As much as I love living in the city, it’s always a delight to spend time in places where there are more trees than people, the air is clean, and you can see the stars at night. And with the plumbing finished, The Gimlet was willing to make our oft-postponed trip to the northwest coast. We left town mid-afternoon after school. There are two ferry routes from Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula: Bainbridge and Edmonds-Kingston. Leery of downtown traffic, we decided to head north to the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. Traffic was light, the line was surprisingly short for a Friday afternoon, and we were able to board the first available ferry.
When Thing One was a toddler, he loved running around on the ferry deck and feeling the breeze. Thing Two, however, buried his head in Mommy’s shoulder and held on for dear life. It was a beautiful, clear day to see both Mount Rainier to the south and Mount Baker to the north.
About seven miles west of Kingston, we stopped in Port Gamble. Port Gamble was founded in 1853 by Pope & Talbot and though the mill is gone, the town has been lovingly preserved and restored. The surviving 85 structures in the town date from 1859-1920. In 1966 the town was designated as a National Historic Landmark. With tree-lined streets (and the leaves just starting to change color for fall), white picket fences, and a view of Hood Canal, this is one of the prettiest little towns in the state.
Our destination was the Port Gamble General Store and Café, where we hoped to find a penny machine. The upper level of the store is a museum of sea shells and other maritime curiosities. The penny machine was on the main level, near the back of the store by the ice cream counter. It’s a hand-cranked machine, and it rolls a little short, but the store staff were very squisher-friendly — making sure Thing One had exactly lined up the design. The machine has three designs: a seashell, the store’s logo, and a picture of the store, making these very suitable souvenirs.
On the way out of town, I noticed a picture-perfect tea room and chocolate shop, but being the only female on Team Gimlet, I was outvoted — and to be honest, taking a toddler to a tea room would not be fun. Plus, we still had a long drive ahead.
After a stop in Sequim, where Thing One chose our dinner, we still had about two hours’ driving to do. As the sun was setting, we approached the northeast shore of Lake Crescent. This glacial lake, surrounded by mountains, is over six hundred feet deep, nine miles long, and the water is a rich turquoise color. According to Native American legend, Lake Crescent was formed when Mount Storm King, fed up with the fighting between the Clallams and Quileutes, broke a rock off his head and threw it down at the warring tribes. Highway 101 follows the curving shoreline, making for a thrilling ride (or a motion-sick one, depending on the passengers’ temperament).
By the time we finished driving along the lake, the sun had completely set, and the Things were tired of riding in the car. Fortunately it wasn’t much farther to go and we checked into our motel at 8:00 pm.
Next: A morning beach hike
This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 03rd, 2006 at 12:03pm
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