Kitsap Memorial State Park
The story for finally finding Port Gamble actually starts with another hidden secret, Kitsap Memorial State Park. This is another case of having driven by this place countless times. The real irony is that on each occasion I can remember thinking, “One of these days I need to check this park out.”
I’m not sure what has kept me from turning in. Perhaps it’s the close proximity to home. It just feels like you need to travel some amount, at least in the hours’ range, not minutes, before it qualifies as an adventure. Or maybe it’s the lack of visibility and it’s neighbors. You can’t see the park from the main road, only the usual dull dirt brown state park signage pointing westward. And the double crossroads that border the entrance are home to some old tired businesses that have seen better days and are in need of some paint.
Whatever the reason it’s a disservice to the park. Once you pull in the park, which has a border shared with Hood Canal, you greeted with lush well-kept campsites, large open grassed areas, and a handful of historic facilities that are available for rent.
For us, the go, no-go making point is the actual campsites. These are well wooded and afford a large degree of privacy. Perfect.
While we were there someone had rented the large log house for their wedding reception, but I was more interested in the vista’s of Hood Canal and the Olympics. With its large and modern playground for kids, I’d say this part has something to offer everyone.
Port Gamble
Our first morning in the park, we decided to head north into Port Gamble and see what it had to offer. Felt a little weird actually passing the Hood Canal Bridge. But once we starting seeing the historic buildings of Port Gamble and immediately started asking myself why had it taken me so long to check out this place?
The first known residents of Port Gamble were members of the Nooksclime, Clallam, or S’Klallam tribe who fished and gathered food along Hood Canal. The S’Klallams belonged to the linguistic group, South Coast Salish, which populated Puget Sound. Tribes traded and intermarried and generally experienced little conflict except for raids from outside the region.
In 1841, a U.S. Navy expedition led by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes (1798-1877) named the two-mile-long bay at the mouth of Hood Canal after Navy Lieutenant Robert Gamble, who was wounded in the War of 1812.
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /home/customer/www/xexplore.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/fetch-tweets/include/class/utility/database/FetchTweets_DatabaseTable_ft_http_requests.php on line 196
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /home/customer/www/xexplore.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/fetch-tweets/include/class/utility/database/FetchTweets_DatabaseTable_ft_http_requests.php on line 197
“
Member of the following
Latest Instagram
This set of pillars made from columnar basalt at the terminus of Frenchman Coulee is popular among rock climbers. Read more about this in the link in bio.
We started our hike to the Frenchman Coulee Waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge early in the morning to beat the heat. However, when we reached the bottom of the waterfall, it was already scorching hot. Follow the link in the bio to read more.
Stormy weather over Fort Worden.
Point Wilson Lighthouse at night. This is a hand held shot with the new iPhone. Hard to believe where tech has taken us.
Large waves from the evening storm crashed against the rocks at the base of Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.
Spending the weekend on the Washington coast near the mouth of the Columbia River. Last night it poured in camp, but this morning the sun broke throught for a bit. Make everything seem a bit warmer.
A road less traveled through the Northern Cascades during the fall season.
Sunset over a lonely section of coastline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Enjoying the quiet and solitude of an evening camp on Whidbey Island.
A view of Baker River just south of Baker Dam. We arrived midweek and had the place to ourselves despite enduring some showers.
Theresa clings to her cap atop Goats Rock on the SW side of Deception Pass, admiring the view of Puget Sound after a steep climb.
This group of Common Rustgill were at our campsite on the Sagkit River. This is a great time to go out and brush up on your fungi identification skills.
Nature's masterpiece painted across the canvas of the sky, as fiery hues intertwine with the tranquil waters of Deception Pass. Last night's sunset at North Beach left me in awe of the world's endless wonders.
That time of the year to pull out the mycology reference books. Spending a week exploring the forests of the North Cascades. #MycologyMagic #ForestAdventures
Deception Pass State Park is our starting point for a 7 day camping trip through the North Cascades.
A view from last summers trip to Frenchman’s Coulee along the Columbia River Gorge. Missing the warm dry temperatures.
In the summer of 1853, San Francisco lumber merchant and sea captain William Talbot spotted the sand spit at the mouth of the bay as a likely place for a lumber mill. Talbot was a partner of Josiah Keller, Andrew Pope, and Charles Foster in the Puget Mill Company. They planned to cut the abundant trees of Oregon Territory into lumber for sale in California and across the Pacific. The sand spit sheltered ships and was close to stands of timber.
For 142 years, the community existed to support sawmills that produced lumber for the world market. The mill closed in 1995, but as a National Historic Site, the townsite has been preserved to reflect an authentic company mill town.
Now, most of the homes host little boutique shops filled with crafts. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Scratch Kitchen and I’d recommend a stop. For me, the highlight was a stop at the Port Gamble General Store. The first floor is full of your usual stables for sale as well as some local crafts, but the upper levels are what really interested me.
Glass cases full on natural history items are on display from the local area. What a treat for the curious minded. Be sure to give yourself ample time to marvel at all the curiosities.
