Gig Harbor Undressed

Enjoying Gig Harbor’s Beaches

Recently, one of this blog’s readers lamented losing access to the Gig Harbor Lighthouse, and mentioned that there isn’t much waterfront access left to those of us without a boat.  He’s right.  Being surrounded by the Puget Sound is one of the things that draws people to Gig Harbor, but getting in and enjoying the water can be tricky.  There are three beaches that I like to visit with my family…any others that you’ve visited?

Narrows Beach Park

The Narrows Park is located on the south east side of Gig Harbor, and was recently upgraded to provide a place for residents to observe the construction of the 2nd Narrows Bridge.  Parking is fairly limited, maybe 20 spaces or so, but the beach and the view are spectacular.  It is very common to find fishermen lining the beach, as well as dog owners and their dogs.  There is a telescope to view the bridge, and a small grassy area as well.  Check the tides before you go.  At a low tide, you can walk seemingly forever (including walking under the bridges).  When the tide comes back, it can come in quickly and the entire beach disappears.

Kopachuck State Park

Kopachuck State Park is located on the west side of Gig Harbor, and offers a fantastic view of the Olympic Mountains.  Being a state park, Kopachuck offers camping, picnic sites, multiple trails, and beach access.  Not only are you able to be at the beach, but Kopachuck Park is a beautiful forest with huge trees and ferns everywhere.  The only drawback that I can think of for Kopachuck is that it is a fairly long, steep walk down to the beach (which in turn creates a long, steep walk back to your car). 

Purdy Spit

Located on the north side of Gig Harbor, the Purdy Spit offers a fun place for kids to play, dogs to run, and people to boat, kayak, and occasionally wind surf.  The Purdy Spit is the smallest of the three beaches, and probably the least accommodating as well.  Parking is a bit treacherous, as you park on the side of a heavily trafficked highway.  This also means that you better keep a close eye on kids and animals at all times.  The Purdy Spit does have some great shells and sea creatures. 

So if you don’t have a boat and you don’t live on the water, these three beaches may be a good option for some recreation.  Keep in mind that the waters near Gig Harbor tend to be cold, so there’s not a lot of swimming going on.  In the summer months, however, a dip in the Puget Sound can feel pretty nice (it does get up to 90 in Gig Harbor on occasion). 

Gig Harbor’s Friendly Residents

I used to walk my dog along the Gig Harbor waterfront nearly every morning.  A local resident, Mike, would walk the waterfront each morning as well, with a pocket full of dog treats (I know I’m not the only one who has met Mike in the mornings!).  He doesn’t have a dog with him, but he loves to give the dogs a treat (or in Sebastian’s case, multiple treats…the beggar). 

When my family and I moved to North Gig Harbor in July, I started walking Seb through Canterwood rather than the waterfront, since it was closer and just as nice in its own way.  Well, this morning I decided to take Seb walking on the waterfront again just for a change of pace.  Sure enough, not more than 4 minutes into our walk, we see Mike coming towards us with his familiar gait.

Seb started wiggling and whining when Mike was still 100 feet away.  Keep in mind Mike and I only know each other from our walks.  I’ve never seen him anywhere other than the waterfront on our morning walks.  Also keep in mind it’s been about 5 months since I’ve seen him.

While giving Seb a treat or two (or three), Mike asked if my wife had delivered our child yet, was she going back to teaching, etc.  I was impressed and honored that he even remembered my name (I was thankful I remembered his) much less all the details about my life.  Mike’s a great example of the friendliness of the folks in the Harbor.

When people are moving to Gig Harbor, or anywhere I suppose, they always want to know, “What are the people like?”  I know you can’t generalize, and Gig Harbor has its share of sour apples who aren’t the kindest, but for the most part, if you were to take a pulse of the Gig Harbor community, I think you’d have to agree that the majority of our residents are like Mike.  Genuine, sincere, and friendly.

I’d love to hear other stories of the folks you’ve met along the way in Gig Harbor.

A brief history of Gig Harbor

Most of the feedback that I get regarding this blog comes in one of two categories:

1. Great photos!
2. What a funny name for a website

I appreciate the love of the photos.  I have a great time taking them and have really enjoyed the submissions from my friends and readers.  I always assumed that people thought the “undressed” aspect of the name was what was funny, but I’m coming to learn that many people simply think that Gig Harbor is a funny name for a town.

Gig Harbor was given its name in 1841by Captain Charles Wilke.  During a storm he sailed his small “gig” into a little bay to find shelter, thus naming our little bay Gig Harbor.  If you’ve ever been out in the Tacoma Narrows during a storm, or even during a drastic tide change, you’d understand why Captain Wilke wanted to find shelter! 

Gig Harbor is well known for our drastic tide changes, fluctuating in mind boggling proportions at mind boggling rates daily.  There are times that I’ve been kayaking in the area and it feels like you’re on a calm lake, and then moments later you’re simply trying to keep your kayak upright, looking all around for the massive boat that just sped by creating the waves that are threatening to tip you over.  No massive speed boats, just our tides.  Hence the mascot of Gig Harbor High School…the Gig Harbor Tides.   Check out the two photos below for the difference in the waters between when the tides are changing and when the tides are stable.

