Category: Day Trip

I’m a Keeper. . .

. . .A volunteer lighthouse keeper, that is. Alerted by our friends Miriam and Gene to a late cancellation, my husband and I scored a coveted weeklong stay at the New Dungeness Light Station in Sequim last week. There are only three ways to reach this beautiful and remote spot and none of them are easy: a five mile trek each way along the beach, tides permitting; by boat, landing by permit only; or, as a keeper, transported by the New Dungeness Light Station Association (NDLSA), with food, gear, and enthusiasm for a stint that includes greeting visitors, keeping up the lighthouse and keeper’s quarters, and other duties as assigned. Here’s the setting:

Completed in 1857, the lighthouse is one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest and one of very few that allows the opportunity for a stay. After the U.S. Coast Guard withdrew its last keeper in 1994, the NDLSA stepped in to protect and preserve the Station and has continuously staffed the Station with volunteer keepers. It is an extraordinary place in an incomparable setting.

The Light Station property includes the Keeper’s Quarters, on the right above, completed in 1904 for the Officer-in-charge. Volunteer keepers stay in one of three bedrooms here, sharing a well-equipped kitchen, dining room, and comfortable living room. A 600-foot-deep artesian well provides water and a cable to shore provides power to the Station. NDLSA volunteer workers do much of the heavy lifting when it comes to site maintenance and they stay in quarters located in the original lighthouse building. The love and care poured into this very special place is evident at every turn.

I’ll post more pictures of the lighthouse, the keeper’s quarters, and its stunning environment in the coming days.

Point Wilson Lighthouse

The Point Wilson Lighthouse is located on the grounds of Fort Worden State Park and marks the convergence of the Strait of Juan De Fuca and Admiralty Inlet.

The lighthouse, activated in December, 1879,  was originally located on top of the lightkeeper’s house. It was moved to its current position in 1913 when the present structure was completed. The Coast Guard operates the lighthouse. It was automated in 1976 and is closed to the public.

If you’re interested in lighthouses, check back in a few days. I’ve just completed a week’s stay as a “volunteer lighthouse keeper” at the New Dungeness Lighthouse in Sequim and will post pictures and impressions from my visit.

Fort Worden Officer’s Row

Fort Worden, located next to Port Townsend in Washington, was established in the late 1890s. Along with Forts Casey and Flagler, its purpose was to prevent hostile fleets from reaching targets such as the Bremerton Naval Yard and the cites of Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett. Construction of the fort began in 1897 and continued in one form or another until the fort was closed in 1953.

The Fort Worden Officer’s Row housing looks onto an open parade ground. The buildings were constructed between 1904 and 1915. To the far left, at the end of the row, is Admiralty Inlet.

Fort Worden Officer's Row

Fort Worden, located next to Port Townsend in Washington, was established in the late 1890s. Along with Forts Casey and Flagler, its purpose was to prevent hostile fleets from reaching targets such as the Bremerton Naval Yard and the cites of Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett. Construction of the fort began in 1897 and continued in one form or another until the fort was closed in 1953.

The Fort Worden Officer’s Row housing looks onto an open parade ground. The buildings were constructed between 1904 and 1915. To the far left, at the end of the row, is Admiralty Inlet.

Fort Worden State Park

I love any excuse to go to Port Townsend, a neat town with an interesting maritime history that is about a 45 minute drive from Sequim. My boat lover husband often finds reasons that take us to ship’s chandleries or places like Edensaw Woods, a high level danger zone for anyone interested in wood or tools. But I digress. . .

Our latest trip found us exploring Fort Worden State Park which is next door to Port Townsend. The Fort is part of a network of early fortifications that guarded the nautical entrance to Puget Sound.  The park is now used as a conference center with accommodations in historic military housing as well as camping and has a beautiful view of the Admiralty Inlet. I’ll share more views of the Fort Worden area in the next several days.

Totem poles 4

Just for contrast, here is a sampling of historic totems and how they may be presented today. These are totems featured in Thunderbird Park at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, British Columbia, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Sequim. This is a photo from 2010, taken on the fly and shown just as comparison. I don’t have information about the totems except that they represent First Nations communities across British Columbia.

The Royal BC Museum also has totem poles inside, in its First Peoples Galleries. It is a wonderful museum, well worth a day trip from the Olympic Peninsula.

Tomorrow: A different kind of carving at the S’Klallam Tribal Center.