Olympic Peninsula, Victoria, Seattle and Home

This is another retroactive entry covering the rest of the trip. We got back home late Wednesday night, August 24. So, scroll down to the bottom of this entry to read/view chronologically.

8/24/11 (Wednesday) – Last day…back to Fort Worth. Got an early start, so we made it to the Bainbridge Island ferry with time to spare, enough time to spend a couple more hours at Pike Place Public Market in Seattle.

Had cheese sandwiches at Beecher's where you can watch them make the cheese used in the sandwiches. We tried their macaroni & cheese as well...very cheesy and delicious.

Bought a couple more things...why not...we are at the market. It's a good place to pick up some gifts for family and friends.

Elwha River

Madison Falls

8/23/11 (Tuesday) – Started late this morning. Instead of bagels at the cabin for breakfast we went to Granny’s Café. Afterwards on to the Elwha River for a short hike up to the dam which is to be demolished beginning in September. The area is being restored to its natural state, the reintroduction of its former salmon runs. Of course this action is several decades too late given that the construction of the dam in the early 1900s took away the livelihood of the Native Americans that used to live along the river. But, it is good that the area is being restored…it may take the government awhile to “get it”, but progress is being made.

Visited Madison Falls on our way out of the Elwha valley. Headed into Port Angeles for lunch at the wine bar on the wharf. Had some excellent clam chowder, three cheeses and a couple glasses of wine. Dessert was ice cream cones from Dairy Queen, then back to the cabin for a nap.

Dinner was at Michael’s in downtown Port Angeles. I had Dungeness crab cakes, Vicki steak. All good. Came away stuffed. Back to the cabin to pack and get ready for the return trip to Fort Worth and the continuing heat wave…yippee!

Ferry to Victoria

8/22/11 (Monday) – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Took the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria. Decided not to take the car. This is the first time Vicki used her passport…although she is disappointed it did not get stamped.

We arrived a little after 10 AM. It rained until we it was time for us to leave.

Parliament

Parliament Cupola

First thing we did was take a 30 minute tour of the British Columbia Parliament. It’s a very grand building.  The docent explained the government/political structure of parliament. A bit on the history included a woman who played the part of Queen Victoria.

Next we went to the Visitor’s Centre, got a map, tips on where to eat and visit. Exchanged some US currency for Canadian. Had lunch at little Mexican food place. Caught a bus to Craigdarroch Castle, built for Robert Dunsmir between 1887-1890, who was one of the most wealthy people in BC. He died a year before the castle was completed. Interesting structure with many nice stained glass windows.

Headed back downtown.  Walked the narrowest alley in the city…wide enough for a single person. Made purchases at two shops in the alley. At one we bought a green man chalice/wine glass and journal notebook. We also got a book and some chocolates at Rogers'. The green apple cream was the best.

Empress Hotel

Got tired walking in the rain. Bought a smoothie at a shop so we could rest. Walked some more and then rested again at the Empress Hotel…some nice leather chairs in the upper lobby…one of the most relaxing moments of the trip.

Had dinner at Sam’s Deli/Sandwhich shop. As we were eating around 6 PM, the sun came out. We walked around the wharf area and then to the ferry that departed at 7:30 PM. Arrived back in Port Angeles about 9 PM.

Concluded that the trip to Victoria was kind of a bust. The rain didn’t help, but it’s the only day this trip where the weather has been bad. Missed Buchart Garden which is one of the big attractions. Visiting a big city in the rain…not that great…but the castle was cool.

Hoh Rainforest

8/21/11 (Sunday) – Hoh Rainforest and Ruby Beach today. Another long day driving. Got an early start since we had about 80 miles to go.

The Hoh forest around the visitor center has several short hikes. We took several of them through the trees. Some of the trees are more than 900 years old, Douglas fir, spruce, hemlock (not the poison). The moss hanging from the branches makes some of the trees look like monsters and aliens.

Ruby Beach

I must note for the sake of pop culture that the Olympic Peninsula is the area in which the Twilight vampire stories are based. There are tours and landmarks all over the area regarding events in the stories. I mention this because tonight we had dinner at Bella Italia, the restaurant where two of the Twilight characters, Bella and Edward, had their first dinner date. Who would guess that a vampire likes Italian?

Hurricane Ridge

8/20/11 (Saturday) –  Most scenic hike ever today…Hurricane Ridge. According to Vicki, freaky.

The drive up is about 17 miles from Port Angeles. Nice views on the way up. Lots of cyclists…reminded me of the Alp D'Huez climb in the Tour de France.

