curioustraveler":3pbadhon said:
This is what it is like right now a few miles from my and Oprah's homes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mjke0IYOwk
And now in Friday Harbor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L8nV8HaZyk
Pacific Northwest Weather - first hand experience
- Thread starter curioustraveler
- Start date
This is what it is like right now a few miles from my and Oprah's homes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mjke0IYOwk
And now in Friday Harbor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L8nV8HaZyk
curioustraveler
New member
Looks beautiful. Thanks. Will be fun to watch. Forgive my ignorance of the San Juans...looks like Friday Harbor has some small grocery stores but major shopping is via a ferry to somewhere else?
curioustraveler":3omprhjm said:
Friday Harbor is the county seat and only city of San Juan County, WA, which is on San Juan Island. The county is a collection of 4 islands serviced by the Washington State Ferry system, and about a half dozen other inhabited islands not served. The ferries have scheduled runs between the 4 main county islands, the mainland, and Vancouver Island Canada. San Juan County has an overall population of about 15,000 with approximately 9000 on San Juan, of which 2500 in the city limits of Friday Harbor. It is a small city with shopping and restaurants and most the things needed. My wife and I live on Orcas Island, the 2nd most populous (around 3000 pop.) but the largest geographically. Limited shopping here in our little village, but we have most things needed and nothing you don't :wink: We occasionally take our boat to "the big city" of Friday Harbor for various things such as taking our dogs to the groomer, marine store, and recently a cabinet shop.
It's a great place and we love it here.
curioustraveler
New member
That sounds incredibly idyllic. Looking forward to visiting the area someday.
robhwa":s15bbplr said:
Don't forget about the volcanos. There is at least one town in the area that conducts volcano eruption drills. The debris flow from an eruption of Mt. Rainier will go right through Boeing Field into Elliott Bay.
My brother was going to purchase a marina on Orcas Island some time ago. However, he had small children at the time and found out that a moderate or serious medical issue requires a helicopter evacuation to Anacortes as the local medical facilities were (maybe still are) limited. Someone who wants to retire in the area needs to keep in mind that the idyllic lifestyle on a remote island can have more drawbacks than the lack of a nearby Starbucks.
curioustraveler":s1qjnsq6 said:
When we were living on our boat seasonally in Friday Harbor (working for a whale watch company), we got to experience those spectacular PNW summers. The Washington State Ferry is the lifeblood of the four islands in the San Juans that are serviced by the ferry. Friday Harbor is 22 miles away from the mainland by ferry, so it isn't a casual jaunt. There are two grocery stores in Friday Harbor (owned by the same people), so if you feel the need to go to Walmart, Costco, or Best Buy, you are going to take the ferry to Anacortes (about an hour and 10 minutes), then drive another 45 minutes or so. Not including the wait in line for the ferry (both ways), even with a reservation. It eats up a whole day. And figure at least $50 each time you put your car on the ferry from Anacortes.
You could take your own boat back and forth, but then you are going to need a car at either end. We enjoyed having our scooters there: you are the first to load on the ferry and the first ones off. You rarely have to wait in line, as long as you time it right - they send motorcycles and scooters to the front of the line. There are times that a ferry goes out of service or is just running horribly behind schedule.
The line I frequently heard about life in the San Juans: where some people have their third house and others work three jobs to be able to afford rent. The Port of Friday Harbor does allow a number of liveaboards... a relatively inexpensive way to spend the summer there. Liveaboards are eligible for one parking space in the permitted marina parking, if space is available. Parking can be sparse in Friday Harbor.
Don't get me wrong, we really enjoyed the 5 summers we spent there, but it is a commitment (money and time) to live in the San Juans. We were there in the winter once... cold, drizzly, and windy. A wet cold. Snow is rare, but it does happen.
JamesTXSD":2lt4reuc said:
We rarely take the ferry, (BTW now more like $70 to take your car) but also have a couple of scooters. PP - Prior to Pandemic, we would take our boat to Bellingham about 1-1/2 hours away and do a big shop at Costco, Trader Joes, etc. Have a direct arrangement with a particular Uber driver to take us on our rounds, works great. Often will stay the night in the marina so we can go out to dinner in the "even bigger city" than FH - Bellingham. It makes for a real fun outing.
