The Wonders of Westport


© Jerri Brooker
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As I sit in front of my computer eating my morning breakfast of cornbread and milk, I am journeying via the Internet to one of my favorite ocean spots: Westport, Washington. I can feel the ocean breeze and smell the salt air as I remember the fun we always have there.

Westport, a small town of 2,056 residents, is where I wander when I only have a day and want to spend time at the ocean. This site is the flavor of the tiny town big on presence on our Washington Coast. I particularly love all the photos here: The Fisherman's Memorial, The Westport Marina Museum, Westhaven Drive where all the businesses sit across from the marina, the seagulls perched on the marina fence. Fresh seafood is usually available for purchase, and you can book a whale-watching trip at the right time of year. Of course, there are fishing trips, but this is a ghost of what was here in the past before the fishing industry dwindled.

I can picture the lookout over the jetty placed at the end of town to keep the seashore from washing away. In town you will have to climb it to get a good view. Don't be surprised to see some wetsuit-clad winter surfers when you do.

The Westport Museum site also shows you a good photo of where to go to get a great view of the ocean: the Westport Maritime History Trail that includes 1-1/4 miles of paved trail overlooking the ocean. This is my favorite place to go. I hike the trail over the ocean, then return on the beach. This is a good beach to find sand dollars in the winter if you are a beachcomber.

The museum is in its infancy, but is growing by leaps and bounds. I was surprised at the exhibits added since I visited a few years ago. You can start outside by viewing the "Whale Houses" to see sea mammal skeletons. Then venture inside to learn about cranberry growing, ocean living and get Native American insights into the history of the town. There is a children's discovery room, and you can see the Destruction Island's lens exhibit where there's an irreplaceable first-order fresnel-type lens lit in the lighthouse in 1891 for the first time. Sign up there for a tour of the Westport Lighthouse. Check the winter hours to be sure they are open.

Surfing around I found a link to the Jetty View Beach House. I have never stayed there, but it can house up to fifteen folks and looks like a wonderful place. For some great city and area maps, this is the place, folks. There's also a hotel accommodation site. For a small town, I am really surprised at its Internet presence. There aren't really that many places to stay, so this is a great find.

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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages

8.   Jan 19, 2000 6:23 PM
I'll look forward to it. I, too, will keep visiting your site and learning about Canada. Great being neighbors! Jerri

-- posted by jerrib


7.   Jan 18, 2000 9:56 PM
I would like to meet you too and I will certainly let you know that I am coming when the time comes. I don't expect it will be for a couple of years at least.

Keep on writing these great articles a ...


-- posted by Red


6.   Jan 18, 2000 2:59 PM
missed us for the most part, Naomi, but I, too, saw the weather reports. We got some huge gusts, but this was not as bad as a few years ago.

Erosion is a problem on our beaches in WA when it comes ...


-- posted by jerrib


5.   Jan 18, 2000 2:49 PM
If you do get to WA I'd sure like to meet you. I hope you can come and see Westport. It is not a big, glitzy, touristy town like some. It still has the flavor of a small town - just enough shops to ...

-- posted by jerrib


4.   Jan 17, 2000 10:45 PM
Jerri, you've given a marvelous description of this quaint beach town on our Washington coast. I've been there, but it's been some years ago when we went on a camping/fishing trip.

Several of my ...


-- posted by Naomi_Mathews





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