5 Best reasons to spend a Summer vacation in Sequim

Dear Sequim researchers,
When you found our Sequim Town blog in your Google search, you were already familiar with little Sequim Town in general but were in search of more details for spending a summer vacation there. Here are our 5 best reasons for spending a summer vacation in Sequim. Remember this is our very personal opinion as residents of Sequim for over 6 years:

1. Take a summer vacation in the town where you want to retire

OK you have heard so many good things about Sequim, and even know how to pronounce it, this little retirement town on the Olympic Peninsula but have NEVER been there. Take a summer vacation in Sequim and find out whether it's the town where you'd like to retire. That's at least what we did and what we recommend to everybody. Talk to as many people as possible, when you are here. To regular folks like us. Just ask them "And where are you from?" This opens all the doors to interesting stories.

2. Summer vacation looking for a house in Sequim

That's for those folks who know for sure that they want to move to Sequim and retire there. Do all your homework when you are still at home checking 'Sequim Houses for Sale' on the Internet. Not only real estate businesses but also 'Homes for sale by owner'. Get familiar with different areas, pros and cons of its subdivisions. Then start making a list of homes for sale matching your budget and expectations. Upon our arrival in Sequim, we checked the location and neighborhood of these house and were quite surprised that a lot did NOT meet our criteria. When we had downsized our list of homes, we contacted the realtor of our choice for real viewings. Sequim home prices were up when we bought in 2005 but now it's still a buyer's market.

3. Best things to do in Sequim in summer

Of course, a summer vacation here - BTW most years, Indian Summers last to September + October - is the perfect time of the year to explore Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula, the Olympic National Park and even Victoria in BC on Vancouver Island. Best to take a longer monthly stay, so you won't feel rushed and can have some relaxing time picking berries. Delicious fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are in season. So is the wonderful lavender. If you want to stay with us for July during Lavender Festival season - 2013 Lavender Festival is July 19 - 21, make your reservation early.

4. How to socialize and make friends in Sequim?

We get quite a number of emails from people who have lots of questions about Sequim BEFORE they come and WHEN they are staying at our 'Bell Hill View Sequim Vacation Rental'. We perfectly understand. So we take the time to answer as many and as detailed as we can. A casual pizza dinner at our house on their arrival night mostly gets the conversation going. As a follow-up, our guests visit the Sequim Senior Center and Sequim Aquatic Recreational Center, our two biggest places to find kindred spirit friends. The following is a view of Bell Hill in the fog which comes from Sequim Bay.

5. Escape the summer heat of Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, California

Yes, you finally can breathe again outdoors on your summer vacation in Sequim. No racing for the next air conditioned building or having to spend summers indoors in your AC home because of the extreme heat in double digits. That's when we Sequim residents say "Good that we live in Sequim!" Sequim enjoys mild winter AND mild summers which makes any outdoor activity like walking, hiking, biking or kayaking a real fun summer activity. Walk along shady Railroad Bridge along Olympic Discovery Trail.

Well, what else can we say? See for yourselves and spend a vacation in Sequim this summer.
p.s.
BTW all these wonderful photos were taken by our Sequim vacation rental guests Sue and Cathy from Missouri who spent July 2012 with us. Thank you so much. Read their testimonial.

Sequim: Vacation glimpses of Sequim summer 2012

Greetings to all our Sequim vacation friends. Yes, Sequim is currently in hibernation but that's a perfect time to snuggle up at your fireplace and remember with us all the wonderful adventures you had last summer vacation. Gabriele shares her outing to the Dungeness Lighthouse with all of you. Maybe it this will inspire some to planning new Sequim adventures for 2013.

 

Let's just start with a few of Gabriele's words she wrote with her text and photo submission to us:

"The Olympic Peninsula is so beautiful, and so varied in it's beauty! Of all the places we've visited in the Northwest, Jon and I keep coming back to this area. And Sequim is such a lovely base from which to explore.

We spent a lovely month in Sequim, with Heidi and Keoki, from mid-August to mid-September.

