Where to live in Pacific Northwest

Raftergirl. Its a shame you weren’t paddling then ,. Florida has more paddling water than any other state. The State spends plenty on paddler amenities.

We are going back next month for another month of non urban paddling. I’ll grant you I don’t want to live there either ( well maybe Cedar Key or Apalachicola). We have been going since 2005… Usually we spend two weeks camping ( backcountry) in the Everglades but this time are doing day trips from north to south.

Florida can be condo hell, but we have found a different Florida.

We have visited Seattle twice and no thank you… I think everyone ought to live where they are happy and for us its the Maine coast.

@kayamedic said:
Raftergirl. Its a shame you weren’t paddling then ,. Florida has more paddling water than any other state. The State spends plenty on paddler amenities.

We are going back next month for another month of non urban paddling. I’ll grant you I don’t want to live there either ( well maybe Cedar Key or Apalachicola). We have been going since 2005… Usually we spend two weeks camping ( backcountry) in the Everglades but this time are doing day trips from north to south.

Florida can be condo hell, but we have found a different Florida.

We have visited Seattle twice and no thank you… I think everyone ought to live where they are happy and for us its the Maine coast.
Yeah, I was mostly into road biking when I still lived in Florida. All of my vacations were in the western US states, so I finally decided I should live there. My move to Utah was the 100% right choice for me 29 years ago, and still love it now. I can get to the PNW in a 1-2 day drive, so some paddling there is a possibility. I did a bunch of kayak trips with an outfitter (Northern Lights Expeditions) about 20 years ago and loved paddling the Johnston Straight area.

When I started looking for a place to move to from Florida, I started with Denver. They had a children’s hospital for my work, and I had skied in Co. a lot. I knew nothing about Utah at the time, After some research and talking to the nurse recruiter at the children’s hospital in Salt Lake City, I got excited about moving here. So much outdoor to explore, great skiing, and a much smaller city for a single woman to move to alone. I took a long weekend trip to Salt Lake to interview & check out the area and that really confirmed my feelings on moving here. If the OP can do some long weekend visits to the areas that interest him/her that helps a lot. Rent a car, drive around, walk the downtown, get a feel for the place & the people.

Monkeyhead I’ve lived and worked in Atlanta. If I still lived there I’d want to move too.

I can tell by the tails told by snowbirds here in Florida at the RV parks that the failings in retirement relocations is that the movers A…didn’t spend enough time visiting the area at different times of the year. For example what if you visited Florida in January but never visited in the July heat …or…before/during a tropical storm.
B. grandparents move away from grandkids…Substitute family, friends, “roots”. Will you need to travel back frequently?
C. If you haven’t moved in decades it will be a shock right when you are getting used to the other shock of being retired and together more.
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Good luck where ever you decide to go.

Thanks Overstreet. Yep, I wold want to visit during the best and the worst times of year and maybe live in an apt for a year or so to get a good idea of the different areas and feel like I really knew the place before committing to a house. The grandkids may be an issue for us and my fiancee will have at least 1 by her daughter in the next few years, and she LOVES babies and children (not sure if her daughter will stay in ATL though). I grew up in the Chesapeake Bay area but although my dad had a boat and we would often recreate in that, I was a little kid and not a paddler. Started paddling in Long Island Sound, when I lived in New Haven, and liked that a lot but not the long winters. I think the best option will be a move to the PNW, and I have a cheap winter getaway in Florida (Clearwater area or maybe way south like Chokoloskee.

I believe what you are looking for is Shelton WA on Oakland Bay south Puget Sound
near Olympia Plenty of sunshine and rain about 50 50 check it out, it’s close to everything but still country living. OH YA plenty of those Marshes around.
Good Luck
Share and Enjoy
James

Thanks James. I guess “plenty” is a relative term, but looks like it’s well outside of the rain shadow and gets about a month’s worth of fewer sunny days than say, Anacortes. Nonetheless, good to know there’s some marshes around. I’ll be back in Seattle area in July and will check it out. Actually picking up a new kayak then so maybe I’ll take my new boat for a paddle in Oakland Bay. Always looking for a good restaurant rec. Any place you’d recommend for lunch, dinner in Shelton?

Oh, and also, regarding places like Oakland Bay, is the tidal flushing in Puget sound so great that the water everywhere, all year long is bone-crushingly cold, or does enough water stay in place that those kind of places have a chance to warm up a bit in the summer relative to somewhere that’s on the main body of the sound.

Also curious about pollution. Seems like a lot of industry along parts of the shore and not sure what the big metropolis of Seattle dumps into the sound. Is Puget sound in general, and Oakland Bay in particular reasonably clean. Like, are there any fish advisories for pregnant women, or even average Joe’s who just like to fish and eat a lot? What are the most significant pollution/ecology issues you have? I’m from the Chesapeake Bay area originally and loss of habitat, especially eelgrass beds due to fertilizer runoff was a big issue.

@Monkeyhead said:
Oh, and also, regarding places like Oakland Bay, is the tidal flushing in Puget sound so great that the water everywhere, all year long is bone-crushingly cold, or does enough water stay in place that those kind of places have a chance to warm up a bit in the summer relative to somewhere that’s on the main body of the sound.

Also curious about pollution. Seems like a lot of industry along parts of the shore and not sure what the big metropolis of Seattle dumps into the sound. Is Puget sound in general, and Oakland Bay in particular reasonably clean. Like, are there any fish advisories for pregnant women, or even average Joe’s who just like to fish and eat a lot? What are the most significant pollution/ecology issues you have? I’m from the Chesapeake Bay area originally and loss of habitat, especially eelgrass beds due to fertilizer runoff was a big issue.

