Canceling Summer

When Cole Porter was asked why he was taking such a long cruise to the Caribbean, he reportedly said, "I am trying to cancel February."

Living in suburban New Jersey we have been trying to cancel summer's heat and humidity, or at least a few weeks of it, for several years -- all to little avail. That is, until we discovered Sequim, Washington. We thought this little town on the Olympic Peninsula might finally be The Place. Seems we were right.

Our daily Travel Grace Notes for our 28 days are below, with some clickable pictures and Internet links:

Day 1 – Monday, July 14, 2008. Flight was quite wonderful, taxi from SeaTac to Redmond OK after we got directions to Aero Rental Car. Ate lunch in Redmond at an average Mexican place called Tu Casa, then drove to the ferry at Edmonds, across the water to Kingston, and the ride was great. Cold, brisk breeze, mountains and water. Drive on Rt. 104 was nice, mtns and water views, then Rt. 101 into Sequim to our hostess who gave us the key to our 1BR place, which is clean, nicely appointed, and has a south facing platform deck with (plastic!) chairs that provides a great view of the Olympic Mountains. Stone napped and Jake checked out the 2 golf courses and drove around town a bit. Java for 2 from the local McDonald’s, then a lovely walk by the gin clear Dungeness River, saw perhaps an eagle and certainly a pair of goldfinches. Went out to 3 Crabs Restaurant in hopes of dinner, but the staff looked overwhelmed, so we went back into town, ending up at the upscale Cedar Creek on 5th Ave, out on the nicely chilly veranda for a martini, pinot grigio, soups, mushroom ravs and Dungeness crab cakes -- about $60 with tip. Then to Buzz for lavender cheesecake ice cream(!) and some coffee and a cookie. Then to our new home as night falls; so cold we have to put on the heat.

Day 2 – Tuesday, July 1 5, 2008. Breakfast at The Oak Table, nice room, good but expensive food. (Over $20 for what we usually get in NJ for about $13.) Found Stone's Weight Watchers place in town and walked around Bell St. Came home and went out for a walk with the hope of putting our new binoculars to work in search of birds. We walked to the end of the runway (our 1BR is actually in a small "fly away" development where the 5 or 6 homes all have private plane hangers and access to the runway) and actually saw a bald eagle, in flight and then in the trees! Quite a thrill for Jake. We then shopped at Sunny Farms, a nice, big, organic oriented food market. After some relaxed reading on the deck we went to a wine shop in town, the Visitors Center, Safeway and SARC. Jake played 9 holes at Cedars at Dungeness for $15 at 6 pm, while Stone did a yoga program on TV and walked the runway again. Golf was quite good -- windy, nicely conditioned course, and hole #9 has a knockout view of the distant Olympic Mountains.

Day 3 – Wednesday, July 16, 2008. After breakfast we went to Railroad Bridge Park and went for about a 30 minute walk along the Olympic Discovery Trail, which runs through the park. Thanks to our binoculars we saw another bald eagle, and got close up views of several sharp looking waxwings -- or so they seemed to my untrained birding eye. The park is quite nice, with the old RR bridge affording nice views of the Dungeness River. Afterward Jake snoozed while Stone studied, walked, read and napped a bit also. Then after java at Buzz we redeemed our local newspaper coupons at a local drug store for reduced entrance fees to the Lavender Festival , then went to explore Carrie Blake Park, which proved to be green and quiet. The park also included a Japanese viewing lagoon (for us seniors, one imagines) and a skate park and some small BMX hills (for the town's juniors). Dinner was at the wonderful Alder Wood Bistro -- mussels, soup, pizza, wines -- all served at a counter table of redwood reportedly over a 1,000 years old; about $60 with tip. At home we took a walk by the river in the gathering glory of the North West gloaming.

