#set up a tent in the dark it was very windy not super easy

[winter-jay-official]

Went kayaking this weekend and it reset my brain im normal now

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

Some holiday weekend, head out to the ‘burbs” or stroll through some campgrounds or a public park. Your nose will pick up a couple very distinctive smells: Wood smoke and charcoal grills. Charcoal and wood fire scents carry far and linger long, presenting a pretty significant cue that people are nearby.

They also regularly offer really lovely wisps and plumes visible above rooftops, retaining walls, hedges, and woods depending on fuel source, weather, and skill. Even relatively small grills can pump enough to home in on once scents have us in the neighborhood.

We may very well want to avoid those telltales in some disasters, and there are plenty of other reasons low-and-no-smoke cooking backups are a must-have for preppers.

They apply to “normal” outage-based disasters and world-shaking events, and to beginners, apartment dwellers, and “soft” climate dwellers as well as the old hats who are already familiar with the numbingly, back-achingly incredulous amount of wood it takes to cook daily and keep even a tight, well-insulated home warm.

The backup methods I’ll list commonly use less fuel or completely different fuels than our primary systems. That diversity and efficiency helps our resources last longer and keeps us cooking when resupply isn’t available.

If we already count on wood or propane for winter heat or cooking, using alternatives now can lower our current burden, giving us the ability to stockpile more. (Or some extra cash and time!)

Many of us try to avoid pine and unseasoned wood in chimneys, especially brick that can’t be taken apart for easier access. Nonflammable, cleaner-burning and tabletop methods help limit buildup.

There are also scenarios where an injury or illness limits our usual labor, there are reasons to stay hunkered down inside, limit noise, and as such our most-efficient tools go down and our production slows; that or something like a flood or mudslide limits our access.

If we can cook and warm spaces without wood, we can horde that “now” precious commodity against greater need.

Or, we may not have a massive woodpile (yet), or a fireplace or woodstove of either species. We may not have a functioning chimney, or our chimney may develop a problem during a crisis. Backups for our backups keep us plodding forward.

*Liquid-gas fuels share some of the wood-charcoal factors, and have some new ones of their own.

Many of us live places where it gets pretty hot. Whatever the fuel used, heating the house unnecessarily just isn’t conducive for easing the stresses and burdens of an already difficult time – whether the crisis is widespread or only affecting us.

On the other hand, outdoor cooking gets old fast for those of us with seasonally or perennially dusty-windy conditions. That’s how it goes with picking oak catkins and maple spinners out of food, and dealing with flies and mosquitoes.

Grilling outside in a pounding rainstorm or frigid winds also kind of sucks – and can take forever – but then again it’s not usually a great idea to use charcoal grills inside.

Slight Consolation: Food you’ve suffered for in cold weather tastes better. (Muggy/hot weather, not so much.)

Options we can use indoors and under screened porches and pop-up pavilions check a big, big box.

There’s also the *other* rule of threes that some of us ascribe to: three ways to reach and accomplish any task. It’s not always possible (or practical), but in the case of alternative cooking methods, we can check that box, too, easily and with very little outlay in time or money.

Most of the methods below use things already in the home, very basic “everybody everywhere” tools, and outright trash/recycling that costs nothing but time. Some don’t even take up extra space.

The internet abounds with options for DIY’ing these and making them more efficient or portable, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel on that front.

*I am not affiliated with any of the links provided, nor do I always agree with the authors (or even have any idea what else they post) – they’re the simplest, easiest, or most expedient versions that popped when I wanted an example.

Minimal-Smoke Cookers

Propane/Butane Stoves & Grills – There’s not a safe DIY for these and there’s potentially competition with preppers’ primary fuels or generators, but they’re pretty handy and inexpensive, so I don’t want to ignore them.

Rocket Stoves – I love these things. They take small kindling and sticks or trash wood and turn it into a high-efficiency, high-temperature burn. There’s a variation for everyone – balcony, porch, or backyard; homes, RVs, vehicle kits, or bag-portable.

Super easy DIY’s use CMU block, or a paint can, #10 can, or tall baked-beans or spaghetti-sauce cans and increasingly smaller cans. Other builds involve buckets, ammo cans, large terra cotta pots, cement, and sand. They’re not quite as super-easy or super-fast builds, but some variants further increase efficiency by burning the wood gas that’s generated from burning most woods.

Some of the store-bought versions have an added bonus: They’ll charge small devices or battery packs.

