Vacationing in a Lighthouse

We aren't blessed with unlimited income, so many of our vacations have been innovative.  We like to seek out unusual venues.  It would be fun to vacation in Europe, but vacationing on Mars is as doable at this point in our lives.  That, and other 'exotic' destinations are financially out of reach right now--maybe always. So we look for place which are closer but just as unique. Next April we're going to be lighthouse keepers on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula.

 The New Dungeness lighthouse is about 20 miles east of Port Angeles,Washington, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the waterway that connects Seattle to the Pacific.  The lighthouse is located near the end of  a sandspit, a narrow finger of land nearly six miles long, and maybe fifty yards wide. The strait is on the north side, and a bay on the south, and the only way to get to it is to hike the six miles on a rocky beach, or by boat. Vehicles aren't allowed on the spit, except those that take the volunteer keepers and their supplies to the lighthouse. Otherwise, you gotta walk or go by boat.  Or you could swim.

If the name Dungeness sounds familiar, the area was so named because of its similarity to Dungeness, England, where there's also a lighthouse.  And of course there's the Dungeness crab, a delicacy which is native to the area.  Best place to sample this delicacy is in the settlement of  Dungeness, on the landward side of the bay.

The New Dungeness Lighthouse Association, which oversees and maintains the site, has it all worked out.   We'll be staying in the residence on the grounds, provide our own food and bedding, cook our own meals, give tours of the lighthouse and polish the brass--and we pay them $350 per person for a week of this privilege (why didn't I think of something like this when I was young?).

The lighthouse has a long and colorful history.  It was built in 1857 by the government and it's been in continual service to this very day.  It has stood witness to all kinds of events, including a battle on the spit between rival Indian tribes (lighthouse keepers rescued an Indian woman during the battle), fires, violent storms that cut the spit in two, and a crack in the lighthouse tower that resulted in the tower being lowered by 30 feet, There was even a wedding performed there in 1862. Makes you wonder where they went for a honeymoon.

I've been there twice.  I hiked  there with friends in 1961 (I was 12 years old, and lived in nearby Sequim), and again in 1997 after years commenting to my wife,  "It would be great go there again someday".  Somewhere around comment #307 she said, "Let's book a trip there for our anniversary."  So we did, and walked all the way out and back.   There's no truth to her assertion she had to carry me the last three miles.

 Between tours of the building and the maintenance, there will be lots to do and see. Across the Straits at night are the lights of Victoria, British Columbia, and the waterway is alive with all sorts of freighters and container ships.  One may well see an occasional nuclear submarine coming out of the submarine base at Keyport on Hood Canal. The spit itself is a wildlife preserve, and if we're lucky an errant sailor may beach his Queen Mary on the beach.  You just never know.

We'll be going with friends, a couple from Phoenix we've known for years, and another couple as yet unknown.  Here's hoping they know how to cook and polish brass.

If you want to take a cruise and gorge yourself, go for it.  If the Continent  appeals to you, get out your wallet and dial it in.  We're going to take the road less travelled.

If you're a bit more than curious, go to newdungenesslighthouse.com and take a look.  I bet we'll have as much fun polishing brass as you will stuffing your face on a cruise.