Tag: motorhome living stories

Discover Port Townsend

The beautiful seaport city of Port Townsend should be on everyone’s travel bucket list.

Are you looking for a destination that ticks all the boxes for a great vacation or weekend getaway? We get to experience a lot of small towns but this town is certainly one of our favorites. And others agree. Port Townsend is named one of the most beautiful small towns to visit by several publications, including Travel & Leisure and National Geographic. Put Discover Port Townsend at the top of your list. Clubbing may be best explored in Seattle but if you are ready for history and nostalgia, romance and dining, boating or outdoor adventures, then you should look at Discover Port Townsend.

Water Street viewed from Bell Tower Park

Port Townsend is a boom-town that never boomed. And that is why the stunning Victorian-era architecture has been preserved for you to enjoy. A visit here is to experience what an 1800’s seaport may have been like. Temperatures hover in the 70s during summer months so exploring by foot or bike is easy and pleasant. And if you don’t have your own bikes, they can be rented at Recyclery or PT Cyclery

Getting here.

By car, you head to the Olympic Peninsula, traveling North on scenic Highway 101. The more scenic route is from Olympia to highway 101 and through Hoodsport. Don’t stop — even though you will be tempted — or you will not get to Port Townsend. This drive is one of the most beautiful stretches of this famed highway. I highly recommend this route if you have the time. Mists roiling down from the Olympic Forest mountains. Vast views of Hood Canal (an underwhelming name for such a picturesque place), and narrow, historic bridges spanning bay sloughs. This road, on a warm summer day, is what convertibles are made for. You can also come through Tacoma and connect to Highway 101. Though faster, the drive is not quite as scenic.

No car? No worries. The Washington State Ferry System can get you here from several points on the mainland or from Seattle. You can bring bicycles and motorcycles, cars and RVs, on the ferry but make sure you have reservations well in advance of your trip. The Ferry fills up fast and traveling standby can quickly become disappointing. The ferry to Port Townsend is from Coupeville on Whidbey Island. The scenic ride is about one hour, so you have time to climb up top of the boat to enjoy the view.

Boating is hugely popular (understatement) at Port Townsend and marina facilities are available if you arrive by private boat at Point Hudson Marina and RV Park.

Where to Stay

Camping

Bring your own camp gear or RV and you have at least four different options.

  • There is a campground at Fort Worden Historic State Park. Ft. Worden has beachfront and wooded campsites and can be booked online.
  • Point Hudson Marina and RV Park is another choice for your RV. This park is in the heart of town and has sites directly on the water.
  • Jefferson County Fair Campground is a simple, inexpensive town option. It is an open field near Glass Beach, has some hookups and is within bike riding distance of downtown. These sites are first come first serve with a few full hookups.
  • The fourth option for camping is Fort Townsend Historical State Park. It is a few miles outside of town. This is an excellent option for easy access to wooded hike trails. There are only a few RV sites but loads of tent camping sites. These can be booked online.
Hotels

Hotels for every price range and type are in Port Townsend. Modern, historic, rustic, boutique, romantic are all available. Listed below are a few that we have seen but not stayed in. Be aware that some of the old buildings have stairs and no lift.

What to do

You may have a fabulous view from your hotel room but there is so much to pick from in Port Townsend that you probably want to explore some too.

What will catch your attention first is Water Street. As the port of entry for Puget Sound in the late 1800s, it is easy to imagine the scene. Sailors and businessmen, brothels and taverns, all teeming with activity. History claims Port Townsend was an easy place to be shanghaied. Today, a walk down Water Street is an enjoyable stroll filled with fabulous Victorian architecture. Buildings erected in anticipation of a railroad that never came, unique shops and eateries, pubs and inns.

Parks

Port Townsend is teeming with parks and open spaces. There is a park to enjoy the waterfront, a park to enjoy gardens, and walking trails crisscrossing the entire city. Surrounding the town are areas for hiking, biking, and birding. Here a few of our favorites.

Mt. Rainier viewed from Whidbey Island hike
Fort Worden Historical State Park

Difficult as it may be to leave Water Street, you would be remiss to skip Ft. Worden. Walking tour pamphlets are available at the Friends of Fort Worden Visitor Center. You will learn about the oldest building, Alexander’s Castle, built in 1883 and available for overnight stays. This building was used to film scenes in the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. You can dine in the Guard House Pub, or picnic on the parade grounds. Children (and grown husbands) will especially adore climbing on the concrete gun batteries that remain where placed over 100 years ago to protect Puget Sound.

Ft. Worden also is home to the photogenic Point Wilson lighthouse (no tours but great photos) as well as the Marine Science Center. Canoes are available to rent here.

