Exploring the Unique Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve

Last week I mentioned that the central part of Whidbey Island was part of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. This is truly a unique situation in terms of the National Park System. 85% of the land within this reserve is privately owned. Nevertheless the national, state, county, and city of Coupeville have worked together to make this a place where the historical, cultural and geographic uniqueness of the region is preserved. Visitors won’t necessarily know they are in a national…

2021: Travel Adventures in a COVID world

The saying is that, “Timing is everything.” I started my blog shortly after retirement from teaching in 2019. I was looking forward to sharing some of my past experiences initially and then moving on to new adventures. While my wife is still working, she has generous vacation days so I expected we would travel a lot. However, about seven months later the world shut down as COVID took over the world. How was I going to write a travel blog…

Olympic Peninsula: Touring the Juan de Fuca Highway

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is the channel that lies between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. It is odd that the name has a Spanish origin, and it turns out that the story behind the name is even more unusual. Whatever its name, the area is a beautiful region that often gets overlooked on visits to the Olympic Peninsula. We decided that our visit would be sure to include opportunities to enjoy the beauty of this beautiful and…

Olympic Peninsula: Sequim Spit and Salmon Spawning

On a beautiful, sunny Monday, we were going to backtrack. Sequim is a town between Port Townsand and Port Angeles. It is probably best known for its fields of lavender. However, we had other places in mind to explore. We drove past it on Saturday evening, but today we would return and explore its wonders. The first thing we did, however, was have breakfast. I had read about a great breakfast place in Sequim. Since breakfast is my wife’s favorite…

Olympic Peninsula: Above the Clouds at Hurricane Ridge

If you are visiting the Olympic Peninsula, the Olympic National Park will probably be at the top of your list. Of course going up to Hurricane Ridge is one of those must-do activities in the park. We have been to Hurricane Ridge a few times over the years, but it was time for another visit. I had looked at the weather forecast and decided that Sunday would be a good day to travel up to Hurricane Ridge. (My daughter thinks…