Mild winter in Sequim January 2010

Dear Sequim Town visitors,

When the rest of the nation was in the tight grip of ice and snow during this January, Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula experienced one of the mildest winters in a long time. January 2010 is our 5th winter in Sequim. The El Nino year, which starts taking effect at the beginning of January, made Sequim's January more look like a spring month, if you believe it or not.

Average daytime temperatures January 2010 in Sequim were between 46 - 52 F. To be honest, we don't and won't complain! Keoki has been playing tennis with his Sequim tennis buddies at the Sequim High School tennis courts all through this 'winter' so far. I myself love to jog or bike to SARC these days trying to catch some sun on my way.

As mentioned, in our latest post about 'Hurricane Ridge closure', the recent warm Sequim temperatures make our spring flowers believe 'Spring is here'! Tulips, daffodils and primrose survivors come up in my flower bed. We also noticed beautiful patches of snow bells and crocus around Oak Table restaurant.

Well, speaking of Sequim restaurants, Sequim 'Oak Table restaurant' is not just a nice place to admire early spring flowers in January, but definitely a great Sequim restaurant we can warmly recommend to Sequim visitors and residents. We had never eaten there before but our good neighbors Sue and Bob shared their 44th wedding anniversary for a delicious lunch at Oak Table. Each one of us 4 had a different meal and really liked it. The nice ambiance and a friendly, efficient waitress made this lunch at Oak Table restaurant a full success.

Not all Sequim restaurants made it through the Economic Slowdown. After the German restaurant 'Sauerkraut' at Rock Plaza had to close after only being in business for 6 mos., Sequim Town Blog received an email a few days ago that the 'Cedar Creek' restaurant in 5th Ave closed too. Cedar Creek must have been in business for about 2 yrs. and seemed to be doing just fine. It's sad to see another Sequim restaurant closing its doors.

But tell you what one Sequim restaurant closes and another one opens. Just the other day, we read on the Peninsula Daily News that a Chinese Restaurant offering 'All you can eat' buffet has moved into the 4000sft place of the Sauerkraut. This new restaurant at Rock Plaza is supposed to open in a month.

Last but not least, an update on the closure of Hurricane Ridge Rd due to a 'washout' from all the rain the Olympic Mountains had received at higher elevations in January. Well, upon closer inspection, the damage to the road proved more severe like a 'landslide', so there is no way to get the road fixed faster than the 6 weeks estimate after it happened. Good news is that reconstruction of the road to Hurricane Ridge is already in full process. Sequim residents and visitors who love skiing and snow-shoing on the weekends on Hurricane Ridge can still have hope to do that in March 2010.

Tags: Sequim mild winter weather, Sequim warm January 2010, Olympic Peninsula, Early Spring in Sequim

Hurricane Ridge is cut off - January 2010

Residents and visitors alike love to go snow shoeing and skiing the slopes of Hurricane Ridge during the winter months. Even though the Ridge is only open during the weekends, it attracts quite a number of people on a sunny winter season weekend.

As we reported in our December Sequim Round-up, Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula experienced unusual very mild winter weather in December and now continuing all the way into January. We had several days when the warm Chinook winds were blowing and bringing Sequim weather temperatures around 58 F in the shade. Currently, we have 54 F in the shade but with sun all over Sequim. I am ready for my walk through Carrie Blake Park!

Anyways, let's get back to Hurricane Ridge. Last Friday the Ridge experienced really hurricane winds with over 80miles/hr. When Sunday morning came and Sequim town was warm, sunny and had no winds whatsoever, I decided to call the Hurricane Ridge weather station for an update to check whether it's worthwhile a visit. Well, at 8am Sunday morning, the road to Hurricane Ridge was still closed and wind gusts up to 40miles/hr were reported. This was enough for us to hear. So we postponed our Hurricane Ridge visit in the snow to another Sunday.

This opportunity might not come too soon. Here is what had happened later on Sunday. Hurricane Ridge road had to be closed just north of Heart O' the Hills campground area about five miles south of Port Angeles because of a road slip-out. Repairs could take 1 month to 6 weeks. Part of the road had slipped down during heavy rains. Ski and Snowboard Classes are supposed to begin January 30/31. The manager of the hurricane Ridge ski area still hopes for a temporary solution to bypass the problem area. Let's hope so!

Hurricane Ridge related articles

Tags: Sequim vacation, Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge closed, January 2010 Sequim

Sequim Holiday Season Round-up 2009

It's about time catching up with Sequim news we noticed when we received an email from a dedicated reader of our Sequim Town blog wondering where we were and whether we really stopped writing our Sequim blog.

