Whale Tales: Those who wander are not always lost... Tolkein

Ever since I can remember, Jerry and I have loved to just wander around - on foot or in the car. We like to look at everything. As we travel, we've maintained the love to wander. Sometimes we wander in the Whale which often gets into places we shouldn't be with a 40 foot vehicle. Sometimes we get on skinny mountain roads, or tight turns or both. Mostly we wander in the Jeep which means if we want to go off road, we are relatively sure we won't get stuck. Usually, the excursion starts with, "I wonder what's down this road?" Before we left the Port Townsend area, we took a side road to the bay and discovered The Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building. Who knew?

It was a beautiful morning, and all the double doors to the shops were open. As we slowly drove by to see as much as we could, one of the instructors came out and invited us to come in. We jumped at that opportunity. There were two large buildings with double doors where students and instructors were working. One group was working on a smaller rowing boat. The other group was working on a very large prototype. As we walked into the first building, the smell of spruce and cedar was strong.

Our self-appointed guide told us the school has been in existence since the 80's. There are 50 students enrolled at all times. The students graduate when they reach a certain level of expertise. I had to ask, "How many females are enrolled?" Our guide told us the graduating class has 5 women. The newly enrolled class has 17 women. He told us they are excellent woodworkers, and they were tough. It seems some of the men in the program think boat building is just for men. We were able to talk to the head of the program, and he told us if he had his way the male / female split would be 25/25. He was pleased with the increase for the fall.

Across the dirt road from the school buildings were several small cottages. Many of the students live in those cottages or in a small apartment complex just up the hill. Also part of the complex was a small shop with hand made harps made by other wood workers in the area. Unfortunately, we were unable to go in since the shop was closed. This school on the bay and cottages offered a peaceful and somewhat idyllic setting.

After looking at several of the completed boats and talking about those in production, we thanked our guide and said good-by. I'm grateful for this urge to wander. "I wonder what's down this road?" I'm grateful that more times than not we act on our curiosity. The major stops we plan along the way are fabulous, but the results of wandering are equally awesome adding to our experiences as we journey.