Friday, July 27, 2018

Bremerton, WA

Early Friday morning, we headed south on Alaska Air to Seattle. Rented a car and drove south through Tacoma then north up the Olympic Peninsula. I hadn't been to this part of Washington in a very long time. It's not on the way to/from Alaska. We stopped in Gig Harbor for lunch. Nice town (no pictures) but a ridiculous amount of traffic and they really overdid the traffic circles. More than anything else, that is what strikes me about the Seattle area so far on this trip is too much traffic.

We arrived in Bremerton, where we will be staying for the next several days, a bit early to check into the hotel. We parked near the harbor to walk along the waterfront and check out the fountain park. There was an old navy boat there with tours and a torpedo on display. The Puget Sound Navy Museum was between the ferry terminal and the shipyard and had some nice displays. It was free and even more importantly, air-conditioned.

We did not take the ferry from Seattle since we were not pressed for time at all. It runs right into downtown Seattle. I did take this ferry from Seattle about 29 years ago and it was a nice trip. Except for having to drive an RV through downtown Seattle traffic to get to the terminal. I'm sure that there are many people who love the liveliness and the excitement of cities but I am not one of them.

This modern rock sculpture is near the fountains and actually looks pretty cool. As do the fountains that are supposed to look like ships heading out to the ocean. We didn't really need to be here until tomorrow but when I purchased the ticket, the price difference was less than the extra day of hotel and rental car. 

7 comments:

  1. We took the ferry from Bremerton way back (in 2007) while on a road trip. I have to admit that I liked the city very much, and we returned several times. But I understand that the buzz and traffic can be a little nerve wrecking. Thanks for the memories, Richard.

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    1. We are in WA for a wedding which is a great “excuse” for exploring. On th Bainbridge Island, a lighthouse and Port Townsend today. This is a beautiful area that I wanted to explore on the Ural trip but didn’t have time. (Ural in the shop…)

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  2. I really liked Seattle, but it has been many (20+) since I've been there. Would like to go back, but not sure how close we could get while RVing.

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    1. I was talking to a relative who full-times with his 43’ fifth wheel. They are staying at the fairgrounds in Port Townsend w/full hookups including 50 amp service.

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  3. Good to know, I will put that on our list for next year's travels. Thank you, Richard!

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  4. I haven't been to Bremerton. I enjoy quick visits to cities, but would NOT want to live in one. Heck, I don't even like busy suburbs anymore. The attitudes of people change significantly the closer you get to large metropolitan areas. Maybe that's just a characteristic here in the northeast. People in Virginia, outside of the Northern Virginia area which is all a giant suburb of DC, are generally far more relaxed and friendly than they were in Maryland. The further north you go, the more-crowded it becomes, and the less I like it. There are obviously pockets of nice areas in the northeast, but there are far too many huge cities for my preferences. Last week, I drove from Warrenton due east to the Occoquan/Lorton, Virginia area and around Potomac Mills Mall. About halfway there, I could feel myself starting to get anxious the more populated it got. Ugh.

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    1. That doesn't sound too fun. We are planning to be in Virginia after Thanksgiving this year. Bridget wants to see the lighting of the Christmas decorations at Williamsburg plus she wants to visit and thank the nursing staff at the facility her father was at in PA.

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