We had heard tails of terror about visiting Obstruction Point. It was a perilous route, in story. In reality, this six mile road is the best groomed single lane dirt trail we have ever driven. Even small cars like a Honda Civic seems to travel the road with little issue. The perilous part is the immediate cliff that we travel along resulting in accelerated heartbreak and some of the best views in all of Olympic National Park.
Traveling can be lonely. Even with a travel companion, there can be moments when one craves to reach out of their personal circle and relax with some friendly people. I have my fearless driver and we have lots of fun together but that doesn't negate the desire for a wider range of friendly interactions. Certainly, one of the perks of our nomadic life is to visit friends and family across the US. But there are times when we are relaxing in a campground and would like to share stories and learn about some new people.
We are in Washington. We are in a region where even Walmart stocks salmon which was never frozen. So it is only appropriate to cook salmon and fresh berries. For night one, we prepared salmon, asparagus, and quinoa for dinner and blackberry cobbler for desert.
There are more popular campsites in Olympic National Park, but we couldn't be more pleased with the magical atmosphere of Heart O'the Hills Campground. It is the perfect balance of beauty, seclusion, and accessibility. Not only could we roll in on a Saturday afternoon and get a spot but we still had cell access where we could set up a hotspot and work.
They did it for the toilets. They did it for the tides. After a fire decimated Seattle in 1889, the city planners saw an opportunity to correct a massive and pungent civic challenge: sewage.
After almost a week on Bainbridge island, it was time to make a trip into Seattle. Getting there was part of the fun as we took the ferry, with breathtaking perspectives of the Seattle skyline and the space needle.
There is a small wedge of reservation across the water from where we are staying. That is a proximity to make any pyromaniac weep. We gathered classic sparklers, roman candles, and seasonal specialties such as "Purple Rain." It's 4th of July and we are celebrating it with friends. We have already had our fill of professional fireworks back at Poulsbo. Now it's time to light up the sky with out own contributions.
There are four gun batteries in Fort Ward. One is along the main paved path that most visitors stroll by when exploring this military outpost come public park. The other is concealed by massive trees, elevated well above the main area of the park and accessible from a relatively discreet dirt path. This is where the troubled teens and would be graffiti artists find some solitude to blow off steam and deface historic structures.
Poulsbo, Washington could be called "Little Scandinavia." There is no shortage of viking images, Ollie & Lena jokes, and so very many baked goods.
After a quick visit to Lewis and Clark's winter digs, we jumped the border up to Washington on our way to Seattle. We frequently drove around waterways that reminded us that we are in the land of sea food. Fresh salmon, dungeness crabs, and oysters thrive...and wind up in my belly. After driving past an oyster farm, I felt a need for seafood, so we stopped at a local dinner shack for shrimp.