Heading East!

START:  Seattle, WA              TODAY:     115 Miles
END:      Marblemount, WA   TOTAL:   5,859 Miles

Twenty-five miles north of Seattle laid the largest building in the world by volume – the Boeing factory.  In 1966 Boeing was awarded a contract to build 25 747s for Pan American World Airways, thus construction started on this huge building to assemble massive airplanes.  With over 50,000 employees, the plant is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  The entire Disneyland complex could fit in this building with enough room left over for a 16 acre parking garage. 

The tour was 90 minutes, a mile ½ of walking, a bus ride to the plant and back and very interesting.  Since Ron worked for Boeing back in his college years he was fascinated by the endless facts presented during the tour.  

Leaving the coast, we realized turning east meant we would be headed home.  Since we were only about 30 miles from the Canadian border, we had come about as far from home as possible.  Eager for more adventure, but admittedly missing our kids and grandkids, we made the turn leaving water behind and welcomed the trees. 

The North Cascades Scenic Highway intertwined with the Skagit River which enticed us into the Snoqualmie National Forest.  

The Alpine RV Park was just outside the west entrance to The North Cascades National Park. After a few chores, we decided to run into The Visitor’s Center to get a map of the park so we would be prepared for tomorrow’s visit.  

A short trail led us to our first glacier sighting, one of 300 glaciers in the park.  Cascades NP has the most glaciers of any of the national parks – who knew.  We viewed The Picket Range with Pinnacle Peak on the left.

A brief stop in the small village of Newhalem, which was a company town of Seattle City Lights that built three hydroelectric plants on the Skagit River in the 1920s, allowed us to visit the swing bridge and Ladder Creek Falls. 

 Temps reached 86 today – a real shocker after a high of 69 for the past few days.  

Seattle

Our morning started early with a brisk 55 degrees as we headed to the park and ride lot.  We hopped on the 522 Express bus into downtown Seattle, early enough to see the shop owners at Pike’s Place Market just opening.  The fish mongers were shoveling ice, then slinging fish, crab, lobster and shellfish into the cases before loading more ice.  The florists, produce farmers, and artisans were busy preparing their booths and the aroma of fresh bread, pastries, and doughnuts hung heavy in the air.
 The monorail was our choice of transportation to the iconic Space Needle, which was built for the 1962 World’s Fair.   Standing on line, we watched the elevator ascend 520 ft to the Observation Deck, and learned trivial facts such as; 467 truckloads (5,600 tons) of concrete were poured in one day  for the foundation.  







 

The views were stunning since we had beautiful weather as the morning fog lifted.












The Pacific Center had wonderful interactive science modules, but our interest was the visiting exhibit of The Terracotta Warriors from China.  Oh my, what a fascinating exhibit with so many of the actual clay 2,200 year old warriors.  The excavation is still underway with over 8,000 warriors discovered to date, ready for service the afterlife of Ying Zheng, the first emperor of China.  All the faces are unique and the positions designated purpose: infantry, calvary, archers, etc

We thoroughly enjoyed the Imax documentary on The Mysteries of China before we headed back downtown to the waterfront.  Our harbor cruise gave us a great perspective of the downtown area as well as the huge Seattle working port.   

Another great day, although 12 hours was not enough time to do justice to city, but by the time the Fitbit registered five miles, we were done!  

Whales!

At a brisk 56 degrees we boarded the Island Explorer and once again headed into the Straits of Juan De Fuca this time in search of whales.  It was foggy and cold, but our spirits were high with the anticipation of seeing Orcas.  All eyes scanned the horizon with orders to shout out any sightings of blows.  About an hour later the captain announced Orca sightings near Victoria.  After crossing into Canadian  waters the cluster of boats led us to the pod.  

Erica, the onboard Naturalist, identified this pod as T123 the mother, T123A the son, and T123C her daughter.  Orcas stay together for life; sons never leave their mother.  

After a while the captain moved on in search of more action.  Before long we were lucky enough to encounter two humpback whales.  

The Race Rocks Lighthouse was our next stop where sea lions, elephant seals, sea otters and a couple of bald eagles were in sight.  

Another great day on the Olympic Peninsula and Juan De Fuca Straits!

Victoria, BC

By eight o’clock we were aboard the 340 ft Coho Ferry which could hold 1,000 passengers and 150 vehicles.  We departed Port Angeles, passports in hand, with views of Mount Olympus at our stern as we headed north across Juan De Fuca Straights to Victoria, BC.  Boats and seaplanes were everywhere as well as harbor taxis.

In the late 1850’s Victoria was a small seaport town of 200 residents.  When gold was discovered in 1858, it boomed to 20,000 in a few months and had not looked backed.  Today it is the capital of British Columbia and tourism is second only to the booming technology industry.  It is a mix of old and new with many fine Victorian homes and businesses dating to the 1800s.  It is a favorite destination for tourists and Canadian retirees as well partly due to its mild climate since it is surrounded by water on three sides.   We toured the city and surrounding area via the big red bus, which gave us an understanding of its history and essence of the Garden City.

The Empress Hotel (1908) and Parliament Building (1897) were stunning structures overlooking the inner harbor.   

Parliament was in session, but we were able to tour the first two floors.  The high ceilings and walls were trimmed with classic moldings with gold and silver leaf highlights.  From the dome murals to the stained-glass windows, it was a proper English government building. 

Throughout the area there were many tributes to The First People of Canada.

  By the time we boarded the return ferry, the winds were up and the straits were rolling with 4-5 ft seas.  At times the waves broke over the bow and drenched the viewing windows.  It was great fun for us, but a few people looked a little green.   

Olympic National Park

START:  Olympia, Wa           TODAY:     387 Miles
END:      Sequim Bay, WA    TOTAL:   5,515  Miles

After leaving Columbia River Gorge,  we spent an uneventful evening in Olympia, WA to do laundry and take on supplies before going north.   Sunday morning, still on Hwy 101, we were surrounded by rich green, towering evergreens as we entered The Olympic National Forest with teasing glances of the white peaks of Mt. Olympus.  Our first sight of Puget Sound, deep blue and calm, got us excited about the next three days we planned to stay in this area.

  Puget Sound consist of multiple small islands and bays with the Olympic Peninsular on the west side and Seattle on the east.   As we entered Sequim Bay State Park, we were pleased it lived up to the internet representation.    Although we did not have a waterfront site, the park was directly on Sequim Bay with boaters enjoying the day.  

 Saving water activities for tomorrow, we headed into Olympic National Park, encompassing over one million acres with several separate ecosystems.  Mount Olympus was, of course, the main attraction for the day, but equally impressive was seeing the mountains reaching directly to the water’s edge

Each time we rounded a curve, we caught a different angle and view of the mountains. 

Having stopped to see the snow on the hill right along the roadway, we realized there was a small black bear on the other side.  He just ignored us and headed down the mountain.  

As if the day had not been special enough, we stopped when we came upon a car jam along the roadway.  A large heard of elk were in a riverbed below and politely posed for photos.