 

 

While staying in Sequim this past summer, we loved exploring the Olympic Peninsula. There is so much to see and enjoy, from Cape Flattery on the west to Port Townsend on the east. By staying at Heidi and Keoki’s vacation rental, we were centrally located to enjoy it all.

 

 

One of our favorite day trips was right in the Sequim area, the New Dungeness Light Station. The light house sits near the end of the Dungeness Spit, one of the world’s longest natural sand spits and part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. To reach the refuge, you first go through the Dungeness Recreation Area, a very lovely little county park. Make sure you walk along the bluffs overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It’s very beautiful, especially at sunset. We spent several evenings enjoying the view!

 

 To reach the spit, you park at the Wildlife Refuge (there’s a small fee) and walk down to the water. It’s a half mile through trees and along bluffs with some benches along the way to enjoy the view of the spit. You’ll appreciate the benches on the way back up! The beach is a mix of rock and sand with piles of driftwood; a typical Washington beach, I think.

 

 The walk to the New Dungeness Light Station is 10 miles round trip (11 total, back to the parking lot). They suggest planning for a leisurely 4-6 hours. We took 7 hours, requiring several rest stops and an enjoyable hour at the light station. The best part was, of course, the lighthouse! It’s staffed year-round by volunteers, staying at the station in week-long shifts. The two couples there at the time were wonderful hosts, full of information about what we were seeing. You can climb up to the top of the lighthouse and enjoy an amazing view. They even have little gifts for you, for making the trek to see them!

 

 

I’m glad we hiked to the lighthouse, and I’m sure we’ll do it again. Even if you don’t want to walk to the lighthouse, it’s worth visiting the Dungeness Recreation Area and the Wildlife Refuge. Especially at sunset!"

 

Thanks again Gabriele for your wonderful photos and words about your hike to the Dungeness Lighthouse. We are looking forward to seeing you and Jon this summer at 'Bell Hill View vacation rental.' Happy holidays for now.

A short update for all rental inquiries: 'Bell Hill View Sequim vacation rental' has a new email. Sequim summer vacation may be booked starting 1/1/2013.

 

Sequim weather: snow, winter forecast, blue hole

Yes, the Olympic Mountains show the first snow of the season which always reminds us that winter is looking round the corner in Sequim. Sequim weather this weekend was actually a bit on the cold side compared to our regular temperatures. Woke up to 38 F and made it during the day to 52 F but...we had a day of clear blue skies and bright sunshine (see our photo taken from our balcony on Sunday morning). So Carrie Blake Park and its dog park had lots of visitors including us.

Sunday's breakfast was enlightened by our little hummingbird friends coming for a visit, several at a time without fighting, which is unusual. The Canadian geese put on a show of their own. Gathering in the hundreds and flying in formation(s) over our house! It was awesome! Unfortunately I didn't get the camera ready in time to get a good picture of them. Maybe next time. There were still plenty staying behind at the pond when we visited the park. Photo shows Keoki on our walk through Carrie Blake Park with our best friends' dog 'Little Lupe'.

OK what's the latest news in Sequim and in the Peninsula Daily News? Hurricane Ridge is back to being open only on weekends weather permitting. The 2-yr experiment over the past two winters to keep Hurricane Ridge open also during the week, which was a joint effort of our local communities of Port Angeles, Sequim, Olympic National Park and National Park service in WA D.C. was not successful. It takes a lot of money to keep Hurricane ridge road open during the week in winter. The low numbers of visitors did not compensate for it.

Did you know that at 5,242 ft above sea level, Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center gets an average annual snowfall of about 40 0inches. As we said many times here on SequimTown Blog: "Be prepared when tackling the trip. Call the Hurricane Ridge hotline  565-3131 for its daily weather and road updates BEFORE getting on the road." Good news Hurricane Ridge will be open for the week between Christmas and New Year's. There you go. Even Sequim residents and their visitors can enjoy a White Christmas.

