A Country Drive to Hood Canal

Hello, Dear Friends,

our rain has subsided and we are 

finally getting some summer weather! 

Last weekend we took a beautiful drive 

to celebrate a dear friend's retirement 

and 50th wedding anniversary! 

Since retirement, they have been living 

in the beautiful Hood Canal region 

on the Kitsap Peninsula of Washington State. 

It is a 3 hour drive from our 

home in the foothills near Mt. Rainier,

but such a lovely drive it is. 

Here we are driving 

 'south' on highway I-5 in Tacoma. 

Disruptive highway projects have

 a silver lining - these protective and 

artistic concrete walls have been added as a bonus. 

Here they run alongside a beautiful old church. 

   

We follow highway 16 over the 

Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

This bridge has a colorful History.

You can see the old span, built in 1950 to replace
the one that collapsed, on the right and the new
span completed in 2007 on the left.
Each side is one way.

Without this bridge, it would take many miles
and hours to 'go around' Puget Sound.

You can see Puget Sound in the upper left  corner of
Washington State. Vancouver Island in Canada
lies beyond.

We are traveling to highway 3
at the top of 'section 32' on the Kitsap Peninsula
from highway 410 near Mt. Rainier.

It's a watery world here with many coves,
inlets and islands.

The view from 'The Narrows' bridge,
leaving the city of Tacoma.

The other side....thick evergreen forest and
rolling hills. Here, apt. homes have a
fabulous view of  the water, the bridge,
 and on a clear day, Mt. Rainier.

A little houseboat enjoys a lovely summer day
on Puget Sound.

There are many pretty marinas with privately owned
sailboats, fishing and cruising boats.

Some military boats living out their golden years. 

I believe these are decommissioned and are being dismantled. 

Washington State is a proud military state

with 7 military bases to protect our country. 

Dramatic elevations as we drive further into the Kitsap Peninsula.
You can catch a glimpse of blue water
through the thick forest.

This was the lovely view as we descended
and drove along the water.

Beautiful Mt. Rainier and the city of Tacoma
rise above Puget Sound.

You can see the true majesty of 14,416 ft. Mt. Rainier
when viewed from sea level.

As we wind our way around each little inlet,
we are suddenly in the most charming town....

Port Gamble is someplace I want to explore
further when we have time!

Sweet turn of the century cottages
overlooking the little port.

(Please excuse the glare - these were taken while driving, through the windows.
It was 90 degrees and we had the windows up and the air conditioner blasting)

There was even a beautiful little church.
The lawn sprinklers are on :)

Every cottage unique,

and surrounded by a white picket fence!

I regret having to drive by, but
we have a party to attend!

A pretty wetlands.

A little cottage tucked into a hillside
with a fabulous view.

Over-sized beach chairs in front of a little cafe.

Narrow winding roads, passing through
tiny towns with big views.

The treacherous waters of Hood Canal.

You can see white sandstone cliffs on
the opposite shore.

This is an inhospitable place in winter.

In between watery viewpoints, we drive through
gentle farmland, untouched by time.

After 3 hours  (getting lost a few times), we arrive....

At 'My Girl - Drive in'.

A 50's style diner and museum
where we will celebrate Bill and Judy's
50th Anniversary and Bill's retirement.

Here's a sneak peek, but I will leave the details
to next time.....

I hope you enjoyed coming along,
my friends!

xoxo


A note to my loyal readers......

I have not been able to join any link parties due
to security threats on my computer.

Either my security systems are too sensitive
or they are not sensitive enough.....
Until I can get one of my brilliant computer savvy sons
(I'm doing some buttering up, here)
to look at it, I am on my own.

xoxo