Our boat's slip (where I have been hanging out since March 1, the route to Alaska being closed) is in Poulsbo, on the Kitsap peninsula. Not quite as much in the rain shadow as Sequim, but often considerably less gray sky and rain than Seattle. Less isolated and more shopping etc than the islands, less expensive and far less crowded than the east side of Puget Sound. Pretty good compromise, seems to me.
We kept our Cal 46 in Sequim for 4 winters because good friends had settled there in the early 1990 era. Definitely best place for "dryness"..They even have an "irrigation festival" to celebrate when water can be used? Our friend's ranch was very limited as to amount of irrigation allowed. Other friends lived on the waterfront, next to the John Wayne Marina. The had a most spectacular view...
IF I were to settle up there it would be in Sequim--even thought it is becoming more crowded each year.
As you age, consider medical care. Most go to Seattle (2 hours at least) for major medical issues. Also major shopping can be an hour drive away. The whole area of the Olympic Peninsula is one of my favorites. We just don't do cold winters well. (The summer can be cold also--nothing like VA!) We have also lived in Richmond, VA for 2 years and spent a winter on our boat in Norfolk. The winters there are more severe than Sequim.
I agree that some of the best cruising grounds in the World are right there in the PNW. We have friends who lived full time on Obstruction Island in the San Juans, overlooking Peavine Pass--owned the property there for over 55 years and built a nice retirement home. The issues of getting groceries and shopping was a bit of a damper, especially in the winter.
IF I were to settle up there it would be in Sequim--even thought it is becoming more crowded each year.
As you age, consider medical care. Most go to Seattle (2 hours at least) for major medical issues. Also major shopping can be an hour drive away. The whole area of the Olympic Peninsula is one of my favorites. We just don't do cold winters well. (The summer can be cold also--nothing like VA!) We have also lived in Richmond, VA for 2 years and spent a winter on our boat in Norfolk. The winters there are more severe than Sequim.
I agree that some of the best cruising grounds in the World are right there in the PNW. We have friends who lived full time on Obstruction Island in the San Juans, overlooking Peavine Pass--owned the property there for over 55 years and built a nice retirement home. The issues of getting groceries and shopping was a bit of a damper, especially in the winter.
curioustraveler
New member
NewMoon":38e32guh said:
Looks nice. And you have one of my dream boats.
If you want you can check climate on www.noaa.gov web site they have everything weather and climate data in US. They are primary data gatherer
For all sites.
Often on county or city sites they will have a weather ot climate link to data for their area.
I would suggest spending time in various seasons at a place you select before you put your money down.
Also important as shown by COVID the “political climate” varies greatly by state. You might want to consider this as you make your choice. We have visited most areas of the US. But, when one visits they usually pick a nice weather time of year. And most the people you deal with as a tourist are there to serve you and to sell to you. May not be representive of every day living.
We had worked in WY in the 80’s and like it. So 18 years ago when we left work we returned here. It is a Red State but over the last 40 years has had a couple of Democrat Governors. Odd situation but, with population under 600,000 and larger city under 60,000 and 9th largest sate we are unique.
WY doesn’t meet your water criteria. We have Yellowstone lake and Yellowtail National recreation area 2 hrs north of us. Our Venture has been on Chesapeake Bay 3x and love the history and back waters. Most days per year out boat has been in Pacific NW Water and 200 miles north into Canada.
Not this year though.
Best wishes in your choice.
For all sites.
Often on county or city sites they will have a weather ot climate link to data for their area.
I would suggest spending time in various seasons at a place you select before you put your money down.
Also important as shown by COVID the “political climate” varies greatly by state. You might want to consider this as you make your choice. We have visited most areas of the US. But, when one visits they usually pick a nice weather time of year. And most the people you deal with as a tourist are there to serve you and to sell to you. May not be representive of every day living.
