I have posted about Westport, Washington before. It is a little town in western Washington at the mouth of Gray’s Harbor that sits on a long spit at the south end of the bay. The next piece of land to the west is Japan (OK, technically that would be some Russian islands just to the north of Japan).

Trying to figure out why I find this little town so appealing is a bit of a conundrum. The town is quite small; it’s literally only a few blocks. There are only a handful of restaurants in town, and there are no major hotels. Big box stores – well the closest ones are on the east side of Aberdeen, about 23 miles away. Westport is not even on a major highway. US 101 is east in Aberdeen, about 22 miles away.

The only major tourist attraction is the old Gray’s Harbor lighthouse that sits just about a half mile from “downtown”. Oh, there are some condos on the beach, and the marina hosts quite a nice commercial fishing fleet.

Perhaps that is exactly what I love about Westport; it is simply a nice, relaxing little town on the Pacific Ocean nearly insulated from the usual beachside chaos and confusion. At night, the most noise you’ll hear is the roar of the ocean. Simply put, Westport is charming.

Westport has a really nice RV park on the east end of town that is surrounded on 3 sides by forest. It is quiet there; in the evening you can smell the campfires and the barbecue. By 10 pm the park is just super quiet with only the lights from a few nearby campers to distract from a pitch black, starry sky. If you look up into the sky, and it’s not raining or overcast, you’ll see stars – lots of stars. The night sky is dark; free from the big city light pollution.

The beach is sandy and grassy with some drift wood and logs, very typical of Washington beaches. There isn’t a lot to do in Westport besides boating and fishing. But that’s nice. It is a place where you can go walk the beaches in quiet solitude, and spend time pondering life. At certain times of the year, there are some surfing contests, and in the summers the campgrounds are full. The beaches get more crowded in the summers too.

But the fall is very serene. It can be cool and sunny, or cool and rainy. The air is crisp and clean. Leave the window open on the trailer, and let the cool sea breezes drift inside.

For all of the reasons I have just listed, I could live in Westport. Yes, it’s a small, quiet town, off the beaten path. But there is a small city just 22 miles east with most things that one could need. And of course, in 2022 there is Amazon, UPS and FedEx to deliver about anything else anyone could want.

I neglected to mention that there is an awesome pizza place and brewery in town called Blackbeard’s Brewing Company. Both their pizza and brews are really wonderful. And on the main street there is a very cool little seafood restaurant known as Bennett’s Fish Shack. It’s great! You can also find fishing charter boats that take you out on the Pacific for some deep-sea adventures.

And Westport is not terribly far from the Oregon-Washington border, so it’s easy to pop down to the northern Oregon coast or to Astoria. with its many turn-of-the-century charms.

Well, now you know why I really love to go to Westport; it’s a relaxing Washington coastal paradise.

I hope that you liked my Westport narrative. Stay safe out there and have fun with what the winter season brings to us.