No, we definitely did not. We only took a break from the cold, rainy November weather in Sequim heading south to Mexico enjoying sun, ocean and great food at an all-inclusive hotel, and the best month to do that is November.We repeatedly told our Sequim blog readers that we are not Sequim realtors trying to 'sell' you sunny Sequim. Our Sequim blog is a journal of our life in Sequim. Nothing more or less. Actually, we cannot believe that in January it will be already 4 years since our moving from Hawaii to Sequim in 2006.

We've learned many things during those four years in Sequim. Just read a few of our past Sequim blogs and you will see. Here is one thing we'd to share with all the newcomers to town: Plan your vacation for November! If you can afford it, choose between Hawaii or Mexico. Of course, Mexico is the much cheaper vacation, however Hawaii has the nicer beaches and clearer ocean waters. In any case, just try to head south during November. It's when the first winter storms and first snow hits the PNW. Sequim is no exception!

This year though, Sequim temperatures in November were somewhat unusual, way lower than average. It seemed like an arctic breeze embraced us when arriving in Seattle. Nice to see the sun out driving into Sequim. Well, the ponds at Carrie Blake Park were solidly frozen, so our favorite ducks were doing some slipping and sliding. Looked pretty funny!

Now, December temperatures are back to normal. Today we had day time temperatures around 44F. No more frozen ponds. The holidays season in a small town community like Sequim is always special. The main streets are decorated with Christmas wreaths and lots of lights. Naturally, Sequim home owners decorate their homes as well. So it's fun to walk the streets at night to admire all the wonderful Christmas decorations. Sequim offers lots of festive events, theater plays, music, Christmas carols and bazaars, organized by the city of Sequim and by the many churches in town and people. Sequim and area is a closely knit community where people love to socialize and volunteer to help others.

If you have any more questions about sunny Sequim and its friendly people, email us or post a comment on one of our Sequim town blog posts. Best thing to do before moving to Sequim permanently, visit Sequim for a vacation. Our fully equipped Sequim vacation rental allows you to explore life in Sequim for a longer time.

Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our Sequim visitors and friends from Heidi & Keoki

Tags: Sequim vacation, Sequim weather, Sequim holidays

Sequim Vacation November Round-up

Dear Sequim vacation visitors,

November with cloudy rainy days has arrived in sunny Sequim. Mostly Sequim gets a good share of its annual average 12 inches rainfalls during the month of November. It's a good time to head south, if you have a chance to do so. Jennifer's Sequim summer vacation photos are just perfect to warm your body and soul.

After a beautiful Indian Summer September in Sequim, October surprised us with more rainy days than we normally get. It didn't stop the last berries from ripening and getting eaten. My last raspberries from my own bushes at the house were a little watery though.

What else is new in Sequim? The big town talk is that the German restaurant + Deli 'Sauerkraut' had to close its doors after trying to win the hearts + taste buds of Sequim residents and Sequim visitors for 6 months. As long as our Sequim visitors were here, it seemed to work but since the number of Sequim visitors already goes down in September, little Sequim town with about 6000 residents cannot compensate. We were sorry to hear that the Sauerkraut owners had to file for bankruptcy.


I have a feeling that new businesses starting in Sequim have sometimes too high expectations and don't calculate their numbers right. OK big businesses like Costco and HomeDepot still go big, despite economic slowdown but everybody else who depends on a good number of customers struggles, even Safeway had to adjust their prices to attract daily customers back, which works well for us, the Sequim customers.

Well, Sequim visitors might have left for the winter till spring next year, unless there are a few visitors still roaming the many homes for sale in Sequim and trying to catch a bargain, when real estate prices are still low before it all turns around for the better. Anyways, Sequim is not yet 'hibernating'. I was amazed to hear from a friend who volunteers at the Sequim Visitors Center that they stay open all year round. Great to see that Sequim and its community of retired people are hustling and bustling from event to event, especially at the Sequim Senior Center.

The Fall Arts and Crafts Show is already over. Wednesday 11/8, Elwha River Casino gets visited on the special Senior Day. In addition to the daily activities at the Senior Center, there are tours to museums, nurseries and more. In the center of attraction is the Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner on November 24 at the Senior Center with 2 seatings.

However, before we start decorating our Sequim homes and houses for the holiday season, let's enjoy a few more of Jennifer's Sequim summer vacation photos - reminiscences of a beautiful Sequim summer vacation 2009. Come visit Sequim in 2010!

Tags: Sequim vacation, Sequim weather, Thanksgiving in Sequim

Sequim Vacation Photos - Summer at Hurricane Ridge

Dear Sequim vacation lovers,
As promised in our recent Sequim Vacation Photo post, we finally took the time to include more of our Hawaii photographer friend, Jennifer Crites, from her Summer vacation in Sequim. We mostly visit Hurricane Ridge in water because the white winter wonderland with the spectacular Olympic Mountains as backdrop is an experience we don't want to miss each winter.


