2018 wrap-up

This year’s travel was unusual. We left a month later than normal and regretted that because we ran into extreme heat and humidity in Texas and Oklahoma. Then in July we diverted our entire remaining trip plan for the year to get to Tacoma where we spent 4 months (see previous posts). By the time we left there, we just needed to get back to AZ before winter locked us in someplace. We put on a lot of miles but just didn’t see as much stuff as we had planned. Maybe we’ll do those things next year instead. Our being mobile and flexible proved to be of great benefit when we got the news in July.

We still managed to visit 12 National Park Service locations and toured 4 Capitols. We drove some non-interstate highways that we’ve wanted to travel for years. We don’t have a trip plan for 2019 as we are waiting to see when, and for how long, we will be needed in Tacoma. We’re patient with our travel desires, life is not a race.

Below is the annual map with our route. The red line is 2018.

2018 route in red

Kitsap Peninsula, Washington

Gig Harbor Bay looking east from far
the west end

Well, here we are in December. We stayed in Washington until Thanksgiving so we could assist with the care of our grandchildren while our daughter fights cancer and her husband works. For the last two months we stayed in Gig Harbor, just across the narrows from Tacoma. This area, and north up Highway 16, is the Kitsap Peninsula. Gig Harbor is a nice little harbor town (and bay by the same name) with a number of (expensive) restaurants and local breweries. We walked along the harbor, and around town, as often as we could and enjoyed the scenery. We drove up to Poulsbo one day and walked around there as well. It is another little harbor town with some neat old buildings built by the Norwegian settlers. 

This area was settled primarily by immigrants from Sweden, Norway and Croatia. Commercial fishing was the initial draw and source of income. Later came logging and ship building. There is a nice history museum in town that tells the story very well. The area is very pretty when the weather is nice. We were very lucky and, according to locals, October and November were the nicest weather they could remember.

Mouth of Gig Harbor off of Puget Sound (pano)

Puget Sound at the mouth of Gig Harbor (pano)

Gig Harbor looking from south to north

Poulsbo main street

Poulsbo Harbor