Day 4 – Thursday, July 17, 2008. The sky was a seemingly thick layer of clouds, but only until noon, when it turned bright and sunny as usual. Our 1BR has only dial-up, so we headed to Hurricane Coffee where the WiFi worked nicely, and the java, yogurt and scone worked nicely as well. Tried QFC for food and supplies, but decided on Safeway, got the customer card and got some of the great sockeye salmon for about $8 a pound! While Stone got her hair cut at Changes, Jake went to SARC for a nice little swim, steam and sauna for $7. Around 5 pm we went golfing at Cedars at Dungeness, 9 holes for $18. Stone walked with Jake who had a good day (ie, actually had a birdie) despite the windy conditions on the view-laden back nine of this recently (2007) upgraded course. Salmon dinner at home, then another runway walk where we met Ron and Miggles, who live across the runway and invited us over to see the plane he is building(!) in his hanger and her strawberries which were ready to be picked; very nice couple.

Day 5 – Friday, July 18, 2008. A day with only some direct sunshine! And not much wind either. Was the first day we couldn’t truly see all the mountains. After breakfast, we did the Lavender Festival, going to Olympic Lavender Farm, Jardin du Soleil Lavender and Cedarbrook Lavender and Herb Farm. The entire scene(s) was less crazy than we feared, not truly crowded, and very mom and pop oriented, and low key fun. After Cedarbrook we drove up into the foothills and then down around by John Wayne Marina and then back into town, passing a unique B&B that apparently uses cabooses as rooms. Filled up with gas at Safeway (a cool $48), then home for some relaxation and snooze. Dinner at home, then off for a town located part of the Lavender Festival called Jazz in the Alley, and some shopping for Stone. A late night of joe at Buzz (late night in Sequim being anything after 8 pm), then home to see the day's understated sunset and an eagle flying directly over our little A-frame bungalow not 30 feet over our heads.

Day 6 – Saturday, July 19, 2008. Up early to get the 8:10 ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria. Jake has always liked ferry rides, and this was a nice long one, taking a little over an hour. Breakfast at the Blue Fox, which was about a 20 minute walk from the ferry and then had to wait 30 minutes to get in, but it was worth it – perhaps the best eggs Benedict I’ve ever had. Walking after that we stumbled upon Christ Church Cathedral, strolled around inside – big, lovely, and quite historic, even though it completion dates from only 1929; the pulpit was made from a 500 year old tree from England and the organ is a an over 4,000 piped beauty customized to the acoustics of the church. Walked on down to Beacon Hill Park, lots and lots of pretty flower gardens and water ponds and ducks and kids and families and trees, beneath one of which Stone took a snooze. Later we watched a little of a serious cricket match, then walked back into Vic, rambled around aimlessly for a while, which is fun to do in a wonderful, pretty city like Victoria, then had a late light lunch at the Blue Crab, water/harbor views, sturdy drinks, very good food. Another walk along the inner harbor, seeing a sea otter, then back on the ferry for a very windy (30 knots and big whitecaps,), rock-and-roll ferry ride home – or at least to Port Angeles. Actually home at about 8:30, and on the way back, on Rt. 101, we spied another bald eagle as we drove along – ho hum! Stone warms up(!) with soup and Jake with a trusty rusty nail.

Day 7 -- Sunday, July 20, 2008. A day of planned down time. Went to service at 10:30 am at the Olympic UU’s. Met the usual interesting people, a nice 90 min service and about 30 mins of coffee and mingling afterward. After lunch went for a longer walk by the river, on a trail previously suggested by Ron and Miggles. Very nice: various birds and wild flowers, and two govt guys checking on a Chinook Salmon trap; some intimidating dogs dashed up at us from the river before their owners could calm them down, but the subsequent donkeys and cows calmly watched us walk past. After some attempted snooze time (some complaining sheep in the meadow next door kept Jake awake) we went over to Ron and Miggles for another visit. They were kind enough to give us carte blanche for use of their bikes. Then a quiet night of dinner, TV and reading.

First Week's Impressions: First and foremost the weather has been as wonderful as we had hoped. The days have been cool, even when sunny, with high temps in the 60's and lows around 50, with low humidity. We have finally found our American summer escape! Sequim itself is indeed a small town (pop. about 5,000) with all the pluses and minuses thereof. The feel of the town's setting is basically rural, however the Olympic Mountains majestically dominate the landscape. Sequim's population is heavily weighted toward retirees, but SARC always has a lot of kids splashing about, and on our trips to Safeway we always seem to see many families in the aisles pushing their bulging carts.