Well, Jennifer's summer Hurricane Ridge photos will make you visit Hurricane Ridge right now. Our Indian Summer weather - today we have for the first time a cloud cover over Sequim, but blue holes are already showing - for the last week makes everybody aah and ooh. We had some great Sequim spring weather this year, no 'June gloom' whatsoever, followed by a hot summer, at least for Sequim temperature records, and looks like this will continue all the way into fall season 2009.

Maybe, the reason for this straight through sunny weather through all the Sequim seasons is El Nino or maybe it's the climate change. Who knows! We enjoy it!

Thanks for visiting our Sequim Town blog for your Sequim vacation plans. Enjoy the summer photos of Hurricane Ridge. It's not too late for a Sequim vacation.






Tags: sequim vacatation rental, sequim vacation, best monthly rate Sequim

Sequim Vacation in Photos Part 1

Dear Sequim vacation lovers,

Today, we have a special post written by our friend Jennifer Crites, renowned travel writer and Hawaii photographer. Read more about Jennifer by visiting our Hawaii blog and her photography website. Jennifer and Jerry spent an extended Sequim summer vacation on the Olympic Peninsula.

Perfect timing for getting away from hot Hawaii and enjoying a cooler weather in Sequim between the Olympic Mountains and the Straits Juan De Fuca. As a professional photographer, Jennifer could not resist 'catching' the beautiful scenery around us on her Sequim vacation with her camera. Please, enjoy Jennifer's Sequim vacation in photos Part I.

When on her Sequim vacation, Jennifer visited Crescent Lake and took this fun summer photo of youngsters enjoying the cool lake water.

"We had an absolutely wonderful time on the Olympic Peninsula thanks to our hosts, Heidi and Keoki. Not only did they provide us with maps, brochures and newspapers covering sights and events in the area, they spent time giving us their personal recommendations as to what to see and do, including where to shop for groceries.

We were greeted so warmly the moment we arrived, and felt right at home immediately (what a treat to find bowls of fresh blueberries and raspberries waiting for us on the kitchen counter). Thank you Heidi and Keoki for providing us with a home away from home (we loved everything about the apartment, including the full kitchen and sleep-number bed), and for making our stay so memorable. We can’t wait to return. Following are a few of our visual memories from the scenic Olympic Peninsula."

Thank you Jennifer for all the nice words you have to say about our 'Bell Hill View' vacation rental in Sequim and about us and of course, for contributing all those wonderful photos of
Sequim and area to our Sequim Town blog.

Crescent Lake area: an easy hike through forests and across picturesque wooden bridges to a stunning waterfall.





The hiking trails at Fort Worden near Port Townsend lead past scores of old military bunkers and gun emplacements, and fantastic views of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca.


Tags: Sequim vacation, Sequim photos

Organic berries in Sequim

Dear Sequim and berry lovers,

As I love any kind of berries and Sequim is berry country, this post has been on my to-do list for a long time. So, let's forget for a moment our recent 'Sequim Real Estate Update August 2009'.

In summer 2006, we experienced the abundance of berries in Sequim and surroundings the first time. I don't mean the berries in the stores but I refer to fresh berries on the bushes. We discovered strawberries + raspberries at U-Pick Graysmarsh Berry Farm in June + July and blueberries in August + September. I felt in Berry Paradise but then I remembered that I had read many times that strawberries and raspberries are more prone to picking up any bad stuff from pesticides or herbicides.

After we had sold our house in Sun Meadows with our own blueberry and raspberry bushes, I went to Henery's Nursery and picked up a number of raspberry bushes for putting in at our new house. We were surprised to see all kinds of different raspberries ripening on our bushes last year, even sweet yellow raspberries. However, we faced a problem with the deer. All our houses on Oak Hill are former deer country. The deer don't know that we live now here and still roam around at night - motion lights don't disturb them at all - and even at bright daylight.

Keoki built a fishing line protection around our raspberry bushes this year and the deer really stayed away from 'frequently 'pruning' our raspberries by munching on the fresh sprouts. The deer don't like to bump their noses into the fishing line. Our neighbor told us that trick, and it works! We have now a steady supply of fresh organic raspberries.

Coming back to our post title 'Organic berries in Sequim'. We were pleasantly surprised when Graysmarsh this spring announced that they grow now organic strawberries on separate fields. I paid a bit more more money and the plants and fruits were not as big as the non-organic, but the fruits were really tasty.

