August PNW Cruise: Port Ludlow

      

I admit, I have a serious case of Port Ludlow house envy.  This guy's boat house is bigger than his house!  What wonderful toys are arrayed inside?  Wouldn't you love to know?  But if I actually lived here I would spend all my time taking care of the house, boat house, boats and other toys.  No doubt leaving little time for play.  So maybe it is best that I don't somehow end up in possession of this scrumptious place.  I like my vagabond existence.  It is so nice to move the boat to a new location when it is time to have new experiences.  The joy of discovery is the gift that keeps on giving.  You never know what is just around the next headland or around the bend in the river.

So what did we do in Port Ludlow?  We hiked.  There are 32 miles of trails near the marina.  It was great to get out and stretch our legs.  The area had been logged, so it was all second growth forests.  You could still see the stumps of former forest giants.  The new growth is looking good.  We saw coyotes, deer, woodpeckers and eagles.  So the wildlife is enjoying it also.  

Walking in the forest is made pleasant by the sounds of nature and the lack of sounds of civilization.  At various times the vegetation absorbs sound and provides habitat for creatures that entertain you with their songs.  You have to slow down to fully enjoy the what it has to offer.  

The forests seem to go on forever.  It doesn't take them long to reclaim land left unattended.  The moisture and the nutrients give a lushness that is almost primeval.  At times we felt we were on the planet Endor and Ewoks would silently surround us.

After hiking for a couple of hours, hunger reminded us to return to the boat.  It was nearly 6pm and any boater knows that is time for "docktails".  So we dutifully completed our loop back to the boat.  Sunset portended a change in weather for the morrow.  We also would need to prepare Amy Marie for sea.  This entails returning items to secure storage and general tidying up as well as checking machinery for readiness.  Those tasks complete, would could eat, watch a movie and know our morning departure would go smoothly.

As expected, rain crept in the overnight.  The day began in a very monochromatic manner.  Grey was the color of the day.  Hidden within the grey were two benefits.  First, the rain washed the salt off Amy Marie.  She was a much happier gal following her shower.  Second, the rain produced a very flat water surface.  One that left you gliding through the greyness without much sound or sense of motion.  The dividing line between sea and sky would often disappear, leaving your senses confused as they dealt with the lack of boundaries,edges, and solid delineations.  Only hours later, once the storm based were we rewarded with the reference points normally used to navigate.  Our solace of location had to be supplied electronically in the form of charts and the microwave eyes of the radar piercing the mists and rain to provide feedback on what we could not visually see.  The sea captains of old, without the tools of the 21st century, lived a very different and more challenging life.