Crescent Lake on the Olympic Peninsula

Crescent Lake is about 35 miles from Sequim and located in the Olympic National Park.  Two facts are remarkable about this lake (1) it is over 1,000 feet deep, and (2) it is amazingly clear due to little nitrogen in the water inhibiting the growth of algae.  Around the lake are a few hikes and we picked the Marymere trail up to the falls.  It has been two months since we have hiked and it felt so good to get out in the countryside again.

What a difference a short 35 miles makes on the Olympic Peninsula.  The Crescent Lake area is definitely getting into the famous Olympic Peninsula rainforest with trees dripping with moss and branches looking as if they are covered in velvet.  No recent rain, yet the air was heavy with moisture.  When we returned to Sequim, you could really notice the drier feel and fewer clouds.

Recalculating…Recalculating

The GPS is a indispensable tool on the road, but it goes nuts when it is left on traveling over Puget Sound on the ferry.  “Recalculating…recalculating…recalculating,” is the voice we hear over and over every two minutes until the car drives on to land.  Picture to the left is horrible, because the ferry is in constant motion and I was not able to hold the camera steady.  But, you can see the screen shows the car “floating” in the water.  Funny.

We traveled to the Lynnwood Alderwood Mall today (Pottery Barn has a sale) to buy drapes for our “soon-to-be” bedroom.  The quickest route is to travel to Kingston and catch the ferry to Edmonds.  So many of the riders are merely commuters traveling from their rural homes on the Olympic Peninsula to work in the busy Seattle area.  It is just another boring daily commute for them.  Traveling over Puget Sound whether it is by ferry or small boat is always exciting for us.  I doubt it will ever be boring.  Picture to the right is the view from our car on the ferry.

Still Here

Long time between posts.  Sorry.  Our travels are on hold as we tend to family matters, build our new home, and purchase needed furnishings and appliances.  Lots to accomplish, but not very entertaining reading material for a blog.  When we started our full-time RV adventure, we sold most of our furniture and all of the appliances.  Which was the right thing to do.   Storing all that stuff is expensive and the style of furnishings were unique to our former home.   Now we are starting from scratch—almost feels like our first year of homemaking way back when.

Finding new household items can be fun, but very stressful.  We are trying to buy things we will love and enjoy, but also keep within budget…very tricky.  Officially, we will receive the keys to the house on July 28th.  Seems like plenty of time, but there is a lot to be accomplished in the next five weeks.

One of my passions is home decorating, and I am excited to fluff out our new nest.  As the house takes shape, I will post pictures to show our progress.   I love our little RV home, but it will be great to have a nice, big refrigerator again.

After this is all over, we will probably be happy to hit the road again!

You Meet the Most Interesting People…

The small GilGal RV Park in Sequim, Washington (Sequim pronounced “S’kwim) is not necessarily a resort destination, but what makes it special are the people who come here year after year, stay long-term and have developed a close-knit family.   Yet, they still welcome all new visitors to the park, including us staying short-term.  (Owners, Peter and Dawn, are shown in the picture to the left.)  Last night the camp hosts organized a large feast of fresh local Dungeness crab.  The big common kitchen tables were wrapped with disposable brown paper and  tools were distributed to everyone to crunch crab shell and pick out the meat.  So much fun!  Everyone laughed, got to know each other and ate lots and lots of crab.

And we have found Sequim residents overall are interesting, not just those staying in the park—coming from all over the U.S. to retire in this beautiful area.  From all walks of life, a former professional opera singer, Los Angeles firefighter, a missile designer for the military,  a World War II pilot and prisoner of war, a professional dancer (the real dancer in the movie, Flashdance), live-aboard boaters who have sailed the world and the list goes on.  They all have fascinating stories to tell. 

Without much effort, it has been easy to make friends here.  We have met these people from the golf courses, the RV park and we have met friends of friends. 

Honestly, in all our RV travels, we have met the most interesting people.  The sights in this country are wonderful to see, but just as wonderful are the people you meet along the way.  Everyone having a good time and just as eager to hear your story.

A New Home

We love the rain shadow area of the Olympic Peninsula with its cool summers, sunny weather and spectacular scenery (craggy snow-tipped Olympic mountains, the big blue of salty Puget Sound and the far-off sparkling lights of Victoria, Canada).   Along with our love affair with Sequim, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula and based on the advice of our financial guy, Kevin Bryne with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (super smart and personally, we really like him), we have purchased a home.  Let me say right away, we will still continue our travels across the United States in our 5’er, but the summers will be spent in this beautiful part of the country.  The blog will continue, except the summer posts will contain more about Washington State’s “O” Peninsula.

With the low interest rates and home prices anticipated to rise, Kevin felt now was the best time to purchase our home rather than wait.  And we found a perfect place.  A new townhouse on the Sunland Country Club golf course with construction completion scheduled for the end of July (www.sunlandnorth.com).  We were able to select all our interiors from the hardwood floors to the millwork throughout the house.  The house is at the painting stage both inside and out (see picture to the left).  The driveway and landscaping go in next.  Between our new home and the golf course is a large meadow.  Very quiet and peaceful.  Did I mention our home is in the County of Clallam.  We will now “live in the country”.  But, according my sister-in-law, Joyce, who is from the hinterlands of eastern Washington, we cannot officially claim to be countrified unless we can run around the house naked without being seen.  I guess we have not “gone country” quite yet.  Unless you can count running around the house naked and nobody WANTS to see you…

This is the only place where we do not want to leave after a few weeks.  We love the friendly people, the small town atmosphere and minimal traffic, but large enough to have all the shopping we need (including a Costco).  Yep, we are gonna’ love it here.

Owl Spirit Café @ Port Townsend

A visit to Port Townsend is always fun.  The 19th century buildings along Water Street are filled with interesting art galleries, unusual clothing shops, and many good smelling cafes.  The ferry from Whidbey Island drops off in the middle of all this hub-bub.  Interesting people watching from the tourists to the locals.

We made the trip from our spot in Sequim to Port Townsend yesterday.  It is about a 30-mile drive; a pretty drive down Highway 101 with a turn north along Discovery Bay.  Besides browsing through a few stores, we ate at the Owl Spirit Café.  A trippy, hippy little place with excellent food.  Very much into fresh ingredients and healthy alternatives.  Although Mike made the mistake of asking for a diet Coke.  They looked slightly aghast and suggested he drink one of their freshly made juices.  He opted for water.  What an adventuresome fellow…