Day 8 -- Monday, July 21, 2008. Tried to have breakfast at the Old Mill Cafe, a little bit outside of Sequim proper on Carlsborg Road, but it was closed(!), so we went back into town and ate at Gwennies, which was a nice mom and pop place with (so far) the usual breakfast scene – slow service, good food, expensive prices -- $25 with tip. Then we pointed our rented car into the alluring pine green foothills south of town. We were in search of Lost Mountain Winery, which despite being located on Lost Mountain Road was easy enough to find. The Olympic Peninsula's seven wineries are trying to promote themselves onto the Washington wine scene, which of course has been dominated for years by the Columbia Valley area, and seem to be making progress and winning some awards, and Lost Mountain has been doing it part. On this Monday morning we were the only visitors in the small but attractive tasting room ($3/person), and had a nice long chat with Steve -- who with his wife, own and run the winery -- while we sampled some of their reds. We liked the drinkable taste of "Dago Red" (Steve's wine making family is deeply Italian, so he can get away with that), and bought a couple of bottles, which were not exactly cheap at just under $40 for the pair. After leaving the winery we drove upward and onward on Lost Mountain Road, enjoying the mountain vistas and envying several of the homes that enjoyed those views 24/7. However, after maybe less than 10 minutes of driving the road came to a dead end, which is not unusual for many of the foothill roads around Sequim, so we pointed our car back down hill and into town. After lunch Jake played another 9 holes at Dungeness, while Stone went for a walk out at Rail Road Bridge Park; then back home for dinner and some Dago Red.

Day 9 – Tuesday, July 22, 2008. A day of purposeful relaxation. Jake had another very nice swim, etc, at SARC while Stone went for a mini-walk and a visit to the Sequim Library. Home for lunch and the mandatory snooze, then a drive up into ritzy Bell Hill (web cam) to see the millionaires’ houses. We walked around admiring the hill's water and mountain views. Back for dinner and drinks, then a walk down to what we came to call the “bird hallow” on the river where Jake enjoyed a good cigar and Stone harvested a river stone for the home garden. Above the gurgling river swallows feasted on bugs while high above the sky was just lousy with flying eagles(!), but we had no binocs so couldn’t confirm their baldness. Breezy again as we came back home amid the golden rays of another lovely sunset on the Left -- make that Upper Left -- Coast.

Day 10 – Wednesday, July 23, 2008. Up early for the weekly 8:30 guided Audubon walk at RR Bridge Park; about 20 people in attendance, most of them birding dilettantes like us, but there were a few serious birders toting scopes and long-lensed cameras. Our favorite birds sighted were a California Quail, that seemed to pose for minutes on a nearby fence post, and a golden-green hummingbird, that, of course, disdained staying in one place for longer than a nanosecond. Despite not seeing a lot of other interesting birds, the 90 minute walk itself was a great way to start the day. Afterward it was off to Adagio Bean & Leaf for some post-birding java and pastry goodies. Thence to Ron and Miggles' place to take advantage of their generous bike lending program. We rode out north toward Dungeness Bay, then above and along the water to 3 Crabs Restaurant, where we got some soup and crab cakes to go, ate them al fresco, then peddled home (stopping at Nash’s for some organic onions and raisins) past the Olympic Game Farm seeing the usual eagle or two or three. Before dinner Jake needed a SARC rejuvenation (just whirlpool and sauna, thank you) for his tired bones.

