Off on the metro to downtown early this morning. Our mission was to get to Smith Tower early which we managed to accomplish. We were the first group of visitors up in the manually operated elevator for the day. Smith tower was built in 1914 and is 42 stories high although the elevator only goes to the 35th floor. The buildIng is office space these days but the foyer and the observation deck are very nostalgic. Cost is only $7.50 for the ride up. It was a good clear sunny morning so we got plenty of great shots. Next we walked along the waterfront on our way back to Pine Street to catch the monorail to Seattle Centre. The monorail is $4.50 for the round trip and only takes a couple of minutes to reach Seattle ... read more

Up early again today as we we're going to a tour of the Boeing Factory in Everett - about a 40 minute drive from where we are staying. The factory is so huge is difficult to put into prospective but the guide told us that 7 Taj Mahals could fit inside the factory, or the whole of Disneyland with a 12 acre parking lot would be equal to the size of Boeing so that gives you an idea of the magnitude of the place. The tour is 90 minutes long and you get a bus to different parts of the factory to see the workings of the place. Boeing employs 42,000 staff at the plant. It is virtually a city within a city and has its own fire brigade, air strip, control tower, restaurants, coffee shops, ... read more

Well we have arrived at our first destination after a 12 hour flight from Brisbane to LAX, then 3.5 hour stopover before boarding an air alaska flight to Seattle. The flight from Brisbane went smooth although it is always way too long for those of us sitting in economy. Food and service is great on Virgin Australia. Today we experienced what american folks call normal when boarding a domestic flight in the USA. It is a long process to get through all the security checks and I am grateful to be living in Australia where the threat of terrorism is not near as bad as over here. Having said that I am also grateful that the border security are doing their utmost to keep everyone safe! The flight from LAX to Seattle was just over 2 ... read more

Well, just a few days to go now. Last minute itinerary changes and a few shifts left at work. Flying out with V Australia Friday morning 11.15am land in LAX then a flight with Air Alaska to Seattle for six days before cruising up to Seward.. Will keep you posted Geoff and Judy... read more