Day 63: Around Gig Harbor

Hanging Around on Our Last Day in Gig Harbor

Sunrise from Our Gig Harbor House Balcony

We woke this morning to the beautiful sunrise you see in the picture above. Well OK, Bob woke up with the sun and took those pictures while I was still fast asleep, but it was a beautiful morning.

As today is our last day in this glorious house in Gig Harbor, we decided to stay in town and to enjoy as much of the town and the house as we could.  First we took care of a chore by dropping off a large FedEx box of art (remember back to the Owl sculpture, the Eagle print, and the two free book poster from former posts, plus a new small diptych we picked up here in Gig Harbor from a local artist-- no pictures of that one, but it is an Encaustic Painting, made from fused wax.).

Bob finally got his haircut after weeks of complaining that it was too long.  He found himself in the hotbed of town gossip, seated in the chair next to a sitting city councilman in the midst of a very contentions election--though Bob's barber told him that talking politics in the shop was strictly prohibited.  Along with learning about the local hot-button issues, Bob was also rewarded with the mid-day Seniors rate for his haircut.  He didn't notice, but I chuckled all the way back to the car.

Chores done, we headed out for lunch at a highly regarded local breakfast/lunch spot right on the water (The Devoted Kiss Cafe)--and it did not disappoint.  We sat outside on the terrace overlooking the marina and the bay.

Our Lunch Spot in Gig Harbor

In addition to good food, we were entertained by the boats on the water and by this bird.  The bird had developed a stealth fishing method-- it stood on the wooden planks of the dock so its lunch (little swimming fish) would not see its shadow. Then when it spied a tasty bite it would stick its long beak through the slats of the dock and grab it up and swallow it down.  Despite several attempts, we couldn't capture a video of this routine in action, but here are a few shots of the bird.

Bird on the Dock at Lunch

After lunch we headed over to the local Gig Harbor History museum.  It included a bunch of interesting exhibits on the settlement of the area from the first native residents to the early settlers, both from other places in the country and the Scandinavians and Croatians that helped shape the town in its fishing and farming days.

The museum also included an exhibit on the original 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge that was destroyed in high wind by its vibrations.  Bob remembered this lesson in how not to build a bridge from his engineering classes.  Here is the video from YouTube (a version of which was also played in the museum).






And here is a piece of the original bridge from the museum exhibit:

Piece of "Galloping Gertie" the 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Another museum project was the restoration of the Shenandoah, a fishing boat that was originally made in 1925 for a Gig Harbor fisherman, and was used to fish locally and as far away as Alaska (get the connection?).  The restoration was definitely in-progress, with the inside looking pretty good and the outside still needing a tremendous amount of work.  The first picture gives you a feel for the size of the boat, and the second provides a feel for the size of the building.

1925 Shenandoah Fishing Boat in Mid Restoration

Shenandoah Fishing Boat in the Boat Shop at the Gig Harbor Museum

In the picture above you can see the gray wheel, which is on the side of the boat's diesel engine, pictured below.  We were particularly tickled that someone had taken the trouble to correct the exhibit sign (Zippy were you perhaps there?)

Diesel Engine from the Shenandoah

After the museum we headed back to the house to take one final hike down to the beach.  The trek was far easier and quicker this time, now that we knew what to expect and where all the tricky sections and loose steps were.  This time we hit it at high tide-- as you can see from this picture of me next to the big rock on the beach.  This is the same rock both the bird and I were standing on in the post from Day 58--big difference!

Lisa on the Beach at High Tide

I was also thrilled to find this piece of real seashell-- it is the first time I have ever found a real seashell while walking on the beach.

Seashell Found on Our Private Beach in Gig Harbor

Once we finished with our final beach trip, we headed back up to the house to start the work of packing up to leave again-- organizing, bagging, laundry, etc.

Now any of you who have been on this Great Adventure with us since the beginning will have by now noticed that we are off the original trip map-- and may be wondering where we are headed next. Here is your answer:

Part Two of Bob and Lisa's Great Alaska Adventure (the lower 48 part)

After we leave Gig Harbor tomorrow, we'll stop at a few museums we missed in Bremerton and Keyport, then spend the next two nights in a real Caboose at a train-themed B&B in Sequim. After that we have a beach house for 4 days right on the water in Dungeness (yes of the famous Dungeness crabs).  That will give us plenty of time to explore the area, which is part of the Olympic Rain Shadow--an area that unlike the rest of Washington State gets very little rainfall because it is shielded by Mt. Olympus.  We plan to visit many of the towns along the north coast, as well as Olympic National Park.

After that we head for two days in a cabin right on the Pacific Ocean beach at the Hobuck Beach Resort in Neah Bay.  The resort is on an Indian Reservation, and is as close as we can get to Cape Flattery--the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States--which we plan to hike the trail to visit.  We have stayed in Eastport Maine, the northeastermost point of the contiguous United States, so visiting the northwesternmost point is a symmetric requirement.

Next we will make a one night stop in Ocean Shores Washington, and then head over to Astoria, Oregon for a 3 night stay in the historic Cannery Pier Hotel.  After that, we're headed home, and the Great Adventure will come to an end.

So now you have the plan, stay tuned for all the details.

--Lisa