At the top, amazing view. Hurricane Ridge is a snow covered craggy mountain range. The sky is clear and blue. It’s actually warmer up here than in Port Angeles, 80 degrees as opposed to 68.

There are a number of hikes to choose from that begin in the parking lot. We decided to go up one of the ridges, since we are equipped for it.

The climb at times was very steep. The trail “freaky” because it is narrow, two to three feet wide with a 60-80 degree drop on one side. The hiking poles came in handy.

Encountered some snow pack where the trail had been diverted. One spot was very steep. Going down was worse than going up.

Of all the hikes we have taken, this is the most scenic. Amazing views of the mountains all around and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

We did have to keep moving because standing still meant a mosquito attack. We were also getting buzzed by nickel –sized flies.

Met a group from India who were hiking in street shoes and no water. It’s hard to understand what people are thinking when they start out on a hike…obviously not thinking.

Heard a story about a guy that died up here last year after being gored by a mountain goat. Apparently he was trying to protect a group of hikers from this aggressive goat. When gored an artery was severed and he bled out. The goat stood over him for thirty minutes, so no one could help him. The aggressive behavior is related to men urinating in the goat’s territory.

Barrel Racing at the Rodeo

Headed back to Port Angeles to the Clallum County Fair. The woman at the ticket booth let us pay as seniors…I guess because of our dirty/sweaty look after hiking. The best event at the Fair was the rodeo. This was the real deal! Small town rodeo with cow folk who are just learning how to barrel race, ride a bucking horse and bull. Fun to watch. Got a lot of good photos.

Visited some of the animal barns after the rodeo. The swine barn had a mama pig and her many piglets having dinner. A funny sight.

 

Cape Flattery

8/19/11 (Friday) – Drove a lot today.  Up the coast to Cape Flattery, the furthest northwest point of the lower 48 states. The inland weather is bright and sunny. As we approach the coast, fog. Visibility at Cape Flattery is 100-150 yards. Despite the weather an amazing place. The surf has carved caves into the side of cliffs. Huge rocks are stranded off the beach/coast. They appear and disappear in the fog. Beautiful.

Spotted puffins fishing. A bald eagle flew over us. Very cool.

Met a German couple who work in Dubai. I didn’t think that anyone we met would beat the 100+ degree heat we were escaping in Ft. Worth, but Dubai is humid and 120 degrees! The woman said she takes their dog for a walk at 4:30 AM, and it won’t go out the rest of the day. They endure the heat for the good money they are making.

Rialto Beach

Kept going up the coast to more beaches, such as Rialto Beach. The fog was at each, but the views were still pretty awesome.

Headed back to the B&B. Stopped for dinner at the Hungry Bear Restaurant. We should have left the Bear hungry…the food was yuck.

Turtleback Mountain

Vicki resting at the top of Turtleback Mountain

8/17/11 (Wednesday) - Today was a shorter hike up Turtleback Mountain. There were several nice views of the surrounding islands as we went up.

View of West Sound from the top of Turtleback Mountain

Made our way back down to East Sound for lunch at Portofinos for a calzone and Italian sub sandwich.

Wandered around East Sound for a few minutes and returned to our room at Kingfish Inn.

Dinner at Ship Bay. Best meal on Orcas Island and the most expensive. Vicki had a chicken dish, that she shared with me, the best chicken I have ever tasted. I had halibut in a light cherry sauce with risotto. Excellent meal.

Right before entering the restaurant for dinner we spotted some deer in their pear orchard. One stag was getting up on his hind legs reaching up to get the pears.

Tomorrow we leave for the Olympic Peninsula.

Orca whale watching

8/17/11 (Tuesday)  - Today was resting up from yesterday's (Monday's) hike up Mt. Constitution and whale watching.



Whale watching did not begin until 1 PM, so we wandered around the island. Went out to Doe Bay and made dinner reservations. Nice view from the Doe Bay beach.

Headed back to Orca Village and shared a sandwich for lunch. A less than ordinary turkey sandwich was $8. We split it.

The whale watching tour (Eclipse Tours) began in Orcas Village at 12:45 PM. The Skipper gave us a 15 minute orientation. Especially important was that orcas had been reported in the area.

We boarded the Orcas Express at 1 PM and basically headed south/southwest of Orcas Island. Within 45 minutes the first orcas were spotted.

All tour ships are to stay within 200 yards of the orcas. If the orcas surface near the boat the skipper must turn off the engines until they are further away. Park officials are onsite monitoring the tour boats to make sure they comply.