Point Wilson Lighthouse
Chetzemoka Park

Chetzemoka Park is a labor of love and it shows. Established in 1904, Chetzemoka Park is the oldest city park in Port Townsend. Hedges of antique roses greet you as you enter to lush plantings of Rhodedendrons, mature trees, brick pathways and a stunning view of Admiralty Bay and the mist covered Cascade Mountain Range.

Potting Shed – Chetzemoka Park

Relax and enjoy the view in the wooden swings or bring a picnic and use a provided grill and table. There is plenty of room for children to run in this park and is easily accessed by foot or bike if you are staying in town.

A small dog park is available here.

Bell Tower Park

Make sure to visit the tiny Bell Tower Park, a seventy-five foot fire tower built in 1890. A brass bell in the top, still there, would signal where a fire was located. The view here is pretty impressive too.

Jefferson County Fairgrounds
Joey

If you are traveling with a pup and need room for them to run then this is where you want to head. Plenty of open space is available here to play fetch or let your pet stretch their legs.

Dining

Port Townsend is a tourist town and because of this boasts a wide assortment of restaurants to choose from. You won’t find much fast food so keep that in mind for a busy day. Here are a few that we have eaten in and would return to.

In addition to restaurants, there are brewery tours and cider tours. Spend a laid back day sampling their wares. Deli fast food is available at Safeway and the Organic Co-op.

So much more

There is so much more in Port Townsend than I can list. Better writers than me have sung the praises of this little city. Ken and I are so thankful that we stumbled into this lovely little place in our first year of RV life and have returned each year since. If I haven’t convinced you to Discover Port Townsend then let me give it one more try.

Balmy summer weather; lunch on a high deck overlooking Puget Sound; deer nibbling in lush grassy yards; a quiet hike along the shore; a wooden boat festival; market-day with delicious homemade treats; sailboat tours; visiting a fragrant lavender field; fresh seafood; picturesque marina; driftwood covered beaches; wild blackberries to pick; unique and interesting shops; over 300 Victorian homes; a quiet shore-side coffee; a secluded picnic; Glass Beach; a steampunk festival; a romantic dinner.

Want to learn more about traveling the Olympic Peninsula? Read our previous blog post, RV the Olympic Peninsula.

Till next week…….

Always Grateful👫

Tips and links

Before booking a hotel stay, be aware the older buildings may only have stairs to the upper floors, so no elevators. Make sure someone will be able to help you with your luggage. Pets may ride on the ferry but must stay in your vehicle for the entire ride. If you have time to kill before the Coupeville ferry on Whidbey Island, there is a small restaurant within walking distance. And if you want a little casino action, there are two available, the Suquamish Casino in Poulsbo about an hour away, and 7 Cedars Casino in Sequim about thirty minutes away.

Wallydocking?

Our Wallydocking story

Shift in thinking

It has been on my mind to write about this for a while. The incident I’m going to share happened last year and changed our thoughts about our overnight stays when on the road. I do not want to frighten anyone. I am not trying to cast a bad light on Walmart, or Wallydocking. The ability for weary travelers to pull in and sleep at participating Wallmart locations is a boon. But here is why we will not be utilizing their generosity anymore.

Self-defense

It is not necessary for this blog post, nor do I do think it is prudent to share our methods of self-defense. However, I will say Ken is a military brat and Vietnam combat veteran. I’m a Florida Saltwater Cracker.  Neither of us has any aversion to defending ourselves.

Happy Valentine’s Day❤️️

Map location of Vidor, Texas
Vidor, TX location – between Louisiana and Beaumont, TX

On February 14th we pulled into Walmart at Vidor, Texas around eight o’clock in the evening. Walmart management required us to park in a certain area of the lot so we motored to that side. Ken parked with the driver’s side along the curb, leaving about ten parking spaces in front of us to the next curb that formed the corner.

When we entered the Walmart parking lot we saw a battered, black pickup truck with writing all over it proclaiming God, guns, and country. We mentioned the truck to each other but otherwise, ignored it. I will say now that it is always a bad idea to ignore gut instincts and red flags.🚩

Per the usual routine, Ken and I went into the Walmart to pickup a quick dinner. It was Valentine’s Day so we went to the card isle, made our selections for each other and exchanged them. (Yes, the aisle exchange is how we give cards to each other now. After we exchange and read the cards, we put them back on the shelf. It is another expense cutter for Affordable RV Travel. Our spending and celebration complete, we went back to the Burrow to have our dinner and settle in for the night.

