Sequim, Washington

I first read an article about Sequim, Washington in a travel magazine about five years ago. Located 65-miles northwest of Seattle, on the northeast edge of The Olympic National Park, the proper pronunciation of Sequim is “Skwim”. The description of this small picturesque town included phrases like “nestled in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains”, and recognized as the “Lavender Capital of North America” (rivaled only in France), and were what first drew me in. I am in love with the Pacific Northwest as it is, and Sequim seemed to embody all of the best of this region. Situated close to some of the wettest temperate rain forest in the United States, it still receives less than 16 inches of rain per year – about the same as Los Angeles, California -  and the town has given itself the nickname Sunny Sequim. This climate is sometimes called the blue hole of Sequim, for the clear blue skies here that pop out of a hole in the surrounding clouds.

After practically memorizing the details about this place I’d yet to visit, I was ready to pack my bags and move here once and for all. Taking the more prudent approach, Dan agreed to visit for a couple of weeks first before giving up life on the road for good, so after we left Silverton, Oregon we drove 255 miles north to check it out. This truly did end up being a place I would happily return to again and again. I would even happily settle down here, I loved the area that much. However, this was August, with an abundance of warmth and beautiful sunny days. And “Sunny Sequim” or not, they do have very cool winters, and the rain, while maybe less than the surrounding areas, still falls every month of the year. And they get snow. This was not the forever place of Dan’s dreams, even if I thought it might be mine.

We took full advantage of our two weeks here. We rode our bikes and hiked locally in the scenic beauty that surrounds the area, and spent some time in the town proper. These things are captured in the pictures below. We also visited the Olympic National Park several times, tromped through a few of the local lavender farms, and took the short drive to Port Angeles for a day visit. (These events will be highlighted in separate posts).