Finding your travel comfort zone is different for each person, as everyone navigates a new, partially vaccinated country still reeling from the pandemic. As in 2020, close-to-home staycations continue to dominate, but some people are venturing farther, even internationally, in this brave new world. If you find yourself torn between staying put and jumping on […]
destinations
Posted inPeople & Places
Historic Downtown Gig Harbor
Any discussion of downtowns on the Kitsap Peninsula has to include the Gig Harbor historic downtown waterfront district. Centered around the famous Harborside Avenue, Gig Harbor’s downtown has many shops and restaurants, along with stunning views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier. On any given day, the waterfront district is full of walkers and tourists […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Maui Now: What to Know Before Visiting Maui During the Pandemic
Everyone could use a little Aloha right now. Living day to day during the pandemic has created stress in people’s lives. Jobs, families, health and economic futures hang in peril, while lockdown challenges sanity. Are you dreaming of some island time to shake away the COVID-19 blues? Not everyone is comfortable traveling yet, but if […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Three Cottages to Get Away, Less than Three Hours Away
Cancelled vacations. Postponed honeymoons. Delayed holidays. This is how we will remember 2020. Travel plans all for naught. As this most-memorable year draws closer to an end, it might be the right time to plan a close-to-home getaway. A weekend or longer that feels like a vacation but is less than three hours from home. […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Downtown Poulsbo — The Norway of the Pacific Northwest
Norwegian fishermen sailed into Liberty Bay in the late 1800s and began the creation of the city of Poulsbo, which some still call “the Norway of the Pacific Northwest.” Incorporated in 1907, Poulsbo is now a city of 10,000 residents and has one of the most vibrant main streets of any small town in the […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Magical Mauritius — Hidden Gem of the Indian Ocean
In the Indian Ocean southeast of the continent of Africa, some 1,200 miles off the coast, lies the idyllic volcanic island of Mauritius. A hidden gem of lush and beautiful beaches, excellent year-around weather and diverse cultural life. Logistics Most visitors will arrive at the Port Louis airport via South Africa, Kenya, Dubai or India. […]
Posted inThe Garden
Autumn Glory at Bloedel Reserve
The Kitsap Peninsula is privileged to be home to one of the nation’s most magnificent landscape gardens, just over the Highway 305 bridge on Bainbridge Island. Touted as “one of North America’s 10 best botanical gardens,” Bloedel Reserve is unique in its focus, combining exquisite vistas within a natural setting and featuring stately trees, ponds […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Allyn — A Waterfront Community on Puget Sound
Any West Sound resident who has ever driven west to the ocean beaches has probably passed through the community of Allyn. This quaint, small town on Highway 3 is located on the North Bay of Case Inlet on Puget Sound. Driving through Belfair, you come to a split in the road where you can go […]
Posted inPeople & Places
The Mountain Gorillas of Uganda — A Trek of a Lifetime
The mountains of Uganda and Congo bring to mind Hollywood stories like “King Kong” and “Gorillas in the Mist.” Known as the impenetrable jungle, this region makes trekking through dangerous and impossible without a guide. The 1988 film about the life of conservationist Dian Fossey and her work with mountain gorillas in the jungles of […]