This Gothic-Revival style farmhouse was built in 1861 by Captain Elijah H. McAlmond (1825-1919), and is the oldest frame residence in Clallam County. At the time, it was considered one of the finest houses in all of the Puget Sound area. It is the only house still standing from the early settlement of New Dungeness.
Down at the end of Sequim Bay, across from the 7 Cedars Hotel & Casino, is a gem of a beach that exists due to the herculean restoration efforts of the Jamestown S'Kallam Tribe, Clallam Conservation District, North Olympic Salmon Coalition, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and a host of others.
72 degrees and sunny means it’s time to hit the beach. Just 10 miles west of Port Angeles is Freshwater Bay County Park, a 21-acre park on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Driving down Highway 101, just west of Blyn and the 7 Cedars Hotel & Casino, you can see the top of the roof and chimneys of a lovely old brick house. Especially before all the trees start leafing. It looks neglected at best, and I wondered, whose house? Can I find it? A little bit of sleuthing and the answer is tied to a Sequim pioneer, builder and lover of birds.
Perched at the northwest corner of the Miller Peninsula, Panorama Vista County Park lives up to its name. The views of Sequim to the west, the Strait of Juan de Fuca in front of you, and Protection Island to the east are impressive.
Built by the Seattle, Port Angeles and Western Railway Company in 1914, the last train traveled across the Johnson Creek Train Trestle in 1983. In 2002, the trestle was converted to pedestrian use as part of the Olympic Discovery Trail.
I'd lived here in Sequim for nearly a year before I had my first elk sighting. I'd read that the herd size varied from year-to-year, numbering about 90-ish. Of course, there is the Elk Crossing sign, which flashes when the radio collared elk are nearby. My husband and I joked that we figured the State Wildlife guys had collared some cows by mistake, as we'd never seen any elk. But finally, sucess!
A sunny Sunday filled my thoughts with beaches and got my camera fingers twitching. After checking tide charts, I hopped in the car and headed west toward Murdock Beach, aka “fossil beach”. It overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca and on a clear day you can see Vancouver Island.
Mentally kicking myself for not checking the DOT website before I headed over to the "dark side" (hey, Sequim is definitely sunnier than Seattle), I managed to squeak across the Hood Canal Bridge ahead of its intermittant closures for safety inspections, as they do every spring. Why should I care? Well, the Hood Canal Bridge connects the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas.
Heading westward and homeward after leaving my sister's house, I decided to take the scenic route home. What with a warm(ish) and sunny(ish) day, I had tossed my camera in the backseat and thought I'd stop at the Worthington Mansion and Park in Quilcene. Built in 1892, it's the only remaining house of its age and style in rural Jefferson County.
What do you call a town with 10,000 people and more than 300 Victorian houses? Port Townsend!
Known as Cha-cha-ne-cuk or Cha-cha-nu-cah by the S'Kallam tribe, named Isla de Carrasco by Spanish in 1790, and finally Protection Island by George Vancouver in 1792, this 380-acre island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca is home to breeding, nesting, and migrating marine birds.