Last but not least, we are still picking raspberries from our bushes, and Dalias are still in full bloom. BTW, weather forecast for the Pacific Northwest including little Sequim town: forecast for a mild winter 2012. There is always a blue hole to let some sun rays through to Sequim or Port Angeles (see our blue hole photo).

And don't forget: Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania visitors or else who would like to spend a month or two at moderate Sequim weather hiking, biking, picking berries and have a wonderful vacation can always make their rental reservation for "Bell Hill View' Sequim Vacation Rental by sending us an email "Sequim rental reservation 2013". 

"The early bird catches the worm."

2012 Sequim Indian Summer

Sequim residents and visitors alike cannot believe their good luck with the recent weather. We are currently blessed with a constant beautiful  FALL weather all over the Olympic Peninsula.

OK I reported here on our Sequim Town blog about Indian Summers before - actually just mentioned it with our Sequim rental reviews recently - and told people who wanted to visit Sequim in fall that September & October are perfect for a vacation later in the season. The weather this fall has proven this more than ever. It has been absolutely gorgeous for days and days. To be honest we did not count the continuous days of blue skies and sunshine from morning till night. Everybody just enjoys the weather with lots outdoor activities, as long as it lasts.

BTW, our hummingbirds do so too. Our hummingbird feeder is busier than ever contributing to a very entertaining breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Sequim: Vacation Rental Sequim WA Reviews 2012

Dear Sequim Vacation blog visitors, 
Those last three weeks this summer 2012 have been really special in Sequim not only because of a wonderful Indian summer with lots of blue skies, ripe sweet berries, bike rides on the Discovery Trail and much more, but also because of all the nice new friends we made as hosts of our 'Bell Hill View Vacation Rental', your home away from home.

September proved again to be lovely in Sequim. Aah the views! October mostly follows suit with sunny days but colder nights preparing us for winter. Hope Julie from NM who plans to stay at our Sequim rental for a vacation this October will be as happy as our 2012 guests have been:

May 2012

Dear Heidi & Keoki,
Thank you very much for trusting us with your beautiful place, We felt very comfortable and most of all, welcomed!

Your place is spotless. I haven't seen anything close to this. Everything you think of is here ready for our use. Thank you making it easy. Thanks for the bike. My son enjoyed the ride a lot...

When you have the time, please, visit us in Manila. Many thanks, Rebecca, Manila

June 2012

Thanks so much, Heidi & Keoki. You have created a wonderful haven here: a great place to do both, work and rekax. Thanks for all your generosity and gracious hospitality. I' m already missing being here. 

Love Deb & Bob, Iowa

July/August 2012

Dear Heidi & Keoki,

We really appreciate all the things you did to make us feel at home here in Sequim - from the special blanket for the couch, to a new HDTV + DVR, for fresh raspberries, orchids & newspapers, gas barbie and two special dinners.

This was a wonderful place to use as a base to explore Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula and the surrounding areas. Thanks for your hospitality!

Cathy & Sue, O'Fallon, MO

September 2012

Hi Heidi & Keoki,

Washington always reminds me of the Munich area. Maybe that's why I enjoy Washington so much.

We had the nicest stay in your lovely apartment. Thank you so much for renting to us at such short notice. You and Keoki are wonderful hosts. We enjoyed getting to know both of you. I especially enjoyed our blueberry picking time!

When you start booking for next summer, please keep us in mind. We'd love to come back.

Take care, Gabriele and Jon, Rockport TX

New event in Sequim: Sequim Balloon Festival in September

Sequim Balloon Festival

Dear Sequim visitors,

Guess what?! Now we don't only have a Sequim Irrigation Festival in May and a Sequim Lavender Festival in July, our newest attraction is Sequim Balloon Festival in September for three days over Labor Day weekend. Actually, balloons already took off each morning from a field next to Sequim Airport. They were flying passengers early in the morning, when winds have not picked up yet, for a fee of $250/person for a sightseeing over Sequim.

