Camping Trip to Olympic Peninsula

We are beginning our visit to the wilds and not-so-wilds of the Olympic Peninsula on the western shores of Washington State in the Pacific Northwest.

Map above shows the beginning of our trip. The first day (pictured below) begins in the upper right corner (northeast corner) of the Peninsula. Our destination is Fort Worden, a Washington State Park. Fort Worden is a former Army Coastal Artillery Base (1897-1953) that protected Puget Sound and its cities and bases from potential hostile action by invading navies in the early 1900s.

To get to Fort Worden from our home we only had to drive about 40 miles but took advantage of two ferry crossings enroute. To drive here without the ferries probably would have been at least 150 miles.

Here's our point of departure for our second ferry ride. This is called the Coupville Ferry Landing. This is on Whidbey Island. Our destination at the other end of this ferry ride is Port Townsend, Washington and Fort Worden.

Here's our motorhome with car in tow waiting for the ferry.

Ferry off-loading...walkers and bicyclists first, motorcycles second, cars third, oversized vehicles (trucks, RVs, buses, etc.) last.

Mandy likes the motorhome's dashboard. She's ready to go to sea...well, the Puget Sound to be exact:)

Approaching Port Townsend. Vapor trails from smoke stacks on the left are from a woodpulp mill. Lots of trees out where we are going. A lot of logging goes on but nowhere near as much as 1980 and earlier. Preservationists have pretty much won the day up here. The Olympic National Park is off limits and the National Forests are for the most part off limits to loggers, thanks to the loss of habitat for the Spotted Owl... Sorry about the lighting on this photo but wanted to give you a feel for the terrain out on the Peninsula.

Ferry Landing at Port Townsend. The big 1890s stone building is the main post office for Jefferson County, Washington.

Ten minutes off the ferry puts us in our campgrounds. Lots of beaches and an abundance of historical sites all within a few minutes of here.

Our campsite. It has full hook-ups which means electricity, sewer and water. We have our own hotspot for internet access, our cell phones and our own TVs (which we rarely watch).

Some interior decking of an old coastal artillery emplacement (Battery Kinzie) three minutes walk from our campsite. Fascinating place and there are numerous such fortifications to visit (all built between 1897-1910).

View of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the top of Battery Kinzie. Any hostile ships would have been plastered by the big guns and mortars of Fort Worden. All these emplacements and armaments were deemed obsolete by 1941-42.