Kitsap Tours is excited to be part of the King Tut “Pharaoh’s Gold Card” program.

Attend the King Tut exhibit in Seattle, May 24, 2012 – January 6, 2013 and you’ll receive your “Pharaoh’s Gold Card” entitling you to a variety of discounts throughout Seattle including a great discount on Kitsap Tours’ tours!

TRAVEL TIP: When visiting Seattle, plan your visit to the King Tut exhibit at the beginning of your stay so you’ll have your Gold Card to use during the rest of your stay in Seattle.

We look forward to meeting lots of King Tut fans this year – we’ll be attending on May 30th and may check it out again later in the summer!

Enjoy Seattle, the “Tutankhamen – the Golden King and the Great Pharaoh’s” exhibit, and a Kitsap Tours’ tour!

Don’t miss out – this is the LAST time this exhibit will come to the United States!

Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs takes you back 5,000 years in time and explores what it was like to live like a pharaoh through the “Golden Age,” when Egypt was at the height of power and artistry. The exhibition spans 2,000 years and some of the most notable leaders of ancient Egypt. More than 100 artifacts from the tombs and temples of King Tut, his ancestors and contemporaries bring this rich history to life.

A longtime believer in sustainability, Jean Boyle, who along with her husband Jim operates Kitsap Tours, takes to heart the words of Chief Seattle, “take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.”

A self-described corporate dropout, Jean launched Kitsap Tours after several years as a director of the Kitsap Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau, a position she took on after moving to the peninsula. During her time at the VCB, she saw a community need for a tour company, one that collaborated closely with other small businesses and showcased the unique beauty of Kitsap. She eventually took her own advice and started the tour company in 2010.

In developing her tours, however, she was careful about what to share with visitors.

“The concept of civic tourism is that a place first and foremost needs to be a good place to live. To protect that, you have to decide what to share with visitors, and tell the story of place in the way locals want it to be told. That’s how community is respected,” said Jean.

For instance, Bainbridge is more upscale and environmentally aware, while Port Gamble is steeped in the history and heritage of Northwest life. On a tour with Jean and Jim, you get the whole story of the Kitsap Peninsula without overburdening one locale or disrespecting culture.

The Boyles are certified beach naturalists through the Washington State University Extension. They use low tides to show how to treat a beach habitat, including what not to step on and never move a rock that’s bigger than your head. Visitors are also very keen on whale migrations and other wildlife, including birds. Tours are focused on education and awareness of the natural environment.

Kitsap Tours made an early commitment to be as virtual as possible in order to keep a small footprint as a company. Jean said she didn’t want to be tied to an office -preferring fun and flexibility – so business is conducted from her computer and smartphone. Yet, it’s old-fashioned customer service that remains the highest priority.

“As a small company, we can connect with each individual customer and build long-term relationships,” said Jean. “With each tour, we have the opportunity to create a great day. It’s very rewarding.”

As with any small tourism business, the Boyles face challenges. One is where to put marketing dollars to build awareness and your reputation. Jean sees an opportunity to collaborate with other small businesses throughout North Kitsap Tourism Consortium, a group of small businesses helping to promote the area as a brand and destination.

 

“It’s a great way to share the effort and the costs, while building marketing momentum,” said Jean. She also stated that good reviews on TripAdvisor help drive visitors to Kitsap Tours, which is currently ranked No.1 among 10 attractions on Bainbridge Island.

Kitsap Tours joined the P.U.R.E. Travel Collaborative in 2010 in order to learn and share with like-minded people. She said the Green Travel Road Shows are right to the point and well worth the time, with supportive members generously sharing advice.

“Collaboration is key and I always walk away with important information I can use,” said Jean. “It’s a home that fits me.”

