Forts and Ports

In my last post I mentioned we are staying at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend. But this fort is just one of many in the area. Port Townsend is bordered on two sides by waterways, the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the North and Puget Sound to the East, historically making this area an important strategic defense site for the US military. We visited two other nearby forts during our stay.

Fort Flagler State Park

Fort Flagler (on Marrowstone Island), Fort Worden (in Port Townsend) and Fort Casey (on Whidbey Island) made up the Triangle of Fire in defense of Puget Sound from 1897 - 1953. None of these forts had a reason to fire their weapons in a military skirmish but were primarily used as training facilities for both World Wars.

Like Fort Worden State Park, Fort Flagler State Park has numerous historical military structures that you can hike in and around over several miles of trails. There are also two campgrounds, one in the forest with small dry camping sites and one on the beach with a mix of full hookup and dry camping sites that would fit large rigs.

We were surprised to find that the interior of this battery had been painted.
Tracks to move heavy equipment remain on the ceilings.

Hans was giddy with excitement in this boys playground!

Batteries Revere, Wilhelm and Rawlins were all strung together over about a quarter of a mile...
too big to get a photo of the whole thing.
The best part was you could walk through the entire spread...it was fascinating!

Barn swallows swooped around us as we walked the tunnels, they'd made nests in every small pocket they could find.

Surrounded on three sides by water, there is some very nice beach walking at Fort Flagler.

The gray skies don't stop people from enjoying the Sound.

The size of some of the driftwood around here is astounding...
check out the tree holding up this driftwood fort...and that's only half the tree!

From the bluff we watched the Port Townsend and Coupleville ferries passing each other.

The drive to and from Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island is scenic.
This area is called Nordland, Norwegians settled here because it reminded them of home.

Fort Townsend State Park

Fort Townsend State Park is a little different from the other two forts we've visited. This fort was built in 1856 by the US Army for the purpose of protecting white settlers. Very little remains of the fort so a visit here is less historical and more about hiking the lovely forest trails.

The forest has many faces on the Olympic Peninsula.
Ferns and cedar here...

...lush undergrowth and a mix of conifers and deciduous trees just a short distance away.

This Torpedo defusing station built during WWII is the only military building at Fort Townsend.

Port Townsend is a waterfront town and we were pleased to see that it is easy (and free) to access the coast all over town. We stopped at Port Townsend Brewing for some delicious beer and live music on Sunday afternoon then took a stroll through the neighboring boatyards to the waterfront.

Boat transport contraption.
Notice Hans standing next to the right front inside tire, it's as tall as he is!

An oldie getting an overhaul.

Our time in Port Townsend happened to overlap with Paul and Nina of Wheeling It fame for one night so we got together for dinner at home. Though we read each others blogs we hadn't been in the same place since early 2013. There's always plenty to talk about when RVers get together, just add wine and food and it's a gab fest! Good times!

We learned a neat little tidbit about Fort Worden from our campground hosts: this happens to be the Jazz Port Townsend Workshop Week. All the workshops happen on the Fort grounds and you can walk the property in the evenings and listen to jazz for free. We took a little stroll around the Commons after Paul and Nina left and got an earful of wonderful music, pretty neat little freebie!

So ends our week in Port Townsend. It's a very special town with a bohemian, independent, eco friendly vibe, a great farmers market, wonderful neighborhoods with extensive hiking trails...I could see myself living here. About the only negative to this place is the stinky paper mill at the South end of town!

Today we're off for our next stop: Sequim, WA. We'll settle in for a whole month in one spot and take our exploring at a leisurely pace.