We decided this morning at 6am to get ourselves some glimpses of the hot air balloons + photos at Sequim Airport. Alas an early fog made it in from Sequim Bay. When we returned at 7:15am to Sequim Airport, to our surprise the fog had lifted, lots of visitors and 7 air balloons and their teams had gathered for a spectacular exciting event: the filling and taking off of the balloons.

Tomorrow Saturday September 1 will be the first day of the official Sequim Balloon Festival. The Festival site will be a field, next to Purple Haze Lavender Farm, off W.Sequim Bay Road. There will be a dozen balloons, including the Little Bee Balloon team - we hope to still be able to post of photo of those - an evening Night Glow, a Hare and Hound balloon race on Monday morning, a classic car show, live music, arts & craft booths, street dances, beer & wine garden and so much more. For tickets & more details visit Sequim Balloon Festival.

Now let's enjoy Sequim Ballon Festival photos:

Sequim Airport

Road to Airport at 7am Friday morning

Keoki watches the first balloons getting filled with hot air

Exciting to watch the balloons getting filled

More air balloons getting ready

REMAX balloon is the first to take off

Biggest basket carries about 10 passengers

There they are up in the air enjoying their ride over Sequim town

Balloons with famous Sequim 'Blue Hole' as a backdrop

All the balloons are ready to go - the Sequim Balloon Festival has started

Tags: New Sequim event, Sequim Balloon Festival

Sequim Lavender Festival in the Park 2012

Sequim lavender lovers got their share of beautiful lavender flowers & lavender products at the 2012 Sequim Lavender Festival with two festivals at the same time: Lavender in the Park and the Lavender Street Fair in Fir. However, the weather did not cooperate for the entire time. Sunday, which is normally the day with the best sales of vendors' lavender products, was rainy the entire day. Lucky us, that we visited 'Lavender in the Park' on Saturday.

'Lavender in the Park' photos taken by Sequim Vacation blog:

Sequim Lavender in the Park


Sequim lavender rock garden in the park


Sequim visitors and residents love their rock garden


Music at Lavender in the Park or each Tuesday 6pm during summer


Keoki admires lavender plants


More lavender plants at 'Lavender in the Park'


Meeting our Sequim friends Edie & Brian at Lavender in the Park


Owner of Sequim Raptor Rescue Center attracts big crowd with his talk + owl


Visit Sequim WA site for more information on current and future events on your Sequim vacation.

Tags: Sequim Lavender Festival 2012, Lavender in the Park

Sequim News for July 2012

Dear Sequim visitors,
Let's have a little glimpse about what you can await on your July Sequim visit. Sequim News published by the City of Sequim each month will help us to put today's blog post together.


As usual, let's start with the Sequim weather this July. July did not start as 'summerly', as we all expected after 'June Gloom'. Yes admittedly that was a bit of a disappointment especially when one is waiting for going picking berries + cherries. Our cherry orchard lady told us just yesterday that we will still have to wait another 1 1/2 or 2 weeks, all depending on the sunshine Sequim will be getting. Most important there are cherries on the trees. We just need to patient and wait a bit longer.

What else is new in Sequim this summer?

Music in the Park

Annual Music in the Park during summer started. Concerts take place each Tuesday 6pm at the James Center in Carrie Blake Park. Nice to know what music will be played. So make your selection:
July 3 Dukes of Dabob play Dixieland<
July 10 Mark Whitman Band plays Rhythm & Blues
July 17 Bound to Happen plays variety

July 24 Karaoke Idol - Contest (see sequimwa.gov website for registration)
July 31 Cascada plays Latin Guitar & World Fusion 2012

2012 Sequim Lavender Festival

Sequim Lavender Festival coming up Some of my lavender bushes at the house are already in full bloom. Others are still waiting. It all depends on the kind of lavender. However, we know that by July 20th, the start of the Lavender Festival, all the lavenders on Sequim Lavender Farms, along Sequim's sidewalks (don't miss Hendrickson St for a photo) and people's personal lavender bushes will be blooming beautifully. The wonderful scent of lavender will be lingering everywhere in little Sequim town. It's a lavender extravaganza which thousands of visitors will enjoy when visiting Sequim on the weekend of July 20 - July 22 for the Lavender Festival. Also visit SequimLavenderFarms for more information about events.