To book a trip with Kitsap Tours, visit http://www.kitsaptours.com 

Silence Turns Fifty
Andy Dumaine
andy@shrinkingfootprint.com

“Spring has sprung fifty times since Rachael Carson published her environmental wake-up call The Silent Spring in 1962. As the world celebrates another Earth Day and environmentalists accept new awards for heroic efforts to save a planet in peril, Spring is more silent than ever.
Populations of songbirds, Ms. Carson’s metric for environmental health, are at an all-time low. The toxins she studied five decades ago continue to accumulate in our bodies at unprecedented rates. In 1962 the sources of pollution could be traced to individual pipes and smokestacks. Today, pollution is global and ubiquitous. Fish that live hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement are as likely to contain PCBs as fish swimming in the nearest stream.
Failure is not a popular topic, but it is an important one. Failure is a powerful incentive to change course and rethink long-held beliefs and reexamine long-practiced behaviors. Green parades and eco-festivals serve a purpose, but until there is universal recognition that environmental action must equal, and eventually surpass, the magnitude of environmental change, the planet risks waking up to deafening silence on Earth Day 2062.
Celebrating the earth once a year isn’t the solution; it is the essence of the problem. The environment isn’t a political movement or an opportunity to sell organic cotton T-shirts and biodegradable balloons. It is the foundation of all life and activity on earth. Yet too many of us act as if our mobile phones are more critical to our survival than clean water. Too many of us monitor the health of the stock market while ignoring the health of the environment that makes all profits possible.
The greatest blindness of humanity is our inability to recognize our total dependence on flowering plants, babbling brooks, shimmering fields, gentle breezes and, yes, even singing birds. Nature, not money, is at the center of our universe. The economic productivity of all the industries on earth is dwarfed by the industriousness of honeybees. Without laptops and websites, life is still possible. Without bees, life is unthinkable. But, even on Earth Day, speakers are more likely to recognize the contributions of corporate sponsors than the life sustaining efforts of bees and other members of nature’s family.
Earth Day 2012 is a new chance to act on the realization that our chances are not infinite. It falls upon each of us to pick up – not just the litter on our streets – but the challenge to build a world where every day is Earth Day and everyone is an environmentalist. Devoting a single day to dragging tires from streams and eating locally grown vegetables is laudable, but woefully insufficient given the scale and rate of environmental decline. Earth Day 2012 is the best chance we have to begin a long and difficult journey away from the Industrial Age toward an Age TBD. All of us will have to make the journey undeterred by the magnitude of the challenge or the false assurances of those who cling to, and profit from, the past. On Earth Day 2012 we must open our eyes and see the world as it is – dangerously blind – and open our ears to hear the world as it is – ominously silent. It is not too late, but we must hurry.”

Beautiful view from our cabin at the Quileute Oceanside Resort

Time for an escape, and a little investigation of a location we would like to visit on a future Kitsap Tours’ tour.  We’ve stayed at a variety of places along Washington’s Pacific Coast but this time we decided to return to the Quileute Oceanside Resort  in LaPush, WA.  Dogs are welcome, although not in the luxury cabins - not a problem since the standard cabins are great and with tile and linoleum floors there is no concern about dogs damaging carpets.

The perfect beach cabins.  We stayed in a two story cabin with two bedrooms and a bath downstairs – each with a door to the outside.  Upstairs there is one large kitchen/dining/living area with a wood stove and great balcony.

Note: Do not go out on the balcony early in the morning, when no one is around and allow the door to close behind you, especially on a cold morning, in your nightshirt.  The door may lock and you may spend some time alone – too high up to jump but the view is spectacular!

The biggest piece of driftwood I've ever seen!

What to do:  Beach walking, photography, fishing charters, curl up with a book or a friend, relax!

Dining: There is a restaurant at the resort, one a few miles down the road and a larger selection in Forks a little further down the road.  My suggestion is to take food and make use of the small but adequate kitchen.

In the area:  So much!  I can’t begin to list all there is to do close by but Forks, WA does a good job so check out their website.  If you, or yours are Twlight fans then, of course you already know that the Quileute Reservation is the home of Jacob, and Forks has its share of vampires. Click here for some Twilight information.

The Pacific Ocean at La Push, WA

Let Kitsap Tours show you Bainbridge Island!

Don Paulson

Kitsap Tours is pleased to have Don Paulson return as a guest on one of our Photo Safaris.  This year Don will join us June 21, 2111 for our full day Photo Safari around North Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State – just a ferry ride from Seattle.

