As storms pass over the Olympic Peninsula, they split in two; one part clings to the Olympics and the other is blown along by the strait’s air currents, bypassing Sequim (pronounced SKWIM) like an island in the stream. The result is Sequim’s famous “blue hole”—a miraculous gap in the sky of cerulean cloudlessness.

The 17 inches of rain that fall here are less than fall on Los Angeles, and a typical year has 299 days of sun. The pleasant climate has transformed this former farming and mill town into a booming retirement community, with more than 25,000 people spread across the surrounding Dungeness Valley.

Getting to Sequim

Clallam Transit (360/452-4511 or 800/858-3747, www.clallamtransit.com) connects Sequim with Port Angeles, Forks, and Neah Bay.

Jefferson Transit (360/385-4777, www.jeffersontransit.com) has transportation east to Port Townsend and Poulsbo.

Olympic Bus Lines (360/417-0700 or 800/457-4492, www.olympicbuslines.com, $49 one-way) has a daily shuttle to Sea-Tac Airport.