Exploring Olympia
Map of Olympia. Includes East Bay, West Bay and Budd Inlet. We tie up at Swan Town Marina on the inside of the breakwater pier. Fortunately we have reservations because the marina is packed with transient boaters. Our slip is a reasonable US$17 a night. Swan Town is a nice marina located in East Bay. The only disadvantage with Swan Town is that it is a little far away from the action. From our slip, it was about 1/3 of a mile hike to the Farmers Market (more on this later) and about a mile to the capital. Unfortunately, there are no stores or restaurants right by the marina. There are several restaurants about ½ mile away and the nearest grocery store we found was the well-stocked Thriftway, which is about a mile hike. The marina itself is nicely maintained and has showers, restrooms and laundry. The area around the marina seems to be undergoing re-construction and there are a lot of dusty parking lots and roads without sidewalks. Not a big deal, but kind of a hassle when you have a toddler in a stroller!

We head off to the Olympia Farmers Market. If you have been to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, this is very similar, but on a much smaller scale. April through October, the market is open 10AM–3PM, Thursday–Sunday. In November and December, the market is only open Saturday and Sunday again from 10AM–3PM. The market is closed January through March. The market has a variety of vendors: seafood, herbs, quilts, pottery, and much more. When we went, there was a band playing on the small stage and lots of people wandering around. It is a cool place to go, definitely worth a visit if you are in Olympia by boat.

Fresh onions at the Farmer's Market, Olympia Washington. After the market we wander over to West Bay and walk to Percival’s Landing. Most of the eastern shoreline of West Bay is built-over with a beautiful wood boardwalk that makes for easy walking along the bay. There are several restaurants/pubs along the boardwalk. Percival’s Landing is at the south end of the bay and provides public moorage. Percival’s Landing feels much more “in-town” than Swan Town Marina, but they don’t take reservations, so come early to grab a spot. Beyond the south end of West Bay is the Washington State capital building. Right near the south end of West Bay (across the street) there is a cool water fountain that randomly shoots up jets of water. When we are there, dozens of kids are playing in it, getting soaked. That night we have dinner on the boat and retire early.

Founatain at the south end of West Bay. Capital grounds and building in background. I am up early the next day. As I am brushing my teeth, I begin to notice the toothpaste has a strange consistency. To my dismay, I realize I have grabbed the wrong tube and am brushing my teeth with Desitin. Those who have had babies will probably recognize the brand name. Bottom line, good for diaper rash, bad for brushing teeth.

We get an early start and head off towards the capital building, where we plan to take a tour. Tours are available on the hour from 10AM–3PM. The tours are free and participants gather near the front entrance to the capital building. In honor of Memorial Day and the veterans that have served our country, we check out the World War II Monument and the Winged Victory Monument on our way. The monuments and gardens surrounding the capital are beautiful and very well maintained. Thank God our 8.80% sales tax is being spent on something.

Mud flats to the north of Swan Town Marina (entrance to East Bay). Enter with caution! Our tour starts promptly and we head into the Rotunda. Our guide shows us several cracks in the building that are a result of the 2/28/01 earthquake (more on this later) that recently hit the Puget Sound area. The capital building suffered significant damage from the earthquake. We are only about 5-minutes into the tour when our baby daughter notices a beautiful clock in the Rotunda. Our daughter has loved clocks since she was very young and “clock” was one of the very first words she learned. This of course is the “mother-of-all-clocks”, so she starts screaming “CLOCK, CLOCK, CLOCK” at the top of her little lungs. It is amazing how much racket a little baby can make in a big cavernous room with a good echo. Ultimately the clock is our undoing and we end up bailing on the tour. The walk back to the boat is pleasant in the 70+ degree Fahrenheit weather.

As a bit of trivia, Olympia used to be home to the Olympia Brewery. Olympia Beer wasn’t very good, but it was cheap. Olympia’s Seattle-based cousin was called Rainier Beer (after the mountain of course). Rainier Beer was arguably more popular (though no better tasting) than Olympia due to their witty advertising campaigns. Who can forget the Rainier Beer ad that featured the motorcycle whose engine made the noise:
R a a a i i i n n n i i i e e e r     B e e e e r r r r?
Or the other ad that featured a moped whose engine made the noise:
R a a a i i i n n n i i i e e e r     L i i i g g g h h h t t t?
World War II Monument on the south capital grounds. If you never saw the ads, use your imagination—they were classic. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, times have changed. Miller bought Olympia’s brewery and everyone seems to order Redhooks or Coronas. Worst of all, Tullys Coffee now resides in the Rainier Brewery and the historic “R” has been replaced with a “T”. What is the world coming to?

Later that day I spend the afternoon cleaning the boat. Some of the stitching on the canvas has started to fall apart so I try repairing it with some sail makers thread. Given my lack of skill, the results are aesthetically unpleasing, but it gets the job done. A north wind has picked up, but it is still a beautiful day. Across the way from us is the public boat launch. A few idiots make for good entertainment as they try to dock and/or pull their boats out. I realize we are lucky to be moored upwind from the launch. That evening we have a good dinner at Anthony’s over on West Bay.



[On to Northbound]





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