Monday, May 2, 2011

Guest Post: Poekitten

When Kim asked for guest bloggers, I thought it would be fun to write for her blog, so here I am.  She asked for a post about a duty station you've lived at.  We're currently at Navel Base Kitsap in WA.  Here's what it's like:

The area is GORGEOUS.  If you enjoy hiking, camping, skiing, or just about anything outside, this is the place for you.  The naval base in located on Kitsap Peninsula.  We're surround by Puget Sound as well as the Olympic and Cascade Mountains.  You can also see Mt. Rainer from different areas.  It's breathtaking!  And yes, it rains here.  It's overcast more than rains and we do get sunshine.  The winters are pretty mild which I love.  We get snow too but it usually doesn't last long.  Summer are nice too.  There's often a week or two in August that's really hot but the rest of the time...perfect!

Naval Base Kitsap is made up of a few bases: Bangor, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) and Keyport (I think they include it!)  Bangor is the trident sub base.  The Shipyard is the home port to a couple of subs and aircraft carriers.  Other ships/boats come and go as needed in the shipyard.  Bangor and PSNS are about 15-20 minutes away from each other.  Both have a commissary, NEX, ITT, Gym with pool, bowling alley, etc. 

Housing is available on Bangor and in Jackson Park.  JP is by the Naval hospital and is not gated.  There is officer housing available on Keyport and I think there is limited officer housing on PSNS (I could be wrong).  People have different opinions on housing; we lived on Bangor for 9 months and enjoyed it.  We had a 2 bedroom town house in West housing and it was nice.  We moved because we bought a house but are willing to live on base again if we need to.

Base Housing

In Silverdale there is a mall and several shopping areas.  Lowe's, Costco, Best Buy, Old Navy, Target and JoAnn's are all in the area.  There are several chain restaurants; Applebee's, The Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Famous Dave's, Red Robin, Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Arby's are just a few that are present.  One of our favorite places to eat is Fujiyama, a Japanese Steak House.  There are many Mexican restaurants to chose from as well. 

In Silverdale there is a great walking trail called Clear Creek.  It's a great place walk/jog/run.  Some parts are paved and other parts of the trail are gravel or have raised wooden planks.  It reminds me of a boardwalk.  Our puppy, Miss Molly loves to go here.  Another place we enjoy going is Fort Worden in Port Townsend.  It's about an hour away but it's well worth the drive.  There is a nice beach, some fort ruins and a light house.  Camping is available as is lodging in former officer housing.  Molly loves going here too!

Fort Worden

We are an hour away from Seattle by ferry.  It's located next to PSNS in Bremerton.  You only have to pay when traveling from Seattle to Bremerton.  Rates as of April 2011 for a walk on is $7.10.  In Seattle you get off within walking distance of the aquarium, Pike's Place Market, Seattle Art Museum and the shopping district.  From the shopping district you can take a monorail to the Space Needle.  Harbor tours are also available. The ferry is also a great option if you'd like to take in a Mariners, Seahawks or Sounders game.

Seattle Sights

This post is getting long and I could go on and on!  One last thing...for all you Twilight Fans, Forks is about 2.5- 3 hours away.  If you do make it to Forks, I suggest visiting Ruby Beach which is just south.  The whole area is beautiful.

Rub Beach, WA

Thanks for letting me take over you blog for a day Kim!
Hope you all have a great day!

(It's Kim now!) I'm so glad she was up to writting about where she lives! I think it would be amazing to get a list of all the different bases around here. It would be so nice if a new spouse could see all the good places to eat and visit when they are nervous about moving to a new place! If you want to write a post about the base you are at, please e-mail me kkrowan(at)gmail(dot)com.

Go over and give her blog a visit! It's super cute and I love reading it!

2 comments:

The Hapa Girl said...

I miss Bangor....you did a great job in describing all of it. My favorite part living there was the many parks available to the kids. Including one, right behind my house!

Even though base housing doesn't come with a/c I don't think we really needed it. It's a very beautiful place to live with so many things around the area for all the family to enjoy!

Unknown said...

Thanks! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it here. And we finally are getting some sunshine:)