Hello, Port Townsend!

My road-opening magick of September led me to braving the open highway for the first time in years, engineering a relatively smooth transition out of my old home and off to Dad's for a brief autumnal getaway. The return trip I decided to take, instead of the Seattle route, via a great destination for exploration: Port Townsend. I would join up with I-5 again after driving along Hood Canal, making a huge needle-and-eye loop, returning to Portland in time for Samhain festivities.

As usual, I was nervous in setting out, not only still new to the distance driving scene but well aware that if going via Port Townsend, I might not make the trip in one day. I stopped in Anacortes for a few snacks, well aware of my dwindling money but unable to resist a few things from the spice rack above. A deep breath, and I drove onward, toward Whidbey. . . .

It's so much easier to enjoy a view like the one at Deception Pass when you're not behind the wheel! Never mind pulling back out into traffic. Nonetheless, I did. I managed the drive and subsequent ferry ticket all right, trying to stay relaxed on the ferry ride over. Then I drove off, and right onto Water Street --- the main strip of one of only four Victorian seaports left in the nation. Time for a little sightseeing and window shopping!

Port Townsend is full of beautiful, quirky Victorian-era buildings. The town popped up about 1840 as a seaside trading hub, but its growth was halted when the railway line was built along the future I-5 corridor, via Seattle, due to the mainland convenience (Port Townsend is isolated on a peninsula). By 1890, progress by rail elsewhere had bled the town of commerce and development, effectively halting it in time. After a few dreary ghost decades, it revived as a tourist destination, but still goes quiet in winter. Following the end-of-summer Wooden Boat Festival, mind you, during which it goes absolutely bonkers with people.

This trip was my first return to Port Townsend in years. I had to be careful: Due to its history, the town knows how to capitalize on visitors; it is a veritable retro, nautical, artist's and Steampunk-lover's paradise. So many shops, all hoping for a bit of my money! Particularly with winter coming, I wanted to support every one.

Check out this Apothecary!