I want to keep this history brief, or else I’d simply be stealing information from some other websites.  If you’d like to learn more about Gig Harbor’s fascinating history, you can visit the Gig Harbor Chamber’s site or the Gig Harbor History Museum’s site.

Gig Harbor 2007 In Review

Seems like everybody is doing a year in review series at this time of year.  Makes sense, since the year is over.  I was going to do the 2007 Gig Harbor Year in Review, but realized I didn’t keep any good notes and I’d be sure to leave something out, so I figured I’d let you all do the Year In Review for me!

I’ll get you started.  I think Gig Harbor’s biggest 2007 story can be titled “Grand Openings.”  In July, the LONG awaited opening of the 2nd Narrows Bridge occurred.  Many weren’t happy, but I for one am perfectly willing to pay the toll in exchange for not having traffic.  Besides, it was fun to watch it being built. 

This summer also saw the opening of our own Gig Harbor YMCA, which is a facility that my family has come to love (my wife can take our newborn around the indoor track in her stroller, getting exercise without having to deal with the elements).  We also opened the Gig Harbor Costco, another Thomson family favorite.  Seriously, hotdog and a Coke for $1.50!  Large pizza for $10!  Men’s jeans for $12.96!  32 pounds of mustard for $8!  Can’t be beat (that last one is a joke, by the way). 

We also saw the opening of the new medical center on Pt. Fosdick, and the new Gig Harbor Borders Bookstore, Panera Bread Co, and others in the Uptown Center.

So what are your area news stories? 

Gig Harbor photo calendars

Each year I give my clients a 12-month calendar featuring photos of Gig Harbor that I have taken throughout the year.  If you are interested in a full size, high quality Gig Harbor calendar, I would be happy to get one to you.  I would need $15 to cover printing costs, plus any shipping if you’re out of area.  If you’re in the area, I’d be happy to drop one by for you.  Just email me at mthomson@kw.com or give me a call at 253-226-7595 if you want one!

What a difference a week makes

Last Saturday I posted this picture of our snow day in Gig Harbor. 

Here is a shot from the same vantage point taken today.  Pretty amazing the difference only one week can make in the weather!  This is a great demonstration of what Gig Harbor’s weather is like.  So many people think that it rains non-stop here, is gray and gloomy all the time, but it’s just not true.  The weather in Gig Harbor is all over the board, but you’re sure to get some sun almost every day!

What kind of bird is this?

I don’t know much about birds, but I thought this one looked cool.  This guy (or gal) was just hanging out at the entrance to Gig Harbor.  I’m hoping one of my readers will know what kind of bird this is.  Kind of looks like a turkey to me, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it’s not.

Any ideas?

Mt. Rainier on a cold day

I was visiting some downtown shops in Gig Harbor this morning, and Mount Rainier kind of jumped through the clouds at me.  This photo is taken from the very end point on Harborview Dr, just past the Tides Tavern.

So what is a cold day in Gig Harbor?  Am I providing accurate information about Gig Harbor, or is my Gig Harbor info skewed?  A few days ago I wrote about temps dropping into the 30’s.  Then it snowed.  A day after the snow came, temps shot up to the high 50’s and we got torrents of rain (much of Washington has severe floods, but Gig Harbor is fine).  Today, “cold” means low 40’s.  The picture just kind of looks cold, though, doesn’t it? 

Junior Achievement World and PSD

I had a chance to travel to Auburn this afternoon with Terry Bouck and some other members of the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce to witness the “Celebrate Junior Achievement Holiday Luncheon.”  Wow!  I had no idea what JA World was all about, but came home completely impressed and sold on the value of this great program.   Junior Achievement of Washington is designed to teach our 5th and 8th grade students several of the life skills that they will need to give them the brightest futures they can have. 

The JA World was divided into two wings; the 8th graders were in the JA Finance Park while the 5th graders were busy running JA BizTown.  These students were given 4-6 weeks of classroom prep, all culminating in this one day event at Auburn’s JA World where the kids run the show.  They have jobs, pay checks, kids, bills to pay, cars to buy, decisions to make, debt to manage…it’s really an incredible environment.  I’d encourage you to visit their website to learn more details.

PSD Superintendent Terry Bouck told me that his goal was to have every single 5th grader and every single 8th grader in our district be able to participate in this program.  Obviously, this costs money, largely in the area of transportation.  It also requires a good deal of volunteers, both parents and community business people.  After listening to Peninsula High School senior Allison Bill sing the National Anthem, and hearing the stories of 2 youngsters involved in the program currently (including a 15 year old in Tacoma’s Juvenile Detention Center, who has an amazing perspective on her life and her future), and the story of a JA alum who has done amazing things with his life, I was more than happy to support this program.  I’m sold on helping Superintendent Bouck achieve his goal of bringing this program fully into all of the PSD’s 5th and 8th grades. 

Gig Harbor Snow Day? Yep!

We got our snow today.  It wasn’t much, but it doesn’t take much around here to get us excited.  It started snowing around 11:45am, and came down steady for about 3 hours.  Sure is pretty here.