They can put off a fair bit of smoke, but they do it quickly and then stash away. They use wood, but we can fuel them with pruners and busted-up furniture and boards instead of axes and campfire/stove logs.

They’re not a simmer-beans or bake-bread oven/stove. It’s too fast and hot of a burn. They specialize in fast-cook foods and quickly bringing foods/water up to a boil to use with…

WonderBag/Wonder Boxes – Purchased or DIY, bag or box version http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Wonder-Box-CookerCooler/, these function like a thermal cooker  https://delishably.com/cooking-equipment/Thermal-Cooker.

They allow us to use a short “burn” time to heat food or water to boiling, then retain the heat, turning preexisting pots into non-electric slow cookers or crock pots.

Solar Cookers – DIY for solar ovens abound, from the simple glass over a tire with a pot inside, to some pretty complicated tilts, cuts and hinges. They’re done with pizza boxes and aluminum foil, vehicle reflectors, polished scrap metal, and mirrors. You can spend as little or as much as you fancy, ordering in or building.

I find them limited to mid-late spring through autumn, but I can protect them from pests pretty easily and they’re great for not heating the house or burning fuels in summertime, as are…

Steeping Jars – These are basically small-scale solar cookers. It’s as simple as pouring dehydrated veggies, grains, or pre-soaked beans in any ol’ jar, adding the needed water, and hanging/setting it in a bright spot.

Dark paint or fabric on jars, reflectors, and added insulation like a larger jar or aquarium can increase efficiency, reducing cook time and extending the weather they’re useful in.

*Don’t forget to brew sun tea & coffee.

Water Bags & Camp Showers – Getting the sun to give us a head start or completely handle heating water for us decreases resource and time expenditure. We can use anything, purpose-made, painted/covered garden sprayers, or regular ol’ jugs.

The warmed water can be used for wash-ups or for soaking and cooking freeze-dried foods, Lipton-Knorr-Rice-a-Roni sides, or our own noodles and rice.

The sun is free (when it’s there), compared to other resources – whether it’s propane, charcoal, or self-cut wood – and there’s little wear on parts compared to hydro or wind power. Even if the sun only warms that water, it’s reducing wait time and resource use.

*Keep a pot of water on a conventional oven, arctic brick stove, space heater, or woodstove, or on, under, or beside a grill and while a rocket stove burns out to accomplish the same ready-to-use pre-warming – even now. It’s even handier in winter, increasing heat radiation and serving as a heat sink.

DIY Candles – The upcoming methods call for a candle or alcohol stove. Those heat sources are interchangeable. (Differing flame heights will require adjustments.) We can also create our own.

With cotton mop strands, cord, or “real” wicks, olive oil can fuel lamps (https://www.littlehouseliving.com/olive-oil-candles.html). *Small citronella burners are really nice alternatives to open jars if we’ll have our lamps in and out of service for a while during an outage or long-term disaster.

We can sink wicks into shortening, too, in jars or the original tubs, creating another simple (and surprisingly long lasting) cooking method out of multi-functional storage items.

We use candles and mini-stoves in a grill, or set them up campfire/tailgate style with a grate over a terra-cotta pot, bricks, or some cans (fill them with water – sturdier + pre-warmed/boiled water).

Smells from candle, oil, and fuel-brick stoves and ovens will carry to nearby neighbors (so will cooking foods) but they dissipate even faster than quick-burn rocket stoves. The traces are even more contained when used indoors.

Clay Pot Heaters/Cookers – These are pretty easy to find for DIY – using as much hardware as you like, or kept streamlined and simple – or as prettied-up ready-to-use purchases.

They can be effective on their own, most usually to slowly warm foods like a slow cooker, but if they get plopped in a grill or oven (crack the door), the efficiency goes up and food will heat faster and more evenly.

*That goes for any of the methods that will fit. Be mindful of flame size and fumes.

Candle Ovens – We can buy a HERC oven (multiple recipes/examples: http://prepared-housewives.com/baking-with-the-herc-oven/) or DIY our own. It’s just rigging clusters of taper or pillar candles, DIY candles/lamps, or a whole slew of votives or tea lights on a drip-safe surface inside an oven, and cooking or baking at 200-300-degrees on the grate above.

*Hood/tent foods in full-size ovens (and campfire grates) with an overturned bowl or larger pan. It’ll hold heat closer to the food, speeding things up and cooking more evenly.