We had worked in WY in the 80’s and like it. So 18 years ago when we left work we returned here. It is a Red State but over the last 40 years has had a couple of Democrat Governors. Odd situation but, with population under 600,000 and larger city under 60,000 and 9th largest sate we are unique.
WY doesn’t meet your water criteria. We have Yellowstone lake and Yellowtail National recreation area 2 hrs north of us. Our Venture has been on Chesapeake Bay 3x and love the history and back waters. Most days per year out boat has been in Pacific NW Water and 200 miles north into Canada.
Not this year though.
Best wishes in your choice.
Skwim: Not a bad place if you like to sit by the road and watch for license plates from all 50 states. And it's a good thing we have some grocery stores here, (Safeway, QFC, Walmart, Costco and Canned Food Warehouse), because it is a two lane wagon track out of town, east or west. It 2-4 hours, a toll bridge, a floating bridge and or 1 or 2 ferry rides to get to Seattle (where some folks go for medical care) and most of that is 2 lane roads that could have deer, elk or bear on them at any time, (or very rarely a cougar). There isn't even a hospital in Skwim, (oh ,the locals spell it Sequim), It's 20 miles West to Port Angeles, or 30 miles to Port Townsend, and 55 miles to Silverdale for a hospital. We see daily, sometimes multiples, medivac helo flights here.
We have great boating, it is only 25 miles across the Strait Of Juan De Fuca to Cattle Pass to get into the SJ Islands, and it is a beam sea ride. Want to get around Point Wilson and into Admiralty Inlet, it's 15 miles to the PT Tide Rip. Want to go West? You can go around the corner at the East end of the Dungeness Spit, the longest sand spit in the world, and get out into the wave train from the open Pacific. In any of those directions you intersect with some of the busiest commercial shipping lanes in the country, and maybe the world. That is big traffic, 600 to 1200 foot long vessels, traveling at 16 to 25 knots, and wouldn't even feel the bump if you stall out crossing in front of them. (Good excuse for AIS on board.)
We have volcanoes, yea, big ones, Mt Baker only 75 miles, and Mt Rainier is 125 miles, and OH yes, Mt St Helens, but we don't have to worry about that one any more, (It's only 200 miles,) it did its 2000 year eruption back in 1980 although it is still considered the most hazardous of the Cascade volcanoes. So, volcanoes are no big deal, every 200 years or so one might pop off, I'd trade that for a 6 hurricanes a year any time.
Funny, the Blue Hole City has the highest population of retired commercial pilots per capita of any lil berg in the US of A. (Maybe that's a had, because we had a bunch of people from California move in here lately
Yesterday, the temps were close to 80 and the humidity was about 60%. Boy was it hot and muggy. Terrible. Haven't seen a mosquito in so long I had to look it up to see what they were, and have never seen a no see him. "1 out of three", not sure if that poster knows the PNW. The Olympic Peninsula rain falls range from about 12" to over 220" a year, and that's within under a 2 hour drive from home. Two winters ago I had 21 years of snow in one week, 42 inches. Usual snow fall is about 2 inches, and that's over the whole winter. But we are sure not telling anyone about that. Usually we have the Irrigation Festival, the oldest continuous community festival in the state, (This year would have been the 125th year) and the Lavender Festival which combined bring about 50,000 people to the community of about 7,500 residents. No Festivals this year -- Covid19.
The PNW has any and every kind of weather you could want. Hot dry summers, go east of the mountains and same for cold winters, mostly sunny. More moderate temps, stay closer to the water. Big city traffic go to Seattle (for the uninitiated, that is anywhere between Olympia and Mount Vernon on the I-5 corridor), and you get all the shopping you can want.
Like a boat, every place you look at or live in, has compromises. Pick carefully, just enjoy the picking.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
We have great boating, it is only 25 miles across the Strait Of Juan De Fuca to Cattle Pass to get into the SJ Islands, and it is a beam sea ride. Want to get around Point Wilson and into Admiralty Inlet, it's 15 miles to the PT Tide Rip. Want to go West? You can go around the corner at the East end of the Dungeness Spit, the longest sand spit in the world, and get out into the wave train from the open Pacific. In any of those directions you intersect with some of the busiest commercial shipping lanes in the country, and maybe the world. That is big traffic, 600 to 1200 foot long vessels, traveling at 16 to 25 knots, and wouldn't even feel the bump if you stall out crossing in front of them. (Good excuse for AIS on board.)
