After our tasty lunch and sightseeing in downtown Port Townsend, we headed to Fort Worden State Park. Located at the tip of the Peninsula and the entry to the Puget Sound, Fort Worden was built in 1902 as part of a trio of forts to protect the entrance to the sound and Seattle. We visited one of the other two forts – Fort Casey on our trip to Whidbey Island last May.

Fort Worden is a beautiful part with lovely vistas across Admiralty Inlet. But the old bunkers and officer quarters are the most fun. Do you remember the movie “The Officer and a Gentleman”? Remember the barracks and army grounds where Richard Gere trained? This was filmed on Fort Worden. Today the officer quarters, houses and dormitories are used as a conference grounds. Many classes and major music events are held throughout the year. But it is available for everyone to tour and roam along the beach, dunes and army bunkers.

We noticed that there were a lot of Volkswagen cars coming and going on the grounds. I think it was the group taking pictures of their cars that caught my eye and clued me into something going on. It also matched up with why we saw so many cars in Pt Townsend and why it was so crowded. It was the Port Townsend Cruise for European automobiles – a local car rally. There were over 400 cars participating in the rally and gathering in Port Townsend. That explained why it was so busy in early March!

But the sun came out late in the afternoon and we enjoyed a few moments of rays before returning home. And it satisfied our need for a bit of beach time.

Army building around the center plaza

Officer housing now available for rent

Remnants of the gun bunkers

View from within the bunkers

Soldiers walked these paths in the early 1900’s

All that remains are the concrete walls

The Beach

The Birds

The dunes

The trees and ruins