October 6, 2022
Finally camping again! I know it’s been awhile since I posted a camping blog post. I’ve been busy with a water leak inside my home that flooded the whole house, and then there was all of the contractor work, the insurance issues, communications, etc. In the end, all of that got taken care of, but it took more than six months!
So, finally, now I’m posting the last camping trip of 2022. I did manage to work in two camping trips in 2023 just before the water leak. I’ll share this 2022 camping trip first. Then I’ll post the two trips in 2023.
And so now let’s forget the water leark and all that cranky stuff of life that happens, and let’s go camping! This camping trip was in October, 2022, during a spectacularly gorgeous autumn week. Friends of mine came along too in their Escape trailer. Our “twin” Escape trailers were parked in campsites right next to each other.
Here’s where we went camping …
“Illahee” is a native Indian word that means water. This state park is right on the water for boats and boaters to visit and enjoy, with docks and buoys and such, and the campground is right next to the water of Puget Sound for campers and picnics and such. The native folk called this land and the surrounding land “Illahee”. I’m glad that name remains.
Here is a Google Earth image of where Illahee State Park is … Seattle on the right/east side of Puget Sound … Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Vashon Island on the left/west side of Puget Sound. The RED star is Illahee State Park.
Most people drive to Illahee State Park via Bremerton, but you can drive down from the north too.
Let me share a closer image of Illahee State Park.
The street entrance (the red circle) to this state park is at the bottom of the image above. My friends and I were camped at the RED star. The red arrow points to a switchback road and, indeed, it had serious switchbacks down to the water. That’s how you drive down to the beach and to the state park dock. Of course, bringing your boat there is easy, just cruise in on the water. But you would not, and should not, drive down to the water with a sizable trailer in tow. There is a boat ramp down there on the beach, but only for very small trailers with small boats.
And here are a few more photos of my delightful camping spot!!
And you can see my friends’ Escape trailer right next door.
We gathered around one firepit or another every evening. October weather here is usually pretty chilly, but this week was wonderfully warm. And yet the evening cooled down enough to need jackets and a cozy warm fire.
From these photos, you can see there weren’t any other campers any where near us. People might walk past on the roadway once in a while, and a car or truck or RV might slowly drive through, but for the most part we had the place to ourselves.
On our very first day here, we drove down to the beach (those switchbacks). We parked, and then walked out to the end of the pier and back. My gosh, you don’t get weather better than this … blue skies, warm sunshine, calm water.
We visited the beach and that pier several more times, you can bet on that! And we had other adventures in the area too. Stay tuned for more warm adventures in this six-day, shirt-sleeve weathered, October camping trip.
First to comment! 🙂
Yay, more camping! What a great campsite, right next to your friends. And what great weather. Sure looking forward to seeing lots more.
Thanks Cindy. 🙂 Yep, more coming soon.
Another place we’ve not been to! We really should get down there and just follow you around one summer. Ok, Illahee is on “the list”. I bet you’ll be showing us lots of great stuff to see and do in the area, like you always do. Really appreciate the maps for us locals. Do you think of BC as local?
Jim
You get yourselves down here, Jim & Janey, and let’s go camping!
I can speak only for myself, but for me BC is just people who happen to live across a dotted line from where I live, no different from people in the USA or anywhere else in the world. Several years ago, there was talk of the three western states (California, Oregon, Washington) seceding from the USA and joining Canada … seemed like something worth considering. And I’ve been boating for decades up in BC. So, I think BC folks are local folks, my friends and neighbors.
Have you been there by boat? I bet you have. I’ve been by there a number of times, but never stayed on the dock, just grabbed a buoy a couple of times, mostly just cruised by on my way somewhere. It is a GORGEOUS place to be when you’re on the water. I don’t know about the angle of sight when you’re on the beach, but when your boat is hooked to a buoy out there in the water, you have a front row view of Mount Rainier to the southeast.
I hooked to an Illahee buoy once, Rob, and stayed there overnight (who knows, maybe you were on the next buoy over). I didn’t realize there was a view of Mt. Rainier until the next morning because of clouds that first evening … I was stunned by the view across the water to that mountain. But yes, other than that, I’ve just cruised by there on my way up to Brownsville or Poulsbo, or once for an anchor with friends rafted alongside in Manzanita Bay. Fun memories, eh? Glad you’re here. 🙂
“Illahee” can mean water, especially if you live on a boat. It can also mean “home, ground, earth, where one resides” etc. It’s a peaceful word. A community word. Or your own place of being. And your two campsites sure do look peaceful. I say they are illahee, a wonderful home for you two sets of campers.
Did you go to the area where the first settlement was? It might not be advertised so maybe you didn’t even know about it. I’m so happy to see this place of illahee. Thank you.
Oh, your comment means a lot to me, Mary. Thank you. Often, a word from one language cannot be translated into just one other word in another language, too many nuances and meanings and history. Thank you for filling in more of the meaning of “illahee”. I even like the sound of the word.
And, yes, I did … I found the area with signs that said it was the original settlement (just a bit north of the state park). Lots of homes there now, and yet there’s a dock used for fishing and small boating. I stopped there, walked out onto the dock, but didn’t take photos. Later, I wondered why I didn’t take any photos, but the feeling of the place was … well, maybe “illahee” … and the people made me feel welcome. So that original Illahee place remains in my memory and my heart.
Love the detail of the destination, the maps. And the photos. More! 🙂
Thanks Kinny. More coming! 🙂
What a beautiful place! Looking forward to seeing more!
More coming, bet on it! 🙂
Two lovely campsites, right next to each, so quiet. We rarely found campsites that were that private. You sure know how to find ’em! 🙂
Looking forward to a walk on the beach, yes?
Me too Wanda. I’ve found only a very few campsites that were that private, but never two of them together. We struck gold on that.
Indeed … a beach walk coming up. I loved that beach. Stay tuned. 🙂
I like how you “get away from it all” even when you’re near a city or town. Beautiful. Can’t wait to see the beach. 🙂
When I first thought about camping, I figured I’d have to get hundreds of miles away from where I live in order to have peace and quiet … but I found that then I was right next to another city! So I’ve been finding places that provide that peace and quiet closer to home. You’re a back-country hiker/camper if I remember correctly, Steve, so you really DO get away from it all. I bet you have stories tell and amazing memories.
Beach walk, coming up. 🙂
Beautiful campsites. Beautiful water. Question, why do you park your truck behind your trailer? That seems unusual.
Ah, good question! Indeed, I almost never park my truck behind my trailer. But in this campsite, the blacktop area that was the most level was at the “outer/upper” end of the pull-through. So I pulled the trailer all the way in/up until my truck was actually sticking out into the roadway again. Then I leveled the trailer and unhitched … and then I parked the truck behind the trailer on that tilted area. Good question. 🙂
So glad you got another 2022 camping trip in. The more the better. But a water leak in your house that took six months … and then only two camping trips in 2023. Well, here’s to 2024 and LOTS of camping. Thanks for schlepping us along with you. 🙂
The water leak was a major pain, for sure, major. But it got fixed, and the interior of my home was rebuilt. I’m still moving stuff back in, but at least I’m living there again. And, as you say Nebraska, here’s to 2024!!! Thanks for riding along with me. 🙂