The Hood Canal

 The Hood Canal is a 65 mile long glacier-carved fjord with narrow tree lined hills and gorgeous views of the Olympic Mountains. At 10:02a.m on October 14th we made our way into the canal to our first anchorage Quilcene Bay. The trip was not without excitement as we received a call from the coast guard advising us that we were in the military torpedo zone and to move our course to Starboard out of the way. We quickly responded and altered course as advised. Other then the slight scare the cruise was calm, sun filled and picturesque. Around 1:40 we dropped the hook in the open bay and soaked up the scenery. Unfortunately Quilcene doesn't have a place to land the dink we so we enjoyed a quiet afternoon and evening. 

Quilcene Bay Anchorage

Cruising to the Hood Canal

Quilcene Bay Anchorage

Entering the Hood Canal

Cruising the Hood Canal

Sunset Quilcene Bay Anchorage

Quilcene Bay Anchorage

This was our first time anchoring in over 10 days and we weren't sure exactly how it would be now that it's full on fall and the temperatures have dropped into the 40's overnight. When you are anchored that means you don't have a power source other then your generator which can only be run (courteously) from about 8a.m. till 10p.m.That means when the generator isn't running there is no heat. I try and crank the heat until we turn the generator off at night and then close our bedroom doors to try and capture as much as possible. By morning it is very cold. We did alright though. Due to the heat restrictions and not being able to go to shore we decided one night at Quilcene Bay was enough for us. 

By 10a.m. we were ready to move along. Today's cruise was a short one only an hour and forty minutes to Pleasant Harbor Marina. I was looking forward to being plugged in and having heat at our disposal. The cruise did not disappoint. An evergreen lined path for us to feast upon and loose ourselves to pulled us to the marina and by 11:45 we were secured in our slip. The marina itself was small with mostly permeant boats but tucked in an amazing tree lined enclosure. We soaked it in and later took a nice stroll around the harbor to the boat launch. The trees all loosing their orange, brown and yellow leaves to the ground guided us around. 

Cruising to Pleasant Harbor Marina

Pleasant Harbor Marina

Boat Launch Pleasant Harbor

Pleasant Harbor Marina

Tiding of Joy at Pleasant Harbor Marina

Fall Foliage  

Walk Around Pleasant Harbor 

Cruising into Pleasant Harbor Marina 

Cruise to Pleasant Harbor Marina 

Pleasant Harbor Marina

The next day blew a gale (35 mile an hour winds) and rained  so we secured the lines and settled in for a p.j. day of boat projects and reading. By Saturday the gale was done and the rain had stopped and it was time to move on. Our next stop was The Alderbrook Resort and Marina which was double recommended by both our guide books and by other Seattle cruisers so I was excited. We started out in fog which inhibited our views of the Hood but after a while opened up. The cruise south took us three and a half hours to our southern most stop on the canal. Because it's considered late in the cruising season we were the only boat on the dock. We quickly tied up and walked up to the front desk of the resort to check in. We were astounded by the amount of people on the grounds and the fact that the indoor pool was packed full of people all not wearing masks as if we entered a Covid free zone. We were perplexed and I was happy to get back to the boat. 

Alderbrook Resort and Marina

The Lone Boat

Sunset at Alderbrook 

Cruising to Alderbrook 

Alderbrook Resort and Marina

After a heat filled evening and slow morning we decided we should get out and explore a bit. We were given a nice hiking map by the front desk and set out to get some exercise. Across the street lies several clearly marked hiking trails. We decided on the 3 mile hike and made our way to the top of the hill which afforded us picturesque views of the Hood Canal. We made it back just in time for Sunday night football and another stunning sunset. 

Hike at Alderbrook 

Alderbrook Resort Grounds 

Morning Alderbrook 

Top of Hike

Hiking Trail 

Sunset Alderbrook 

Hiking Trail 

Alderbrook Lodge 

Our next anchorage was supposed to take us south of Alderbrook but due to wind direction and no protection we decided to scratch it and start making our way back north up the canal. The sun was out and we were afforded the views we missed on the way down due to fog. Along with the view we also passed some gill net fisherman setting nets. We gave them a wide birth and watched in amazement as they went to work. Again we were the lone boat in the anchorage with no way to get to shore so we settled in and watched a double header of Monday night football. 

Cruising the Hood Canal

Cruising the Hood

Houses Lining the Hood Canal

Fisherman 

Net Strewn in the Water

Seabeck Bay Anchorage 

After a quiet one nighter it was time to move on. Today would be our final destination on the Hood Canal. Just six days later and we have covered it all. The northern most point of the canal lies Port Gamble a large anchorage nicely tucked in off of the canal. Once again our cruise did not disappoint a whole fleet of Purse Sein Fisherman lined the bay setting their nets across the width of the canal for miles one after the next so we had to constantly look ahead in the binoculars to make sure we weren't going to run through any of them. We dodged left and right making sure to slow down each time we approached to not wake the man in the tender at the end of the line. It was such a scene and kept us on our toes for awhile as the fisherman chatted on channel 16. 

