Port Townsend, Washington
February 7, 2021
Port Townsend sits at the very northeastern most tip of the Olympic Peninsula. In fact, it is located on an even smaller peninsula that juts out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the inlet into the Puget Sound. It is no wonder that this location was settled in the late 1800s as a seaport and military fortress to protect the Puget Sound (and thus Seattle) from enemy sea intruders. The small, historic downtown of Port Townsend still exists with many of the Victorian Era buildings on display. Not far away is Fort Worden, once a major defense post overlooking the Pacific coast waterways, now a Washington State Park.
I have had Port Townsend on my to-do list for awhile, simply because I had heard interesting things about it. I had been waiting for a rainy day, or rather for a sunny, off-season day when I had time to run over for a visit. On this trip I drove from Seattle around the Puget Sound (2 hours). I breezed through downtown Port Townsend to check out the Victorian architecture. I spent time in Fort Worden Historical State Park to see Point Wilson Lighthouse and the Battery Kinzie. After that, I stopped at the nearby North Beach for a rocky, beach walk. On my way out of town I could not pass up a visit to Port Townsend Brewing Company and a cold beverage to cap off a fun day!
I have had Port Townsend on my to-do list for awhile, simply because I had heard interesting things about it. I had been waiting for a rainy day, or rather for a sunny, off-season day when I had time to run over for a visit. On this trip I drove from Seattle around the Puget Sound (2 hours). I breezed through downtown Port Townsend to check out the Victorian architecture. I spent time in Fort Worden Historical State Park to see Point Wilson Lighthouse and the Battery Kinzie. After that, I stopped at the nearby North Beach for a rocky, beach walk. On my way out of town I could not pass up a visit to Port Townsend Brewing Company and a cold beverage to cap off a fun day!
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Point Wilson Lighthouse, Fort Worden Historical State Park
The Fort Worden Historical State Park and the Point Wilson lighthouse sit at the very tip of Port Townsend. The Fort Worden property is very interesting. The original barracks, officer's mansions, parade lawns, and other structures from the early 1900s still exist (in addition to the lighthouse and gun batteries). There are many hiking trails and the property would have been worth exploring further, if I'd had the time.
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Battery Kinzie, Fort Worden Historical State Park
Near the Point Wilson Lighthouse is Battery Kinzie, one of several concrete defense posts on Fort Worden. This battery was built in the early 1900s and was decommissioned in 1944. It held two large guns that took a crew of 51 men to operate! Nowadays, it is part of the State Park and you can explore through its ruins (along with severals others nearby).
When you approach the site, one of the first things I noticed is large splotches of paint everywhere on the building. At first I was taken aback by the paint and how it reduced the historical "realness" of the building. The paint splotches are the work of the State Park crews who paint over graffiti. I guess paint splotches are better than graffiti. After a few minutes of looking around, I saw the paint through a new perspective. If you view it through a kind of abstract and artistic lense, I was able to find many interesting photography scenes. It also could be the perfect spot for your next horror film!
When you approach the site, one of the first things I noticed is large splotches of paint everywhere on the building. At first I was taken aback by the paint and how it reduced the historical "realness" of the building. The paint splotches are the work of the State Park crews who paint over graffiti. I guess paint splotches are better than graffiti. After a few minutes of looking around, I saw the paint through a new perspective. If you view it through a kind of abstract and artistic lense, I was able to find many interesting photography scenes. It also could be the perfect spot for your next horror film!
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Doors
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Stairs
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Same Room, Many Views
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North Beach Park
This beach was not a walk in the park, as the name would have you believe. It is very rocky and full of driftwood obstacles. Checking the tide charts is also essential because the beach is inaccessible at high tide and still difficult to traverse until near low tide. I headed out west (left) from the parking lot towards McCurdy Point in search of beach glass and good views. Beach glass (or sea glass) are actual pieces of glass that wash ashore, smoothed and frosted by the ocean over many years. Sadly I did not find any beach glass, but I did find plenty of good beach "rock scrambling" and photo opportunities.
I had checked the tide charts before arriving and it was an hour and a half past high tide, so I figured I would go for it. On the way out, I ended up scrambling over large rocks and driftwood piles in an attempt to stay out of the crashing waves. It was slow going and I quickly got my shoes soaked (again and again). Turns out you need to wait several hours after high tide to have any chance of walking on sand on this beach. On the way back the tides had really receded and the path was much easier.
Thanks to going slow and looking for beach glass, I had more time to enjoy taking photographs. There seemed to be something interesting around each corner and I tried to photograph different perspectives with the driftwood, rocks, and waves. Also, I found a super cool sedimentary rock that had been compiled from other rocks (yes, I had to Google that when I returned home).
I had checked the tide charts before arriving and it was an hour and a half past high tide, so I figured I would go for it. On the way out, I ended up scrambling over large rocks and driftwood piles in an attempt to stay out of the crashing waves. It was slow going and I quickly got my shoes soaked (again and again). Turns out you need to wait several hours after high tide to have any chance of walking on sand on this beach. On the way back the tides had really receded and the path was much easier.
Thanks to going slow and looking for beach glass, I had more time to enjoy taking photographs. There seemed to be something interesting around each corner and I tried to photograph different perspectives with the driftwood, rocks, and waves. Also, I found a super cool sedimentary rock that had been compiled from other rocks (yes, I had to Google that when I returned home).
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Driftwood
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Rocks
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Waves
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