Life in Washington State
Growing up in Washington state, I did have access to Canada for summer trips by sailboat. My father enjoyed skiing, and our winter trips included Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier. In the spring, we would visit the hot springs on the mountain.
My father converted a Dodge A100 van to include a bed, woodstove, gas stove for cooking, and an icebox for food storage. Trips in the van were quite comfortable.
My local trips included stops at Port Angeles, Silverdale, Seattle, Anacortes, and Whidbey Island.
The shopping mall in Silverdale included a Wizards of the Coast outlet for a couple of years. It was a much shorter trip than driving all the way to Seattle, and it was easier to convince my mother to drive me there.
While in Cub and Boy Scouts, I got to go camping on Whidbey Island, attended a jamboree, and dug fossils in the mountains.
I had a summer job working on a trail crew after high school. Some of my schoolmates were also on the crew. Small town activities. We hiked into the mountains and did moderate repair and construction work using hand tools.
I recall being able to see my hometown in the distance after reaching one of the Olympic Mountain summits around 5-6k feet.
WA Trip Posts
- Seattle, WA
On my trip back home to Port Townsend last October (2025), I flew from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SeaTac). My father picked me up in… - The Flight Home
My father scheduled a pickup by the SeaTac Rocket Shuttle at around 10:30 this morning (PST). The drive was around 2 hours, no ferries, just bridges. We stopped for a break at a McDonald’s restaurant and I went inside and ordered a McCrispy Sandwich. I haven’t eaten at McDonald’s for maybe 5 years. It tasted delicious. - Sailing in the Bay
Wren is a 15 foot, two masted, open seating sailboat. She has a center board and an electric outboard motor. The outboard battery was especially heavy and needed to be hoisted out and over the stern to be fit in place. - On Walkabout: Hidden Trails RoadThe trailer on Hidden Trails Road had actually been our home before the construction on Eddy Street. So we really just moved back after a short sojourn. It was on…
- On Walkabout: Eddy Street
After breakfast on Thursday, I decided to walk across town to my old house on Eddy Street. 1265 Eddy. It was part of a first time home owners project. There were six homes to be built, 3 each on two different streets. The future homeowners took part in the construction process. - Out in the Bay
Sailing in the bay. Well, there wasn’t a whole lot of wind, and we did get rained on at the beginning… - Paved Away and Gone From SightOne of my childhood homes was down in an old, funky boatyard, nestled away below an old railroad track. The boatyard was home to many folk working on boats and…
- Driving Across Bainbridge Island
After the ferry boat ride, we stopped in at Town & Country Market for some lunch and coffee. I purchased the Maka Special, which was a sushi dish of Yellowfin… - Gallery: Down by the WaterAfter my father picked me up from the airport, we drove in his little electric-blue Prius to the Seattle ferry boat. We took the Bainbridge ferry “Tacoma” to Bainbridge Island….
- Landed, looking for Parking Space
The pilot let us know it’s a busy morning, and they’re just waiting to be assigned a parking space. It shouldn’t take terribly long, though. This gives me a chance…