In 1997 Don Paulson turned his longstanding passion for photography into a full-time profession.  Specializing in nature and travel photography, Don’s images are marketed worldwide by leading stock agencies, and are regularly reproduced in a wide variety of printed publications and on-line applications. He is represented by SuperStock, in Jacksonville, Danita Delimont Stock Agency in Seattle and Alamy Stock Agency in the UK.

Kitsap Tours is offering a special in June.  Use the Promotional Code “Photo!” and receive a 20% discount off the full price of the tour.  This includes the June 21 tour with Don Paulson.  Check out his website: http://www.donpaulson.com/, and hurry to make your reservations, this tour will fill quickly!

Jim Boyle, Retired U.S. Secret Service; bus driver extrodinaire!

When I started Kitsap Tours, just over a year ago, I thought it was going to be “my” project.  I would do it all and hire some help as things grew.

Along the way, perhaps when I started shopping for our very cool luxury mini bus, my husband Jim asked if he could get more involved.  I think, in part, he thought I was getting in over my head and needed his help.  On the other hand I think he really liked the idea of having a bus.

We had never worked together.  We always had careers and went in different directions during the day.  We hadn’t really had success at doing home projects together.  I didn’t think it would work, but, I did need his help, he was offering and I said yes.

This was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  Jim took over the bus; maintenance, driving and record keeping.  I do the marketing, networking, tour development, book keeping and talking on the tours.  We actually thought, in those first months, that we would take turns; each driving and talking on alternating days but after a couple tours together we realized that we wanted to do it together.  Not as much free time, but I have so much information in my head and Jim is a great driver* so we have continued working as a team on our tours.

Starting a new adventure after both having varied and very satisfying careers, I have to say this is the perfect job for us at this time.  We love working together, we’re having great fun meeting our guests from all over the country and the world and we’re both using skills developed over the years and careers.  Jim loves working and then at the end of the day, the job is over – a whole new concept for him!

* Jim is retired from Secret Service where he was a Special Agent for 23 years and spent a good part of his career at the White House on the Presidential Detail.  He also had the opportunity to take the specialized driving courses offered by Secret Service and during his career drove several presidents, heads of country and heads of state.  He is extremely qualified to drive our beautiful tour bus!

The tasting room is BEAUTIFUL!

Mark your calendars, or better yet sign up now, for the Wine & Spirits tour!

Want an easy getaway to get a taste of the Northwest beyond the city?

It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Check out the Bainbridge Island Lodging Association; select your lodging style and make your reservations.
2. Book an afternoon or all day tour with Kitsap Tours for your arrival date.
3. Let us know about your plans and we’ll take it from there.  You walk on the ferry in Seattle and we will meet you on Bainbridge Island, take you on a wonderful tour (choose from several!) and at the end of the day we’ll take you to your lodging of choice on Bainbridge Island or the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort* (just off the island).

Leave the car behind and enjoy a hassle free getaway!

A couple suggestions:

• Friday afternoon Bainbridge Island Wine & Spirits Tour, overnight at the lodging of your choice, take in the Saturday morning Farmers Market on Bainbridge Island and enjoy lunch at a waterfront pub before returning to Seattle.
• Take a full day Bainbridge Island / Kitsap Peninsula tour and end your day at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort for some dining, gaming and then have a night cap in the hotel enjoying the museum quality contemporary art collection in the lobby.  Stay an extra day and enjoy one of the resorts great concerts!
• Enjoy a guided tour of the beautiful Bloedel Reserve, a 150 acre, world renowned, estate garden.   Spend the next day checking out the great bakeries in downtown Winslow and exploring the art galleries and other unique shops before strolling to the ferry.

There is no extra charge for your ride to your evening accomodations but we may limit the number of people who can take advantage on any given tour.

*Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort offers free shuttles back to the ferry.  Some lodging is within walking distance of the ferry, some lodging may offer a ride to the ferry (ask) and others may require a cab ride back to the ferry.