As we said goodbye to Shawn, Lakshmi, and Mira we still hadn’t decided whether we would go up around the Olympic Peninsula (OP) or head west to Aberdeen and go south on the 101. Buoyed by beautiful blue skies and easy traffic heading out of Seattle, we decided to take the advice so many were giving us, to go north on 101 out of Oyster Bay and see the sites. We have nothing but time and we hurried by lots of scenic places to avoid bad weather on the trip from the Midwest. Freezing temperatures are rare along the Pacific coast. We have become hardened by sleeping in cold conditions and undaunted by rainy weather.
We then said our goodbyes to Skip and Teresa, hooked up the Ship and headed north up the west side of Puget Sound (the east side of the OP) to Sequim Bay SP. The road passed through a number of resort/fishing communities and skirted along the big trees of Olympic National Forest (ONF). Passing through intermittent rain showers, we were awed by the scenery along Hood Canal, Debob Bay and Quilcene Bay. Stopping at the ranger station, we bought a detailed map of the peninsula that was 4’ x 3’; I figured we might need an extra blanket! It’s not conducive to unfolding in the front seat, but it has turned out to be quite useful.
Sequim (pronounced Squim, translated “a good place to shoot”) Bay is on the Straits of San Juan de Fuca, in the NE portion of the peninsula. We opted for a primitive campsite on a bluff above the bay with nearly a 180 degree view of the water. Primitive means self contained, no water or electricity available at the site. We were the only ones in that loop, so it was really nice! It was the night of the super moon; unfortunately its rising was obscured by clouds but it peeked out after 30-40 minutes. Without the horizon, it lost the wow factor.
This is the life we have longed for since last May, adventurously exploring new locations, happy in our rolling studio apartment, admiring creation, focusing on the present moment of our reality and not obsessing over the bad news on the TV; we’ve even cut back on NPR. The last month of visiting has been a true blessing; it’s great to have such great friends and family, but this is the life we both crave.