However, something interesting happened when the blueberries got ripe at Graysmarsh Farm. Newspaper ads said 'Organic Blueberries' for $2 U-Pick. As this was on the high end of U-Pick berries in Sequim, I decided to check it out and asked for the organic blueberry fields but there were none. It was the same old bushes where I had picked before. When asking about this at Graysmarsh, I was told that the raspberries + blueberries had ALWAYS been organic. They just had not said so, and they are not certified organic. The blueberries just got magically 'upgraded' to organic because people like to hear 'organic'. If only somebody could keep an eye on that name game with the word organic!

To cut a long story short. We pick our organic U-Pick blueberries for $1.50/pound at a small farm, which we know for certain that they does not use any chemical sprays or animal fertilizers. And best of all, everybody can pick organic blackberries in Sequim, just make sure not to pick along walkways where Sequim town might have sprayed to keep the weeds from growing. Sequim's blackberries are juice and sweet as ever!
p.s.
I almost forgot to update our Sequim vacation rental features. We have now for our guests a washer and dryer in the garage available. Cassie from CA will be the first one to try it out on her September stay. She is looking for a nice Sequim house to rent for herself for moving to Sequim for good. If you have a nice 2Bd/2Ba Sequim house for rent, please, email us.

Tags: organic berries in sequim, sequim home for rent, sequim vacation

Sequim Real Estate Update August 2009

Welcome back to our Sequim Town blog visitors,

First things first. We had a great break from the reported heat wave with nice cool temperatures as we are used to. Today, temperatures are climbing more than usual though. It's now 1pm and thermometer in the back of our house shows 79F. I think I will delay my walk through the Carrie Blake Park to later this afternoon, when the sun is not so strong.

Somebody told us that our Sequim hummingbirds also migrate. As we had not seen any for over a week, we stopped hanging out the feeder. We definitely miss our little friends. We have been seeing the Canadian geese crisscrossing the skies frequently. They must be gathering and getting ready for their way south!

Well, the birds move south where it's warm and toasty but you might want to move north to the Olympic Peninsula. Most of our Sequim blog visitors are the ones who love Sequim, the Olympic Mountains and our plenty of water around it for a vacation. Another group of mostly retired people have heard about Sequim as a wonderful retirement town - small town living with big town amenities!

Today's Sequim vacation blog post is an update on the real estate market in Sequim and Clallam County, which is especially for those who want to move to Sequim sooner or later. A recent article in the Peninsula Daily News "2nd Quarter home sales rise in Clallam, Prices fall" states that sales of existing home sales grew slightly in Clallam County while prices for homes dropped compared to the 1st quarter. The price of a median home is currently $212,100, which is a drop of 15.2% and somewhat below state average. There are many more real estate stats listed in the article.

Bottom line: Sequim real estate is welcoming buyers. The buyer's market is strengthening. Visit Sequim and see for yourselves what houses are available and at what prices!

A good way to find out whether Sequim living is right for you, is staying in Sequim for a month, maybe even at different months of the year. We offer the best monthly rates for a fully equipped 1Bd/1Ba Sequim vacation rental with top amenities at premier, peaceful location, near Park + Shopping! We are happy to share our knowledge of life in Sequim and moving to Sequim with everybody who stays with us!

Tags: Sequim real estate, Homes for sale in Sequim, Sequim home bargains

Heat Wave in Sequim

Has Sequim ever seen such hot temperatures like the 92 F the other day? I seriously doubt it. That's definitely the highest summer temperatures we have experienced since we moved her in January 2006. It does not seem like this heat wave will stop today. Writing this post at 11am, actually temperatures are not too bad: 23C or 74F.

I also checked my Wunderground Sequim weather forecast logo on our Sequim Town Blog and found out that this is totally off, just as our Acuweather forecast in the Peninsula Daily News is. Best you give us a call as our friends did who just moved from Hawaii to Portland OR where they encountered 104 F yesterday.

Let's get things straight. This is the Pacific Northwest which probably never had a heat wave like that in the past. I was so surprised to hear on our Seattle Kiro News last night that most Seattle houses don't have AC. Well, why should they. They never needed it in the past. Temperatures in Seattle were soaring yesterday and are expected to reach 100F today. Movie theaters are having great business because they are air conditioned. Any place which has AC gets some extra business these hot summer days in the the Pacific Northwest.

When we designed our new house in Sequim, we were wondering whether to save the $8000 on a fancy heat pump for an area which is known for its mild winters and cool summers. OK for resale value we decided to get the heat pump, which can also function as AC unit for your entire house. Can you imagine how happy we are that we had done that.

People in Sequim and Seattle are trying to keep their houses cold with portable AC units. Naturally, these are sold out everywhere. Our friend's heat pump in Sun Meadows just failed the other day. Keoki tried to make it work again but no such luck. She had to call the heat pump company and is now lined up with 72 customers all waiting for repair of their heat pumps. There is a 2-day waiting time.

