Burp! Lots of eating!

July 9-17, 2013 Point Hudson RV Park, Port Townsend, WA

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RV LIFE:
Grrrrr. I've tried to make reservations at multiple Custer State Parks with no success. I ended up calling the reservation system directly because of discrepancies. No luck. I was so excited to stay at the State Park because there are Bison that walk right through your sites. Devin would freak! Debbie would freak!
I was able to get reservations in the same area in a private park.
On that unhappy note...I think I'll have an adult beverage to take the edge off my frustration.
Happy hour everywhere! It stays light out very late way up here in WA. This is great for curbing my calories. I end up staying outside so much later because the weather is perfect in late afternoon and the sun keeps shining well after 8pm. It finally turns to dusk around 9:30pm. Since I stay outside so long, by the time I head back in the RV it's past 8pm. Too late to bother making dinner. I like going to bed early. I start the day reading, I end the day reading and watching TV.
As I enjoy the waterview, I'm surprised at how much we like this RV park.  Most sights are very tight. We aren't sure how we are going to maneuver out of our site. We may have to back out into the field/parking lot behind our site.
I open my kitchen window curtain and I am 5' from the steps of the long silver Airstream next to us. Thank goodness for our "poof" shades.   Pull them down and "poof" everyone I don't want to see is gone.  Ahhh. Suzie coined that term. In front of our RV, my neighbor's and our outdoor carpets almost meet. Poor Devin has to be on his short tether. In spite of the closeness of the sights, we are enjoying ourselves. Our neighbors have been nice, friendly, but not too friendly.
Getting back to the long days of sunshine, this also affects happy hour. I'm used to happy hour being about 4:30 or 5pm. But here, it seems to start around 6 or 6:30pm. As I look out at the other sites, I see MANY couples sitting outside with their glasses of wine and some mixed drinks. There are very few beers. What a "sophisticated" bunch of older adults.

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SIGHTS:
While walking the dogs one morning, I came across this beautiful entrance.

This photo of Chetzemoka Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor
From a block away, I didn't know if it was a private residence or a park. Park it is named after Chief Chetzemoka. What a beautiful park! It is serene, it is beautiful, it has kitchen facilities for group gatherings. It has little arched bridges, a lovely wooden arbor, lush grass, access to the water. There is a gazebo to relax and read in as well as picnic tables around and swings for the kids. Plenty of room for all. Just beautiful.

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RESTAURANT REVIEWS:
Shanghai Chinese Restaurant, Port Townsend, WA
Our rating 3 out of 5
We picked up take out from here simply because it was convenient. It is a 2 minute walk from our site to the restaurant.
Fried pot stickers: Average. Nice amount of meat inside. Thick wrapper. Came with a super,duper hot dipping sauce. I'm used to a more of a teriyaki, sesame sauce.
Fried rice: It looks impressive because it is loaded with cooked egg, lots of pork and veggies. But just plain tasting.
Sweet & Sour Chicken: Again just average.

Hanazono Asian Noodle, Port Townsend, WA
Scott's rating 4.5 out of 5
I did not eat here, so I'm just going by Scott's rating. He had just stopped here for a light lunch. He had some kind of noodle soup that was a huge bowl. It came with a California roll (sushi). The roll ended up being about 8 inches long. It was quite a filling meal and delicious.

Banana Leaf Thai Bistro, Port Townsend, WA
Scott's rating 4 out of 5
I've come to the conclusion, I don't like Thai food. I think I'll stick with fried rice next time. Scott really enjoys Thai, so this rating is Scott's views.
Again, this was a 6 minute walk from our RV site. We sat outside on their raised deck. Lovely spot amid the tree tops.
Tom Yum soup: Described on the website as "Hot & sour soup with fresh mushrooms, onion, tomatoes and cilantro with a touch of lemon grass, galangal root, ginger, exotic spices and lime juice" Very complex with many ingredients. The broth was delicious. I drizzled the broth over my sticky rice.
Gai Yang BBQ Chicken: Bland. Just a couple of marinated chicken breast with a side of sweet bbq sauce. Chicken was moist, but nothing special. I gave Scott 1/2 my chicken to add to his meal.
Roast Duck Curry: Scott really enjoyed the coconut curry sauce. The duck was good but lacking quantity.

Doc's Marina Grill, Port Townsend, WA
Our rating 4 out of 5
This was a 2 minute, 30 second walk from our RV site. If you were staying at the other end of the park, it would be a 15 second walk to the restaurant.
Nice, bright dining room with large windows with a view of the water and the marina. There is also a large deck with beautiful views.
Prime Rib: Only served Friday and Saturday evenings. Thick cut, served medium rare just as requested. Delicious and tender.
Garlic Mashed potatoes: REAL mashed potatoes. Really good
String Beans: FRESH beans cooked perfectly. Still a snap to them.
Blackened Wild Salmon Sandwich: Very good. Delicious bread, blackened salmon was perfect and the tomato chutney was sweet and delicious. Almost tasted like a home made chunky catsup.
French fries: Above par
Quinoa salad: The idea was good since it's so good for you, but it was pretty bland. Quinoa mixed with black beans, but didn't taste any dressing.
Would definitely return for the view and the food.

