Blogs from Washington, United States, North America - page 14

We left the hotel in Squamish around 9:00 AM and drove to the USA/Canadian border near Lynden, WA. Though different from where we crossed previously, the delay was just about the same. About 40 minutes after arriving at the border, we were able to actually re-enter the US. The planned 5 hour drive took more like six and a half. The drive to Winthrop goes through the North Cascade Mountains along the Cascade Highway and is pretty scenic in its own right. We arrived in Winthrop, a very touristy little town at the confluence of the Chewuch and the Methow Rivers around 3:30 PM and checked into our motel. After getting settled, we walked on a trail that took us over the Methow River on a pedestrian bridge, through the town and crossing a second pedestrian ... read more

We left Seattle around 1:30 and drove to Glacier, WA, battling the stop and go afternoon traffic that seems inevitable near any large city these days. Arrived at the Blue T Lodge just west of Glacier around 4:30 PM and checked in at the bar in the adjacent Chair 9 pizza restaurant. The bartender had my reservation and, key in hand, we made our way to our room on the second floor. Lodge room was nicely furnished though without TV reception, refrigerator, microwave, or air conditioning, none of which was a necessity, but all were missed at one time or another. The saving grace was a reasonably fast WiFi connection. As it turned out, we were just in time for the 4th of July parade that started at the restaurant and consisted of a couple of ... read more

Early this May I went to a Dive Expo in Seattle…like a Boat Show, but for divers. And I got a lot of follow up advertisement for Live Aboard trips and I fell in love with a boat, La Galigo. A beautiful wooden boat made of iron wood and teak. Interior like Norwegian wood inlay and bright red sails. Wood, and Red Sails. It was a must lust for me. Leaving port in Labuan Bajo in Bali on the ninth of July. I said I Want That! Only thirteen divers. To Komodo Islands. 13. Lucky Thirteen. Well then, where else? Brunei might be interesting. I only passed through the airport once, but I almost missed my connecting flight I was so enchanted by the lovely sales girls and their modest behavior and sweet smiles. On my ... read more

Does having the most coffee shops per square mile mean that you have the best coffee? Yes, there is a Starbucks, and usually one other competitor on every block. There are a few Peet's (our favorite), so there is hope for this city. But do they have really good coffee? Here is an "expert" at the Stranger: Coffee shops in Seattle function as social clubs, community forums, shared office space, and study centers. Even the most utilitarian place offers mind-boggling overheard conversation and fascinating people watching. In my opinion, Starbucks's coffee tastes burned and people look dumb walking around drinking coffee out of giant paper cups like they're constantly at a high-school kegger. Espresso is best sipped scalding hot from a ceramic cup without a weird plastic sippy-cup lid filtering it through a petroleum product. Try ... read more

When my husband and I first got married, one of the first trips we took as newlyweds was a short trip to Seattle. My husband had a work trip and I hadn’t started my new position as a technical writer yet, so I was able to tag along. We got to see a sample of the city but the trip wasn’t long enough for us to truly explore all that it had to offer. Still, we fell in love with the city and its water views and we vowed that we’d be back one day. So, when he got the opportunity to travel back to Seattle last autumn, we arranged for our parents to help watch the kids and we took the chance to revisit one of our favorite places. We started where we began the ... read more