Port Townsend

Sunday December 30, 2012

We are ferry bound to Port Townsend for New Years and hope to do a little snowshoeing at Hurricane Ridge in the Olympics. 

Nikki ferry bound 

Nikki & me watching us come into port at Kingston, which almost made us late getting back to the car where Joe & Chance would have drove off without us. 

We grabbed lunch in Port Townsend at Fountain Café. Next we went to Fort Worden State Park for a little hiking around old batteries. 

First up, Battery Walker, located on a bluff facing the Strait of Juan de Fuca which contained 2 3” guns 

Good warning, thanks. 

Rebel. 

Beach below 

Next up, Battery Tolles, also along the beach bluff below Artillery Hill which contained 4 6” guns. 

Strait of Juan de Fuca 

Hiking to the next battery, on Artillery Hill. 

On Artillery Hill there was Battery Ash, which had 2 plotting barbette guns; Battery Quarles, which contained 3 10” barbette guns; and Battery Randol, which contained 2 10” barbette guns.

Battery Brannon, located on Artillery Hill which had 2 plotting rooms for 8 12” mortars and Battery Powell which also had 8 12” mortars. 

We went downtown to walk around.

Port Townsend is also known for the many Victorian buildings remaining for its 19^th-century heyday. It’s a U.S. National Historic Landmark District. 

Afterwards we checked into our rental cottage along North Beach. As the cloud cleared we had a great view of Mount Baker from the cottage.

After a quick nap for the girls, we went back downtown to Sirens for drinks and dinner.

Wine Tasting

Saturday December 29, 2012

We went to Chateau Ste Michelle for a winery tour & tasting. This time was not as informative, but we still left with another bottle of their Dry Riseling. 

We had lunch at Purple Wine Bar & Café in Woodinville.

Next we went for a tasting at Airfield Estates, a family owned and operated winery that I heard had good white wines which are more our style than reds. They’ve been growing grapes for years in the Yakima Valley and selling them to the top wineries in the region like Chateau Ste Michelle. Their farmland was used as an airbase to train military pilots before WWII, hence the name of the winery. We brought home a bottle of their Pinot Gris & Riesling.

Alki, Fremont & Lake Washington

Friday December 28, 2012

I went into work early today so I could leave early to enjoy the sunny weather with Joe & Nikki. We went to West Seattle to view back at downtown Seattle from Alki Beach.

A sunny December day in Seattle at Alki Beach 

Space Needle 

Joe, Nikki & Jackie 

Ferris Wheel 

Nikki walking the beach park 

Next we went over to look at the Lake Union Houseboats.

Next we took Nikki to Fremont, the ‘center of the universe.’ We got a pick-me-up at Peet’s coffee and then walked around. 

Lenin statue, the controversial communist leader

The Rocket, a 1953 Cold War era rocket

Building architectural art 

Waiting for the Interurban statue 

Only in Seattle are their specialty stoplights for the bike lanes. 

Fremont Troll that lives under the Aurora Bridge, holding a real Volkswagen bug 

Nikki and the Fremont Troll 

Today was just beautiful so we took the scenic way home along Lake Washington with views of the Cascade Mountains.

We gawked at waterfront homes with personal docks.