Hudson Point Cafe, Port Townsend, WA
Our rating 4 out of 5
Nice little restaurant serving breakfast and dinner. A long line waiting for Sunday breakfast. We opted for lunch.
Mussels over linguini: Delicious broth, plenty of mussels.

Salmon over linguini: Again, delicious broth and wonderful sweet tender salmon.

This was served with a delicious crispy sourdough bread (great to dip in the sauce), baked by the local bakery, Pane d'Amore.

Pane d'Amore, Port Townsend, WA
My rating 4.5 out of 5
This would have gotten a perfect rating if the prices were just a touch cheaper.
Pane d'Amore sets up at the Farmer's Market. Their storefront is also on the same block as the Farmer's market.
They make 12" long skinny cheese bread sticks that are addicting!
I also tried their Sweet Cream Biscuits. Oh my gosh! I need some more!!!!

Water Street Creperie, Port Townsend, WA
Our rating 4 out of 5
Doubt if we'll return because it is very expensive. But glad we went to try something different. Arrived around 11am.
Lots of interesting "art work" to view. I especially liked this sign.

I had a breakfast crepe of egg, bacon and cheese. They served two crepes each folded over and filled with the egg, bacon & cheese. Really, really good and filling. I did not eat the rest of the day.
Scott had a meat & pesto. Same large serving and delicious.

BUSINESS/PRODUCT REVIEWS:
Dalla Notte, Port Townsend, WA Farmer's Market
My rating 4.5 out of 5
Lost a 1/2 point because no easy way to purchase his product.

I think this is a guy just starting out, so no store front, no restaurant, no bakery. I think he's doing an excellent job.
He makes a delicious focaccia bread. I had a salmon slider and a salmon focaccia and both were refreshing and delicious.
First a hearty mustard spread on the bread, topped with thinly sliced onions, arugula, crumbled smoked salmon and drizzled with olive oil. Why don't I make those kind of sandwiches at home! I'm looking forward to going to the Farmer's market again one last time before we live and hope to enjoy another salmon slider.

Mt. Townsend Creamery, Port Townsend and Seattle, WA
Our rating 5 out of 5
Oh my gosh this cheese is excellent!!! I think the prices are reasonable for such a wonderful product.
I sampled their cheeses at the Farmer's Market and I now see they have a store also, which will give you a tour of the cheese making process.
After sampling, I purchased "Camp Fire", which is a jack cheddar that has been smoked. They use Crimson Cove Smokehouse to smoke their cheese. The smokehouse smokes salmon and the cheese is smoked from the residual smoke. Very cool. The smoky taste is strong, but not overpowering. Really delicious. The second cheese I purchases after sampling was "Truffle Fromage Blanc". This is a spreadable cheese, sort of like cream cheese but more hearty and not as smooth. I've been enjoying this on toast, bagels, and crackers. YUM!

Perfect Dreams Cupcakes, Port Townsend, WA
My rating 2 out of 5
They were edible, but not worth the price. Scott surprised me with a sampling of 6 different mini cupcakes. They looked beautiful! It was like opening a box of assorted chocolates!

But I was disappointed 5 out of 6. The icing was too crystal sugary instead of creamy. But was even more disappointing was the cake itself. They "tasted" if there was any taste like box mix cake. The only one I'll give any positive remarks about was the berry lemonade (Pink cupcake). What a unique taste the frosting was. It had the berry taste, but also a lemonade taste. Very interesting and good. Still wish the icing were creamier. The minis are $1.00 each.
If you prefer Hersey chocolate over Godiva chocolate, well I guess you'll like Perfect Dreams cupcakes.
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
July 18-20, 2013 Elwha Dam RV Park, Port Angeles, WA
July 21-27, 2013 Cape Motel & RV Park, Neah Bay, WA
July 28-Aug. 3, 2013 Riverview RV Park, Forks, WA
Aug. 4-10, 2013 Silver Cove RV Resort, Silver Lake, WA
Aug. 12-18, 2013 Coeur d'Alene RV Park, Post Falls, ID
Aug. 19-28, 2013 Jim & Mary's RV Park, Missoula, MT
Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2013 Jennifer's Driveway Boondock, Bozeman, MT
Sept. 2-5, 2013 Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 6-15, 2013 Horseshoe Bend Campground NFS, Lovell, WY (Tentative)
Sept. 16-30, 2013 Wheels West RV Park, Custer, SD

south for the Winter of 2013/214