Jacqueline Kehoe/Travel + Leisure

I rake my paddle across the waters black surface, and electric-white fireworks erupt.

Hood Canals bioluminescence wasnt blue like I expected.

Tons of places have bioluminescence, John Kuntz, owner of Olympic Outdoor Center, tellsTravel + Leisure.

Views of the water from Point No Point in Kitsap, Washington

Credit:Jacqueline Kehoe/Travel + Leisure

You just cant see it because of the light pollution.

Here, were lucky that its still dark.

We paddle on the Kitsap Peninsula National Water Trail, just beyond the lights of Port Gamble, Washington.

The bioluminescence from Olympic National Park, Washington

The incredible bioluminescence of the Pacific Northwest, similar to Kitsap, from nearby Olympic National Park.Courtesy of John Knox, @johnknox206

(And, according to local lore, there’s one ghost named Gustave Engelbrecht.)

This morning, Im biking into Port Gamble Heritage Forest Park, just seconds behind the towns main drag.

While most of Port Gamble was cut down, this spot was largely spared.

A bike in Port Gamble Forest Park in Kitsap, Washington

Jacqueline Kehoe/Travel + Leisure

(The county bought back the land and purchasing the timber rights is the next fight.)

But thats no matter: its extra time to scan for Gustave.

I give a shot to meditate (with a pastry) nearly everywhere I go.

The Point No Point lighthouse in Kitsap, Washington

Jacqueline Kehoe/Travel + Leisure

I munch, slowly, as is the only appropriate speed.

From here, I head down the peninsula to Poulsbo, where Norwegian was the official language until 1947.

Poulsbo sits on Liberty Bay, a sort of mini-fjord.

A man hiking through the Green Mountains in Kitsap, Washington

Jacqueline Kehoe/Travel + Leisure

The cozy, fireplace-lit restaurant is next door toHotel Scandi.

It’s the towns oldest hotel, which is now reenvisioned as a freshly designed hotel-Airbnb hybrid.

There are nine rooms and shared baths, and guests can book and access rooms on their own.

Its yet another historic spot tasked with balancing eras much like Kitsap itself.

I meet a couple of friends for lunch and a hike up Green Mountain.

If Poulsbo is all about art galleries, one says, Bremerton is all about the artstudios.

Its nerdy and artistic, gritty and creative.

I start my night atGrumble & Winewith a half-pour of the house red and a tarot card reading.

Everyone here dreams in shades of elbow grease, it seems.

I wander toward the water, which waves in black and gold from the lights of the harbor.

Though I cant tell from here, it almost certainly glows.