Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Fort Worden and Hurricane Ridge


...wherein I visit the location (Fort Worden) where Officer and a Gentleman was filmed....

We had a little break in the clouds and an ambition to visit Hurricane Ridge, so we got into the car and headed there.  From the million ways to get to the upper Olympic Penninsula, we chose to drive around Puget Sound to get there and to come back using one of the many possible ferries.  Here are a few shots from the day.



I am so very glad that Galloping Gerdie is gone and replaced by a decent bridge....but I still have bridgeophobia after the seemingly minor incident that took out part of the I5 bridge over Skagit River.  I took a break from covering my eyes to snap this photo....and no, I wasn't driving so it was okay to cover my eyes ;-).
 


Tacoma Narrows Bridge, not quite as scary as its predecessor, Galloping Gerdie


And hello Bremerton. Still have the ships, I see.

Bremerton shipyard.

We were waiting for the weatherman's promised late afternoon clearing over Hurricane Ridge so we took a side trip to Port Townsend.  Hello Port Townsend.  The port that was also a fort.


Port Townsend ex-barracks that are vacation homes now

Gee, I wonder why all the gardens in Port Townsend have high fences.

Ye olde deer by the road shot.


If you ever get a hankering for forts, visit the Upper Olympic Peninsula.  Just about everything there is either a fort or a port.  This is a fort, Fort Worden, outside of PORT Townsend.  I took no pictures of the plentiful canons and other extraneous military paraphernalia there, only the view.   They also have a marine science center which could be fun too. The flowers in the foreground are the extremely fragrant yellow bush lupine.  And they were everywhere.  The air was full of their fragrance, wonderfully mixed with the salt air.    (Sadly I couldn't get my polarizer off my lens, so it semi-ruined the sky in these photos (the light and dark gradations).  Oh well, a reason to go back to Fort Worden, and reason to buy a filter wrench.)


Mmmm, the smell of bush lupines and salt air.


Of course, where does Darla want to go?  So of course we take her.

Darla and the water.  A match made in heaven.

But who could deny those pleading eyes? Seriously, could you say no? In the survival of the cutest spectrum, my Darla is a well-evolved specimen. 

Charming (the verb form of the word)


The lighthouse at Fort Worden.  I think I shot mostly sky because otherwise I would have had a chain link fence in the frame. However, for we on the wet-side, blue sky is such a wonderful thing.  I love the way the lighthouse looks like a miniature.  And see!  More of the fragrant yellow lupines. They were just everywhere.

Point Wilson Lighthouse, built in 1913.  And other stuff.


And then....Hurricane Ridge for ...uh clouds.  Okay, sort of kewl, but sort of sad that we left the gorgeous weather at Fort Worden for this.  Note to self:  Next time, do not believe the weather man over my own lyin' eyes.

Should be Hurricane Ridge, but clouds instead


Even the doe wondered why she believed the weather forecast.

But why, Mr. Clouds!?


Ahhh, family values, ma and baby having a little dinner together.  If you ever get a hankering for deer, a herd of them resides at the Hurricane Ridge visitor's center.  Can't bring your gun tho.  Sorry.




I loved how the fawn looked up occasionally to confirm that it was eating the right thing.



Part of the herd. We saw at least 15-20 and I'm sure there were more.  They're doing a nice job of keeping the lawn mowed.

Who needs Toro, when you have Deero?


The acting park police.

But yes, he does accept bribes.

This ma got a little aggressive with another deer that was trying to poach on her and the baby's lush grass.  Losing their winter coats, but still cute in a pathetic sort of way.


Rocking their grunge chic



Grass.  It's what's for dinner.
Yummers, me likes grass!


Hazy, but still pretty.



Socked in.






And still socked in.

Strait of Juan de Fuca

Drive, drive, drive.  And then on the Winslow ferry, heading home.  I feel like we chased and missed the weather AND the sunset.  Still, it was a peaceful trip.


The blue hour! It was about 9:30pm here!  I love the long days of June.

Seattle skyline