In any case, Sequim summer 2009 is definitely different, compared to its past history, with high temperatures beyond the 80F mark. Everybody is used to high temperatures in TX, AZ and HI but in Sequim?!

We expect Sequim temperatures to come down again to our regular summer temperatures between 70 - 80 F on this upcoming weekend. We will keep you updated on Sequim summer. Stay cool this summer wherever you live!
p.s.
Our next post will be about U-pick berries in Sequim. Are there any organically grown berries available? That will be the question.

Tags: Heat wave PNW, hot summer Sequim, Sequim town

Hummingbirds in Sequim

Dear Sequim Town blog visitors,

Believe me this year's Lavender Festival in Sequim was a huge success. It was our third Sequim Lavender Festival ever since we moved here but this one went through the roof. One could hardly make his way through the street fair and the buses to the Sequim Lavender Farms had even people waiting in line for the next bus, at least when we went by the bus stop.

I was also under impression that the number of business booths had increased whether it was lavender products - the seducing smell was everywhere - or hats, jewelery, signs, leather bags, t-shirts, you name it, you could find it at our street fair in Fir St.

Now, let's jump to our today's post topic. When we moved to Sequim from Hawaii in 2006, we knew all about Sequim weather, annual precipitation, number of people living here, house prices and such. However, we did not know that Sequim is an oasis of hummingbirds. Actually, we did not know much about humming birds because those fun little creatures are not around in Hawaii. Read what Wikipedia has to say about hummingbirds.

Finally, when spring 2009 came to Sequim, we decided to set up a hummingbird feeder on our kitchen balcony where our little dining table is located for taking our meals. After we had watched how all our friends and neighbors enjoyed many visits by their little hummingbird, we wanted to have our own hummingbirds too, and believe us so we do. The following hummingbird video will show.

After having set up the hummingbird feeder on the balcony and adding some sugar water 1/4 cup on 2 cups of water, we had to wait a few days till the birdies showed up. What still amazes me is that the hummingbirds would still try our feeder with all the other hummingbird feeders out there by our Sequim neighbors.

Now, we love our little hummingbird friends on their daily visits and miss them when they don't show up. Anyways, watch Keoki's hummingbird video. He took it with our new digital camera - amazing what those modern cameras can do theses days - and we uploaded it to youtube. Enjoy our Sequim hummingbird video!

Tags: Sequim Lavender Festival, Sequim vacation, Sequim hummingbirds

Sequim 13th Lavender Festival biggest Sequim Event of the Year

The 13th Annual Sequim Lavender Festival is looking round the corner. We already see more visitors in little Sequim town. The big lavender festival event days will be this weekend Friday 16 - Sunday 19 at 10am - 6pm. Last year the lavender was not yet in full bloom for the Festival after a colder and wetter spring season but believe us this year, all the Sequim lavender fields are blooming and sending out this intoxicating and seducing smell of lavender.

We have friends from Hawaii visiting and will be happy to share all the great things in Sequim to do during the Lavender Festival. Sequim visitors and residents alike can buy tickets for the farm tours at $15 a person, children under 12 are free. This lavender ticket allows you to tour all the 7 Sequim Lavender farms like famous Lost Mountain Lavender Farm, Purple Haze, Jardin du Soleil Lavender and more. You may watch and listen to growers share their techniques about growing, drying and using lavender. You can use the tour bus on all three days for free.

In addition to visiting the lavender farms and buying lots of freshly cut lavender and lavender products there, the lavender street fair will offer 150 crafts and lavender booths, food, music and shopping in downtown Sequim. We had such a great time last year and will definitely return.


I never added my photos from the last year's Lavender street fair. Here are Sequim photos to give you a taste of what you may expect at the Sequim street fair. Enjoy Sequim, the Lavender festival, the very friendly Sequim people and our Sequim street fair photos.

Here is some special information for dog owners:

Sequim's famous and unique 'dog sitting' program for the Sequim Lavender Festival operated by Gentle Paws, provides safe comfort for your dog while you enjoy the street fair and the lavender farms. Sorry dogs cannot be allowed on the farms. You will find the location downtown Sequim where the tour buses to the Lavender Farms take off.

Sequim Lavender Festival Related Articles

Sequim Lavender Festival Video
Visit Sequim Lavender Festival 2008
Sequim Lavender Festival

Tags: Sequim, Sequim lavender festival, Sequim vacation

Sequim 1991 RV Motorhome Class C 19' For Sale

1991 Coachman self contained RV Motorhome 19ft for Sale Motorhome Class C in excellent condition Asking price $8,900

SOLD within 4 Days!

