Made it home.

[jrb1947]

Made it home to Sherwood Oregon with my new 21. Picked it up in Sumas in a snow storm. Temperature stayed below freezing until just north of Seattle. Big sign said “I5 closed in Seattle. Use alternate route.” It was caused by an overturned butane tanker which closed the freeway for 7 hours. Bailed off on I405. It took 4+ hours to get back to I5 at SeaTac airport exit. Very long day.

[Bobbie54]

Nice trailer, bad timing! That was about the worst I've seen for traffic in Seattle and I was glad I wasn't out there. 405 must have been jammed.

[freespirit]

Originally Posted by jrb1947

Made it home to Sherwood Oregon with my new 21. Picked it up in Sumas in a snow storm. Temperature stayed below freezing until just north of Seattle. Big sign said “I5 closed in Seattle. Use alternate route.” It was caused by an overturned butane tanker which closed the freeway for 7 hours. Bailed off on I405. It took 4+ hours to get back to I5 at SeaTac airport exit. Very long day.

nice rig!...like snow pictures...perhaps because this camper doesn't live in it.

[Dave&Kathie]

Congrats on your new trailer, how exciting. Bummer on Seattle traffic, we always try and avoid it - we often take Rt 20 over to the Coupevdlle Port Townsend ferry, then down 101 and reconnect with I5 just south of Olympia. Always a beautiful drive along the Hood Canal. Are you coming to the NOG?

Happy trails,
Kathie

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Dave&Kathie

Congrats on your new trailer, how exciting. Bummer on Seattle traffic, we always try and avoid it - we often take Rt 20 over to the Coupevdlle Port Townsend ferry, then down 101 and reconnect with I5 just south of Olympia. Always a beautiful drive along the Hood Canal. Are you coming to the NOG?

Happy trails,
Kathie

Well, traveling is still luck of the draw. Last time we did that route North bound high winds shut down the ferry for hours.

Congrats on the new 21 and your travels will only get better.

Ron

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by Dave&Kathie

Congrats on your new trailer, how exciting. Bummer on Seattle traffic, we always try and avoid it - we often take Rt 20 over to the Coupevdlle Port Townsend ferry, then down 101 and reconnect with I5 just south of Olympia. Always a beautiful drive along the Hood Canal. Are you coming to the NOG?

Happy trails,
Kathie

I almost always do it that way! But as Ron says, it can also have delays.

[bsmoke]

Ill be going that ferry route after picking mine up on June 2nd. Should I buy ferry tickets in advance?

[Ron in BC]

It can be full for some runs. We've had to wait while others, with reservations, boarded. Sometimes you get on, sometimes you have to wait for the next ferry. We like to keep our plans flexible. If that's not your comfort level then definitely make reservations.

Ron

[arniesea]

More info

Originally Posted by bsmoke

Ill be going that ferry route after picking mine up on June 2nd. Should I buy ferry tickets in advance?

I live in Bremerton and my sister lives on Orcas Island so I use the Pt Townsend / Coopeville ferry quite a bit. In June I would make reservations. Note this ferry route gets canceled at extreme low tides. So as long as you are not traveling during a full moon or new moon, you should be ok. Otherwise check the web site for Ferry alerts.

WA Ferries:
WSDOT - Ferries

Vehicle Reservations:
https://secureapps.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferr...e/default.aspx

Edit: I just checked, June 2nd is 1st quarter moon so you should be fine.

[Stu]

We talked with you just before you left ETI. Glad you made it home safely.

[Dave&Kathie]

Delays are rare and I'd rather be at the ferry dock then in the crazy Seattle traffic! Good places to eat on both sides. We always make reservations for that ferry and they are easy to change online.

[garysd]

Originally Posted by Dave&Kathie

Congrats on your new trailer, how exciting. Bummer on Seattle traffic, we always try and avoid it - we often take Rt 20 over to the Coupevdlle Port Townsend ferry, then down 101 and reconnect with I5 just south of Olympia. Always a beautiful drive along the Hood Canal. Are you coming to the NOG?

Happy trails,
Kathie

Kathie, is the Port Townsend ferry a pull-on pull-off without having to back up?

We'll be coming from the Lynden KOA, our first night with our new 21' trailer, and I have no idea what it will be like to back it up. I don't believe the ferry is the best place to practice.

Gary

[Dave&Kathie]

Originally Posted by garysd

Kathie, is the Port Townsend ferry a pull-on pull-off without having to back up?

We'll be coming from the Lynden KOA, our first night with our new 21' trailer, and I have no idea what it will be like to back it up. I don't believe the ferry is the best place to practice.

Gary

Dave was worried about the same thing! It is pull on pull off. Easy peasy. We often stay at Ft Worden near Port Townsend. Don't know what your itinerary is. Make a reservation for the ferry. If you get to Coupeville early, the little Keystone Cafe is good for coffee or light lunch. Here's a pic, day 2 with the trailer, in the ferry line and on the ferry. Off season so it cost about $42. Worth every penny to us to not drive through Seattle plus it's fun!

[Mike Lewis]

The ferry crossing is a good opportunity to see the roof of your new trailer if you are interested in how everything is arranged on it. Just climb the stairs to the upper deck and check it out during the passage.

I sat in my truck during the crossing a couple of weeks after I picked up my trailer. A man tapped on my window and said he and his buddy were admiring the trailer from above. Its roof line is really clean, he said. Dang, I didn't think of that, I replied, and by then it was too late for me to do so as we were about to dock.

[float5]

Yep, the roof looks nice!

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by float5

Yep, the roof looks nice!

Wow. Nothing I own will ever be that clean.

[garysd]

Thanks for the feedback--the ferry it is! I'll make the reservations tomorrow. We're heading to Salt Creek County Park (Tongue Point) west of Port Angeles.

jrb1947, sorry to divert from your thread. Congrats!! I sure hope we don't have the weather you had! Linda and I are hoping for highs in the 60's, lows in the 40's, and lots of sunshine.

Gary

[bsmoke]

Appreciate that info on the ferry too. Will be at Deception Pass for a couple nights before the ferry.

[bsmoke]

One more thing. How quick is the crossing?

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by bsmoke

One more thing. How quick is the crossing?

Port Townsend to Coupeville shows ~35 minutes. The estimated crossing times are shown on the upper left of the page for any crossing route you pick.

WSDOT - Ferries - Schedule: Winter 2017 Sailing Schedule for Port Townsend / Coupeville