We got just back today from spending the last 2 nights camping at Fort Flagler near Port Townsend, WA. It was partly to test out all our new camping gear (WHAT AN UPGRADE), but also to celebrate John's 27th birthday.
We are living in luxury now with our new giant tent and other accessories. We've almost got this whole camping thing down.

We also went to Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, WA (more on that shortly) and tried out a pizza place that was recommended to us by a friend. What an eventful post!

I am very pumped about this tent (Coleman Bayside 6). We (I) got it on clearance from $140 to $70 at Target. Now that we've put it together once, it's pretty simple (color-coded poles and pole sleeves). There is a hinged front door so you don't have to zip and unzip all the time. It's more of an irregular octagon than a rectangle so the air mattress doesn't fit against the wall really. But, there's still room for a queen air mattress (also a new purchase), 2 chairs and the table below. So if it's raining ever we'll still be golden! So there is lots of room for our stuff. There's a shelf thing too that sticks out the back that we just put our toothbrushes on but... just an extra alcove for stuff really. Overall, VERY excited. John can even stand up straight in it, even though his head touches.

Alright, Olympic Game Farm. This is exactly what the name says. It used to be named something different, but we missed that part of the tour. Anyway, apparently Disney used to film some of his older stuff here, like Grizzly Adams (haven't seen) and some other movies I haven't seen. This place is TOTALLY worth going to because you, as the barista down the street described it, "almost pee your pants laughing." However, I would recommend the driving tour only (and buy the wheat bread). In short, aquarium = sturgeon and trout, tour = boring (direct quote: "And to this day these chainsaws would still work if we had leaded gasoline."). Here are a few pictures and a link to a video I mixed to MJ's "You are not alone."

Now to the Pizza Review. We had eaten at a pretty good place before in Port Townsend, right across from the ferry terminal. But our friend Michelle recommended Waterfront Pizza down the road a little, claiming that she has made trips to PT just for a slice of the pizza. Well, we took her word for it and stopped in before heading home. Here is our rating and some pictures.

Waterfront Pizza, Port Townsend, WA - rated June 27, 2010

Everything is made by hand, and the crust is actually seasoned sourdough bread, which is unique. They were heavy on the herbs, but also fairly generous with the cheese and olives. The price was decent ($15 for a 1-topping pizza and salad), too. The by-the-slice section of the restaurant is along the street, but you go up the stairs of the old building to find a small (6 tables, maybe) restaurant area. The atmosphere was chill and casual, with trivia cards at every table. John disliked the fold-up office chairs that we sat at. Staff was friendly. Pizza takes about 25 minutes since it's all handmade. Overall, we were in agreement that this was great pizza with a unique flavor and a fun atmosphere. 3 olives.

We've eaten at Spiro's a lot, but haven't in a while, especially since we moved out of Gig Harbor. Spiro's is in downtown Gig Harbor and has a slight view of the water. It's a popular place for people to hit up on a weekend night, similar to El Pueblito or Tides, but less rowdy. There is a bar area and a sit down area. The feel is nothing too special, a typical Italian restaurant. They offer pizza, pasta, and salads and the options are pretty extensive. We enjoy the Tossed Green Salad to start because it comes with our favorites: mozzarella cheese and olives. The price is on the higher end but still reasonable.

Spiro's Pizza, Gig Harbor, WA - Rated June 11, 2010

What We Like:
- Crispy cheese on top
- HUGE amount of cheese
- Crust is never burnt
- Satisfactory olive ratio
- Salads

What We Don't Like:
- Too much sauce at times
- Little pricey
- Sometimes loud in the bar area

It has been a long tradition for John and I to try the local pizza place anywhere we go. We are pizza monsters! In fact, only a few months into dating we were shameless enough to have a pizza-eating contest in Bellingham. John is 100 pounds bigger than I am but he only beat me by 1/2 a slice!! I'm sure that's not anything most women would be proud of, but I am.

We always get Black Olive Pizzas. I am very picky and don't like many toppings, and (I think) John has grown to love them as well. This has given us a good base to make comparisons between pizzas.

Last night we went to a pizza place in Puyallup since we just moved to the area. As we waited for our food John brought up the idea that we should come up with a pizza scale since we've become somewhat of connoisseurs of this Italian-turned-American favorite. He laughed when I said I should put it on my blog...

Anyway, we came up with categories and a scale. Each of the 4 categories (crust, toppings, taste, and atmosphere/price) would be scored from 1-5 Olives individually and would be averaged out for an Overall Score. This is just a fun little hobby for us since we do it anyway when we go out and I share it just in case there are any pizza-craving readers who live in the area.

I was hoping we could retroactively rate some of our other favorites from Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii, but John feels strongly that he needs to be in the moment to give a fair rating.

Without further ado, here is our first rating:

Trackside Pizza, Puyallup, WA, rated May 19, 2010

Comments: The pizza crust was hand-tossed and therefore thin. It left a burnt flavor in our mouths. While there was a sufficient number of black olives present, the amount of cheese left something to be desired. I would have preferred a higher cheese-to-sauce ratio. The atmosphere was clean, casual, and friendly. It's right by the busy train tracks so it did get loud at times, but that's part of the charm. I don't think either of us would particularly go back, but then again we didn't have leftovers. :)