Research vessels are there as well. One of note has a dog that is trained to sniff out orca poop that is then gathered to be examined by researchers. The dog, "Gus," was out there with his life jacket on. What is unusual about Gus is that he is afraid of water, so the handler has to take him onshore to pee.

There are two orcas pods that reside in the San Juan Islands area. We spotted the L pod. They are indentified by the white markings at the base rear of their top fin.

Occassionally transient groups of orcas are spotted, but it is dependent on the season whether or not they will be seen.

The whale watching was amazing and fantastic. They are a protected species, as a result of Sea World coming in and capturing several orcas years ago most of which have died. Seeing these whales (they are actually not whales, but members of the dolphin family) in the wild, open sea it is clearly evident they belong here and not in captivity learning tricks. They cannot possibly be healthy in an enclosed pool.

On the way back to Orcas Village we spotted two bald eagles, harbor seals and a sea lion. The tide was coming is as well causing strong currents that generate whirlpools. Cool stuff.

Dinner was at the Doe Bay Cafe. They feature dishes prepared with locally grown produce and caught seafood. I had a vegetarian "napoleon" that stacked grilled vegetables between polenta. Vicki had a vegetable dish with rice noodles. All very good.

Seattle area - cooling off vacation

This is a retroactive entry for our vacation. We left Fort Worth on Thursday, August 11. I haven't been able to keep up on a daily basis for a couple of reasons. One...not having the time. Two...the Edgewater Hotel, where we stayed in Seattle at the beginning of the trip was charging by the hour for Wifi access. Ridiculous! Needless to say, I did not want to pay.

As blogs go you need to read from the bottom up for the dates to be sequential...so scroll down to read/view entries chronologically.


8/15/11 (Monday) -Breakfast at the Inn. The main dish was a smoked salmon scramble...interesting. The accompaniments of fresh fruit and banana muffin were tasty.

The main event today was hiking up Mt. Constitution, the highest peak on the island at 2400 feet. The hike to the top is about 4.5 miles. It was one of the more challenging hikes we've tackled. It is also one of the best. We were rewarded with great views at the top and a sunlit forest on the way up. Also, spotted our first bald eagle flying and rousting near the top of the mountain. Coming down was in some respects more difficult than going up...some pretty steep switch backs.
Vicki took a tumble near the bottom and came away with only a few bruises and scrapes. The top of my hand brushed the underside of a stinging nettle leaf which caused some welts on my hand that itched. Fortunately they went away within a few hours.

Dinner was at Chilada's in East Sound. I had Dungeness Crab enchiladas.

8/14/11 (Sunday) - Left Seattle and headed for Orcas Island where we will be for the next four nights. Breakfast at the Edgewater Hotel. Packed our stuff and headed out to pick up the rent car. We thought the car reservation was at a downtown location, but no, it was in the University section of the city. So, we took a cab to the Budget car rental location. The cab driver did not know where he was going, but claimed our scenic route was a result of road construction. You know when you travel and take a cab...you are at their mercy.

On our way north to Anacortes to catch the ferry to the island, we stopped in a little village called La Conner. There were some interesting shops. One had several meditation bells that were cool. Nothing I could pack in a suitcase and bring home though.

Our ferry was scheduled to leave at 4 PM and we got there around 1:30. Early is good because the ferries were filling up about an hour to an hour and a half ahead of time. The ferry ride to Orcas took a little over an hour.

Kingfish Inn and West Sound Cafe

Checked in to the Kingfish Inn which adjoins the West Sound Cafe. Had dinner at the Cafe...I had grilled salmon on roasted sweet potatoes. Vicki had fish and chips, her fall back food whenever she can't find anything else on the menu she likes. Both dishes were very good.

8/13/11 (Saturday) - Breakfast again at Piroshky, then on to Pioneer Square, the historic center of the city. There we took an underground tour.

The city was rebuilt on top of the burned remains with a series of retaining walls. The ground was leveled by moving earth from higher ground filling in the retaining wall gaps.

The tour was somewhat interesting. We had a rookie tour guide who had a number of nervous ticks that he used to remember his script. It makes a difference when you have a good story teller.

In the evening we had dinner at il Bistro in the Market. The food and service was excellent. The waiter was engaging and provided some more tips on where to visit.

After dinner we went to the Gum Wall to meet our guide for the Ghost and Lust Tour.

