13 & 14-Aug-24 – Port Ludlow
And now for a magical mystery tour. I have nothing planned. No hotel booked for tonight. But I do have a car. Do I turn left or right out of the car park? I am a free spirit.
Do I go east inland? Do I go south towards Portland. Do I go north towards Vancouver? Do I go west to the islands? Hmmm.
I go north and west to the islands on an overcast and gloomy day. Low cloud blots out mountains. It’s dull and grey.
Turning off IS5 at Marysville, I find myself driving through the Tulalip Reservation. A federally recognised tribe and successors in interest to the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish and other allied tribes and bands that signed the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott. Nearly every house you pass has a RV parked in its driveway and I’m not sure if the RV is for ad-hoc use or someone is living in it full time given the detritus surrounding them.
Their website (https://www.tulaliptribes-nsn.gov/) states: ‘We agreed to cede title to our ancestral lands as signatories, which expanded to the top of the Cascade Mountains, north to Vancouver Island, and south to Oregon. In return, the treaty reserved the Tulalip Indian Reservation as our permanent homeland over which we have retained inherent sovereign jurisdiction.
Our status as a sovereign government maintains our right to self-govern as a “nation within a nation.” Including the inherent right as a government to raise revenue for our community. 92% of our services are funded from tribal hard dollars. These services included tribal member general welfare, family and senior housing, education, health, dental, and mental health services. It also includes law enforcement, fire protection, infrastructure improvements, and economic growth. Our tribal population is over 5,100 and growing, with 2,700 members residing on the 22,000 acres Tulalip Indian Reservation. We are located north of Everett and the Snohomish River and west of Marysville, Washington.’
The odd casino here and there helps.
Lunch at the northern tip of Fidalgo Island in Anacortes. Developed in the 1870s in the hope that it would be the terminus of the transcontinental railway, it was further developed in the 1950s with large oil refineries now blotting the landscape.
The main street looks like a typical late 19th century movie set. Something you might have seen in Back to The Future. It has that sort of feel to it.
Enticed by the Ghost Pepper Battered fish I soon realise that Ghost Pepper was in the Guinness Book of Records for being the hottest chili in the world.
I could still feel the spicy heat later that night.
Whilst having lunch ponder where to go next. There’s a ferry at 1445hrs to another island. It’s an hour away. It’s now 1315hrs. I can do this. So off I scoot in the Kia Sportage. Jaguar F-type it is not. But we get there. Half an hour before I set sail. Not had time to reserve a spot so, along with about 20 other cars am on standby. Told it could be this boat, the next or the one after the next.
Ferry arrives. I count 60 vehicles off. By my reckoning, I’m about car number 55 in the queue. Our lane moves forward. Yes! We’re moving forward on to the boat.
Until.
Three cars to go…the barrier comes down. Sod it. Next departure is 1615hrs. And I wait some more.
It’s with some relief that I manage to get on the next ferry and by now decide I’d better find a hotel for the night. Thank God for Google Maps. Now at the stage of the day where I just want to get somewhere and stop so a little gem of a place pops up on my search, a short drive from ferry terminal.
Port Ludlow Resort (https://portludlowresort.com) is just the ticket. Balcony view of the marina. Decent restaurant and a cold beer. Excellent end to the day.
The room has a gas fire. The pilot light is less pilot more Bunsen burner. As I wake in the middle of the night for the obligatory 4am pee, startled to see orange tinged shadows from the pilot light dancing on my wall. Jeez, thought there was a ghost!
Morning brew on the balcony watching the goings on in the marina. A float plane lands and chugs up to the dock. Birds soar overhead. It’s a bright blue sky start to the day. The water laps on the shore. It’s just silence apart from nature. This is how every day should start. Memorable.
Enroute south pass through Port Gamble. A charming little collection of old timber houses developed in the 1850s to support the lumber mill which had been set up to serve the region as lumber from New England was in short supply due to increasing demand. It became the longest running mill in North America and shipped lumber all over the world.
It’s noticeable as I head further south that there’s a lot more big houses lining the shore. Must have magnificent views of Puget Sound from the back gardens. Bainbridge Island is definitely more upmarket and across the water from Seattle. It’s where pickleball was invented in 1965 (the stuff you learn). This is where the wealthy live and there’s a nice relaxed feel to the place.
Last came here in 2019 on my Antarctica to Alaska trip so drop by the Bay Hay and Feed farm shop and garden centre for lunch as it was a flying visit last time and warrants another stop.
Much larger ferry back to Seattle so plenty of room and again only half an hour journey. Drop off car at Hertz and suddenly realise I’ve not filled up with petrol. Oh ‘eck, this is going to cost. Bloke at counter is Russian and very friendly. We do a deal. $17 to fill her up. Saves faffing.
Overnight stop at the Embassy Suites (https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/seapses-embassy-suites-seattle-downtown-pioneer-square/) next to King Street Station. Perfect for an early morning train to Vancouver. Perfect views over the Seattle skyline and Puget Sound.
Dinner in the local restaurant. A homeless looking man is at a table nearby eating dinner. Naturally assume it’s the restaurant doing some community service feeding the homeless. But not too enamoured having to eat next to an unwashed homeless man with his long grey straggly hair and equally long straggly grey beard. Wearing shorts and sandals and a vest. Scruffy.
So you’ll imagine my surprise when he pulls out a leather wallet and produces a credit card to pay for meal. Perhaps not homeless after all.
We should never judge.
But we do.
