The Big Move

After 21 years of living in Estes Park and 16 years of leading hikes and tours in Rocky Mountain National Park, it was time for a new adventure in a new location.  I have found a new home in Port Angeles, Washington.  It was my boat that really made the decision.  I needed to take my boat where I could be a "live-aboard", where I would be close to snowy mountains and where I could live at the edge of the salty sea.  Port Angeles sits on the north edge of the Olympic Peninsula, next to Olympic National Park.  The water here is called the Salish Sea and to get to the Pacific Ocean, just follow the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Across the strait, you can see Vancouver Island of British Columbia, Canada.

Pictured below is the Boathaven marina at the base of the northern edge of the Olympic Mountains in Olympic National Park.  From sea level the peaks rise to nearly 8,000 feet in about 35 miles....steep! Olympic National Park is 922,000 acres (1,442 sq miles or 3,734 sq kilometers).  The whole Olympic Peninsula (about 4,600 sq miles or 3 million acres) is nearly the size of Connecticut. Olympic National Park includes ecosystems and life zones from the Pacific coastline to the alpine tundra and the temperate rainforest in between.  

The trees here are amazing!  

I will be telling you more about the forest and life on the peninsula in future blogs.  

My boat was towed on it's trailer and covered, 1,567 miles from Lake Granby, Colorado to Port Angeles, Washington.  The photo below was taken the day of arrival in Port Angeles. You can see in the background of the photo that there are boats a bit bigger than mine at the port.  A lot of these boats are taking timber to Japan and China.  Most of the timber harvested here is Douglass Fir.

My boat was lifted off the trailer....

...and set down gently into the salt water.  It was an exciting day.  

Pictured below is my amazing car.  I have owned this car for over 20 years and it now has 352,000 miles on the original engine, transmission, fuel pump and oil pump.  I mention it because I know a lot of you always ask about my car.  Notice the Washington plates.  It is official....I am now a Washington resident.  The car is parked at the dock entrance at the marina.

There are many harbor seals that come around in the marina and bay.  They are hard to photograph.  I found this one below most cooperative! 

Follow my blog and you will learn about Olympic National Park, the Olympic Peninsula and the town of Port Angeles, Washington.