Too close for comfort

At around eleven pm we heard a car pull up directly beside our entry door. It seemed odd that someone needed to pull up so close beside us when we were the only RV in the parking lot. Ken opened the door and stuck his head out to be certain that everything was okay and saw a truck with two men sitting inside the cab. The men looked at him and said, “What do you want?”. Ken explained that he was just checking to make sure everything was okay. The men told Ken, in a threatening voice, to “Get back in your RV and mind your own business.”.

Oooookay.  We looked at each other, our danger meter ratcheting a little higher. We decided it was probably a drug deal and they were using our RV as a shield from the road.  Just let it go we decided, and they will probably be on their way in just a few minutes.

We were wrong

Soon after, another truck pulled up. This drug deal seemed to be taking a really long time. Ken decided to check our backup camera to make sure the bikes we carry on the Jeep were not being stolen.

Bikes carried on Jeep tire rack
Bikes carried on Jeep tire rack

To utilize the backup camera, the engine must be running.  As soon as Ken started the engine, one of the trucks immediately pulled in front of us at a horizontal angle and blocked us.  This completely hemmed us in and blocked our ability to leave — you cannot back up with a tow vehicle attached.  The danger level now sky-rocketed and Ken reached for the phone to call 911.

911 What is your emergency?

If you have ever had to call 911 then you may have experienced what we did. Since Vidor is a small town, they share the 911 switchboard with other small towns. This means the 911 operator has no idea where you are if you say, for instance, the Vidor Walmart. The operator didn’t seem to understand what the threat was. Ken had to keep repeating what was happening. We were growing completely frustrated with 911.

The truck with the two men in it then turned floodlights onto our RV which enabled them to see our movements through the blinds. At this point, I brought our dog Joey to sit down in the rear of the RV, on the floor, to make myself a smaller target.

The 911 operator dispatched the police but before they arrived, the truck beside us left. The truck in front who had been blocking our forward movement, pulled into a space correctly. End of scary story? Not even close.

The cavalry has arrived – wrong

The police department arrived, listened to our complaint and then proceeded to treat us like idiots. Like we were being alarmists. But if you know Ken and I, you know that we don’t rattle so easily. The police spoke to the person in the truck which had parked in front of us. The woman claimed that she too was camping in the parking lot and that the two “gentlemen” were checking on her safety. What a load of bull…..t. We realized it was the graffiti truck. The one advertising their love of God, guns, and country. Apparently God is okay with liars.

The police told us that she was the local crazy lady. That we shouldn’t be concerned about her at all. No one had an explanation for the two men who threatened us or why the local crazy lady needed to sleep in the Walmart parking lot. Crazy lady had committed no crime, therefore, the police could not do anything. They also implied that we were being ridiculous to be afraid of a crazy lady.

We asked the police to have “crazy lady” move her truck and at approximately twelve am, we threw things into sinks and cabinets and rolled out.

Where is Bitsy?

We were about 1 mile from the interstate on-ramp, on a four-lane highway, through the middle of Vidor. Everything had happened so fast. The animals were anxious. I looked around and couldn’t find Bitsy, our oldest kitty. I panicked and made Ken pull over into a large, strip mall parking lot so I could locate her.

And guess what?  It still wasn’t over.

The graffitied truck with the “crazy lady” followed us.  We watched as she passed by and turned into a gas station about a quarter-mile down the road as we pulled over into the parking lot.  Thank goodness Ken suspected her behind us and was paying attention.   I located Bitsy. Ken called 911, once again.

Our cat
Our old girl – Bitsy. Passed this year.

Maybe the police will believe us now

As we waited for the police to arrive, the truck came past us in the opposite direction, turning into another business about a quarter-mile past.  We clearly saw her.

The police arrived and again scoffed at us. Of three officers, two didn’t believe she was following us at all. We laid out several scenarios where we may be the targets of a hit-and-run, theft, or worse. We are from south Florida for goodness sake. These kind of things happen all the time down there. Texas is an open carry state. “Crazy lady” could shoot us as well as anyone else and we said so. And they continued to dismiss the two men as irrelevant.

Now we are angry

Janet's angry face
Really?

Again, the police said, “she has not committed any crimes.”. We understood that. We were both angry and disheartened by their dismissal. One officer did, however, offer to let us stay at the police station parking lot.

 We thanked the officers but let them know we felt it was prudent to leave their lovely town. They left and we proceeded to pull out.

Before we even made it out of the parking lot, the “crazy lady” who loves God, her country, and guns, came into the parking lot, driving directly at us.  Almost as if she wanted to play chicken.  Ken gunned the RV and we kept going.  Immediately after we got out of the parking lot, we saw the blue lights and the police pulled her over.  Finally.

