We have arrived on the far side of the Olympic Peninsula tonight, a day out of Portland. I am getting ready to stay put for awhile and am very eager to hang out with Charlie and his girlfriend Lori. She has planned a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner for us along with the perfect type of after-Thanksgiving activities, laying around, maybe a movie, and other pleasant things.
We whipped through Seattle, staying just long enough to see two dear young friends, Kate Rainey and Annie Van Avery, and see Annie’s very round and beautiful belly. She’s only about two weeks from delivery and still generously offered us a room in her house. (We were smart enough to stay in a hotel.)
We spent last night in Port Townsend, which we have wanted to visit for years--we always hear it spoken of in such glowing tones by Judy and Steve. Now we understand why. Its main street is on the waterfront and has a wooden boat chandlery. Also lots of boats in the harbor. Our room had a balcony on the water, and in the morning we watched otters and ducks diving about 50 feet out from the shoreline. Ice cream shop, book store, piers…just looks like a great place to hang out in the summer. November not as much. Not bad, but the ice on the boardwalk this morning didn’t make us feel like lingering. Nor did the uber-friendly owner of the Spirit Gallery. All we wanted to do was buy a couple of cards, but we got a twenty-minute lecture on the sorry state of America, all while he clutched my credit card in his right hand. We were a captive audience.
We drove to the westernmost point of the continental US this afternoon—Cape Flattery on the Makah Indian Reservation. The coast is rugged and regal, similar to that of Oregon and northern California.
We stopped in a little backyard fish smoking shop in Neah Bay (still on the reservation). The door was wide open, the television on, but no one answered when we called out. So we knocked on the door of the attached trailer and a teenage boy trundled out. He seemed a bit self-conscious but helpful, and sold us the best smoked salmon we have ever tasted.
Tonight we are in Forks, which capitalizes heavily on the fact that the vampire series, "Twilight," was filmed here. Maybe I can convince myself to see the movies so I can properly appreciate their advertising.
Heeding the advice about changing it up, I will add another of our favorite traveling recipes here. You buy a bag of pumpkin seeds. Put one seed on edge in your mouth and gently bite the sides until they separate. Then ever so gently peel the shell back and pop that luscious little seed into your mouth. It keeps your hands busy for hours while adding very few calories to a trip.
Port Townsend looks like an amazing place.
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