   Can Stoves – These are super easy, super effective spinoffs of Sterno stoves and the military, camping, and emergency solid-fuel stoves that abound.

They can be done with greatest simplicity with just two types of can openers, or we can go to town with tin snips to increase ease or rig cross-bar “grills” at the top.

Backing up Backups

Increasing redundancy in our disaster cooking increases our ability to weather absolutely any storm. That makes these guys a prepper must-have in my book.

Some methods also significantly reduce our observable footprint, which may end up a major benefit, and some are reasonable alternatives to heating up our kitchens even now. Most of these have easy, inexpensive DIY options, allowing everyone to build extra resiliency into their disaster plans.

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from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[fortnegrita]

the ups and downs of the best 24 hours of my life

for my last full weekend in south america, i knew i wanted to take a solo trip. i had three choices: arica, the northern most chilean city, but also super far from valdivia, it would have required a plane and i really wanted to take the bus. two, i could have went to chilloe, chile’s quiet little patagonia island with a cute penguin population. three accross the chile/argentina border to bariloche. 

after reading about one of the mot praised trails in bariloche, and my hunger for more passport stamps, i went with bariloche. 

here’s a quickee on my trip.

i can recall all of the best times of my life: mountain biking in the andes, my undergrad graduation night at the moon, seeing the solar eclipse, but this trip takes the cake! i wanted to travel solo because more and more, i’m seeking out my fears, and slitting their throats. one being the unknown wilderness and another being patriarchal illnesses like rape. anywho, this trip was great, i got to ride a bus from chile to argentina, and see beautiful parts of both countries. i hike 4.5 hours, one way, to a pair of alpine cirques in quasi patagonia called ‘frey’. on my walk into the forest, i meditated, took a million pictures, gasped at beauty, cried, asked for help, worried if i would make it to the top, moaned in pain about the heaviness of my pack, second guessed my decision to make this trek, hugged a black girl from brasil, laughed because they tried to separate us 500 years ago, cursed my hiking boots (which btw gotta go!), apologized to my knees cuz i tried them, and declared myself a crazy b!tc* for doing this in the first place. 

it was amazing to watch my self for 4.5 hours on that enchanted trail.

i arrived on top of a windy mountain with about 2.5 hours of sunlight left. i initially set up my tent, while trying to not slide down a slope. once my tent was up, i climbed inside, took off my shoes and rubbed my feets and apologized to them for the troubles. wanting to get a chance to see the area before the sun went down, i walked around this mysterious lake, looking at moss and rocks; i thought i was on another planet. i sung songs. sat by a water stream and meditated. i made it back to my campsite right after dark and ate. that night i, caressed my toes and stretched out my legs and read the last chapter of osho’s “love freedom and aloneness,” which by the way is....uh... essential. 

at one point in the night i realized a light shining on my tent. i thought it was another campers light, i also had to pee. i pried open my tent and to my surprise, i was met by an orange moon just rising over top of the mountains. it took my breath away, there was so much light and yet enough darkness that when i lifted my head to see the rest of the sky, i saw for the first time in my life, the milky way. like what?!?! lol, what kind of life have i created? i was so proud and shocked and overwhelmed with emotions. sun ra’s “more than life interested me so, that I dared to knock at the door of the cosmos.” immediately came to my head, i mean, this is what i was doing, knocking at the door of the cosmos on this high mountain, in baby patagonia, with the moon lighting my environment. so much so that fear crept around, like girl, don’t say no more because you might get swept up by the mothership for real! lol

that night, i slept barely ( i can never get good sleep in tents).

next day, i woke to a little bit of sunlight creeping in the far skies. i sat and watched and waited for the sun to arrive. showed gratitude and then began to pack up for a rapid trip back down the mountains in an attempt to make a 2p bus ride back to chile. i prayed and banked on my legs allowing my crazy @$$ to make it back own the trail safely, with no injuries and in time for my bus. 

surely i fought through pain, took it easy and moved slowly when i walked in steep areas, and sped through the flat parts. i made time goals for my self and met them with perfection. by the end of my 3 hour 10 minutes hike back to catedral cerro, i was cheering myself on in what seemed like a mission that might be impossible, because my right leg started to stiifen up.  but i made it out with about 2 hours to spare before my bus ride back to chile. as i waited for my bus back to the city of bariloche, i looked in the direction of my trail while laying on the ground stretching my i.t. band and massaging my calf muscles, and grinned at the thought of my last 24 hours.

