Double back at Port Gamble

Location Coordinates:
47°51′15″N 122°35′02″W
Port Gamble, Washington

Port Gamble Water Towers

It is probably safe to say that many of us have stored in our collective and varied fantasies at least one picture of an idyllic small town, where amiable people live in tidy homes with white picket fences and lush green grass. In this tranquil scene, residents greet each other by name as they stroll down Main Street on their way to the General Store, and red, white and blue banners hang from the light posts for the annual Fourth of July parade. This is the type of place my mind conjures up when I'm thinking of ditching the stress and strife of 2011 life and running off to a setting where life might be a little calmer. And after visiting Port Gamble, Washington last week I now have a visual memory to assist me when I wander off into that fantasy. 



NE Rainier Ave

 The funny thing is that although I drove right through the town I almost missed it. I had set out earlier across Puget Sound on one of the Washington State Ferries running between the towns of Edmonds and Kingston with the goal of taking in the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. We disembarked at the town of Kingston and followed Route 104, which travels west before making a sharp turn northward toward the Hood Canal. Not expecting anything noteworthy on this particular portion of the route, I became involved in conversation with my daughter and son-in-law and was not expecting anything noteworthy until we were further down the road. Soon the speed limit signs showed an upcoming reduction, signaling our approach to another town. Our conversation was in full swing, but my peripheral vision began to notice quaint-looking buildings and an uninterrupted stretch of immaculate white picket fence. Just ahead was another 90-degree sharp turn west, requiring me to slow the car even more. Rounding the curve I noticed the picket fence continuing on the opposite side of the highway down an extremely appealing street lined with homes and businesses. Before my mind could process the scene fully, we had rounded the curve and were picking up speed heading out of town again. A moment later I realized that I may have just missed an unexpected road trip moment, so I slowed the car again and made a U-turn, heading back to that sharp curve in the highway.

Fire Station

Port Gamble is tiny. In fact, I was unable to find any information regarding its population. The "main street" is Rainier Avenue, which juts off Highway 104 at that sharp bend. Along this street are immaculately groomed homes with that continued white picket fence running along the front yards. Small businesses are interspersed between, and within, the homes. The street is no more than a block long and ends at an open green space area overlooking Hood Canal to the north and the body of water known as Port Gamble to the right. A fire station, museum, and general store occupy the northern end of Rainier Ave, and each of these buildings looked like they were straight out of a bygone era.

Green Space overlooking the Hood Canal

I sat for a while at a picnic table overlooking Hood Canal where I let my small town fantasy play out in my head. I began wondering if this town was real in the sense that people actually lived here, or if it was simply a place designed as a tourist stop. I subsequently learned that the town is real with a history dating back to 1853. I also learned that day to not resist the urge to double back sometimes. Otherwise, you might just miss something extraordinary.