Day 11 – Thursday, July 24, 2008. Stone goes to Weight Watchers and finds that she has, despite our lusty vacation eating, lost more than half a pound. The weather here makes it easy to be outside and active virtually any time you want. Come to Sequim and lose weight! We head off west on dear old Rt. 101 toward Port Angeles, then after driving through PA, south into the Olympic National Park toward Hurricane Ridge. Then entrance fee is $15, but for $30 you can get an annual card, and since we plan to be in the Park again, we get the card. Sequim locals had told us that Hurricane Ridge was one of the "must sees" of the area, and worth the current slow go because of road repairs due to previous winter storms. The road up was indeed slow; once we stopped for about 20 minutes, then once again for about 5-10 minutes. But when you're retired -- with no kids in the car, with no schedule to keep, with no dinner reservations that can't be easily revised -- it is amazingly easy to go with the flow, or, in this case, with the lack thereof. We turned off our engine, got out of the car, looked around: at the high sky, at the giant pine trees, at the distant purple mountain majesties, and thought to ourselves, "What a great place to be stuck." And the locals were right, Hurricane Ridge is worth the slow drive up, and up, and up. Once at the visitors center, there are paths and trails both easy and hard, and post card mountain views from the parking lot. We took one of the shorter but certainly upward walks that took about 20-30 minutes to get to the viewing spot, and the walk was terrific. Along the way various hardy alpine flowers kept us company and in one of the vast alpine meadows far below, other trail walkers pointed out a black bear -- to the naked eye (without benefit of binoculars or a telephoto lens) it was but a black dot in the emerald expanse below, but still thrilling to see. Afterward, our drive down was quicker, perhaps due to karmic payback for our previous patience, but more likely due to simple dumb luck, which is an agnostic's view of Karma. Back in Sequim we met Ron and Miggles for dinner at Alder Wood Bistro, and then we all four walked over to Buzz for coffee and dessert.

Day 12 -- Friday, July 25, 2008. The drive to Port Townsend starts out as all drives in Sequim seem to do -- on Rt. 101, this time heading east. We go up to Fort Worden State Park to pick up our wrist bracelets that act as tickets for Friday nights edition of "2008 Jazz Port Townsend." We walk around the park a bit, but its military air gives ex-Army draftee Jake a bit of the creeps, so Stone drives him to the Port Townsend Golf Course. Jake plays with a pleasant local guy who tells him where to aim each tee shot (as if Jake could!), drinks a beer each 3 holes, and tells him about the glories of the area's salmon fishing. The course itself proves to be a nice enough 9 hole layout with some nice elevation changes, is not too difficult and is generally fun to play. Meanwhile back at the Fort (truly), Stone enjoys walking around the spacious park, sees the Commanding Officer's Residence Museum and especially enjoys her stroll along the water. Later we try to eat at T’s Restaurant at 4 pm, but it is booked for a wedding dinner, so we head into the downtown area -- walk, shop, and get some nice chowder. Returning at 6 pm for dinner at T’s we have a very nice meal (great halibut), then hurry off to see "Mongol" at the Rose Theater, thence to Elevated Ice Cream for some home made you-know-what, then down the street to Fins to see Nancy King sing. A drink and dessert at the bar as we listen, then drive home around midnight.

Day 13 – Saturday, July 26, 2008. Today was moving day as we left one vacation rental for another. When planning this trip we originally contracted for 2 rental properties for 2 weeks each. Our first fortnight was to be with Sequim Bay Resort, in a cheap small cabin, but several months after we mailed them a deposit, they informed us that the rate for our stay would go from $70/night to $140, telling us that they had checked with their lawyers, that things were not negotiable, and that we had to take it or leave it. Not wanting to enter a legal fight we scrambled around trying to plug this sudden 14 day hole in our itinerary and ended up with 12 days at Mountain Ridge View and 2 days at a nice 2BR cottage called the Pompous Chef. So today we left our 1BR north of town for our new 2BR south of town, and though we have lost our long distance view of the mountains, our new place is right up at the start of the piney foothills and has its own charm. (Last week we drove through the Sequim Bay Resort, and in retrospect, their dishonorable business ways did us a favor. Even at $70/night we would not have been happy there.) Between checkout of our first place and check-in at our second we had several hours, so we had a very nice (if expensive-- $64 w/ drinks and tip) lunch at Dockside at the John Wayne Marina (Duke’s picture on the wall) with its nautical view right outside our window.

Day 14 – Sunday, July 27, 2008. A planned day of not doing much. We had hoped to go to the Sunday service at the UU’s, but the congregation was having its annual picnic out at the Dungeness Spit, so we had even less to do than planned, which was fine. Stone dropped off Jake for a very fun, windy and challenging 18 holes of golf at SkyRidge golf course. SkyRidge is the prototypical mom-and-pop 9 hole course, including an office that is housed in a trailer and a bathroom that is a portasan. Despite this less than “country club for a day” feel, the atmosphere is friendly and professional. And the course – which could be generously described as “links style” because there is nary a tree and usually a healthy breeze – proved to be quite a challenge, with some long par-4’s and several over-water shots that will tighten any golfer’s grip. While Jake toiled away on the links, Stone shopped in town for a new book, read her current one, and chillaxed in our new home. And please note: today is was cloudy right up to close to sunset – indeed in our current right-next-to-the-foothills setting it was misty and mildly almost rainy most of the day, though out on the blustery plains of SkyRidge the weather was dry – and driving through town coming back from golf we saw puddles and other signs of rain just missed, not to be confused with rain just mist, which we probably had also. The point is, this was as close to a completely cloudy day as we’ve had in Sequim, and still the sunset was long and hypnotic. Such meteorological events, however, don’t explain the busy antics of the snails outside our doorstep, but then every place should have a few secrets that remain unsolved.

Day 15 – Monday, July 28, 2008. Moving day again. Left the Chef by 11 am, headed to Port Angeles to see a winery or two, but changed our minds, luckily, and ended up on the road to Hurricane Ridge. But this time we got off right before the entrance gate to the Park and drove a short distance into the Heart ‘O the Hills camping site where we found several trails to explore. Decided to try Heather Park Tail hoping to make it to Halfway Rock… after 45 minutes of seemingly vertical hiking we gave up and rolled on back down the mountain. Checking the bulletin board at base camp we see that our trail was graded “strenuous,” to which we could offer no disagreement. On our way back into PA we got a call saying our new rental, named "Shady Lady" was ready, so we checked in and found it to be very nice: a great almost-river setting, shady indeed, with plants galore, cable internet (which proved to be very helpful) and a nice little covered porch out back. We went to Applebee’s for a late lunch, then Jake went to SARC for his usual soak, roast and dip, and Stone unpacked at our new home and sat out back with her feet up listening to the babbling river.

Day 16 – Tuesday, July 29, 2008. Stop the presses! Got up this AM and it was actually raining when I went into town to get the NY Times. Didn’t last long, but still.... After breakfast we shopped for the essentials – food, cigars and liquor. (The latter of which, btw, is available only at state controlled stores.) This afternoon we motored out to Salt Creek Recreation Area to see the sights. On the way, on Highway 112, saw a bald eagle sitting in a tree. Ho hum. Once at the Rec Area we drove on a park road that is loaded (so to speak) with old WW II bunkers (impressive, dark, spooky), then visited Crescent Beach, which was not so great, then parked and headed up a trail through the forest, which brought us close to the campground, found another trail along the water's edge, and I do mean edge – cliffs and such right down to the Strait of Juan de Fuca’s waves and rocks. We finally made it down to the rocks right on the crashing water and inspected some tidal pools; saw some mussels enjoying the hearty surf and some other aquatic life we couldn’t identify, spied some neat sea birds, and enjoyed the rocks, the surf and the distant views of water, cliffs and even Vancouver Island across the way. Just another day in paradise. Then home for 2 hand crafted rusty nails and a nice chicken dinner.