for those reading this to learn more about the refugio frey hike and trail: it’s a fairly easy hike. long in that it can take a solid 3.5-4 hours going up. it took me about 5 hours because i stopped for pictures along the way. leaving, it took me 3.5 hours to walk out and that’s with a knee that started to stiff up. the first part has small inclines/declines, but nothing major. at about the midway point of the trail you will hit a few spots that require you to climb over rocks, sometimes asking yourself, where did the trail go. a couple of the bridges are a bit sketchy. once you pass the burnt/dead tree area, the inclines are steeper. it’s very windy on the top, bring something that breaks wind. make sure your wearing comfortable, flexible hiking shoes. 

on putting black bodies back into wilderness. i can only highlight the people that inspired me and let me know it was ok to place my black body back in the wilderness. matthew henson (expleorer that made it to the north pole 30 minutes before his ‘boss’) to john francis (took a vow for 22 years to not use motorized vehicles after witnessing an oil spill), zahra and alsie (the trillest sojourners) @theblackalachian and @rahawahaile (black appalacian trail thru-hikers).

[sachiel21]

Ch 16 - First Date - More Than Meets The Eye

A/N I haven’t posted any writing on my tumblr for a looong time so here goes nothing. Link to story found here ffnet and ao3

Me: *Cracks knuckles and prepares to write fluff*

+Come out tonight?+ Blake looked at her phone and smiled at the text. The trip to LA was an emotional roller coaster for her and it had been about a week since they got back. Yang was being so patient with her, giving her space to decompress which she sincerely appreciated, but Blake was starting to miss the fiery blonde though. -What did you have in mind?- The reply came back almost instantly: +It's a surprise ;)+ -Well I guess I can't refuse then- +Pick you up at 5 :)+

Blake could hear the hum of Yang's motorbike before she stepped outside her door. The blonde had her helmet on and was grinning up at her through her aviator sunglasses. She got off the bike and took off her leather jacket, placing it around Blake's shoulders. "It might get a little windy." "What about you?" Blake asked. Yang was just wearing a long sleeved yellow T-shirt and the scarf she got her Christmas. "I'm used to it." She handed her a black helmet with a red rose design. "I hope you don't mind wearing Ruby's helmet. I promise she doesn't have cooties." Blake laughed and put the helmet on. She got on the back of the bike and hesitantly put her arms around Yang's waist. "So what do I do?" It was her first time riding on a motorcycle. "Just hold on tight," Yang said with a wink.