We have volcanoes, yea, big ones, Mt Baker only 75 miles, and Mt Rainier is 125 miles, and OH yes, Mt St Helens, but we don't have to worry about that one any more, (It's only 200 miles,) it did its 2000 year eruption back in 1980 although it is still considered the most hazardous of the Cascade volcanoes. So, volcanoes are no big deal, every 200 years or so one might pop off, I'd trade that for a 6 hurricanes a year any time.
Funny, the Blue Hole City has the highest population of retired commercial pilots per capita of any lil berg in the US of A. (Maybe that's a had, because we had a bunch of people from California move in here lately
Yesterday, the temps were close to 80 and the humidity was about 60%. Boy was it hot and muggy. Terrible. Haven't seen a mosquito in so long I had to look it up to see what they were, and have never seen a no see him. "1 out of three", not sure if that poster knows the PNW. The Olympic Peninsula rain falls range from about 12" to over 220" a year, and that's within under a 2 hour drive from home. Two winters ago I had 21 years of snow in one week, 42 inches. Usual snow fall is about 2 inches, and that's over the whole winter. But we are sure not telling anyone about that. Usually we have the Irrigation Festival, the oldest continuous community festival in the state, (This year would have been the 125th year) and the Lavender Festival which combined bring about 50,000 people to the community of about 7,500 residents. No Festivals this year -- Covid19.
The PNW has any and every kind of weather you could want. Hot dry summers, go east of the mountains and same for cold winters, mostly sunny. More moderate temps, stay closer to the water. Big city traffic go to Seattle (for the uninitiated, that is anywhere between Olympia and Mount Vernon on the I-5 corridor), and you get all the shopping you can want.
Like a boat, every place you look at or live in, has compromises. Pick carefully, just enjoy the picking.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Harvey did a good job of describing one of the most desirable areas on the Olympic Peninsula for boaters. I did a little looking at waterfront property, and it is clear by prices the area has been discovered, like the San Juan islands. I used to get there more often before I settled in South Sound. Interesting that when I'm back on the Chesapeake, which is often, I now instinctively look for Mt. Rainier, 40 miles away from us in this case. Same for North Carolina and Florida. Strange. Watching the constant change of mountain views, shadows, and lenticular clouds is part of the magic of living by water here, like anticipating and watching the tides, and looking for seals, dolphins and whales.
One thing not mentioned that has been periodic pure hell over the last two years at least is SMOKE from wildfires. If the image of Mt. Rainer shows below, this was last August when wildfire smoke made us the most polluted place in the USA, and in much of the world. We normally get beautiful sunsets, but not this beautiful, and this was after visibility had gotten much better for a time.
Most of our wildfire problem is thanks to mismanagement of extensive federal forest lands, decades of putting all fires out but not removing any of the fuel buildup by other means. Climate change and insects play additional roles. Fire becomes nature's means of reducing fuel, and at this point, there isn't much that can be done except stay out of the way. Unfortunately, infrastructure can't always move.
You aren't likely to lose property in populated areas near the water, but when it gets bad, you may want to relocate for a bit, kind of like hurricanes on the east coast. Two years ago, we had to cut a Bowron Lake kayak trip short and evacuate because of wildfires that started in the BC provincial park, right by the water where we were paddling, fires that were quite devastating wildfires ultimately.
About 10 years earlier, I was leading a Boy Scout troop canoeing and we watched as lightening would strike individual trees on a mountain facing us killed by the mountain pine beetles, the tree would flame up, burn for a minute or two, and thru burn out. It was actually quite beautiful, like a natural fireworks show. I have had to relocate several of my backpacking field trip classes from the U Washington, including one en-route because of fire, actual or potential.