Day 17 – Wednesday, July 30, 2008. Ferry to Victoria at 7:45 AM, wonderful breakfast at Rebar Modern Food, then to BC Cycle for a bike ride – actually, a bike journey, no, actually a bike odyssey. It starts out innocently as we ride down through Beacon Hill Park and out on the scenic route by the water, past Ross Bay and Gonzales Bay and McNeill Bay (are you tired yet?), noting the lovely sea views and wonderful houses and gardens; then up to Oak Bay, a major scenic area where we watch a great blue heron stalking the waters and stabbing fish in the receding tide, then up through Uplands, which has some of the most impressively lovely homes we have ever seen, though the Victoria Golf Club (Jake green with envy at those lucky creatures playing such a beauty) and then the road goes off our big map the cycle rental guy gave us. We soldier on. There are some “scenic bike route” signs along the way and these help for a while until we get profoundly lost in suburban Victoria, specifically in the precincts of Saanich. Some young kids selling lemonade outside their house (25 cents, American quarters are OK, says one boy) give us directions to what we hope is Mount Douglas Park, which is a major landmark, and we do indeed get to the park. Unfortunately, it about 1,000 or maybe a million acres big, and we skirt its outskirts for a while this way and that till we make a do-or-die decision (are you tired yet?) to go along the water (even though it is seriously uphill), and lo and behold, we find a helpful map and several fellow bikers that get us onto the Lochside Trail which, rumor has it, goes back into Victoria. After another hour so we finally pedal into downtown Vic, sore and tired, but proud as well. After turning in the bikes (the guy said we did about 35 kilometers, which we believe translates into about 900 miles), we head down toward the water to the impossibly small Red Fish Blue Fish, and have the best al fresco fish dishes it is possible to have. Not done rewarding ourselves, we head over to impossibly big Hotel Grand Pacific, which is near the ferry terminal, for a martini and a glass of Cabernet in their “Pacific Lounge.” The ferry ride, with locomotion supplied by something other than our legs, seems sublimely restful coming home.

Day 18 – Thursday, July 31, 2008. A day of doing nothing, and still we did things. After breakfast we walked out our back door to the community trail that borders the Dungeness River and offers some wonderful river/mountain views, and then into Dungeness Meadows proper. Dungeness Meadows is one of the oldest developments in Sequim, and its unusual mix of double-wide trailers, small homes and larger homes is oddly pleasing to our Jersey eyes, so used to seeing McMansions and such. We checked out some of the the houses for sale and thought about what it would actually be like living here – pretty sweet, it seems. Then it's out to Sunny Farms for some nice fruits (including some tasty Reiner cherries) and veggies, then back for a nap, then Jake goes to SARC for a very nice swim, hydro pool and sauna Back home its drinks on the covered back patio as rain falls. Indeed, today has been the rainiest so far, with several hours of true rain, but hardly anything close to a downpour. After dinner Stone heads out for a rainy walk along the river path.

Day 19 -- Friday, August 1, 2008. The Spit… the hike is 5 miles out and 10 miles back, or so the local legend goes. We left our leafy 2BR bungalow at about 11 AM under partly cloudy skies but arrived at the trail head in dense fog. On the Spit the visibility was about 90 yards, but it is nicely cool and not many people at all out walking. On the way we see a seagull eating a starfish, and several others eating some kind of sea shell animal. We see a juvenile bald eagle and a grownup quite a ways off in the slowly dissipating fog. All along the walk is driftwood new and old, and some seemingly very old and quite big. As if on cue the fog clears up as we reach the lighthouse some5 miles from our starting point. We eat our packed lunch at one of several picnic tables on the grounds and chat with lighthouse tour guides. From atop the lighthouse tower the view is somewhat limited by remnants of the fog, but we can clearly see about a half dozen seals frolicking in the smooth strait water below. The hike back is more difficult because the tide is coming in so we have less beach and gravel, and more stone and rocks to walk on, but we struggle on, stopping now and then for water breaks and to look again at the distant views of Vancouver Island on the right and the mighty Olympics on our left. About half way back a solitary seal pops out of the still smooth water and looks us – I swear – curiously. We see an Turn of some sort (Arctic?) hover in the breeze, then dive bomb into the water to nab a fish. The walk back was long, but at least we could see the distant headland where we were heading, though it did seem to take forever to get there. Once in the car we remarked on what a great day it had been, something we seem to say often out here. Home for drinks outside in the cool early evening, then some hot pizza for dinner.

Day 20 – Saturday, August 2, 2008. After a lazy morning it was noon before we knew it and we hurried to get on our way to Joyce Daze down the road on Rt. 112 in the town of – well, Joyce. Got there just in time for the parade, got some grilled salmon from the guys of the local Lions Club, and had a good old fashioned time. The parade was classic small town, with Shriners in funny little cars, military vets waving to the adoring crowd, old cars and tractors, clowns, girls on horses carrying flags, local politicians and a finale of the district’s fire and emergency vehicles. Vendors, music and clog dancers rounded out the Americana scene. Quite cool. Home for a snooze, then Stone goes for a walk while Jake plays the little (and confusing!) 11 hole golf course here at Dungeness Meadows.

Day 21 – Sunday, August 3, 2008. Did the Unitarian service at 10:30. Nice enough, with good conversations afterward over coffee and some chocolate goodies. After lunch we drove into the foothills, found a nice walk along the Dungeness and two dead-end roads. In the late afternoon both Jake and Stone played the little course here, Stone doing surprisingly well for not having swung a golf club in several years, and we once again admired the setting of this little community. With the help of the high speed Internet connection at home we did some planning for our final week here, watched some TV, did some reading and then bed time.

Day 22 -- Monday, August 4, 2008. A morning stroll by the river, once again marveling at the classic scene of river, forest and mountains. We head to Port Ludlow, and find the town to be not a town at all but a collection of high-end real estate developments, a resort or two, and a marina. Ignoring the pretty marina's private property signs we had a nice brown bag lunch by the boats while admiring the blue water, the bluer sky and the Olympic views. One thing Port Ludlow does have in spades is spectacular golf, and at about 4 PM we get to the renowned 27-hole Port Ludlow Golf Course. Jake is usually a bit intimidated by the high-end golf scene, but here -- perhaps due to the lateness of our arrival? or is this just more of the West Coast vibe? -- the atmosphere is friendly and low key; its "no problem" for Stone to walk the course as Jake plays his 9 holes, there is no wait on the first tee and not even a starter. We are joined on #1 by a friendly Australian husband and wife team currently living in the Seattle area while he does a 2 year gig with Boeing. The afternoon was surprisingly -- for us -- sunny and warm, one might almost say hot. The Trail 9 holes were extremely up-and-down, but the views of the distant water and the even more distant Mt. Baker were world class, and despite climbing hills that really called for a Sherpa to carry Jake's clubs on his back, Jake played very well, never losing a golf ball(!) and actually recording a birdie(!!) on #6. It was an unforgettable day of golf, and at a fee of merely $21.68, it was one of the best dollar-for-dollar golf days Jake has ever had. We dined later in Port Hadlock at Nemo’s, where the marina view was properly relaxing and the food was, despite a surprisingly limited menu, darn good. Pulled into our cozy little car port with the day’s light all but gone at just after 9 pm.

Day 23 -- Tuesday, August 5, 2008. After yesterday’s Trail trial we decided to take it easy today, so we did just a 16 mile bike ride. Yikes! But it was all along the smooth and generally flat Olympic Discovery Trail, so the going was easy. Rented bikes from Mike’s Bikes, stopped at the RR Bridge Park for a little look-see at the kids dipping in the river, then on to Robin Hill Farm for lunch at a picnic table; then back to the rental shop, seeing a eagle or two and several quail, and many more of the much more common cows and sheep along the trail back into town. It was our first hot day in Sequim, we think low 80's. Still the shade was nice (there was not a lot of it in town, however) and once we got back to our little meadow oasis the back patio was fabulous. As the late afternoon lingered the air got downright coolish. Night finally strolled into our peaceful scene and a fingernail moon came into view over the trees at the river’s edge, and then set, reluctantly it seemed, over the much more distant mountain ridge.