Despite Yang promising her that she'd take it slower, Blake found herself desperately latched on to Yang and shutting her eyes for most of the ride. They weaved in out of traffic. Blake tried to lean in with Yang for every turn like she instructed even though it made her feel like she was about to fall. Finally they arrived at their destination downtown, Tom McCall Waterfront Park. "Do you want your jacket back?" Blake asked as she dismounted the motorcycle. "Nah, it looks better on you," Yang replied. And she meant it, the black and yellow leather jacket was slightly big on Blake but it hugged her in all the right places. They started walking on the park path by the river. It was April and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom with a bright shade of pink speckling their branches. It was beautiful. The spring air smelled crisp with a hint of rain and the green scent of new growth. They walked with the sun at their back, the golden light from the late afternoon sun creating long shadows in front of them. Yang affectionately shoulder nudged Blake, smiling as she took her hand and laced their fingers together. Blake felt lighter as she walked, like the dark cloud hanging over had finally dissipated. She had Yang to thank for that. "What?" Yang asked, noticing Blake was looking at her carefully. "Nothing… You just look really pretty in the light." Yang beamed at her and slipped her arm around her waist, pulling her close as they strolled along. When they approached the two monuments of Friendship Circle, Blake drifted toward the steel railing and started watching the river as it went by, a roiling ebb and flow. She felt strangely comforted by the notion that the rivers would continue to flow and the world would go on no matter what terrible things happened in the past. That things could get better and there would be new opportunities to make things right. Maybe all was not lost after all. As Blake was silently contemplating, Yang walked over and gently wrapped her arms around her shoulders from behind. Blake closed her eyes and leaned back into her, knowing Yang would never let her fall. They stood there for a long time watching the river together until the sun started to set. "Hungry?" Yang asked, bumping their cheek bones together. "Starving." They walked back to the motorcycle and went to a fifties diner that was close by. When their order arrived, Blake opened her burger and carefully pulled out the raw onion slices. She saw Yang looking at her oddly. "I just don't want to taste onions all night," Blake explained. Yang smiled and started pulling out the onions in her burger as well. "Yang, you don't have to do that, I know you like them." "Yeah but you don't. Compromise is important in a relationship," Yang said with a laugh. Truthfully, her thoughts were alight with the possibility of a kiss at the end of the night. Onion breath would be a turn-off. Yang took a bite, humming appreciatively as she relished the rich taste of ground beef with the tangy pickles, ketchup and mustard. "Have you… Have ever dated a girl before?" Blake asked tentatively. "No, first time," Yang replied, taking a sip of her chocolate milkshake. Blake quietly sipped her strawberry milkshake, remembering the time Coco and Yang kissed at the party. It seemed pretty easy for Yang to do it. "I mean I've had crushes before but nothing… But nothing quite like this…" the blonde said, meeting her eyes briefly and blushing a little. "Have you?" Blake shook her head. She had only been in one relationship before she met Yang. "How's your dad doing?" "Good," came the automatic response, but then Yang caught herself. She realized she didn't need to pretend with Blake of all people. "He's… He's drinking less lately." They took a few bites in silence, an unpleasant tension settling around them. "My dad's not a bad person," Yang said suddenly. "… I know…" "It's just that… After mom died, a part of him seemed to die too... It took him a while but he's doing a lot better now than he was before…" Blake nodded. She was sorry she brought it up, seeing the sullen expression in Yang's eyes as she picked at her fries. "What was she like?" A smile came to Yang's face as she fondly remembered. "Summer? She was like super mom. Baker of cookies and slayer of giant closet monsters," she said with a chuckle. "She always gave me and Ruby so much love, even when we were bad and we didn't listen..." Even when I wasn't her own flesh and blood. "She sounds like an amazing person," Blake said. "She was... She was the best…" They finished their meal at a comfortable pace, talking about lighter subjects; if Jaune was going to get the guts to finally ask Pyrrha to the dance, which Ivy League school Weiss was applying to, and Ruby's latest engineering project. It was around eight when they left the diner, late in the evening but too early for bed. Neither of them wanted the night to end yet. "What do you want to do now?" Blake shrugged. "What is there to do?" Yang tapped her chin, trying to think of a place to go. As underage highschoolers, there weren't that many things to do at night. She had a feeling that Blake wouldn't enjoy sneaking into a loud club with her fake ID. "I've got it!" Yang announced suddenly. Uh oh, Blake thought. Yang had this look in her eyes, like she was up to something, but her smile was so bold and tempting that Blake couldn't resist. They rode to a different part of town and pulled up to a building with a red neon sign of a bowling pin. "Bowling?" Blake asked dubiously. "It'll be fun!" The bowling alley was dimly lit except for the lanes, a few of them were in the dark and lit up with neon colours for glow bowling. Blake's nose wrinkled at the astringent smell of spray disinfectant and musty pine. "Give it a chance," Yang said. They got their footwear, flat soled and slippery bottomed with blue and red patches of leather that reminded Blake of clown shoes. They were assigned Lane 18. Yang entered their names into the rudimentary computer so it would show up on the screen above the lane. She put down 'Firecracker' for herself and Blake picked 'Blake', a safe but respectable choice. The raven haired girl was up first. How hard could it be, Blake thought as she picked up her ball and walked up to the foul line. Apparently very hard as the ball slipped off her fingers on the swing and landed backwards with a loud thud on the wooden planks. Oops. Yang did her best to stifle her laughter but it was just too funny. "C'mon. Let's go pick out a different ball, one that won't slip off your bony fingers." "They're not bony…" Blake grumbled as she followed her to the ball shelf. Even with a ball with holes that fit her fingers better, Blake had trouble hitting even one pin, rolling gutter ball after gutter ball. Yang was definitely kicking her ass, rolling a few strikes and spares. Blake brooded on the hard plastic bench. She didn't show it very often but she had a competitive streak. She hated to lose. The only upside of the situation was she got to watch Yang as she bowled, the way she gracefully bent her long legs in position, and how her back curved when she released the ball. She was an athlete in every sense of the word and it showed. Luckily for Blake, halfway through the game they just stopped keeping score, grandma bowling the ball between their legs and tossing it backwards with colourful flare. Yang whirled Blake around by the waist when she somehow got a strike without trying at all. Blake's laughter rang high and light, a sweet melodic sort of sound that Yang wanted to hear more of. When she set her down, the effect was decidedly different than when she manhandled Ruby and her other friends. Blake had her arms around her neck and their faces were flushed, panting slightly from the exertion. Yang thought she saw something akin to desire in Blake's eyes when her gaze flitted down to her mouth, but the raven haired girl just pulled away and smirked in a way that was both enthralling and maddening. It was at that moment that Yang knew she was in trouble. She was falling hard but she couldn't find it in herself to care. "Did you have a good time?" Yang asked as she helped Blake off the bike. They were outside her house. The night air smelled like damp grass and soil, it felt cool against her skin. "It was wonderful." They slowly walked to the front door, taking longer, more drawn out steps than usual. It was the end of their first date and Yang started to feel nervous with anticipation. "Well… Goodnight…" Yang said, running a hand through her hair. Blake smiled softly, looking deeply into her eyes. Yang hesitated for a moment and then made up her mind as she gently cupped Blake's cheek and pressed her lips to hers in a soft kiss. Blake twined her fingers through Yang's golden hair and pulled her even closer. The kiss was slow and measured at first. Blake thought she could feel Yang holding back ever so slightly, like she was worried about coming on too strong. She wanted Yang to stop thinking. Experimentally, she ran the tip of her tongue across the line of Yang's lips and was rewarded with a surprised gasp that allowed her to slip her tongue fully into her mouth. It was her turn to let out a satisfied sigh when she felt Yang's tongue responding in-kind, sliding against hers in slow massaging strokes. It wasn't their first kiss but it felt different than the two they had shared before. The first was rough and impulsive. The second was tearful and consoling. This one was full of hunger and desire and both of them craved more. They paused every once in a while to take a quick breath but they always returned, faster and deeper than before. Eventually they had to stop completely when the need for oxygen became too great. Yang rested their foreheads together. "Wow…" "Yeah…" Blake agreed as she lightly brushed her lips against Yang's, coaxing her into another long drawn out kiss. As much as Yang wanted to keep going, she knew that they should stop or they'd be out there all night. She reluctantly pulled away. "See you tomorrow?" Yang ran her fingers over Blake's hands which were cradling her face. Blake nodded. "Yeah… Tomorrow," she said slowly. Yang chuckled at her breathlessness. "Goodnight, Blake." "Goodnight, Yang."