Purse Sein Fisherman

Fishing on Hood Canal

Surrounded by Fishing Fleet

Fisherman Everywhere

Heading North up Hood Canal 

Cruising Hood Canal

Port Gamble anchorage is lovely and we are at the very southern end, alone and once again surrounded by gorgeous scenery. We have enjoyed our time on the Hood Canal very much and I will be a little sad leaving tomorrow but also excited as we only have 10 more days until we get to our home port in Seattle for the winter. 

Seems Like For Everett

As much as we enjoyed the quaint peacefulness of Langley it was time to move on. Continuing on our journey south we landed in the town of Everett. What we thought was going to be a short two night stay turned into a full week. Why you ask? Several reasons: provisioning, getting a new microwave, gale and small craft warnings and we bought a camper van. That's right we are now proud r.v. owners. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you all about it. When we first arrived in Everett we were happy to be in a town and anxiously anticipated our new microwave being delivered the next day from Home Depot. This was the first city that had big box stores where we could replace our 13 year old microwave that all of a sudden decided to die. Exciting times. We walked the very large basin full of restaurants and a park and even a West Marine. Other then the waterfront area there wasn't anything else near by. We decided to be brave and attempt happy hour at the Bluewater restaurant sitting outdoors far away from the other pestilent humans. The snacks and drinks were good but we were both on edge the entire time. Still not used to or comfortable being among human spreaders. 

Kite Flying at Everett Marina Park

Pulling Into Everett Marina

Happy Hour Bluewater Grill 

Sunset Everett

Fishing Fleet Everett Marina

Walking Path 

I woke up the next day super excited for the arrival of the new microwave. We spent the morning catching up on boat projects until the microwave arrived. Then finally around 12:30 we got the call that the microwave had arrived. Jeff went up and met the guys and then we worked for almost 30 minutes trying to get it finesses into the current microwave slot. Some finagling and 4 new holes later we had her in there. Back in business. I can't say we did much else that day. 

So as I stated earlier part of the reason we extended out stay in Everett was to go r.v. shopping. For a couple of months now we have been online r.v. shopping trying to figure out a way to get back to San Diego for Thanksgiving and then onto Ohio for Christmas. An r.v. seemed like our only safe option during the Corona Virus. Fortunately in the Seattle area all of the major r.v. dealers are located in Everett. Jeff did a lot of homework and had several in mind we could go and look at. So reluctantly we rented a car which I Covid-19 proofed thoroughly before getting in and we made our way to three r.v. dealers where they proceeded to tell us the difference between the different classes and what we want and don't want in a vehicle. We left feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by all the information and choices. What were we doing? The only way I felt we could make a good decision is to make a chart listing all of of the things we liked and disliked about each r.v. After this list we decided we needed to go back the next day and relook at our top choices - a class B+ around 24 feet that seemed manageable to drive and a camper van that wasn't really in our price range but would be good to see for comparison. When we returned the next day unfortunately the B+ had sold. So fast. The salesman said he couldn't keep B's and B+'s in stock everyone is buying them now. We saw this at another dealer that had one van that had sold from the time Jeff saw it online till we went to check it out. We got panicky. We decided to test dive the van. It drove wonderfully much like Jeff's SUV's of the past. The layout was perfect for us - small and manageable and ideal for just two people. The next thing we knew we were sitting in the showroom negotiating with the salesman and one thing led to another and now we own a camper van. We too are still in disbelief but very excited to start some land adventures. 

We Bought a Van

The Dirty Dingy

Dirt Dingy

Inside the Van

The next morning we had to go back and sign the final paperwork and return our rental car. Everything happened so fast but we felt good about our decision and now can travel safely during the pandemic without having to get on an airplane or stay in infested hotels. Let the land adventures begin. The next day it poured the entire day and blew a gale so we decided to stay put another day. We deflated a bit by staying in p.js the entire day and watching football. 

Finally provisioned, microwaved, weather safe and r.v'd it was time to move along. Monday morning we journeyed three hours to Port Ludlow. The sun came out and the wind had died down and it was good to be cruising again. While checkin in at Port Ludlow we inquired about how to get to town and any hikes we should know about. The lady said if we walked up the street there was a gas station and two restaurants and that was town. A little further along was a nice walk to a waterfall. We decided to check out both. It felt like awhile since we had stretched our legs so a long walk was just what we needed. The trail to the waterfall was gorgeous with lush green trees and winding paths along the stream. So peaceful and serene. 

Walk to Waterfall

Walking to Waterfall

Waterfall

Port Ludlow Marina

Stream

Waterfall

Stream

Waterfall

Port Ludlow

We slept really well that night after our long walk. Jeff discovered a Mexican restaurant while walking to the waterfall that he wanted to go back to the next day for lunch. So we made the trek down the road and got a nice table outside alone on the patio at the Mexican restaurant. Along the way we saw four female deers eating grass along the side of the road. So adorable and not phased at all by Jeff and I walking by. The restaurant ended up being very mediocre but absurdly filling so we spent the rest of the afternoon digesting and deflating. 

Deers Eating Plants

The night brought football and a Dornick family Zoom. Early to bed and off to the next destination in the morning - The Hood Canal.