Olympic Peninsula… WA

Friday, July 20th, 2007

It seems that we are escaping summer as we go along. The Olympia Peninsula is cool, cold at times as the heater is on this morning to get the chill out. Definitely better cold than hot. The weather is so variable here, clouds, mist, rain… suddenly sunny, ride a bit and more rain… It is all the gear on including the heated liner which does not need to be plugged in yet, but a nice protection being windproof.

Not really that far from Seattle, but so different as being suddenly transported in a totally different medium. This is laid back, this is when the days and time stops again being looked upon, as I find myself falling asleep and waking up in the strange pattern that use to prevail when in the deserts. The daylight hours are still long and I don’t want to miss any of it, the short days of winter are always on my mind, I know they will be back soon with darkness falling upon us in the early hours of afternoons. This is my view!… a sunrise this morning.

We are right by the water, the Hood Canal, with only the road separating us. I was determined to compromise our location this time, only to have the ability to set up my dish. I did not have to. Clear view of the skies here, a campground called Mike’s Resort, owned by Mike (hello!) and his wife Illya who is from Columbia… The resort, which is about a quarter mile from here, very rustic with no pretense and inexpensive, was open in 1950! The view is serene, calm, peaceful… just what the Dr ordered after these past weeks of intense doings.

I did not want a long ride yesterday even though the rig is feeling better than ever. After Andy’s repairs, Jay Dauntless, where the sidecar originated from, took over and changed all the eyebolts to a much more secure fashion. The sidecar rigging is such a obscure, I would call it, science… Some of the eyebolt threads where only in by a ¼ of an inch and I was already feeling its looseness throughout my ride up Mt St Helen… It is now as solid as it is going to be and I hope having never the opportunity to write about it!!! A bit of painting will complete the task for now, must be the Russian metal or? most of the new paint is already gone… lifted off like flakes…

A simple destination, Port Townsend. 101 North and a slight turn on 20, north again took us to what I found to be a busy little town! Many tourists brought in by the Ferry. This is Ferry land… the main connection to all the Islands. We stopped for lunch at the intersection of 101 and 20 at Fat Smitty’s only because of what you see in the picture! Much money in the room!… and the claim was serving a cheeseburger that was in the top ten of the country for two tears in a row…

 

This was not mine!… I cannot eat that much… but the regular one, same patty, proved to have the worse ground beef I have ever had… filled with gristles… sorry… cheap, did I say “cheap” meat! As outspoken as I am, for a change, I did not say anything. The atmosphere was good, I loved Mr. Potato Head… I just don’t understand the claim, don’t understand how a restaurant owner cannot be a bit prouder of their food… I personally would be embarrassed.

On to Port Townsend, tourist traps everywhere… expensive ’trendy’ shops… but… a couple very cool Marinas. Maybe you know this, but my love for sailboats is as for motorcycles. Actually, if I was in fantasy land and was given only one option between owning a sailboat or a motorcycle my choice would truly be undecided. Beautiful lines on this one… to me it is the forward motion cutting through the water with just Mother Nature’s incredible motions and one’s ability throughout the different weather conditions.

Had a great time walking Spirit around, we even saw a buddy of his… This guy loves to ride in his car, it is like renewed energy when we are on the road, after almost a month off his rig he deserves all this, specially that I could not let him play outside too often because of the untrained puppy a while back, and had to confine him just so he would not get any more scars! How strange life can be sometimes, specially when on the road, at the mercy of life’s conditions with no say so! Just have to swallow the conditions that presents themselves knowing that all things must pass… amazing how everything that happens to Spirit touches me so deeply, specially when it is out of my control. He is just fine now!

The divers with their “dry” suits, water temp is about 50 degrees, had a great time, two photographers with their camera in a dry box. They showed me all the prints they had in their truck and they looked more like pictures taken in the tropics then up here in these cold waters of the Peninsula. Beautiful colors, complete with corrals and odd looking fish and mussels.

We have been playing phone tags with Gretchen and Bob, she is Excess on the BARF forum and both live in Vacaville, California, up here for a quick, very quick run. They were too early to wait for me at our campground, they where in Port Townsend when they called me, and I was right around the corner! What luck… and a great visit as it is always so nice to actually meet the ones I correspond with. Will probably stop to see them on my way south sometime… Gretchen is much into cooking and eager to learn a few things, you all know I not need to be asked twice!

This site is made possible by the generous support of readers like you. No PayPal?… Here is our Snail Mail…

Ara Gureghian

853 Vanderbilt Beach Rd #245

Naples Fl #4108

Enjoy… and be well…

Till next time… Ara & Spirit

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2 Responses to “Olympic Peninsula… WA”

  1. SheRidesABeemer Says:

    Oh, I’m so glad you made it to Port Townsend for us! We diverted to Spokane instead of crossing WA as we had originally planned. It looks like we missed a lovely place, but at the time it was a good decision for us!

  2. rosealie sendler Says:

    I live in Port Townsend and when I saw (for the first time ever) that you were in Oregon I wondered if you would be coming here- And it seems you have been to my beautiful, friendly, liberal, artsy town. I love it here. You also went right by Ayock Beach on Hoood Canal in Liliwaup or as my friend says in the northern suburbs of Lilliwaup. Until last year we spent all of our summers there in his cabin on the canal. Crabbing or fishing, being in a boat out there, in the beauty and the stilness makes you feel rich. And now you are going to Texas???
    Did you get a chance to see our mountains Mt. Raineer? Did you drive to the North Cascades, Levenworth, etc. I have seen many wonderful mountain ranges but this is my favorite.
    Enough. I guess I am happy that you visited us and sorry I didn’t know you were here. Out dogs could have met and we could have thrown sticks into the surf.

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