[2traveldads-blog]

More often than not we find ourselves visiting places we’ve been 10,000 times.  We don’t live far from Port Townsend, Washington and that’s where a lot of our family is so we are there quite often.  We love Port Townsend, as most Pacific Northwest residents do, and it’s our duty to share just why and what you can expect from a weekend in Port Townsend.

A quick note before we dive in:  Port Townsend is also an amazing place to live.  If you’re ever considering a change of pace or moving someplace because the people are weird and wonderful, that’s PT.  Anyways…

History of Port Townsend

Port Townsend, Washington was founded in the 1800s and was intended to be the major city or seaport in the Puget Sound area. Well, that didn’t happen. Because everybody realized that they needed the railroad to connect with the rest of the West Coast, Port Townsend got built up and left to dry. It still was a great place to work on major sailing ships and to be a stop off before getting to Seattle, but it didn’t get developed into the major city that Seattle became.

The cool thing though about the failed attempt at creating a metropolitan area is that the town of Port Townsend has a really amazing Victorian downtown that’s really well preserved and then uptown is full of beautiful Victorian homes, several mansions, and a secondary neighborhood center that’s full of character and snippets of History.

Tip:  if you’re super interested in the history of Port Townsend you can stop into the Jefferson County Historical Society in the old jail building.  You can even do different Victorian tours throughout the year.

A Weekend in Port Townsend

Of course you don’t have to limit yourself to just a weekend in Port Townsend, but that’s definitely all you need to fall in love with the most charming Victorian seaport you’ve ever laid eyes on.  For a longer stay, check out the different vacation rental options or even camping.  But let’s get to it.

Fort Worden

We’ve written about Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend several times.  It’s an awesome place that we always go back to.  Being the filming location for An Officer and a Gentleman, you’ll immediately recognize the vintage military housing, the bunkers and the beach.  

