Ferry tale

My goal after reentering the US at Blaine WA was to return to Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. I also wanted to minimize driving and avoid the congestion and frustration of the Seattle metro area. So driving all the way around Puget Sound was off the agenda.

What I wanted was to go to Fidalgo Island via the bridge, then take the bridge over Deception Pass to Whitbey Island. From there I could take a ferry to Port Townsend. The problem, I discovered, was all the reservations on that ferry were sold out for several days into the future. I could wait in line and hope for one of the few remaining unreserved spots. Who knew how long I’d be stuck there? If only I had planned ahead.

The way I wanted to go

The alternative was to use the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston, then the infamous Hood Canal Floating Drawbridge to the Peninsula, and drive north to Port Townsend. That ferry was all first-come-first-served. Also, they were running two vessels on this crossing. That meant shorter wait times. Even if I didn’t get on the next boat, at least the line would move more often.

The way I ended up going

To give myself the best chance of a shorter wait, I decided to get there before the bulk of commuter traffic. I left my overnighting spot at 4:57 AM, just as the sky was beginning to lighten. I-5 was flowing, but there was a surprising amount of traffic for that hour. A lot of people with long commutes and/or trying to get to their destination before everything clogged up, I suppose.

I hadn’t been specific enough with Google Maps. I had plugged in Edmonds WA instead of the ferry terminal, so it directed me downtown (which was a nice looking place) and I had to figure out how to backtrack to the entrance of the ferry waiting lane.

There weren’t a lot of others in line ahead of me. It looked like we would all fit on the next boat. We just needed to wait for it to arrive and unload. It was about 15 minutes. Not bad.

The crewman directing traffic pointed for me to go up the ramp to the upper level. That was new for me. I pulled up behind two pickups. We were on a rather steep downward ramp back to the lower deck and the exit. I put the Rolling Steel Tent in Park, mashed the parking brake, and hoped it was enough. In a few seconds another crewman put chocks under our wheels. Ah, there we go.

I referred to the Hood Canal Floating Bridge as “infamous” because I had crossed it before, going the other direction. Back then the traffic was backed up at least a mile on both sides as the drawbridge was raised to let two very leisurely sailboats pass. I didn’t time it, but it felt like an hour. Or more. Well, I had to wait again, although this time it was only 45 minutes. No telling how long the folks ahead of me had been waiting.

But things went smoothly from there and I was soon back in Port Townsend, parked at the beach in Fort Worden, catching up on my lost sleep.

Some people might be thinking, “But Al, why did you rush back? You could’ve spent more time in BC. You could’ve gone to the Canadian Rockies. You could’ve gone to the Upper Cascades.” Yeah, that’s true. In fact that had been part of the original plan. But I realized I wanted to stop moving for a while. I wanted a break from searching out places to park, studying maps, and all that. I wanted to wander less.

My first experience with Port Townsend had been miserable because of nonstop rain and high humidity. But it’s surprising how much some sunshine can change my opinion of a place. Now I like it here, the same way I liked Shell Beach, Point Reyes Station, Mendocino and Arcata. I don’t want to rush off. I don’t need to rush off. So I’ll stay a little longer. And I’ve had my fill of ferries. For now.