Nomad Life - Day 114

After another relaxing and restful sleep (I've had a string of these lately), I awoke at 0430 (alarm required) in my room at the Pacific Beach Resort & Conference Room.  Almost immediately, I saw evidence (blinking lights on clocks) that the power had gone out overnight.  Fortunately, none of this prevented me from beginning my telework day... I had a series of early meetings to keep me busy for a while.  Meanwhile, it was quiet outside.  Later, though, it started to rain hard and also got really windy.  Snug, warm and dry, I made breakfast in my room and continued teleworking,  My phone reported that the temps in Pacific Beach were in the low 40s.  At about 1000, I could see some sunlight peaking out of the clouds to the east and noticed that the rain and wind had vanished suddenly.  Within 30 minutes, I knew it was time to depart Pacific Beach.  Feeling like I'd missed a chance to truly experience the Resort fully, I spent a bit of time walking around on the property (got photos of the ocean and located the RV park and homes for rent).  When I returned to my room, I got locked out (my key no longer worked) - the Front Desk staff assisted me in getting my belongings and, by 1045, I got in my car. The short period of time with no rain and clear skies to the east didn't last and, as I backtracked towards Gray's Harbor (via WA-109, Copalis Beach Road and Ocean Beach Road), the rain started again.  By the time I was back on US-101, I'd begun to believe I'd have a full repeat of the previous day.  I stopped for lunch at a Dairy Queen in Aberdeen (1115) but ate the food in my car.  Meanwhile, I drove east (US-101 to US-12) and listened to audiobooks.  It continued raining off/on - sometimes, though, it was actually sunny.  Temps were in the mid 40s while I drove - those 50s I'd been seeing are likely done for 2025...  I had to make my way through a lot of road construction and traffic but saw several birds in the Montesano Marsh as I passed.  Near that location, I got a call from Brother Jim and stopped (to hold cell signal) so I could pay attention.  Following the short discussion, I resumed driving and listened to audiobooks.  Before long, I switched on to WA-8 (when US-12 diverged) and then WA-108 to get to US-101.  Following that road towards the north, I soon arrived in Shelton.  During this time, the weather continued improving - yay!  After getting on WA-3, started seeing clear views of the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Range (very pretty).  I stopped a few times, looking for parks and a place for a break.  Eventually,  I was able to pause, on the shoreline of North Bay, at Allyn Waterfront Park (1240).  I did some birding there and then continued driving towards Bremerton.  After passing Gorst, I switched to Charleston Boulevard and soon arrived at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton (1325).  Even after I got on base, it took a while to find the Navy Inn (Google Maps gave wrong directions).  There were also lots of restricted roads and one way streets on post.  Worse, the Naval Shipyard apparently off limits for me.  I managed to locate the Front Desk by 1335 but was then unable to check into a room ("they haven't been cleaned").  The clerk suggested that I wait for an hour.  Hiding my disappointment, I went back to my car and resumed teleworking (using my phone as a hot spot).  Somehow, I got another hour of work done.  Meanwhile, the weather was perfect and I really felt the annoyance of not being able to go on a hike.  Obviously, though, work and checking in were higher priorities...  During this time, it became clear that parking on the Base was at a premium.  At 1445, my second attempt to get a room key was successful; the clerk thanked me for being "surprisingly patient".  His colleague asked if I had enjoyed my last visit but I explained this was the first time I'd been on base - my "Doppelganger" is hot on my trail!  After dropping off my bags in the room (9th of 10 floors), I went for a walk nearby.  While looking at signage near the entry gate, I discovered that the USS Nimitz and USS Reagan were stationed at the base - sadly, I couldn't figure out how to visit them...  Instead, I explored the housing area and found a few other access gates.  Most of this walk was intended as research for my Ferry ride to Seattle on Friday.  Once I arrived at an area near the Navy Inn, I found the NEX and got a haircut (1520).  I also picked up some snacks and other groceries (1530).  After that, I returned to my car and dropped everything off so I could take a walk outside the base.  Before leaving, I talked to the Security guys (to make sure I was following the rules) and then walked out of the Navy Gate.  I used Naval Avenue to reach Burwell Street, walked east (passed the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard) and eventually located the Bremerton Transportation Center (1600).  Behind this building, I checked out the Ferry Terminal (both for Kitsap Fast Ferry and Washington State Ferries).  Inside, I talked to the people at the Kitsap Ferry Desk and learned how to buy tickets (including electronically).  There was also more information there about the schedule than I'd been able to discover online.  After getting done with my in-person research (1620), I backtracked to the Naval Gate and reentered the base (1645).  Back in my room again, I finished up the last half hour of my telework day.  At  1730, I headed downstairs and across the parking lot to the All American Cafe, where I was able to get some dinner.  They were serving Fettuccini Alfredo with shrimp and a side of broccoli; I also got a roll, a drink and some dessert (cookies) for one price.  With all that food, I skipped adding a salad bar... After dinner was completed, I walked out side to find that the temps had dropped into the low 40s again - fortunately, there was no rain.  I arrived at my room by 1800 and intended to be very productive for the rest of the evening.  Unfortunately, my body wasn't very motivated to do much for the rest of the evening - I ended up just reading, unpacking and stalling until I was able to go to bed.  Again, my body decided the evening activities and I immediately fell asleep at 2130.  It was an interesting day - I'm hoping all the repositioning and research will pay off during the next few days!