We bought this nice looking motorhome van in 2006 from the original owner who always kept it in the garage. The motor home is in good, clean, attractive condition, inside and outside. When we built our house here in Sequim in 2007, we included a motorhome garage for best storage. However, with our house building + moving in project taking up most of our recent time, we hardly used the motorhome since we bought it in 2009.


Class C Motorhome features:

- 1 ton Chevrolet 5.7L - 350 CID
- 50,000 Original miles
- New computer, New Tires
- Automatic, cruise control, Interior Convenience Group
- NEW batteries: 1 automotive + 1 deep cell 12 Volt
- Dometic refrigerator with new cooling unit 2003
- Refrigerator runs on gas, electric or 12 Volt
- Atwood 6 Gal gas water heater, electric ignition, new 2003
- Wedgewood 2 burner propane stove
- Samsung Microwave
- JVC Cassette player w/rear speakers
- Coleman Rooftop air conditioner
- Suburban furnace
- 12 volt Vacuum
- Sofa bed w/memory foam + overhead bed
- rear toilet + shower/tub
- plenty of cabinet space
- 10' Awning
- 4 stabilizing jacks



This Class C Coachman Motorhome 1991 runs great. It can be easily driven. Motorhome gets 15mpg on Hwy. The motorhome van is great for short term vacation trips or guys driving to a job site away from home.

If you are interested in this Class C motorhome for sale at asking price of $8,900 and live in the Sequim, Olympic Peninsula or Seattle area, give us a call for a viewing appointment of our Coachman motorhome 360-504-1157.

Tags: Sequim, Motorhome for Sale, Class C motorhome for Sale, RV 19' Coachman for Sale

Olympic Peninsula Biggest Open House Weekend

Dealing with Sequim vacation and Moving to Sequim, we could not skip this information. Yesterday, we received a brochure in our mail 'The Biggest Open House Weekend on the Olympic Peninsula' this Saturday June 27 + Sunday 28. The brochure was published by the Peninsula Daily News. What it basically means, Sequim and Port Angeles realtors joined the biggest Washington state wide open house weekend announced for this weekend.


One of the headlines on the front cover of this Open House brochure reads 'Over 100 Open Houses this Saturday and Sunday'! I could not resist and counted all the houses for sale listed in Port Angeles and Sequim with open house dates, hours and realtors: 116 homes + lots all together, 43 of those listings were for Sequim.

This is a great effort by WA and Olympic Peninsula realtors to get the housing market moving again. As in the rest of the nation, not much moved or sold in the past 1 to 1 1/2 years. I myself as a lay person see one reason for the current stagnation in the Sequim real estate market that house prices came down somewhat from the inflated prices yet they are still high (too high), especially, when everybody struggles to make ends meet in these days of economic slowdown.

People who originally wanted to move to Sequim, put their project on hold and rather stay where they live right now. This way saving money on expensive moving costs or house closing costs. Quite a number are not able to sell their homes in CA, AZ or Hawaii because they don't want to take huge losses.

Perusing the 100 homes for sale listings, I noticed that there are not many homes under $200K available for purchase. If so, they are really very old, manufactured homes or really small. First time home buyers might get tempted when viewing those homes, especially with the $8,000 tax credit.


We will have to wait and see whether this biggest Open House Weekend on the Olympic Peninsula will be a stimulus for Sequim home buyers. I hope that Sequim realtors were smart enough to advertise it way ahead on Craigslist or ads in CA and AZ.

Tags: Sequim real estate, WA biggest open house weekend, 100 houses for sale

Biking the Olympic Discovery Trail from Sequim to Port Angeles

Welcome back everybody to Sequim Vacation blog,

With our most recent post 'Sequim Summer Vacation at Best Monthly Rate', we invited everybody from the hot summer state to spend a cool summer vacation in Sequim at our vacation rental.

When you like the Great Outdoors and love being outside walking, hiking, biking like we do, you will love Sequim at first sight. This is not the X-Games. Sequim vacation is for everybody, young and old, the strong athlete or the weekend 'warrior'. Activity levels all depend on what you are up to. The moderate temperatures during summer definitely help to feel good with anything you do in Sequim and the Olympics. Here is our latest activity challenge.

Saturday morning, we decided it's about time to take up the challenge and ride our bikes from Sequim to Port Angeles on the Olympic Discovery Trail, which crosses close-by at Carry Blake Park. Here are a few facts for those who never heard about the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Some Trail Facts

The Olympic Discovery Trail has its history in the old railroads since much of the route is located on historic grades built in 1914 and 1915. Half of its 22-mile way from Sequim to P.A. runs along old railroads. Currently 34 miles are completed with more than 30 miles under construction. Just imagine, eventually, the Olympic Discovery Trail will run nearly 125 miles from Port Townsend on the Puget Sound to LaPush on the Pacific Ocean!

