Thursday, August 18, 2016

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

35 comments:

  1. Hello, what a lovely drive. The scenery and views are just beautiful. I love the cute cottages and the view of Mt Rainier. The drive-in looks like a fun place for a party. Have a happy Friday and weekend ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, what a marvelous drive ... those views are wonderful, and I too love the cottages, definitely a place to stop and explore if you can next time you visit.

    A retirement and a 50th Anniversary a special celebration.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely pictures today, Karen. Those houses are charming that you saw along the way. I love diners! - the black and white floors and the read seating is delightful. One of my favorite places to eat, so fun.

    ~Sheri

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh thank you so much for letting us come on this incredible drive with you. The Pacific NW is an area I just don't know well - and it is so different from my own world.

    Don't we live in an amazing country to have so many vastly different areas to see and share?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Karen, my dear friend, thank you for another wonderful Country Drive! Wonderful houses and places ...lovely nature everywhere ...This 50's Style Diner is so beautigful! I love this style, a great place to celebrate Birthday and Retirement!
    You really live in an amazing Country!
    Wishing you a wondeful and happy weekend,
    sending Love and Hugs and Blessings,
    Claudia xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks so much for letting us enjoy seeing some of what you saw on your trip. The celebration venue looked like a perfect place for celebrating! xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Karen, I'm a little late to comment but I wanted to say "hi". I was scrolling through the wonderful photos you posted and I saw the Narrows Bridge in Gig Harbor where I used live. And then I saw my home in photo you shared coming across the bridge from Tacoma! Such a lovely surprise. I loved seeing Port Gamble and the Hood Canal photos. Your photos are amazing too as the color is so unique. I'm sure you had a lovely time celebrating with your dear friends. My best to you, Pat xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for letting me come along on your drive. I know so little about your part of the world. It looks so beautiful, I would love to visit. Love anywhere that is watery and has mountains. B x

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love when you take us on these amazing trips with you...always feels like we are there :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi dear Karen ,, que lindo paseo con ese lago al frente ,,, que hermosos paisajes amiga querida ,, espero que tengas un bendecido fin de semana
    Cariños

    ReplyDelete
  11. So great landscapes! A long and winding road leads you to be in a happy time.

    ReplyDelete
  12. A wonderful trip to tag along with you visually. I'd love to stop at Port Gamble too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Karen, this region looks stunning!!
    Thanks for sharing all your pictures.
    Hope you're fine; as for me I've just finisherd my summer holidays in Spain.
    Love

    ReplyDelete
  14. You certainly took us on a beautiful trip, you certainly live in a stunning part of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for the very nice country drive. It was really peaceful and lovely.

    What a neat place to have a celebration!

    Have a wonderful weekend ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  16. We have been having hot weather here in the Pacific NW! Looks like a lovely area to explore.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a charming place. Oh those charming cottages and sweetest picket fences - be still my heart. ;) Not to mention amazing views!

    What a fun place for a party!! I can't wait to see the details next time. HOpe you get your computer issues worked out soon Sweetie. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a brilliant post Karen!
    Mt Rainier is indeed very impressive. Loving your photos of Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
    Port Gamble does look a lovely place to visit. The Church and cottages are all so picturesque. Love the colours of the cottages. In the UK too many are painted in a boring magnolia, we all need a bit of colour in our life.
    I'm sure you all had a fantastic party.
    Have a brilliant weekend with hugs from Prunella :)
    PS, your rain may be on the way to the UK this weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I really enjoyed that sight seeing trip. Thanks for putting the maps on, you can really see all the water around, it all looks charming. I look forward to the next bit which must be good if the diner is anything to go by! x

    ReplyDelete
  21. Karen, beautiful photographs! Thank you for sharing them with us. Those little cottages look like they came straight from a storybook! And the skies and water are both such a gorgeous shade of blue!

    ReplyDelete
  22. These are some gorgeous views! I love the church AND the diner!

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a beautiful trip you had! It is such a gorgeous part of the country that I hope to see someday. Love the little towns with the water view.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed my drive with you :) How I would love to live in such a charming and quaint town. The homes are darling!

    I am so sorry about your security issues...I, too, have noticed mine doing the same thing with some of the blogs I visit.

    Wishing you a lovely weekend. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I'll trade you all the summer you want for a bit of rain :-) I enjoyed our drive, great photos.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  26. I've enjoyed the drive, Karen, appreciated the maps and seeing the different scenes along the route. Certainly a beautiful area you went through. Thank you for leaving your kind and touching comment on my blog. I'm feeling a lot better, although still taking life slowly at the moment. I wish you a happy weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Looks like that is quite the interesting ride with many different types of areas to drive through. Wow that picture of Mt. Rainier at sea level is awesome! Love the little town where all the houses had white picket fences and loved the old church, we do stop and take pictures of a lot of old churches when we are out and about :) Hope you can get some help from your sons.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I loved traveling along the drive with you, Karen. Mt. Rainier looks like a mirage to me!! The town looked so charming and quaint with the darling cottages. What a fun spot for the party! Happy weekend to you!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Beautiful sight as always :)
    I really like the little church. It looks charming.
    Hope you are doing well Karen :)
    Blessing,
    Delvalina

    ReplyDelete
  30. Such a lovely place! Thanks for taking all those pictures for us!

    ReplyDelete
  31. What a beautiful, scenic drive to the party! The cottages are adorable, and so well kept. The diner looks like it was a great place to celebrate. Reminds me of my girlfriend's father's 90th birthday party, which he requested be at the local truck stop. He was a regular there and was well-loved by everyone :)
    Wendy

    ReplyDelete
  32. Dearest Karen,
    Well, in such a beautiful area you really don't mind to get lost a few times... At least I hope you both arrived in time and without too much stress, also taking photos while you search and proceed.
    That was a very steep decline towards the treacherous Hood Canal! Does it get icy during winter time? Must be dangerous if so.
    Love the 50s style diner, so very special and unique for the purpose of the celebration.
    Sending you hugs and thanks for sharing.
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
  33. I am heading up across that Narrows bridge in another month. Heading north to Port Townsend area. Love it there.

    ReplyDelete
  34. my connection was too slow to load a lot of the photos, but what i saw was pretty views and blues. :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Karen i always love these rides around your amazing country side and you make me feel as if I have actually spent the day with you. Love Washington, and since I am in Texas, it is so wonderful seeing life from your perspective. Thanks so much for sharing these great events of your life with us!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...