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.
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.
Located in Port Ludlow, just across the Hood Canal Bridge, this small waterfall (about 25 feet) and well-designed half-mile interpretive nature trail loop is a good place to stop.
Originally built in 1879, the Point Wilson Lighthouse has been automated since 1976 and is monitored by a computer located at the Coast Guard Air Station at Port Angeles. It’s a bit battered from sitting on the exposed point, and closed to the public except for scheduled weekend tours in the summer, but still guiding boats safely around the entrance to Admiralty Inlet, which connects the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.
A lovely sandy beach along Jamestown Road looking out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Though parking is virtually nonexistant, unless you're extremely lucky, take the drive from end to end of the road. And don't be ashamed to pull off to the side to snap some pictures. I do!
Located about 15 miles west of Port Angeles, this state park has something for just about everybody -- camping, hiking, picnicking, play park, tidepools, stunning views, and military history! And best of all, there's no entry fee or day use fee (though there is a fee for overnight camping).
Take a trip from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, British Columbia aboard the Black Ball ferry. A short and scenic 90-minute sailing puts you in Victoria's Inner Harbor with so much to see and do.