Our Olympic Discovery Trail Adventure in Photos

Saturday morning 10am start of our 22-mile bike ride to PortAngeles from Sequim.

1. Photo:

Eagle Habitat taken from trail entering Railroad Bridge Park. We met our friend Bob with his trike who tells us that he encountered some strong head winds going further down the trail past Railroad Bridge.

2. Photo

Wonderful ever-changing mountain views seen riding the trail westwards. Wind is blowing strong, against us!

3. Photo

Stop at Robin Hill Park for short break and warming up in the sun. We are both in shorts and feel the wind chill factor!

4. Photo

More beautiful scenery with wild flowers (see photo) and lots of bright yellow Scotch broom (looks nice but is invasive weed, my friend Sue told me) from trail leading now along Old Olympic Hwy.

5. No Photos

We did not take any photos of 2 - 3 gulches and steep inclines at other sides, where we had to push our bikes. At this point, we decided to keep going, even though a return half the way along, would have been much better - getting the wind from the back! Well, we followed our destination!

6. + 7. Photo

After 2 hrs biking, we are arriving at the open ocean or better: the Straits of Juan de Fuca. What a difference after riding through the woods for so long. Smelling the fresh ocean air. Enjoying the new scenery. Port Angeles is still 5 - 6 miles away. We take a break in the sun.

7. Photo

The last leg of the Olympic Discovery Trail runs all along the ocean into Port Angeles Harbor. It is a beautiful ride but be aware that the trail is mostly in the shade. With the strong winds facing us, we longed for some long pants on this part of the bike ride.

After about a 3-hr bike ride from Sequim to Port Angeles with several stops resting, drinking water and taking photos, we arrived at the new Gateway bus stop in PA, a few yards from where you enter the Harbor. We were extremely lucky that the Sequim bus was still there and even our bikes would fit on the front bike rack. All for $1.50 for the 15-mile ride from PA to Sequim. It was feeling sooooooo good to finally sit down, relax and be proud of our accomplishment of biking the Olympic Discovery Trail. When we can do, so can you! Give it a try on your next Sequim vacation.

Tags: bike from Sequim to Port Angeles, Sequim vacation, best Sequim things to do

Sequim Summer Vacation Best Sequim Monthly Rate

Hooray Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula are connected with Seattle and everybody else again, as reported in our June 5th post 'Hood Canal Bridege opened early'.

Sequim Marathon last Sunday received a big boost from the early opening of the bridge. About 300 more runners signed up. Sequim weather cooperated with the marathon runners with some cooler temperatures instead of our recent hot Sequim summer weather. Effects of global warming? Who knows. Most Sequim residents don't mind, at least if temperatures don't go much beyond the 80 F.


With summer temperatures rising in states like AZ, HI, CA or TX to temperatures past the 90 F and Sequim's attraction to summer visitors rising as well, we decided to offer our visitors the LOWEST monthly rate for their Sequim vacation at $950/mo. Compare to regular monthly rates offered by other fully equipped Sequim vacation rentals at $1200/mo.


Our fully equipped private 'Bell Hill View' 1Bd/1Ba Sequim vacation rental apartment provides a great home-away-from-home to visitors to explore Sequim, the Olympic Mountains + the Olympic Discovery Trail. Not to forget there is no better time than NOW to look for and find a piece of land as investment, buy a manufactured home for summer stays or for rental income or buy a Sequim Home at the lowest price ever in recent years. Sequim realtors are awaiting your visit. Let's see what else is there to do in Sequim in June.

Sequim Events for June

Today, Friday June 12, starts the Annual Driftwood Show in Carrie Blake Park, which will last till Sunday. Great family fun and free!

The Olympic Explorer Volkssport Club will host a 10-kilometer or 6.2 mile walk along country roads and the Olympic Discovery Trail. You may meet with the group Saturday morning before 9am at QFC.

Sequim Open Aire Market is open for business Sat. June 13 from 9am - 3pm. Located in Cedar St, over 60 farmers and artists are selling their products. Live music is from 11am - 2pm, and there will be lots of food stands to enjoy some breakfast or lunch.

Summer family fun is coming our way with this new season 'Music & Movies in the Park' starting June 23 (more events 6/30, 7/28, 8/28). This is a free event to Sequim residents and visitors alike. Local sponsors make this possible. Thank you!

Last but not least, Sequim Berry season officially opened with Camron Strawberry Farm and Graysmarsh Farm announcing the U-Pick season for strawberries. I made it to Graysmarsh yesterday and picked the biggest and ripest strawberries - took me an hours to pick - which we served our friends with Vanilla ice-cream. No berries from the stores can compete with fresh berries from the field! Another reason for a Sequim vacation!