Bunkers

The bunkers at Fort Worden are not for everybody. It’s easy to walk around them and imagine what they were like when they were in use 90 years ago, but going into the bunkers, into the dark… that’s not something everybody’s going to enjoy. Whenever we go to the bunkers at Fort Worden we’re sure to bring flashlights and to listen to what the kids want to do. It’s really dark and echoes a lot in the bunkers so be prepared for adults and children alike to get spooked. Really fun though.

Tip:   If you’re interested check at the Fort Worden offices to see when bunker walks happen. Guided tours go off during the summer like clockwork and it’s a great way to learn about the history of Fort Worden in the whole area.

Point Wilson Lighthouse

You know our obsession with lighthouses. Obsessed. I don’t know why. But the Point Wilson Lighthouse at Fort Worden state park is really beautiful and is set in such a cool spot. Out on a point far away from the bluffs. The Point Wilson Lighthouse can be seen all across Puget Sound. Wonderfully white with the perfect red roof and outbuildings, it’s a great example of Pacific Northwest nautical architecture. During the summer you can check for when the lighthouse is open to actually go up into it. During the other seasons it’s very rare to have it open fully to the public unless there is a private educational event.

Walking out to the lighthouse is fairly easy and can be done by almost anybody. I can’t say for certain that it is fully wheelchair-accessible but some of the bunker areas close to the Point Wilson Lighthouse are and they do offer a wonderful view of the lighthouse.

Marine Science Center

We love taking the kids to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.  Focusing on the sea life found immediately in the waters below the dock it’s on, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center has LOTS of touch tanks and docents to teach kids (and adults) all about the Puget Sound.  

In addition to the dock building, There is a second building across the street that has information about orca whales, the otter population of the area, and much more. This is a  really hands-on museum experience. There are all kinds of bones, pelts, and games and activities to help kids learn about the marine life of the Puget Soun. It’s really fun.

Note:   The Port Townsend Marine Science Center does have a fee separate of the Discover Pass fee for Washington State Parks. Whether you start on the dock or in the hands-on center, you can get a hand stamp and go between the two buildings.

Staying at Fort Worden

Once upon a time Chris got us a campsite at the Fort Worden campground just off the beach.  Never in my life have I been so terrified that my tent was going to be picked up by the wind and that I’d be floating in the middle of Puget Sound.  End of story.

Okay, it’s not always crazy windy like that, but camping at Point Wilson is going to put you on an unsheltered strip of land with the Puget Sound weather ready to mess with you.  Just be prepared.  You’ll find better camping at Old Fort Townsend State Park.

You can also stay in the awesome and newly renovated military housing at Fort Worden.  The Officer’s Row houses can be rented out as can suites in the larger barrack buildings.  The suites in the barracks are really large are perfect for a family of up to 12 probably.  Lots of room with a full kitchen, dining area and living room, yeah, you’ll be fine bringing a nice group for a getaway to Fort Worden.

Tip:  we always do our annual family reunion trip at Lake Cushman on the Olympic Peninsula, but Fort Worden is actually an ideal spot to get a large group together because of the variety of accommodations in all of the activities and open space to keep everybody having fun.

Downtown Port Townsend

We have family who lives in Port Townsend so we’re there often. We love walking around downtown just for the fun of walking around with all the cool Victorian architecture and the lively people. Oh the people. Port Townsend has a slogan:  “we’re all here because we’re not all there.” It’s true. I love some of the wildness that you see happening on the streets of Port Townsend, from hipster accordion players to hippies who have been hippies since hippies were invented to the couple who’s become famous for living their lives in a fully Victorian fashion. Everybody is so unique.

Shameless plug:  our aunt is an amazing barber in downtown Port Townsend.  What’s more vintage that a stop into a really good barber shop?  Check out Jim’s Barber Shop if you need to look sharp when you roll through town.

And the art! There are so many galleries and events for artists. One of the funniest events that happens in Port Townsend is the Kinetic Sculpture Race. It’s a race/competition/party where people have invented or designed sculptures that can move both on land and in water. They are always absolutely bizarre and not always do they float. It’s hilarious. The Saturday Farmers Market is also a great place to see and experience the art and local products of Port Townsend, and there are a lot of musicians too.

At the end of the downtown strip is Hudson Point where there is a marina and a handful of restaurants (Hudson Point Cafe is awesome!). Also the Northwest Maritime Center is at the end of the main drag downtown. The Maritime Center in partnership with the Wooden Boat Foundation (shared space and organization), is a really cool complex where people can learn about the vintage trade of wooden boat construction. It’s not just a hobby here, but a place that keeps the centuries-old skill and tradition alive.  And if you want to build boats, the Center for Wooden Boats in Port Hadlock is the place.

