Port Townsend Adventures

Port Townsend, WA is sheer small-town neo-Victorian loveliness, nestled on the Northern Sound. Water, water, everywhere -- water on both sides of your route as you drive up, water so grey against a sky so grey that the whole world might easily be water. There is something incredibly peaceful about a monochromatic world.



It is also home to some wonderfully quirky bars...The Pourhouse, right on the edge of town, is a bring-your-own-food bar, well stocked with brews and games, a totally new experience for me. We brought apples (Washington apples are so wonderful!) and bread and cheese, and were only a little disappointed that it was too gusty outside for ping pong.



We were only there for a few days, but the downtown area is truly lovely, full of inventive, silly, and sweet toy and furniture stores, and home to the best used book store (of its size -- can't really beat Powell's) I've ever seen. There was even a section for decorative tiling projects!



And the running terrain? The hills are tremendous; part of the town is on a cliffy craig, and part is at sea level. So traversing town means running up a cliff.



We ran out to the Fort's lighthouse from downtown. Never have I been more glad of my Virginia Woolf training: Nick asked if we should go all the way to the lighthouse, and -- despite being tired -- I thought "of course, of course we always have to go to the lighthouse when we can" and said (more simply) "yes." It was shut up, but the beach just west of it was rugged, branch strewn, and framed the many shades of grey in sight for the most sensational view of the trip. Hurrah!