Olympic Journey

Initially, I was thrown off by the high quality images in this very nicely filmed traveler's guide to my backyard, Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, since I couldn't reconcile the broadcast quality video with the utterly confusing (even to a native) organization. And then the proverbial light bulb went on over my head: digital video, the great equalizer, which would make even your Uncle Bob's vacation look as if it were shot by a National Geographic team. Following no recognizable methodology (at least to me), Olympic Peninsula opens with a 15-minute montage of highlights, ranging from the Hood Canal and Mt. Olympus to the Olympic National Park, among other sights, before suddenly beginning a "journey" from Seattle to Bainbridge Island (the easiest method of accessing the Olympic Peninsula from Seattle). Using onscreen maps that hardly warrant the term, the filmmakers take viewers down the island, across Hood Canal, up through the Victorian town of Port Townsend, around a bit of the Cascade Loop (Hwy 101) and down the western shore to Ruby Beach. Although we're routinely told about "shops, galleries, and restaurants," we are not told very much at all concerning best times to travel, routes to take, specific suggestions for appreciating particular sights, and so on. Not a necessary purchase. A much better choice here would be Washington State's Olympic Peninsula (VL-10/89), now available in a revised edition. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)