Tip:   The Maritime Center is another great place to rent out for events if you need to do set. This last summer we got to do Chris’s High School Union there. It was such a great space with the most beautiful view and it was perfect.

You know how I said that the people of Port Townsend are really interesting? They’re also very welcoming and exceptionally free spirits. Even though we know about the free spirits and general openness of Port Townsend, it took a day at Soak on the Sound to really feel it. Soak on the Sound has been happening at the end of downtown near The Maritime Center for a few years now. With both private and community saltwater soaking tubs it’s a really awesome place to go and relax. They also have licensed massage therapists available and tasty beverages (drinks to enjoy in your private soaking rooms).

Note:   Soak on the Sound is clothing optional in the community saltwater tub and sauna area. When I say clothing optional what I mean is you don’t need to wear clothes because nobody is. It’s just a great place to go and really relax as nature intended. Nobody cares. Just be free.

Other highlights of downtown include Sirens Pub, which is upstairs in a cool old brick Victorian; Elevated Ice Cream, which is a vintage ice cream parlor who makes all their own flavors; Alchemy Bistro and Wine Bar, who makes an awesome steak served with blue cheese onion rings;  and Abracadabra, the coolest toy store with more puppets than you can shake a stick at.  There is, of course, so much more to do and eat, but these are just general suggestions.

Check out the vibe of downtown Port Townsend.  It rocks!

Uptown Port Townsend

We don’t spend a ton of time in the Uptown area of Port Townsend but it is really cool. It’s the residential neighborhood full of Victorian homes and oodles of bed and breakfasts. It also has a nice, small shopping district whose restaurants are always busy. I think that’s why we don’t spend a lot of time in Uptown: it’s because the restaurants are always packed (because they’re really good).

Our favorite feature of Uptown Port Townsend is Chetzemoka Park.   Situated at the north end of the Uptown District it is a truly Victorian park designed at the end of the 1800s. It has exactly what you would expect of any good park, meaning lots of open play space as well as two separate playgrounds, but then it also has a gazebo for weddings or hanging out in the shade, it’s got a cookout area and picnic tables, there is beach access if you’d like to walk down to the water, and then there is also a fantastic Victorian garden. Chetzemoka Park is a gem.

A lot of people who are in Uptown Port Townsend access it from downtown. They hike up the Haller Steps to access Uptown. Starting at the old Victorian Bell Tower and then wandering through all of the cool old houses is a great way to experience the genuine vintage feel of the entire town. And there are so many gardens. Oh yeah, and the deer population rivals that of the human population in the town.

Tip:  For the easiest parking for anything in Port Townsend find street parking in uptown and go from there. You can easily walk down the Haller Steps into downtown, which is much better than trying to find parking downtown on a busy summer afternoon.

Getting out on the water

Our family loves boating. For us boating isn’t getting on somebody’s yacht and wearing our loafers and white shorts, but it’s just being on any boat on the water. Whether that means that you are taking a ferry into Port Townsend from Whidbey Island or you are doing any number of tours on the water, there are lots of ways to enjoy the maritime feel of the town.  

Port Townsend does have several independent boat charters that you can do for a day if you want to go sailing or just troll around Puget Sound or up into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. And you cannot forget kayaking!

You can also go whale watching out of Port Townsend. The Puget Sound Express is a really fun family operated business with 30+ years of navigating the orca territory of the Pacific Northwest. This fall we did a special afternoon jaunt with Puget Sound Express just heading up to Protection Island for some bird watching. It was great having local, knowledgeable crew to guide the tour and hang out with on the sea.  Perfect activity (even in cloudy, wet weather)!

We know that we are fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest and Port Townsend is one of the most welcoming and fascinating places we have been, both locally and considering around the United States. True, we’re a bit biased because that’s where we have so much family and we know the town so well, but everybody that we take to Port Townsend falls in love with it immediately.

What do you think? Are you ready to plan a weekend trip to Port Townsend? If you want more recommendations or have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask. That’s what we’re here for!

A weekend in Port Townsend, Washington: Victorian charm meets the outdoors More often than not we find ourselves visiting places we’ve been 10,000 times.  We don’t live far from Port Townsend, Washington and that’s where a lot of our family is so we are there quite often.