Bainbridge Island Pt 3 & 4

This day started as a slow day but we ended up doing quite a lot. Late morning my uncle and I left to see the town of Poulsbo. We walked the main street and stopped in at Sluys Bakery where we got a sweet treat. We picked up a tea and coffee at a cute cafe and walked down to a park overlooking one of the marinas in the town. We sat for a long time sipping our drinks and eating our treats while talking. Lots of people were out walking their dogs and enjoying the sunny morning. It was a really clear and bright start to the day.

We then decided to check out Port Townsend, after my aunt suggested we did. We drove the scenic route along the water and stopped in a little area where there was a boat-building school and one of my uncle's favorite restaurants. I knew that one of my friends that I met at the ranch I worked at last summer was going to a wooden boat building school around the Seattle area but I didn’t know which one. It was closed to the public to look around but you could see in the windows that classes were going on and they were working on some boats. One of the guys in the building looked like my friend so I ended up sending him a message asking which school he attended. My uncle said there were only two schools like that in the area so there was a good chance that could be it. We kept moving towards Port Townsend since it was only a short ways away. We walked the street that had lots of cool local art galleries, vintage shops, and interesting restaurants and businesses. We stopped into some art galleries and they were very impressive. In one of the vintage shops they had a bin of postcards and they had a Door County postcard in it! The town was really fun and right on the water so it was quite beautiful. My friend messaged me back and it turns out that was the boat building school he attends and he was the guy I spotted in the window, which was pretty funny! He said we could stop by to say hi for a bit. On our way out of the town, we drove to the old Fort Worden military base that was turned into a state park. It was a nice base and we walked a little bit on the beach where there was a lighthouse. We stopped back at the boat school and it was nice to catch up with my friend for a little bit before heading out.

We took a quick stop in Port Gamble going into the general store that had a cool shell and sealife museum upstairs. Tons of shells, both big and small, king crab, sea urchins, pufferfish, and so much more were on display. We walked around the exhibit and it was a really nice collection. I bought some candy from the store before we got back on the road. We stopped in Poulsbo for dinner at a Thai restaurant that my uncle hadn’t tried before. I tried some dishes I hadn’t had before and really liked them. It was a short drive back to his house and once we were there we just hung out for the evening. I did a little bit of planning for the last part of my trip after I leave the Seattle area. My uncle and I sat in his living room looking over an atlas. I showed him where I was in South Africa a few years ago and he showed me tons of places he’s been all over the world. We shared tons of stories, his were much more adventurous and daring than mine. Once it got late we turned in for the night.

Bainbridge Island Pt 4

This day was the first rainy day that week. I had planned on leaving this day but decided to stick around for one more. My uncle and I wanted to do a little kayaking but we decided hiking would be better in the weather we were having. After some breakfast, we left for a small park a couple of minutes away from his house. It was on the backside of Bloedel Reserve overlooking a portion of Puget Sound. It was a nice little trail area and only took us about 20 to 30 minutes to go through. It wasn’t raining hard just a sprinkle now which continued most of the day. We then went to a really nice park called The Grand Forest. This park was preserved by the Island's Land Trust where my uncle volunteered and was involved in the preservation of it and the collection of land plots to expand the park.

The trails were really nice and showcased some tall trees. There was a really nice meadow and an old house they renovated to host programs for kids in the area. We talked a bunch throughout our hikes. My uncle pointed out lots of plants and trees and was able to tell me what made them unique. As we moved through the park he pointed out areas where they held a fundraiser, houses he inspected for the land conservancy program, and trail area he inspected for the park as well. He is so involved on the island and has a wealth of knowledge on so many topics that conversations were always interesting and educational. I know once I leave here I’ll be wondering what the plants I pass are on future trails, wishing I had my encyclopedia of an uncle there to give me the rundown on the plants I don’t know.

We then went back to his house and had a couple of hours before going over to his neighbor's house for dinner. I organized my van and did one last load of laundry during this lull in the day. I cleaned up my van and washed out my grey water tank. Little chores I wanted to do before getting on the road again. At 5 pm we headed over to his next-door neighbor's house and they had two little dachshunds that greeted us. They were so cute. The couple next door to these people and the neighbor on the other side of my uncle's house were also there for dinner. They were all very friendly and conversational. We had Pomelo drinks and enchiladas for dinner since it was Cinco De Mayo, and it was all very good. We had pie for dessert and it was also very good. We stayed there for a long time talking and laughing. The little dogs wanted to be pet and played with so it was nice to hang around some dogs for a little while. Once it started to get late we all said our goodbyes. My uncle helped me pack up my van a little bit so that it would be an easy morning the next day. We talked a bit before we called it a night. I planned to leave kind of early in the morning so we didn’t stay up too late talking this last night.