Adrenaline fueled night

We didn’t stop. Not at the next town. Or the town after. Ken continued to drive through the night. He drove through downtown Houston and we didn’t stop until the adrenaline wore off and there were enough miles between us and Vidor, Texas.

We may have been targets of racism. It is what Ken and I suspect. After a small amount of research, we found that Vidor, Texas indeed had and may still have a reputation for racism and hate.

That is the story.  Now that we have had time to digest the situation a little better, I would like to give a few tips to anyone who will be boondocking at Walmart, or anywhere else.

What we did right

gas pump
  • The RV had a full tank of gas.  We had been on the road all day and the tendency is to stop, then wait until first thing in the morning to fuel up.  We don’t wait anymore.   We were able to get on the Interstate and keep moving for as far and fast as necessary.
  • We had permission from Walmart to be there.  I always call and check.  This gave us a small amount of credibility with the police officers.
  • We did not make ourselves at home by placing anything outside, opening any slides, etc..

What we did wrong

whiteboard with address
Whiteboard with current address
  • When we parked, we pulled up next to the curb.  That left us no where to pull out but to the front and right. Our position left us vulnerable to their blocking maneuvers. If you are going to overnight in a parking lot, leave plenty of space forward and on both sides of you.
  • Telling 911, Walmart in Vidor, was not enough. Always have a physical address in case of emergency. A white board is at our entry door now where we write the address of any location where we overnight.
  • Parking the RV under a parking lot flood light may have discouraged them.

Some considerations

  • You are not in a stick-and-brick home. My point? Gunfire would have gone straight through thin RV walls with no protection.
  • Police can do nothing unless a crime has been committed. You are an outsider in any town. Police will treat your claims with skepticism.
  • Gun laws vary from state-to-state and unless you spend a lot of time studying them you won’t know what is legal. Waiting until someone enters your domicile puts you at a distinct disadvantage.
  • And finally, you are sitting on top of gallons of gas and propane.  Even if some idiot with a gun had no intention of directing a shot at your person, their stupidity could still kill you.

I loved being able to rely on Walmart when we were moving from one location to another.  Now we use Harvest Host and Passport America to fill in the gaps.  We may use Walmart again if the circumstances warrant it.  But I know I won’t ever be able to relax and sleep soundly if we are Wallydocking.

selfie at Mesa Verde
At Mesa Verde National Park

Stay safe and happy travels.  Till next week…

Always grateful.👫

Ten Things to Know Before You Go RVing

Are you considering the full time RV travel life?  The research and preparation can be overwhelming.  Read below for ten things to know before you go RVing.  Maybe you will find a pointer or some advice to make the transition a little easier, or what to expect when you get there.

1. You need a hobby
Cat in a crochet hat
Bitsy models crochet

And it has got to be one that doesn’t take up any space.  We arrived in Oregon earlier this year than last, which has been great!  We got to do some playing in the snow that Ken and I had never done before.  But what we did not know is that between the snow melting and the sunshine starting, it is cold rain.  Lots of cold rain.  When we started out, I envisioned constant motion, hiking, kayaking, sightseeing.  I did not envision being stuck in this teeny, tiny RV for one week solid.  With bad tv service.  And worse internet service.

I am rediscovering crochet now.

2. You will gain weight

Okay.  Obviously, some of you will be better about this than we are.  But Ken and I can’t resist a good restaurant and we are always on the lookout for our next awesome meal.  Staying on budget helps but unless you cook every meal at home, it’s difficult to stay on a healthy, well-balanced, diet.  There is just sooooo much good food out there.  Even the farmer’s market sparks my inner Julia Child.

This is a tough one for us and if you have any coping strategies, please comment and share.

3. The festival will be the week before or the week after you are there

We have the freedom to move and go wherever we would like.  But there is much to consider when you move on to a new location.  It takes research.  You research the roads, weather conditions, where you will stay, what is there to do, and last but not least, where will you resupply.  Oh!  And budget considerations too.

Janet and Ken sitting at tractor table
Oregon State Fair

It is great when a festival or fair, an event or celebration coincides with your visit.  But basing your travels on these events is difficult at best.  Most towns don’t do a very good job of marketing their events.  So, a search doesn’t necessarily bring them to your attention.  We have just missed tickets for events that we would have loved to attend, have been unable to get RV park reservations for a nearby event, or just didn’t know in time to make changes to our schedule.

We keep an event calendar of things we have stumbled upon and may want to return for in the following year.  There have been a few festivals that occurred while we were there.   But it isn’t easy.

Is there is something you have your heart set on?  My advice is to plan, plan, and plan well in advance.

