Last weekend we took a little vacation to Port Gamble. I wanted to go somewhere just our family and rent an Airbnb and was originally looking along the coast. There wasn't much available so we looked on the Puget Sound and found this perfect little house for us right on Gamble Bay. We left after Nate was done with work on Thursday and it took us a little bit longer with traffic in Tacoma but it was a beautiful drive and we were excited for our little stay away. We got to our little house and once we unloaded everything went to check out our view of the bay and it did not disappoint.
I had planned for each meal and we were able to eat in for every meal. We had our dinner on Thursday evening and then spent the rest of the evening down at the bay watching the sunset. It was a beautiful, still evening and the view was gorgeous.
Friday morning we had some breakfast and then went to Shine Tidelands State Park. We got to cross the Hood Canal Floating Bridge to get to it and then had an amazing view of it from the park. We made sure to go at low tide and it was a perfect little outing. There were so many shells and little creatures to find and see. There was amazing drift wood along the shore that the girls loved to climb on. The view was amazing and the weather was perfect. Just a perfect little outing with my family. I love beach combing and listening to the water and watching Nate and the girls look for rocks, shells, and creatures and just how happy it makes all of us.
Then we went home for lunch before a quick little outing to go and explore Port Gamble. It is such a cute little town with old time charm. The buildings are gorgeous and it is such a fun town to walk through. It's like walking in the past and you can imagine what it was like when it was a busy, bustling town. We went to the General Store because it has Of Sea and Shore Museum on the second floor and is free to walk through. It has one of the largest seashell collections in the world. It started as a high school biology project and has continued to grow over the past 40 years with a collections representing 40 different countries. It is such a cool setting and was fun to walk around and explore. There are some incredible shells there and Paige absolutely loved it.
Then we were walking around town and saw this old cemetery. It was such a beautiful setting for a cemetery since it was set up on a hill with a view of the town and the water. Most of the graves were from the 1800's and it was so cool to walk through. I would love to know more of their stories and just to see what life was like for them living in this small town on the bay.
We went back to our little house so that Baylor could take a nap. Nate and Paige went to the store and went down to see the bay a little more and picked some blackberries. The house really was perfect for our little family. When you walked in it was like a studio with a queen sized bed, a little kitchen area, a table, and a couch. There is a bathroom on one side and then you walk down this narrow hallway where there is a bedroom that was perfect for the girls. There was a bunk bed and another twin sized bed but they also had a pack 'n play that Baylor slept it. It is always nice for the girls to have a separate space to sleep in. There was no TV or WiFi so we played games in the evenings and when we had some down time.
Then after we ate some dinner we went and explored Point No Point County Park which has a lighthouse and a gorgeous beach. The lighthouse had some really cool animals made out of driftwood and the view was incredible. We spent the evening on the beach. The sand was so nice on your bare feet and Nate and Paige went beach combing looking for shells and agates and Baylor was happy to put her feet in the water and play in the sand. I loved sitting on some driftwood watching my family in our happy place and watching the fishermen and the boats and just listening to the water. You could see Mount Rainier fainting in the distance and a little bit of the Seattle skyline. It was a perfect way to end our perfect day!
Then to end our fun day we had a fire right on the bay at our house and roasted some marshmallows and had some smores. The view is just gorgeous and again we got to watch the sun set and once it got darker on the other side of the bay someone was lighting off some fireworks. It was pretty cool to see and an unexpected surprise.
Saturday morning we had some breakfast and before checking out we went down to the bay one more time before leaving. This morning we got to see what low tide looked like at the bay and it was incredible. I have never seen so many oysters all at once. When we first got there we could see a little family of sea otters swimming and playing together right at the edge of the water. They were so cute! It was a great little beach to find all sorts of little creatures and shells. There were also a ton of small clams that you could easily dig up and find.
We were all sad to leave but it was an incredible little spot for our family and a great little getaway!
We got to the Kingston Ferry terminal just as one ferry was about to leave. We didn't really know how busy this ferry usually is and so we decided that if we got on that ferry that would be great and if not we would just wait for the next one and find something fun to do while we waited. When we got there, the ferry terminal was busy so we parked our car and walked around. The terminal has a marina and lots of boats to look at on one side and an amazing little beach on the other. We got to explore both and made the most of our wait. It was another fun little adventure and a great way to end our little vacation.
We found a shady spot on the beach for the girls to play in the sand and also a perfect view of the ferry so we knew when to head back to our car. We ate some lunch in the car while we waited for the ferry to be unloaded and then it was our turn.
Baylor was excited to be on the boat but did not like being outside with how windy it was. She was happy to be inside and just look out the windows at the water.
Paige and I were outside most of the time and enjoyed the view. It is only a 30 minute ride so it went by quick.
You know it was a fun and busy weekend when they both fall asleep on the car ride home. :)
We loved every minute of our stay and I would be happy to go back again!
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