Part of the Hood Canal is known for a relatively temperature-stable block of water near Dabob Bay. Someone wrote a book describing how this phenomenon was noticed a few decades ago. It still isn’t warm, though. And the reason for the smaller temp swings is because the water is–while not exactly stagnant–somewhat immobile compared with other areas along the Olympic Peninsula.

At Point Whitney in late summer, temps in the shallow water near shore supposedly sometimes rise to the mid-60s. Contrast that to the East Coast, where even in New England, the ocean near shore often warms up to the high 60s.

Some areas are trying to preserve eelgrass beds via restrictions on “big boats.” Port Townsend has such areas near the town waterfront and extending to Fort Worden State Park. You can still paddle in those areas, of course.

In summer there are times when eating some shellfish is risky. Those times are publicized in local newspapers. They don’t necessarily result from pollution, though.

What temperature is it that you consider warm? What is warm to someone from the mid-Atlantic isn’t going to be the same as warm to a longtime western Washington resident. In general, the sea temperature just doesn’t vary tremendously even comparing late summer to late winter.

Oh, and I would not say there is “plenty” of sunshine in Shelton. The rain shadow does not include that area.

Monkeyhead, you say you’re picking up a new boat in the Seattle area–would that be an NC?

While you’re out here, you really should come down to the Columbia River where the kayaking is the best. We’ve got sandy beaches everywhere and they’re all free as are all the islands. The water is fresh and in the summer the water is quite warm enough for swimming.

If you decide to visit the Shelton area and are looking for a nice place to eat, my recommendation would be the buffet at Little Creek Casino/Hotel. If you are looking for a real good launch site near there; it would be at Arcadia east of Shelton. The launch site belongs to the Indians and the last time I was there, it was free. You won’t have to be concerned with the tide there as you will in a lot of places as at low tide, some spots dry out and you’re left with mud flats. I would recommend staying out of Hammersley Inlet unless your timing with the tides is right. Paddling against the tide might be a slog. Most of the waters back in those inlets is usually fairly tame, but be aware that it can get very rough out in the more open areas.

Magooch - I’ll be picking up a Sterling boat. I’d love to do a paddle or two in the Columbia River. I bookmarked a tour company - http://www.columbiariverkayaking.com/instruction/textured.html - and may contact them, or try to hook up with a local club while I’m there. And thanks for the great info on Shelton area. I’m copying and pasting that into my trip plans document.

Not to take business away from a touring company , but all you really need to know is a good launch site. It doesn’t get any better than downtown Rainier, Oregon at the city dock. Let me know when and I will try to be there to be your guide. I’m retired, so the timing usually is not a problem with a little advanced notice.

So a Sterling is your new ride. I paddled a Grand Illusion last year and had a very nice talk with Sterling himself–a great boat and a great man,

If you are going to be in the area for a time, I would highly recommend stopping off at NC Kayaks in Tacoma, Washington. You will never meet a nicer man than Doug Searls. It might be prudent to give him a call too. Go to nckayaks.com.

Thanks Magooch. I’ll be there in late July/early August. If I have time to head south, I’ll definitely look you up. Would love to go paddling in Columbia River with my new boat and do a little recon for future retirement area possibilities. I’m the one who posted about the Grand Illusion btw - deliberating about whether it is too big for me or not. I am likely going to get it but will have one further conversation with Sterling. I agree, he’s a super guy and a great salesman (and boatbuilder from all that I hear).

So far, March has been a pretty rainy month and I have been watching the radar for western Washington during these rain events and two spots just seem to get by-passed by the rain–Port Townsend and Oak Harbor. That doesn’t mean that those spots are sitting there sunning themselves while we’re being poured on; It probably is overcast and maybe they get some sprinkles and maybe some sun-breaks. It’s fairly common knowledge about the rain shadow effect up there, but until you actually watch the radar, it’s hard to imagine how the whole thing actually works.

Of the two locations, maybe Oak Harbor is the best situated for access to larger city shopping and other things. Bellingham and Everett aren’t that far away and you don’t have to deal with Seattle and Tacoma type traffic.

As magooch mentioned, we’ve had a near record-setting winter when it comes to crummy weather. Even the “rainshadow” spots where I live are pretty darn soggy lately. The housing market up here in Washington in general, but specifically in my area (Anacortes and Whidbey Island) has really been a bit crazy lately. Houses sell the first day on the market with bidding wars. My home is valued $100k more now than we paid for it 3 years ago. If you’re thinking about relocating up here, don’t wait too long!

Yeah, the rain shadow effect definitely includes Port Townsend.
What it translates to varies from mostly-sunny to overcast but not precipitating. But it is much less rainy than Seattle or Vancouver.

Sonnyjane, I wish someone would buy our house soon, as in CLOSE ON it. We had one buyer early on who ended up failing to get financing. Then the slow season arrived, and it is only starting to pick up a little bit now. Houses priced under the $350k level sell quickly; above that, not so quickly. Employment in PT is very limited.

I have lived and owned homes in Bellingham, Wa and now in Coeur D’Alene, Id. These are the only two places worth considering. For Saltwater and rivers go Bellingham. For big lakes and cold mountain rivers go Coeur D’Alene. Remembering Bellingham was declared Watersports Capital of the US a few years back.