Sequim Centennial

Plans are underway for Sequim's 100th birthday party! There are many ways for Sequim residents & visitors to participate and enjoy the celebration. Visit SequimWA.gov for the highlights of Sequim Centennial. The Sequim Centennial Celebration starts October 2012 with lots of events leading to its finale in November 2013, which will make the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Sequim. Become a sponsor of the Sequim Centennial 2013.

If you are planning a vacation in Sequim , our Sequim Vacation Rental 'Bell Hill View', at a beautiful peaceful location offers a 1Bd/1Ba fully equipped for Sequim vacation.

Happy 4th of July everybody from Sequim!

Tags: Visit Sequim this summer, Sequim Lavender Festival

Sequim Vacation Round-up May 2012

Dear Sequim Town visitors,
We are well aware that temperatures in Arizona and Texas are gradually climbing. So are your ready for your Sequim vacation? Moderate Sequim weather is perfect getting a break from the heat. If you had just known that our normally cooler May in Sequim had turned out to be the nicest spring month ever, we are sure you had planned an early Sequim vacation this May.





Blue skies with snow-covered Olympic Mountains as a backdrop, warm day-time temperatures and all the colorful spring flowers like lilac and cherry blossom trees with their wonderful scent in the air have been spoiling us for most of this month of May. We are thrilled.


Here is our personal short round-up on Sequim May weather and Sequim events.

Our 117th Sequim Irrigation Festival was a full success with 130 entries in our Saturday May 12th parade. As usual, big fun for everybody, participants from everywhere and Sequim spectators, resident and early Sequim visitors. The weather was just gorgeous! BTW we decided the fireworks on Friday night before the parade was absolutely the best we have ever experienced in our 6 years (!) of life in Sequim. It got many 'Aahs' and 'Oohs' from us from our prime seats on our balcony overlooking Sequim town.

Carrie Blake Park invites Sequim residents and visitors for walks, bike rides, jogs or just resting on a bench and watch our plentiful wild life. Sometimes the dear creatures are not that welcome but without them Sequim wouldn't be the same attractive to all of us. The deer ate my beautiful pansies - actually they skillfully bit off the blossoms - and the Canadian geese graze on the new soccer field despite they are not supposed to do so. What can you do? It's their home.


Speaking of the Canadian geese, there are not many of these who have babies this year. We only came across on goose family with seven chicks. They must have just hatched but were already going with mama and papa for a swim in the pond in the park.


Hummingbirds are entertaining us again when having breakfast. All those different looks they have!

Our Peonies and Irises are ready to pop. That's when real spring starts in Sequim.

Our Sequim vacation rental has opened for the 2012 vacation season with guests from Iowa and Missouri. We are looking forward to your Sequim town visit.

Scenery next to your Sequim vacation rental outdoor sitting area. Since this is a favorite deer crossing, it contains mostly ground cover and lavenders which deer do not like.

Tags: Sequim vacation rental

Sequim computer service needed at Sequim vacation rental?

Dear Sequim Vacation blog visitors,

When moving to Sequim from Hawaii in 2006, we faced lots of adjustments as everybody else who moves to an area they are totally new to. Our 12-day Sequim vacation in October 2005 was more or less focusing on finding the perfect Sequim home to buy which we actually did.

Upon our final moving to Sequim in January 2006, we had our hands full moving into our house in Sun Meadows, finding new kindred spirit friends and make ourselves familiar with Sequim town services with priority being shopping. Well, to find the right guy for overseeing the hard and soft ware of our PC and laptop seemed to be quite challenging. I even called my Hawaii computer expert friends occasionally.

We also tried several times our luck with Sequim guys who advertised their Sequim computer service in Sequim publications which worked mostly just OK till we heard from our good neighbors about a computer guy Bob Bennett from Port Angles. Bob had worked for years in the computer business before he finally started his own computer business in the Port Angeles/Sequim area.

