Day 67: Sequim to Port Townsend and Back

Port Townsend Shops Hit All the Lisa & Bob Hotspots

Lisa On The Beach at the House, Looking for Shells

The plan for today was to visit Olympic National Park and drive to Hurricane Ride and then walk a few of the visitor center trails-- but a peek at the webcams this morning showed clouds around the mountains, and a peek at the forecast promised clearer views tomorrow, so we held off on that trip and decided to visit Port Townsend instead.

Turns out that was a great decision, as just about everything we wanted to see was open on Monday but closed on Tuesday; so had we done it the other way we would have been disappointed on both counts.

If you look at a map (or if you just know the area) you'll quickly realize that Port Townsend is to the East of Sequim, and that we were retracing some steps to visit.  But, it was only about an hour away so we didn't feel too bad about not plotting a purely Westerly route out to the Washington coast.

This video provides a few snips from the drive.  You'll notice that the Autumn leaves we left in Alaska 3 weeks ago are just starting to find their way into Washington now.




You may also have noticed a small train at the side of the road towards the end of the video.  In case you didn't catch the sign, here is a still below.  Yes, Marijuana is legal in Washington State (as well as in Colorado), though the Washingtonians appear far more gung-ho about it than we do.  This train is the Cannabis Express, and I'm sure you can guess what it sells.

Cannabis Express (Yes, marijuana is legal in Washington)

Anyway, back to Port Townsend.  Our first stop was the Kelly Art Deco Light Museum.  It was located on the second floor of a vintage hardware store, and claims to be the "World's ONLY American Art Deco Light Museum."  The specialize in slip-shade lights, and they have truly amassed an impressive grouping of Deco sconces, lamps, and chandeliers. 

Here are some of our favorites:

Lisa's Favorite Art Deco Sconce in the Museum

I liked the Stenciling on This One

Bob Liked The Green on This Sconce

Face Lanterns from Lincoln Manufacturing in Detroit
(These have antique chromium accents--one of the many things that makes them unique)

In addition to running the museum, the hardware store specializes in converting vintage lighting to LED.  This enables you to keep the original shade and the original casting, but to have new and safe energy efficient electronics. (We'll have to keep that in mind if we come across any potential projects during our travels.)

After the museum we headed into tourist central historic downtown Port Townsend.  It is a nice little town on the water, and had a major cannery and other waterfront business in the 1900s.  This dock remnant shows just how large the arriving ships were:

Dock Remnant in Port Townsend

Here is another picture, taken from the current dock.  The steam in the background is from a power plant-- so Bob marks off the day with another successful sighting.

From the Pier in Port Townsend, WA

Like Seattle, Port Townsend also has an Underground complete with glass skylights on the sidewalk just like the one in Seattle.  However, unlike the one in Seattle, you can just walk down and visit the shops there-- instead of paying $20 each for a pseudo-history tour.

Port Townsend Underground

And speaking of shops in Port Townsend, it had enticements for both of us.  There were several great craft galleries, three bookstores, a fantastic record store (meaning vinyl), a soda fountain (that had no-sugar added ice cream), and an "Antique and Classic Auto" shop.

We just stumbled across that classic car shop (amazingly I spotted it, and not Bob) and were amazed at the collection.  In addition to some very cool cars for sale (a vintage Corvette, a 1965 Ford Falcon, and a one owner late 50s' MG convertible), there were tables of old car parts of every type, books on just about every type of car (including several Ferrari Owners List books-- which Bob claims are "super rare"), old advertising, shop manuals, brochures, and anything and everything you could possible want.  After speaking with the owner, who has been amassing inventory for 38 years, we learned that we were only seeing the tip of the iceberg.  We also learned that he restores vintage car parts (such as side mirrors and name plates) so that they look like new and can be used on cars being restored.  So if you're looking for parts for your next restoration project, or if your current classic is short a part or a manual, give Robin at Bergstrom's a call (360-385-5061).

If you're wondering what Bob bought-- it is a 2014 book published by the Rolls Royce Owners Club on the legacy of Rolls Royce.  I was very happy when he settled for a book.

I picked up a little wooden spoon at a gallery, and two free books at one of the book stores, one of which was signed.

We both were drawn in to the record shop by this sign:

Sign Outside the Record Store

And we both picked up a few records (OK-- Bob got 3 and I got 1, but I think all the gallery purchases still weight the spending scale towards my end).

When we got back to the house after our Port Townsend visit, we found that the fog had cleared quite a bit and we could see Mt. Rainier from our living room window.

Mt. Rainier (taken from the window of our beach house)

We also saw actual ducks swimming and ducking under to grab a bite.  They were a bit small and far out for our cameras, but Bob assures me that a beach vacation is not complete without pictures of ducks, so here they are:

Ducks Swimming Outside Our Beach House
(You can't tell from the picture, but they have green heads and are thus Mallard Ducks)

As we were again at high tide and not at risk of sinking into the mud flats, I took a walk down the beach looking for shells.  The main picture at the top of the blog shows me intently scanning the sand.  Along with the typical beach fare, I found these two very white oyster shells, that alas contained no pearl but are quite pretty just the same.

Oyster Shells Found on the Beach

Finally, the picture you have all been waiting for:

Bob Wading In and Touching the Strait of Juan de Fuca
(Bob Touching Water #12)

And with that, I leave you.

--Lisa