The Gum Wall is outside a theater where the manager got disgusted with patrons sticking gum on the seats. So, he put a sign outside telling patrons to leave their gum outside. And, they did. First on the sign, then all over the wall. And, just this year, the gum is on the opposite wall as well. Eventually the Gum Wall will become Gum Alley.

Now, the Ghost and Lust Tour guide, Penny, was excellent. She had theater training and it showed. She is a storyteller. I took video of most of the tour and will post them somewhere.

We got "lust" thrown into the tour because of the late hour. Plus, the early history of Seattle includes many women who supposedly "sewed" for a living. Being on the coast there were many men to be serviced...like sailors. Prostitution was a big business and the sex business near the Market at one point threatened the existence of the buildings. They were slated to be torn down, but were preserved as historic structures which evolved into the Market it is today. All that remains of the sex trade is a burlesque show and sex shop.

8/12/11 (Friday) - Breakfast...got coffee at the original Starbucks and took it over to Piroshky Bakery across the street from Pike Place Market, a Russian pastry shop that we noticed yesterday had lines out the door. The pastries are amazing! We shared a spinach and cheese, and apple piroshky. Basically, a piroshky is a folded dough pastry with a variety of different fillings. Check out their website for details.

It was early, since we were still on Central Time, so we made it back to Pike Place Market before a lot of the vendors/artists were setup. We noticed some activity near one end of the market and discovered that the vendors were finding out where they could setup for the day. Rob, one of the artists, whose specialty is popsicle puppets, heard us talking and proceeded to explain what was going on. Stall assignments are based on seniority and are difficult to obtain. Stalls are only given to artists who are evaluated by a jury of peers and when accepted are placed on a list for a stall. Those with seniority, in some cases more than 30 years at the Market, are guaranteed a spot. Others take their chances.

One amazing thing at the Market is the flowers. The stalls facing the street all along the Market are flower vendors. There is color everywhere! They vendors are primarily Asian women busily putting flower arrangements together. They range in price from $5 -$15, and would cost three to four times that much in Fort Worth.

Of course we saw the fish vendor guys throwing fish around. Lots of fruit and vegetable vendors around as well. We tried some peaches that were so delicious that we had some shipped home to Papaw and Justin. Included were some nectarines and dates.

We bought a number of things...some Christmas presents. Vicki got clothes and jewelry. She got a necklace and ring from Jim, an Asian artist who has been at the Market for about 30 years. He found/collected most of the stones used in his pieces himself. Some of the most interesting looking pieces used stones that resembled landscapes.

We walked around to get oriented. Considered going up the Space Needle, but their was a one hour wait to get up. Noticed in our walking that the city is remarkably clean. Lots of public art. Also, noticed a fair number of homeless people...sad.

Dinner and entertainment was at Teatro ZinZanni. It is like Cirque de Soleil dinner theatre. It was a lot of fun and very entertaining.

On our walk back to the hotel we went up the Space Needle - no lines at 10 PM. The view is impressive and much better at night in my opinion than during the day.

8/11/11 (Thursday) – Susan W. drove us to the airport and talked nonstop. Entertaining stuff.

Flight was mostly uneventful, with the exception of a young teen who got motion sickness one row up and across the aisle from us on a smooth flight. Not an odor you want on an enclosed airplane. Felt sorry for the kid, but sorrier for the non-related passengers sitting on either side of him.

Had several options to get from the airport to the hotel. Chose a taxi over light-rail because we have two big suitcases and four carry-ons. Cost $45 including tip to get us to the Edgewater Hotel.

Checked-in, got to the room and Vicki thought we had reserved a room facing the bay. Went back down to the front desk…we were in the correct room…facing the hotel parking lot, mostly hidden by trees. The room is actually quite comfortable. The bathroom has a walk-in shower.

Vicki got over being pissy about the room…and started to chill and enjoy the MUCH cooler temperature, 72 degrees as opposed to 108 back in Fort Worth.

We did find out that we were in good company at the Edgewater. In earlier times The Beatles and Led Zeppelin stayed there supposedly because you can fish or piss from your room, since the hotel is on the edge of the water (built on pilings) and Elliott Bay is outside the window...if you reserve THAT kind of room.

After settling in at the hotel we walked up the piers and visited a Russian sailing ship that was passing through. It is a training ship for sailors. Got some photos that I'll post.

Walked up to Pike Place Market and toured the top floor section of stalls. The Market has several levels since it's built into the side of a cliff. On our way back to the hotel stopped at Anthony's for dinner. With the two hour time difference that made it a day for us.