In our case last year, we just moved to where smoke wasn't temporarily, and returned when breathing wasn't hazardous. However, this is a consideration of where to locate, and areas are likely different, just like the weather. Also like COVID, things are likely to get worse, and we are just now starting the annual fire season. However, I can't see any indication that things will get better with current forest land management.
One thing not mentioned that has been periodic pure hell over the last two years at least is SMOKE from wildfires. If the image of Mt. Rainer shows below, this was last August when wildfire smoke made us the most polluted place in the USA, and in much of the world. We normally get beautiful sunsets, but not this beautiful, and this was after visibility had gotten much better for a time.
Most of our wildfire problem is thanks to mismanagement of extensive federal forest lands, decades of putting all fires out but not removing any of the fuel buildup by other means. Climate change and insects play additional roles. Fire becomes nature's means of reducing fuel, and at this point, there isn't much that can be done except stay out of the way. Unfortunately, infrastructure can't always move.
You aren't likely to lose property in populated areas near the water, but when it gets bad, you may want to relocate for a bit, kind of like hurricanes on the east coast. Two years ago, we had to cut a Bowron Lake kayak trip short and evacuate because of wildfires that started in the BC provincial park, right by the water where we were paddling, fires that were quite devastating wildfires ultimately.
About 10 years earlier, I was leading a Boy Scout troop canoeing and we watched as lightening would strike individual trees on a mountain facing us killed by the mountain pine beetles, the tree would flame up, burn for a minute or two, and thru burn out. It was actually quite beautiful, like a natural fireworks show. I have had to relocate several of my backpacking field trip classes from the U Washington, including one en-route because of fire, actual or potential.
In our case last year, we just moved to where smoke wasn't temporarily, and returned when breathing wasn't hazardous. However, this is a consideration of where to locate, and areas are likely different, just like the weather. Also like COVID, things are likely to get worse, and we are just now starting the annual fire season. However, I can't see any indication that things will get better with current forest land management.
Rob, Not sure if this is the pix you are referring to, but it sure looks like it could be a smokey sunrise. I like the mountain shadow on the clouds. The smoke can be a serious hazard beyond the emergent factor of the fire. Two years ago it was hard to find anywhere to go to be able to breath. Some years it' bad, some, it's worse. Others it not an issue.
Here the pix from your album.
"Sunrise from Anderson Island, S Puget Sound"
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Here the pix from your album.
"Sunrise from Anderson Island, S Puget Sound"
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
curioustraveler
New member
Baxter, we lived in Cheyenne for a few years. If it wasn't for the crazy winds it could be a possibility for the summer.
Robhwa, one of the reasons we didn't feel bad leaving CO when we did was we started to get sick of all the forest fires. Some of our favorite areas were destroyed and the some actually ruined some of our furniture.
Thanks everyone for the honest opinions.
Robhwa, one of the reasons we didn't feel bad leaving CO when we did was we started to get sick of all the forest fires. Some of our favorite areas were destroyed and the some actually ruined some of our furniture.
Thanks everyone for the honest opinions.
Pat Anderson
New member
C-Sharp":wyaa3x7v said:This is how I spent my birthday the very end of June. On Clark Island, all to ourselves.
Nice kayak! We are ready now to plan some cruising! Whenever we go by Clark and Barnes, we always call them "Barnes and Noble"!
Pat Anderson
New member
PNW weather - we would rather be here in the summer than anywhere else in the world. This has been a cool summer, but our "other" place, Arizona, is great in the winter but unbearable in the summer. And I do not think we have high humidity here in the summer - we lived in N.J. for 5 years and cruised the Great Loop in 2017, including of course the Chesapeake. THAT is "high humidity," pretty much all of the Right Coast. And if you want to be here year round, just live in Sequim, seriously. That is one place you need to water your garden!
Pat, shuushshshshsss people are going to find out :roll:
Oh
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Oh
Well usually, but I haven't watered in 3 days. We hardly made 60F any of those days, and I have been wearing a long sleeve shirt over my T-shirt all three days. And the reason that Sequim is the Lavender Capital, it grows with very little water, so it's a natural for the area.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon