PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. – Water Street exudes the aura of a once-grand Northwestern seaport.
Victorian storefronts garnished with flowers line its wide sidewalks. Along them lies an array of cafes, restaurants and espresso shops surrounded by boutique hotels, art galleries and souvenir emporiums. Such businesses fit the tourist-friendly community. What appears unusual is the number of bookstores found here.
“That’s because we have so many poets and writers who reside in Port Townsend,” says Mary Hewitt at the Waterstreet Hotel. “Did you know Frank Herbert lived here when he wrote ‘Dune’?”
A coastal town atop Washington’s rainy Olympic Peninsula seems a locational misfit for scribing a desert sci-fi novel, but this far corner of the Pacific Northwest harbors its share of the unusual. I will find more as I explore the back roads that cap this stubby thumb on the left hand of America. The journey begins on the peninsula’s northeastern tip.
Port Townsend claims roots in farming, logging and shipping. By the late 1800s, Washington’s second-oldest city had developed into a thriving port, but the prosperity tumbled overnight when the railroad chose Seattle as the northern terminus for a link to
the Columbia River.
Perhaps saved by the snubbing, the picturesque town now claims to be one of only three Victorian seaports listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Scores of century-old buildings and homes display the grandeur of the gilded era. Many of the massive mansions have been converted into bed and breakfasts, any of which would be more appealing than the chain motel I reserved farther up the highway.
Exiting town southbound, I follow Discovery Bay to the main highway. Where most traffic continues southeast toward Puget Sound, I turn northwest. The John Wayne Marina lies ahead.
After seeing his classic Westerns filmed in prairies and deserts, one finds it hard to think of a boat moorage as John Wayne country. But this is where the actor loved to sail his converted minesweeper, and his family donated land for a facility that now bears his name. A bronze statue of the six-gun toting actor graces the area.
In the marina supply store, I spot a postcard showing the statue with nothing but sky behind. It reads, “The 24-foot bronze sculpture … stands proudly in the entrance hall at the John Wayne Marina.” I wonder how I could have missed something more than two stories high. Two guys, who could have been the inspiration for Hollywood’s “Dumb and Dumber,” work behind the counter.
“Where is this 24-foot John Wayne statue,” I ask the Jim Carrey character.
“I don’t think they’ve got that up yet,” he says.
“Must be. Here’s a postcard of it.”
He examines the photo with eyebrows contracting. “Well, hummm…”
His Jeff Daniels-like buddy comes over to help. “I can only think of the statue that’s in the case downstairs. But gee, that’s probably only 24 inches high.”
“That’s it!” the Carrey character blurts. “They musta screwed up. That’s supposed to be 24 INCHES!”
They direct me to the bantam bronze protected in a glass enclosure. It’s a nice tribute to the American icon, but still I leave disappointed at not finding a duke-size Duke.
In nearby Sequim, I escape the main highway for a looping bypass through the Dungeness Valley. My first stop is the Olympic Game Farm, a drive-through zoo where animals roam freely and visitors remain caged in their cars.
This inverted animal park began when a dairy-farmer misfit named Lloyd Beebe found he loved photographing wildlife more than he did milking cows. Beebe became so good behind the lens that he eventually began shooting nature films for Disney Studios. His former cow pastures became a repository for critters to be used when scenes could not be shot in the wild.
“A lot of the animals are free-roaming,” says assistant manager Paul Jones at the entry gate. “There are llamas, zebras, elk, deer, buffalo. Except at the overlook, you must stay inside your vehicle at all times.”
I buy a few loaves of bread to feed the beasts and drive slowly through the gate. When a zebra blocks the road ahead, I stop. The striped equine approaches and takes the slice of bread I offer. Not satisfied, he then thrusts his head in the window, making a grab for the whole bag. I rip it back just in time.
The Kodiak bears, which fortunately do not roam uncaged, are pros at inducing folks to fling food their way. From open pens, some sit on their haunches and wave with outstretched paws. Others curl both arms and beg like Fido at the table. They look so cute, one forgets they are world’s largest living land carnivores, and they are confined here by little more than a strand of electric wire.
Looping back to the main highway, I continue westward. Ahead lies Port Angeles, the north shore’s largest city, which seems crammed with car dealerships, muffler shops and strip malls. Only the jagged edge of Hurricane Ridge jutting from the Olympic Mountains to the south tells me I’m still on the scenic peninsula.
“The 72-mile road to Neah Bay is sometimes closed by landslides,” Betty Warder warns me at the town’s visitor center. “But it’s a pretty drive, and you’ll end up at the farthest northwest point in the contiguous United States.”
Leaving in the morning, I stop for fuel in tiny Joyce. There, hiding behind 21st-century gas pumps stands the Joyce General Store and Post Office, a false-front relic from the 19th century. Oiled wood covers its floors, mail boxes are cast bronze, and its shelves are packed with an assortment of goods ranging from spark plugs to hamburger helper.
“The store was brought up in pieces from Port Crescent,” says Leonard Pierce. “This counter was from the old Olympic Park Hotel. It’s probably 150 years old. The post office in the back, that’s from before Lincoln was president. My father-in-law was the fourth owner of the store.”
Passing a sign urging me to “come back and re-Joyce,” I continue down the road. The blacktop twists and turns with the landscape, winding through forest and past beaches littered with driftwood and seaweed. The feeling is of peaceful remoteness.
The highway’s final miles hug the Juan de Fuca Strait. Civilization returns at Ray’s Place. Signs warn that this is the last chance for beer and wine before reaching the Makah Indian Reservation.
Entering the reservation, I pass a forlorn cemetery that looks to be neither well-kept nor well-used. Beyond, derelict houses sit near others that seem proudly maintained. Spray-painted vandalism appears everywhere. It seems so out of place on these native lands.
A clerk at the Makah Museum says that the problem began when tribal families moved to the population centers around Seattle. When they returned, some city-corrupted misfits brought back the youthful urban problems of graffiti, guns and crime.
Fortunately, the museum displays Indian life untainted by the 21st century. With Makah chants playing in the background, I wander past canoes hollowed from cedar trees, examine primitive fishing, whaling and sealing tools, and study artifacts recovered from a Makah village buried by a mudslide 500 years ago.
Only a few miles separate Neah Bay from Cape Flattery, the northwestern corner of the lower 48 states. While the actual shoreline point can be reached by a foot trail, I’m content to take in the view from a hilltop overlook.
Below lies Tatoosh Island, a flat-topped slab rising a half-mile offshore. A 65-foot-tall brick lighthouse, now automated and unmanned, stands atop it. Below, Pacific waves crash the cliffs, and sea lions bask on shoreline rocks. Across the strait looms the dark, distant mass of Vancouver Island.
I smile. Here atop the farthest corner of the Pacific Northwest, I have finally reached land’s end. It’s time to turn back.
Dan Leeth is a freelance writer who lives in Aurora.
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IF YOU GO
When to go
The roads of the Olympic Peninsula are open year-round, but the best times to visit are from early spring through late fall. Whales often can be seen in the Juan de Fuca Straits in April and May. The summer season from Memorial Day through Labor Day generally offers warm temperatures, drier weather and more crowds.
The route
To reach Port Townsend from Seattle, drive Interstate 5 south to Olympia and take U.S. 101 north to State Route 20, which leads into town. Those preferring a nautical approach can go north from Seattle on Interstate 5, turn west at Burlington and follow State Route 20 across Whidbey Island to Keystone, where ferries depart for the peninsula.
From Port Townsend, the 125-mile route across the top of the Peninsula leads south on State Route 20, then northwest on U.S. 101 to the John Wayne Marina and Sequim. From there, the Dungeness Loop accesses the Olympic Game Farm and the Dungeness Spit. Continuing through Port Angeles on U.S. 101, the back road route turns onto State Route 112, which weaves around the coast for 61 miles to Neah Bay.
With minimal stops, the entire drive can be done in one day, but allowing two days provides more time to experience the sites.
Where to stay
For help with lodging, contact the chambers of commerce in Port Townsend (1-888-365-6978,
www.ptguide.com), Sequim (800-737-8462, www.visitsun.com) and Port Angeles (877-456-8372, www.portangeles.org) .
Attractions
John Wayne Marina (360-417-3440, www.boattravel.com/johnwayne) lies just east of Sequim. In addition to moorage slips, the facility offers restrooms, showers, washers and dryers, a supply store, yacht club, charter boat service and restaurant. A 24-inch statue of the Duke stands in a glass case just inside the main office area.
Olympic Game Farm (800-778-4295, www.olygamefarm.com) is at 1423 Ward Road north of Sequim. Residents include zebras, llamas, yaks, white rhinos, ostriches, elk, bison, fallow deer and prairie dogs as well as black and Kodiak bears. The farm is open daily from 9 a.m. for drive-yourself tours. Admission is $9 for adults and $7 for children (6-12) and seniors (60+). For nearby dining, check out the 3 Crabs (360-683-4264) at 11 Three Crabs Road.
Joyce General Store (360-928-3568) on State Route 112 offers a piece of the past standing behind pumps of the present. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. Items include groceries, bait, souvenirs and Indian crafts.
Makah Museum, (360-645- 2711, www.makah.com), on State Route 112 in Neah Bay, is open seven days a week from Memorial Day through mid-September and Wednesday through Sunday otherwise. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for seniors and students. Free tours are available by reservation.
Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island. A short drive through the hills beyond Neah Bay leads to a parking lot above Cape Flattery. The actual northwestern tip of the lower 48 states lies at the end of a recently reconstructed 3/4-mile trail with boardwalks, stairs and hand rails. Free guided tours are offered in summer.
Information
North Olympic Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau, 800-942-4042, www.olympic
peninsula.org or Washington State Tourism, (800-544-1800, www.experiencewashington.com).