4. You won’t have your favorite brand unless you stockpile it.

This is a tough one.  We do not like doing without our favorite products.  And we have discovered even more of them while living on the road. But you will not always find your favorites.  Thank goodness it is Walmart that stocks the best RV toilet paper on the market, as they are everywhere.

While we don’t have room to carry everything, we do add a little extra in some cases.  It makes me sad at times, frustrated at other times, but is a small price to pay for all we have gained.

If you must have it, make a place for plenty of it.

5. Cooking takes more organization in a tiny house

I used to love organizing the week’s meals in my stick-and-brick house.  In love with my refrigerator, my world was good when the vegies were prepped and ready to go on its shelves.  The pantry overflowed with any dry good or spice needed to express myself through cooking or trying a new recipe.

rv meal of steak salad with glasses of cider
Farm to Table Steak Salad & Hard Cider

Not so much anymore.  Each prep step is performed in a small space and must be cleaned before I can move on to the next step.  Each ingredient has been established to be a crucial item if placed onboard.  Each meal is planned and crafted for ingredients and time.  The meal planning and organization skills that I honed when living in a stick-and-brick are coming in handy.  It used to be a feeling of satisfaction, but now it is crucial to getting us fed a healthy, well-balanced meal.

If you are planning to move into a tiny home, start by putting away your pots and pans, your dishes and utensils, now.  Learn how to cook with less and how to organize more.  It will be great training.

6. You won’t need half the things you think you will

Releasing your possessions to move into a tiny home is hard.  If you have a vision about what your new life will be like, that is a good thing.  You need the visualization of your new life to help you through the process of letting go.  But be aware that what you visualized may not be what it’s like (see first item You need a hobby).  So, bring that blender along because you will be drinking margarita’s every night, take those fishing poles that you have never had time to use.  And tools, don’t forget all the tools you will need.  You know, to fix things and build things.

We still laugh about a few of the items that we brought along with us and continue to let go.  I’m not saying don’t bring them but be aware that you will have to figure out how to get rid of unwanted stuff on the road.

7. Everything you need will be in the outside storage
Ken removes storage box from basement storage of Bigfoot rv
Ken in the basement

Do you need pet meds?  They are in the outside storage, below.  Need those other boots?  Also, down below.  Extra fruit that won’t fit in the fridge, it is down below.  See what I mean?

This problem is directly proportional to the size of your RV, but I’m sure it is universal.  We just don’t have all the space that we would like.  It happened in our stick-and-brick home and it happens here.  All I can say is, try to remember what you need before ten ‘o’clock at night.

8. Personal standards will slip

I can hear you now, denying that you will let things start slipping.  But most of you will. 

RV Socks

I cannot count the number of women in RV parks who have decided to quit covering their grey.  A particularly scary sight was a woman pumping gas into her RV wearing pink fuzzy slippers and what looked to be a housecoat.  Shaving every night gets a little difficult when you have a tiny shower and limited hot water.  Personally, I am still trying to decide where loungewear is acceptable in public.  It is very comfortable in the RV, and I don’t want to take it off.

How about mealtime?  I hate paper plates but have been sorely tempted to use them just to make my cleanup a little easier.  And fresh is best,  but I find I am using more dried herbs because there just is not enough room to have it all.

But my biggest surprise… getting your hair done.  You are never in the same location. So, unless the plan is to keep coming back to your stylist every six to eight weeks, you are at the mercy of someone new.  I have had a couple of questionable stylists, which is why, I think, so many women in RV parks have given up and are letting their grey grow out.

9. People living in RV’s are strange

You will be the only normal ones.   But be prepared to meet some of the nicest people around.  Ken is an introvert and even he has come home with information or help gleaned from the other campers.  It’s a great group of people and most everyone loves to share what they know.  We have learned of great places to visit, to stay, and even had fresh trout given to us by a fellow camper who had extra.

Keep an open mind and remember that you too chose this lifestyle, so maybe normal is relative.

10. One cellphone provider will not be enough

This point is simple enough.  One provider is not enough.  It does not matter if you have Verizon.  Or AT&T, or T-mobile, or, fill-in-the-blank.  Ken and I have different phone providers, and a third hot-spot provider.  Even then, we sometimes have no service and must go to Starbucks, or McDonald’s, or other establishment offering wifi. 

Research this one thoroughly, as it can have a huge impact on your budget.

You’ve got this

These are the ten things you should know before you go rving.  We understand it is hard to process, figuring everything out before you move onto your RV.  But relax, give yourself plenty of time to make the transition, and do not worry too much.  There is always a store to buy it in, always a friendly person to help you, businesses that are catering to this lifestyle and, if all else fails, the internet to help you figure it out. And the reward is worth it.

Always Grateful. 👫