October 18-20, 2023 Coupeville to Port Angeles, Washington

 High of 63 and sunny. 

Sunshine on the yellow big leaf maple trees along the highway west. We had a mouse infestation on the bus at Goodell Creek, John caught 10 mice while we were there. We passed Bacon Creek, the Concrete, Washington. Town burnt down a long time ago in Concrete, so they built all the new buildings downtown out of Concrete. We got fuel at a bargain price of $4.959. We are not camped at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island. Most of the doors at Fort Casey were they cool looking metal doors. 

Deception pass between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands. Tomorrow we are going to drive the bus onto this ferry and go to Port Townsend. 

The bus at Fort Casey State Park. We are right on the water-behind those bushes. The beach. We are on the Salish Sea, which includes the Puget Sound. You still have to go out the Strait of Juan De Fuca to reach the Pacific Ocean.  

Gulls on the beach. Admiralty Head Light house is in the park. 

Fort Casey was built in the 1890's of concrete. It consists of many batteries and support buildings. Three forts were built to protect the entrance to the Puget sound. Some of the San Juan Islands to the west. 

Fort Casey had a number of these 10 inch steel guns on disappearing carriages. The force of shooting them pushed the gun back and down. They could load them in safety and then crank them back up and fire. By the 1920's they were obsolete, so they were dismantled and recycled. Only two are left here.

Lots of deer and bunnies here. Rose hips and flowers seen on the beach. Sunset over the harbor. from camp.

Hundreds of these huge squawking birds flew over and you could hear them roosting on the other side of the spit. I thought they were sandhill cranes, but John says they are the wrong color and have the wrong call, so not sure what they are. Although I looked it up and the sandhill cranes do migrate through here. We were parked on a slant waiting to go into the ferry parking lot.

We took the ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend today. John drove the bus on and I drove the car on. It was cheaper to do them separate. Look how close they parked John to the semi next to him. Look like about 12 inches. And the GPS has me driving on water. The tow hitch for the car is broken or just finally wore out after 8 years, and the car wanders around behind the bus, so I just drove our car  all the way to our destination. John is looking into a new hitch.  The bus at Elwah dam RV Park. High of 58 degrees and this was the only sun the whole day. But it didn't rain. 

John got up early and bought a new hitch for the bus, went to the grocery store and restocked, then came  back and installed the new hitch. The installation only required one more trip to the hardware store. I did laundry , then we went to Costco to stock  up some more. The new hitch on the top, the old one on the bottom. Now we can tow the car again, I won't have to drive it.  Thank you darling. As a reward I bought him a beer at the Barhop Brewery. Notice I also gave him a hair cut.

Welcome to Sequim, sign on the bathroom door at the brewery,  Sasquatch donuts and the Link dispensary with a big foot/ cave man in front. We are in Sasquatch territory. And welcome to Olympic National Park-- it also features a phrase that means 'come, enter' in the local native Americans- Klallam/S'Klallam language. Some big ships on the waterfront in Port Angeles. 

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