We stayed in, mostly.  We got a little restless about mid day and took a short drive up the Elwha Valley, stopping at Madison Creek Falls, at the dam at Lake Mills, and at Observation Point which overlooks the lake.  The views were not as good as on those sunny days when we were here before, but it was an opportunity to get out of the house for a little while.  On our way home, we stopped at Starbucks hoping a hot cup of java would dissipate the wet chill in our bodies.

My mother has succumbed to a cold.  By late this afternoon, she was really feeling the effects.  I hate that she feels so miserable.  I’ve sprayed down everything and wiped off all the surfaces with disinfectant wipes.  Hopefully, no one else will get sick.

We definitely have a mouse.  Gene has put out traps, but no luck yet.  It seems to be contained inside the cabinet in the kitchen.  We are guessing that it got in by way of the drain pipes running from the sink.  It doesn’t seem to be inside the cabinet during the day (or at least when there is anyone moving around nearby), so it may be traveling between the basement and the kitchen.  Gene has traps in both locations.  We noticed wood shavings on the floor this afternoon.  Apparently, it wants out and is attempting to do so by gnawing a hole under the bottom drawer.

Wonder what surprises lie in store for tomorrow.

Down Time

Saturday, we enjoyed a much needed day of rest.  That seemed to be a good choice since rain showers filled the morning.  However, this morning, with rain coming down pretty steadily and a forecast of 100% rain today, we may have lost the last good day for any outdoor activity.  Still, we all needed a rest and that was, I guess, the best thing for yesterday.

We headed to Sequim about mid-afternoon to walk around town a bit before going to dinner.  Surprisingly, many of the shops along the main street were closed.

Our dinner last night at Three Crabs Restaurant was delicious.  This small waterfront restaurant has come highly recommended to us by locals and with good reason.  Hanging on the wall as you enter the front door are the “Best Northwest Seafood” awards for several years running.  Gene had prawns which were very good; my folks and I had crab cakes which they proclaimed also as being excellent.  I’m not a crab cake lover, so I was a little disappointed.  Our friends, Tony and Diana, had eaten here last week, sampling both the chowder and fish and chips.  Each got excellent reviews.

We’ll see what we decide to do today.  This may be another stay-at-home day.  My parents are not used to quite so much activity day after day.  They seemed tired and are sleeping 10-12 hours a day.  Mother is, I think, coming down with a cold.

Juan de Fuca Scenic Byway

Yesterday, we drove west on Washington Highway 112, the Juan de Fuca Scenic Byway,  until we could drove no farther.  It was a drive through rural Washington almost to the northwest tip of the United States.

Joyce General Store

In this part of the state, the primary cash crop is timber.  We saw the tree farms in all stages except planting and cutting.  There were hundreds of acres of maturing trees of various ages as well as the ugly scars of recently cut sections.  Several logging trucks loaded with fresh cut logs passed us on the road.  

A Sea Stack

Privately owned land was interspersed with the hugh tree farms.  These small plots of land appeared to be small cattle farms.  There were certainly no rows of corn or fields of wheat.  The growing season is too short for those types of row crops.  Mostly, we saw perhaps one, two, or three acre lots with homes built close to the road and a small  vegetable garden to the side or in the back.  We stopped in Joyce, the first community we came to after leaving our campground.  It was a tiny thing, with the grocery and post office in the same building, a couple other business establishments, and that’s all.  Just a wide spot in the road.  We went in the General Store/Post Office.  That was fun.  It was the original building built in the early 1900s and it still has the beaded ceiling and the old wooden floor.  Many of the food cases appeared to be originals, as well.

After about 50 miles of this scenery, the road moved closer to the water and we began to have nice views of the strait.  Dotting the shoreline were small fishing villages.  The largest of these was Sekiu.  We stopped there for a cup of coffee and didn’t find much of a village.  Every available space along both sides of the road was occupied by either a boat or an RV.  Folks had turned out in force for the Labor Day weekend.

Marina at Sekiu

Close to the end of the road is the Makah Indian Reservation.  Perhaps our main objective for this trip was to visit the Makah Cultural Museum.  This museum houses the artifacts discovered in 1970 of a Ozette village which had been completely covered by a mud slide over 500 years ago.  These people lived in longhouses, made much of their clothing and household items from cedar bark, and fished the ocean.

Near Cape Flattery

The road ended at the northwestern-most unit of Olympic National Park.  At road’s end is a trail which takes the hiker or mountain biker to the shoreline.  It was getting late and my parents were not up to such a trek, so we made our turn around and headed back toward Port Angeles.

Today is a rest day.  I have some laundry to do, but the real plan is to rest.  Late this afternoon, we will wander over to Sequim in the hopes of finding something for dinner at the Three Crabs Restaurant.

Port Townsend, Washington

Yesterday, we made a trip to one of the most beautifully restored historic towns on the Olympic Peninsula, Port Townsend.  A few years ago this small town of about 10,000 was one of the winners in the national “Main Street” program which encourages restoration of historic buildings.  Port Townsend’s “main street” is Water Street and today is lined on both sides by Victorian style office buildings which are now B & Bs, hotels, restaurants, and boutiques.  We concentrated our efforts in the shops along Water Street and both Mother and I found treasures we felt we couldn’t live without.

Naturally, lunch time found us looking for the perfect picnic spot.  This time, I think we found it at Chetezmoka Park a few blocks from downtown and right on Puget Sound.  Actually, it may be more accurate to say where the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound meet.  After lunch, we strolled along the beach picking up rocks.

We also stopped by Hudson Point marina which is getting geared up for the annual Wooden Boat Festival later in the month.  This small marina also had an area for RVs and there were several there with fantastic views of the water.

View from our lunch spot

We ran out of time before getting to Fort Worden State Park and the lighthouse at Point Wilson.  I guess they will go on our list of things to do on our next visit to Washington.