Bob solved any of computer issues to our total satisfaction. Best part when working with Bob is that he set up a virtual assistant meaning he can check our computer from his home without having to come for an appointment to Sequim.

Why do we tell you about Bob's computer service in Sequim? Our Sequim vacation rental offers FREE wireless Internet to our visitors. 95% of our guests take advantage of this offer by bringing their laptop to Sequim in order to be connected with friends + family or their Sequim realtor on their Sequim vacation. Good to know that an experienced computer expert is only a phone call away when Microsoft Windows plays tricks on you.

Tags: Sequim Computer Service

Sequim Webcams

Dear Sequim lovers,
It's winter time in Sequim. And yes, we received our share of snow, 1ft. at times and were busy shoveling our garage drive ways free of the white till the warm Chinook winds took care of it and melted the snow away. For all these people who only visit Sequim in summer but still consider moving to Sequim for good sooner or later, it might be quite interesting to have a look NOW at Sequim and our webcams in Sequim. Sequim webcams show you what Sequim is like during the winter months.

Let's start with our annual Sequim Lavender Festival which is undoubtedly the biggest attraction for Sequim visitors in July. With a short 1 mile drive, Purple Haze Lavender Farm is just around the corner from downtown Sequim. Visit 10 acres of organic lavender fields! The Farm Store is now closed for the season, but the Sequim downtown Purple Haze Lavender Store is open.

In 2007 the Sequim Dungeness Lighthouse celebrated its 150th anniversary. It was a big Sequim town celebration with lots of food and entertainment and facts to hear about the history of the Dungeness Lighthouse. The Dungeness Lighthouse is at the end of the Dungeness Spit, the longest natural spit in the United States. When planning a beach walk (more a hike) to the lighthouse, be aware that it's 5.5 miles one way. So plan a day trip with food, water and lots of sunscreen & a hat.

New Sequim Dungeness Lighthouse Webcam

 

The link and image are refreshed every 1.5 minutes.

More Webcams in Sequim and area around Sequim

Sequim Valley Airport Webcam



The Cutting Garden Sequim Web Cam



Do you know of any other Sequim web cams? Please, let us and our Sequim visitors know.

Tags: Sequim Web Cams

Hurricane Ridge visit October 2011

Whenever we Sequim residents have visitors, we share with them the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula like Crescent Lake and Hurricane Ridge. Hurricane Ridge is attracting more visitors on their Sequim vacation after funds were raised last year to keep Hurricane Ridge open all year round 24/7. This is a big commitment for the Olympic National Park and the responsible authorities. Port Angeles and Sequim businesses expect more visitors this winter from skiers, snow-shoers and hikers to visit winter wonderland at the Ridge.

On our first Sequim vacation in September 2005, we encountered the first snow of the season on Hurricane Ridge. It was funny to see people in flipflops and shorts walking around in the snow. No snow this week though, and it's already end of October. We had paid attention to the general weather forecast for the Peninsula for this week and figured Tuesday would be a nice day to have some sun on our visit to Hurricane Ridge.


Before driving up, we checked with the daily Hurricane Ridge weather and street update 360-565-3131, which we definitely recommend to everybody to call who plans a visit to the Ridge. At 9am the fog was still hanging over Hurricane Ridge and the streets still had a bit of ice. We postponed to 2pm.


When arriving at the Visitors' Center, we double checked the Hurricane Ridge webcams whose images are now available there on good size monitors. Great for visitors who are still uncertain whether it's worthwhile driving up to the Ridge. The webcam images looked promising and we made our way up to Hurricane Ridge through some low hanging clouds into beautiful sunshine. No winds blowing which is very rare on Hurricane Ridge. We walked around to enjoy the views, sat a bit in the sun and took some photos. Please, enjoy our latest Hurricane Ridge photos.

Tags: Visit Hurricane Ridge, Hurricane Ridge photos from Sequim Vacation