Tags: Sequim vacation, best monthly rate Sequim, Things to do in Sequim

Hood Canal Bridge Opened Early

Here is some good news for all our visitors to the olympic Peninsula - and not to gorget the ca. 16,000 daily commuters - the Hood Canal Bridge reopened way early before scheduled construction deadline on 6/15. The promised $75,000 to the contractor for each day earlier opening made a miracle happen. The Hood Canal Bridge opened Wednesday night June 2nd at 10:19pm.

Everybody is more than happy that the Hood Canal Bridge is open. Sequim and the Peninsula are connected with rest of the world again! Sequim summer vacation for visitors, hikers and campers to the Olympic National Park can begin! You bet that the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort appreciates that they can resume business, especially from the Seattle area, as normal.

It might be a little too late for the North Olympic Discovery Marathon from Sequim to Port Angeles this Sunday. There over 13,000 runners/walkers signed up by Tuesday this week, which is considerably less than 2008. The lower numbers are contributed by the organizers to the economic slowdown + the closure of the Hodd Canal Bridge. The marathon organizers still expect some 200 late sign ups from the Poulsbo area due to the early opening of the bridge.

The 26.2 Marathon Walk, Marathon and Relay Teams all start at Sequim's Carrie Blake Park Sunday morning, just a 2-min. walk from our house. Walks start at 7am and Marathon at 9am. All events end at City Pier in PA. Let's hope that the weather will cooperate. Forecasts predict that our 3-week Sequim summer weather spell is supposed to come to an end tomorrow. I kind of got used to the Hawaiian weather in Sequim!
p.s.
For those who consider moving to Sequim, visit our post 'Sequim Homes for Rent' with information on Sequim house rentals and leases.

Tags: Sequim vacation, Sequim Marathon, Hood Canal Bridge open

Sequim Houses for Rent

Summer is here, not just the beautiful Sequim summer weather indicating it but more emails from potential future Sequim residents show that people think again about moving to Sequim. We received the following email today from San Jose, CA. We decided, in agreement with the email writer, to publish it on Sequim Town blog together with our personal response regards the request for help:

"Found your blog and enjoyed reading it.

My son lives in Auburn and has suggested I consider moving to Sequim. He is flying me up in a week or two for a visit and to explore the area. I've been online looking at rentals and have found some possibilities on the Peninsula but nothing in Sequim. I'm not looking for a vacation rental but for a place to live. Do you have any suggestions as to where I should look for listings?

It will take awhile to prepare for the move assuming I'm going to like the area as much as I think I'm going to but I need to have some idea of what's available and at what prices.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Cassandra Andre"

We are always happy to hear that people really appreciate the information on our Sequim Vacation blog. From the above email and our phone conversation, I have the feeling that Cassandra already did plenty of research about Sequim as her future place to live and is just narrowing down her options where to live in Sequim.


As she is not interested in buying a house in Sequim, she is asking for resources where to find adequate Sequim home rentals at affordable prices. Here are our recommendations for her and others who look for a house for rent in Sequim:

Sequim Homes for Rent Resources

It has never been easier and more affordable to find a house for rent in Sequim than NOW. Sequim Gazette is a good place to look. I was not surprised to see how much Sequim house rental rates had come down during the last months! Good for the renters, not good for the owners.

In finding more resources for Cassandra, I also came across this forum where people posted their experience with Sequim. It never hurts to read personal feedbacks about the town you consider to move to.

Here are the current Sequim rentals available for lease by Action Property Management But remember this is a limited resource as not everybody lists his house for rent with a rental management company.

The Classifieds in the Peninsula Daily News always list new places for rent. We recommend to check those on a weekly basis. I just checked the houses for rent in Sequim + Port Angeles area today.

Last but not least, we told Cassandra to come here for a short vacation. Use the above house rental resources and make a list of the ones you take into close consideration: square footage, rate per month, location with physical address. It's so much easier to make a decision when you have had a look at a house from the outside. Upon our arrival in Sequim, we worked through a list of about 12 Sequim houses for sale. In the end, there were only three left which we were interested to have a look at the inside.

It's a little bit different with renting or leasing a home in Sequim compared to buying a house, yet still you want to feel comfortable with the countryside, the neighborhood and whether you can imagine living there.

BTW Cassandra, who is an artist and a writer who works from home, asked me to include her email address with this blog post. Sequim houses for rent owners may write her an email with details and photos about their house for rent. Good luck, Cassandra, for finding a nice house to rent in Sequim!

Tags: Sequim Homes for Rent, Sequim Houses Leases, Sequim Vacation