Flying Fish

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Driving southwest on October 11 we rolled into Seattle on an overcast but not rainy day, stopping first at the REI flagship store, then heading to the very famous Pike Place Market where I managed to see some fish fly through the air although Adam didn’t so thought I was making the whole thing up. We wandered around taking in the sights and sounds, stopping at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese for a crusty grilled cheese and delicious tomato soup, then Three Girls Bakery for a cookie.

Seattle skyline from Kerry Park

Since it wasn’t raining we visited tiny Kerry Park for the impressive views of downtown Seattle and a quick drive through the Queen Anne neighborhood (hi Stacey!)

Fremont Brewery was our next stop for a Wet Hop IPA (we’ve been learning all sorts of things about beer) then made it to Olympic Sculpture Park for a colorful sunset over the Puget Sound.

The car ferry to Bainbridge Island in the dark was quite an experience. We made our way up to the open top deck as the large ship slipped through the cold evening, 30 minutes to the far side and our drive northwest to Port Angeles, WA for the night.

Stream, Hall of Mosses trail

The Olympic Peninsula brought our first real rain of the trip, starting in the morning as we drove along Hwy 101 in Olympic National Park. Lake Crescent was a shimmering blue, formed long ago by a glacier pushing through the area. We hiked from the Hoh Rainforest visitor’s center along the Hall of Mosses trail and the enormous trees provided shelter from the rain. I guess it’s only appropriate that it was gently raining in the temperate rain forest. A park volunteer encouraged us to look for the baby Coho salmon along the trail, and there they were, slender and about 2 inches long, hiding out amongst the brilliant green river plants.

Hall of Mosses trail

The rain fell a bit harder as we left the Hoh area so we didn’t linger too long on rocky Ruby Beach but it was still wonderful to be next to the ocean. Waves, sea stacks, driftwood and large pebbles provided plenty for Adam to photograph as I just stared at the ocean for a while. Water has always been very restorative for me. Perhaps its my Cancer sign, perhaps it’s the rhythm and beauty, power and simplicity of the element, but it always puts me at ease.

Ruby Beach sea stacks

Ahead of us was a few hundred miles to Portland in the rain but our wonderful friends, Jamie and Phil, were waiting at the end. We spent some time catching up with them, then all ventured to the HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery), a Portland brewery where the bartender gave us recommendations for others to try in the area. More from Portland soon!

Hall of Mosses trail

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Ruby Beach sea stacks

Seattle skyline from Kerry Park

Stream, Hall of Mosses trail

From Glacier, WA

Diablo Lake, North Cascades National Park

I’m still behind on these posts… One day I hope to get caught up and stay caught up, but internet access, etc, can be sporadic. So, just use your imagination to think back a few weeks to early October, and I’ll share about our adventures in Glacier, Washington.

Adam’s parents were able to share a week of their variable timeshare with us, so we checked into a little townhome community near Mt. Baker and the North Cascades National Park. Snowater is nestled in the trees just outside of Glacier, Washington and I think is most heavily used in the winter for skiers.

We had a little one bedroom unit with a kitchen, living/dining area, small deck, and a fireplace that worked with the push of a button. Certainly not elegant but a great place to land for a week, cook every meal on a real stove, do some laundry, and shower whenever we wanted.

The first day we explored the lodge area, made a big grocery run (big for us this trip  – we had a kitchen!), read books on the couch (instead of on our backs in the van), and did lots of loads of laundry in the very small machines. Internet was only available at the clubhouse of Snowater, and cell phone service required a 20 minute drive into the third town from Glacier. We used paper maps to research where we were headed and recognized how much we have come to rely on our cell phones for maps, information, recommendations, and general correspondence.

Sunset in Glacier

Sunday we drove 90 minutes to the middle of North Cascades National Park. We did a few short hikes to picturesque waterfalls and lake overlooks. The 2 big lakes in that area of the park contain high amounts of glacial “flour,” fine-grained bits of rock that are generated when glacial erosion grinds surrounding rock which gets carried down stream. Due to the small size of the material it becomes suspended in the water and often makes the lakes brilliant colors of blue or turquoise. These were beautiful lakes.

Diablo Lake

Monday we explored the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest just down the road from our condo with its 2 stunning large peaks, Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan. After 30 minutes of driving up windy and steep roads we reached intense landscapes of fall color and glaciers within view. The Fire and Ice Trail was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, with babbling brooks, bright green moss, firey red bushes, wind blown trees, a lake, and a small glacier. Somehow I felt I was walking through a movie set, perhaps for the Lord of the Rings. The pictures just don’t do it justice.

Fire and Ice Trail

The Artist’s Point trails offered beautiful views of the 2 peaks in the afternoon sunlight. We learned that Mt. Shuksan is the most photographed mountain in the lower 48 states, looking much like the Alps. It was striking indeed, and I enjoyed just sitting and looking in the quiet.

Mt. Shuksan

Tuesday we drove 30 minutes to the Canadian border crossing (we were probably only 10 minutes from the actual border but I guess you can’t just cross wherever you want). A very direct border official asked us a few questions and sent us on our way to Vancouver, about a 90 minute drive in total. A call to Verizon informed us that we would be charged for any phone usage while out of the US, so we put our phones away and once again worked from paper maps. We had lunch on a nice park bench at Sunset Beach, drove through Stanley Park, explored downtown some (but not too long as parking meters were quite expensive), and visited, yes, a brewery, Yaletown.

Steam Clock Tower in Gas Town, Vancouver, BC

We struggled a bit in the afternoon without accessible electronic directions, but managed to stop in a motorcycle exhibition then on to the Gas Town neighborhood and Steamworks Brewery for entertaining bartenders (one was super informative, one super hilarious), very interesting bar company, and a Reds loss in Game 3 of the Division Series.

They also had really tasty beer, as Adam enjoyed a strong espresso stout and I had a nut brown. [Cy, not sure if you like espresso stouts, but this beer was strong, dark, and delicious – probably more your style than apricot ales.] After ordering we tried their seasonal pumpkin ale – absolutely fabulous but there’s no order do-over when you’re halfway through your pint. Being unemployed and on a budget we generally share a pint, but sometimes we get our own, just usually only one each. After our cheeks hurt from laughing we made our way out of Canada, bringing no fruit (they ask at the border), only a beer mug from Steamworks.

Wednesday was a day to relax, read more, research our next steps and do more laundry. We also drove a bit to the beer shrine at North Fork Brewery for a growler of their dry stout, spent some time in the pool at Snowater, cooked our last meal for a while, and caught up on some Rummy 500 (I won some!) before getting on the road again Thursday.

Diablo Lake

Diablo Lake, North Cascades National Park

Fire and Ice Trail

Mt. Shuksan

Steam Clock Tower in Gas Town, Vancouver, BC

Sunset in Glacier