Fort Worden

You will see why this sign is needed. This was the only warning sign we saw in the whole park, and it was as we were leaving Point Wilson and entering Fort Worden.

I expected a lot of closed doors, but everything is open and ready to explore! It is so neat.

These stairs led to a hallway that connected two areas of the fort.

"The gun commander yells 'No 1- Fire!' -the gun pointer pulls the magneto lever, there is a blinding flash of flame then a deafening roar and jar- the gun settles back into it's first position, while the projectile goes hurtling out through the air. Ten- fifteen- twenty- twenty-five seconds pass, and then way out in the straits, right up close to the target, a cloud of water rises a fit!" -Glen Rowley, Fort Worden 1917

This is where one of the guns would have been. H and Baby Cake are standing in the center so you can tell how huge this area was. The guns were so large that over 50 men manned each one.

When you are inside exploring, it is usually pitch black or close to it. In this case, it was pitch black and we only had what light our camera screens and the "flashlight" app on J's iPhone would give us. Every time someone took a photo we were blinded completely. This hallway was a little more than shoulder width and I kept both elbows on the walls on either side of me so I would know when I was coming to a turn. It was freaky! We went as far as we could until we reached water.

Here is a video. You can hear my sleeves rubbing against the walls on either side of me if you listen carefully. It was pretty freaky during the parts that were pitch dark.

The areas to explore are in blue and we didn't even have enough time to get to them all. There is so much to explore and we want to go back when we have a full day to spend there.

It was bright, can you tell?

Apple Tree

Lots of open doors!

I think this was the only locked door we came to.

The black area in the distance of this photo was a drive through tunnel that led to more of the fort. The place was huge!

A way to get back to the sunlight!

A long tunnel through the ground that went to the 2 million gallon water tank. The area was also home to look-out perches and was also used as a helicopter landing pad at one time.

Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel? It was a long tunnel!

The view as we made our way back down to the parking lot. In the day time, it looks like this.

There are a lot of old buildings that have been converted for modern use. There is a visitors center and an artillery museum. One of the buildings is a woodworking school and we got to see how wooden surf boards are made. They were so beautiful! Some of the buildings are available for rent. The officers quarters would be a fun place to stay!