Retracing our steps of just 5 days previous we stopped once again at Costco and Fred Meyers in Warrenton to re-stock. Our friends decided to take their time, do some shopping, and meet back up at our next pit stop Fort Worden later in the day. In Astoria, the navigator (me) missed the turn for the bridge leading over the Columbia into Washington, so we decided to try another route. Staying on the south side of the Columbia River we drove Hwy 30 which follows the river all the way to Portland – but we turned off at the very busy Port town of Longview and got onto I5. It was an easy drive to the interstate, but once on that busy highway we were quickly reminded why we avoid them. Happily about an hour later we got back onto Hwy 101 at Olympia.
Fort Worden, in Port Townsend, is located on the Juan da Fuca Strait at the mouth of the Puget Sound and along with nearby Fort Casey and Fort Flagler was built to fortify the entrance to the sound around 1902. The three were commonly known as the Triangle of Fire.
Point Wilson Lighthouse which was built before the fort, is an active lighthouse which in season offers tours – the light keepers quarter are now rentals.
State Parks acquired the lands in 1968 and began planning recreation and camping areas. There are two camping areas in the park – we stayed at both and each has it’s charms.
First night we stayed at the beach campground, which sits beneath the bluffs of the Fort. The sites offer less privacy, but are all large and level. It is a short walk from this camp to the lighthouse, day use area, and beaches full of driftwood and apparently beach glass (I did find quite a nice specimen myself). For those wanting a bit of cardio, there is a trail that winds through forest up to the top of the bluffs and from there to the military instalments.
The forest campground is situated well above the water, a short distance from the streets that line the quarters and buildings of the Fort. There are both private sites and open grassy ones. The facilities at both camps are the cleanest I have every seen – the washrooms are private, as are the free showers. Trails lead from the camp area to the beach through grassy meadow or forest, or a stroll through the village will bring you to the more sheltered beach area (and beach camping) at the mouth of Puget Sound and the road to the beach campground.
We had booked a third round of golf for the next day at Discovery Bay Golf course – another great course that allows dogs to play. It was a beautiful day and we had a good round of golf before saying farewell to our friends who were heading back home that evening. We would continue to explore for a five more nights.
We spent the second night in the forest campground and in the morning drove to Port Townsend to await the ferry to Whidbey Island, which is one of the many San Juan Islands. With a little time to kill we checked out a bit of the town with it’s gorgeous and beautifully maintained Victorian style homes. We also discovered a substantial farmers market runs on Saturdays. An old bell tower high on a hill was worth checking out, as was the impressive City Hall.
Across the choppy fast flowing waters of the Puget Sound, we disembarked and drove the one and only Hwy to Deception Pass State Park. The attraction and reason to visit was the reviews of the beautiful island full of quaint shops and the incredible views of Deception Pass gorge while driving over the bridge between Whidbey and Anacortes Islands.
Our expectation of a quiet tranquil island camping experience was quickly expelled by tons of traffic and throngs of tourists lining the bridge and full parking areas. We quickly decided just to get to our camping spot and walk the next day to see the gorge. We checked into the campground and were greeted by a surly ranger – I even had to ask for a map. Most of the campsites are smallish and dark, as was ours and the facilities are outdated and far apart.
After a bite of lunch we followed a trail to the day use and beach areas which offers both lake and ocean, only to discover a busy, busy, spot with families, fishermen, and tourists. We took a trail leading away from the main area and after a good walk found a quieter spot where Cedar could run loose. Back at our site later we decided to call the place quits; with bad weather coming and no hook ups we would get no solar charge – and it was way to crowded for us. So after an hour of online cancellations and new reservations, we were set to leave on a very early ferry back to Port Townsend in the morning to spend three more days at the Beach Campground in Fort Worden.
We had to change spots after the first night so we waited in the day use area and enjoyed the beach views for a couple hours.
It was blustery for a couple days and we were treated to a show by some talented and clearly athletic para-sailors. They were literally flying across the water and then soaring high above – it was really entertaining.
A day exploring the Fort and the Batteries: The original buildings are all still in use in some manner as rentals, restaurants, offices, and a non-profit arts and education campus. There is marine science center, and museums. The military instalments and Batteries have been well maintained and are substantial. We spent a whole afternoon wandering among them and it is impressive.
To our delight there was a festival in town, albeit a strange one, but obviously popular and a lot of fun. We had seen some very unusual bicycles around town and it was all revealed when they showed up at Fort Worden – The Kinetic Sculpture Race. The participants did a tour of the campground before heading to the staging area where they had to pass the beach test.