Day 24 -- Wednesday, August 6, 2008. A day at Crescent Lake -- or Lake Crescent, if you’re of that school. What all schools can agree on is that this big, mountain bound, gin-clear lake is a wonder. (As is the ride there on Rt. 101 -- not to be missed.) We did the Marymere Falls trail, an easy 1.5 miles through what seemed to look suspiciously like Rain Forest Lite, and enjoyed the walk and the skinny but long-falling falls. Lunch at the Crescent Lake Lodge was fine – Stone especially loved her warm spinach seafood salad and Jake bonded with his Session beer from Oregon – and was greatly enhanced by our scenic lake view table. After lunch we drove around to the other side of the lake, followed a one-lane, spooky forest road for several miles before coming to our desired trail head (which is actually the usual terminus) for the Spruce Railroad Trail. We did about an hour out, had some nice views of the lake and mountains, and got up close and personal to the clear/clear water, then walked back to the car park. The trail had not been crowded but the bar at the lodge was, so we had to do without our hoped for drinks and instead headed home via dear old 101, enduring some "rush hourtraffic" in Port Angeles. The day had once again been warm (in the sun), even up at the lake, but our enclosed backyard veranda refreshed us as usual as we sipped our drinks and wolfed down our miniature carrots and dip.

Day 25 -- Thursday, August 7, 2008. Very foggy this morning as Jake made his trip into town for the NY Times. There were doubts about Jake's planned golf, but it worked out perfectly as Stone dropped him off at SkyRidge at 9 AM to find no fog on the course, but seemingly everywhere else – the mountains covered and the seaward north socked in as well. Jake enjoyed the wide open course and actualy got within 30 yards of a hawk sitting like a mascot on a post on the edge of #9. Stone got more good news at Weight Watchers and got a nice, cheap haircut from Molly at Changes. For lunch we dined lightly on java, yogurt and granola at Adagio. After a snooze Stone went for a walk while Jake enjoyed once again the treasure that is SARC. BTW, the fog burned off completely by noon and it was a lovely, sunny day, while staying cool in the shade.

Day 26 -- Friday, August 8, 2008. We picked up provisions at Sunny’s on Rt. 101 as we motored westward toward the end of the North West – Neah Bay, or more precisely, Cape Flattery. We had been on Rt. 112 before on our trip to Joyce, but this time 112 took us way beyond Joyce on a journey that rarely let the driver relax as the road twisted and turned relentlessly. Often the road religiously followed the curving edge of the strait, and when it did not, it seemed to ceaselessly serpentine anyway, out of habit or spite it was impossible to tell. From Port Angeles to the cape must be about 70 miles, yet it took us over 2 hours to get there. But what a “there” the cape turned out to be. After about a ½ mile walk on a descending trail that was often wooden planks over the temperate-rain-forest flora, we arrived at a lookout point that is a good hundred feet above the water. To the left and right are giant, wave splashed caverns that could easily hide Captain Hook’s pirate ship, mini-headlands of pine trees and receding sandstone jut out into the strait, while across the way Vancouver Island sits calmly in view. Little fishing boats go on their way beneath the zooming paths of cormorants, puffins and seagulls. With our binoculars we can see starfish – orange, golden, purple and lavender(!) in color -- hugging the rocks below at the water’s edge on the entrance to the nearest cavern. Cape Flattery is a popular spot and thankfully there are several lookout points to ease the relative crowding. We walk back to a small picnic spot, and enjoy our sandwiches, trail mix and deviled eggs. Later, at a fairly sequestered lookout back up the trail, we talk for quite a while with a senior lady who has lived in Sequim for 16 years and has always loved it. On the way home we note the busy Neah Bay Marina but also the seemingly general almost-poverty of the Indian Reservation on whose land sits this spectacular cape and its thrilling views.

Day 27 -- Saturday, August 9, 2008. Out of curiosity we checked on some new home construction in Sequim, at Jennie’s Meadow. Then a sort of good-bye lunch at Alder Wood Bistro at our favorite counter seats. Afterward we walked through town in the light rain and bought something for our home at Over the Fence. Home for a cozy snooze on this rare gray day, and then a good-bye evening rendezvous at Buzz with our friends Ron and Miggles.

Day 28 -- Sunday, August 10, 2008. Had a very nice breakfast at the Old Mill Café, then to the UU’s for Sunday service. After lunch at home and a nap, we both went out again to play the little 11-hole course here in Dungeness Meadows. For our final dinner in Sequim, we figured we would go out as we came in, at the classy Cedar Creek. Over dinner and wine we reviewed our wonderful four weeks in Sequim and realized that we had not so much canceled summer as found its perfection.