Settled for a Month in Sequim, WA, Week One

We love settling for a month in one place and our first week in Sequim has flown by. Though not as vibrant as our last stop, Port Townsend, Sequim is a peaceful little town perfectly located for our explorations of the NE portion of the Olympic Peninsula.

We chose to spend the month at John Wayne's Waterfront Resort, just outside of town and situated on Sequim Bay. Right across the street is Sequim Bay and a pretty marina park, right behind our RV is a small meadow and a short forested trail through the RV park grounds, perfect for walking Rosie and short strolls in the evening.

View of Sequim Bay at low tide, right across the street from the RV park.

Our explorations in the past week have taken us deep into the forest, on pretty coastal walks, and on top of a peak with views to blow your mind. Looks like this is going to be a fabulous month!

First stop, into the forest! We hiked the Lower Gray Wolf River Trail in the Olympic National Forest. This lovely trail took us through a moss covered fairyland to the Gray Wolf River, one of the prettiest rivers I've ever seen.

The river was a pretty blue in the deep spots.

The salmonberries were ripe! Yum!

In Sequim we enjoyed a morning of raspberry picking at Graysmarsh Farm, where various berries were only $2/pound and blueberries were $2.50/pound. We ended up with 6.5 pounds (not counting what we ate straight from the vine!) and I made several tasty treats from the bounty and froze quite a lot for future use.

 Another day we drove 15 miles West to Port Angeles, the largest town along the North coast of Washington and a major gateway to Olympic National Park. It has a deep water harbor formed by Ediz Hook and ferries take off from here to Victoria, British Columbia. This town has a lovely waterfront trail, views into the Olympic Mountains, views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to British Columbia, and several wonderful murals scattered through downtown. We enjoyed a tasty lunch at Next Door Gastropub.

View from the waterfront trail looking towards the City Pier and ferry landing.
You can climb the tower on the pier for excellent views into the mountains,
across the Strait and down into the clear water.

During low tide raccoon's come out to forage along the shoreline.

This odd looking vessel is named Kalakala, and once ran as a ferry in the area. It is currently being restored.

Yesterday we went on a fabulous hike with Bill and Christine, friends we met in Tucson this past winter who live up in this neck of the woods. The hike they chose, Mount Townsend, was amazing...flowers exploding off the hillsides and views for miles and miles. There is some serious elevation gain on this trail, but it was worth it for the views of Mt Rainier, Mt Baker, the Northern Cascades, Hood Canal, Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the jagged spires of the Olympic Mountains...the list goes on and on.

You can see various waterways in front of ghostly Mt Rainier, the WA fires are probably the cause of the haze.

Group shot at the false summit.

And on to the summit...

It was easy to see how the mountains were lifting over time, reminded me of a mini San Rafael Swell.

This ridge is basically the top of Mt Townsend...the views are spectacular!

The little speck at top left is Christine! 

So ends week one in Sequim. The weather is perfect and we're enjoying some down time too, one of the best parts about spending a month in one place.