Week One in a Camper Van

Our first week with Minnie Winnie for one part is all about getting to know her and her monstrous dimensions, and for the other the so called Olympic Peninsula, the North-Western tip of Washington State and, at the same time, of the United States.

We leave Bainbridge at noon of our second day and roll north, off the island and onto the Peninsula across a long bridge with a breathtaking view, and a loud “Yipiieee!” goes across our camper.

Port Townsend

Our first stop is Port Townsend, a neat little town and roughly 150 years old, the public buildings designed by an urban designer at that time. We park Minnie Winnie on a fantastic RV spot right on the water and spend the afternoon strolling through the lower and the upper town (up on the cliffs), golden sunshine, nice little shops and charming individual hotels with the patina of a bygone era.

As the region around Port Townsend is called Quimper island and Quimper is also a town in France’s Brittany, we are wondering whether the Britons came here to settle this part of North America, so similar in many ways to the region and coastal line of Brittany. And if so, did they do so on purpose, because they had heard that this part of the world was similar to the one they came from? Also located in the North-West?

We take our apéro and have a sandwich dinner by the seaside under Minnie Winnie’s eyes and with a view on the Sound and Mount Baker. The whale watching tour on the Puget Sound we do the next day with Captain Rob and Claire will be the subject to a separate article.

Neah Bay

We arrive at Neah Bay in the Makah Reservation the next evening, a little later than we would have liked to and after a long drive along the coast with countless turns, the sunset in the West constantly blinding the eyes. Minnie Winnie is a little out of breath when we finally make it to the Hobuck camp ground, again right on the beach.

As we get off and start setting up camp, our neighbor greets us. Hi, I’m Don. You need a barbecue? Sone camping chairs? Firewood? Here you go. Tomorrow I’ll catch you some fresh fish. – And there it is again: The big American heart, full of generosity and kindness, uncomplicated, direct. Our children are excited about their first campfire in America and stay up late. Too late…

The next day is particularly sunny. We decide to stay for another day and to explore the beach and what it has to offer. Playful times, breathtaking climbs of the lava rocks on the beach, bright green and hungry sea anemones, a family of American bald eagles nearby. At night, Don and his friend Stuart cook a wonderful fish for us, some kind of cod, the full name of which I have forgotten. It is so delicious and we so thankful. And Don has told us to make sure that we take his pink and his blue camping chair along as gifts for Leo and Oda. We think of him every time we get them out.

Before leaving Neah Bay, we do two obligatory cultural activities: We pay a visit to the Museum of the Makah Tribe and to Kim’s smoked fish place where we purchase a good portion of smoked salmon, both worthy of remembrance.

La Push

And so, we hop onto Minnie Winnie and roll further South West, to the Pacific Coast, to a place called La Push, in the Quileute Reservation. Again, we arrive here at the time of sunset, a beautiful polychrome sky with big wooded rocks, against which the ocean waves splash. A harbor seal welcomes us at the beach while the greenish tide is rolling in.

We decide to stay here for another day as well. Possibly our last day on the West Coast for a while, as we slowly need to think about heading further East to Idaho and Colorado. Long distances. Will we eventually make it there? Especially because the nice lady at the coffee shop on the camp ground offered us to take us to a private Quileute tribal potluck Wednesday night…