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Published: August 14th 2017
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The skies are gray again today. The ceiling is low and weighing on my brain like a ton of bricks. I have no idea how people live up here in the northwest. The rain, the fog, the overcast skies…it is very depressing, and I found myself feeling the negative effects of it all day. We did get to see the sun peek out briefly, but it wasn’t enough for a Floridian used to seeing the sun every day. My mind and body have become used to having sunshine. If I lived up here, I would not thrive. Today made me glad we are moving out of this region and back eastward beginning tomorrow.
We left the hotel this morning at 7:30 AM and 57 degrees. We decided to spend some time riding around Port Angeles. There was not much going on this Sunday morning…it is a day off for workers and not a good day for recreation. So we moved on to Port Townsend. It was windy and cold along the water. We drove along the harbor and saw A LOT of wood waiting to be loaded on ships for transport. It is clear Washington is in the business of
selling it’s precious natural resources. It reminded me of New Zealand, where wood is their biggest export.
We drove into Fort Worden State Park where we viewed the lighthouse. Fort Worden used to be a US Army installation, there for the purpose of protecting Puget Sound. It is now a historical site.
We then decided to head inland, so we put Seattle into the GPS. She failed to tell us that her planned route was by way of ferry. We did not know until she directed us down a road to the Ferry Station. It looked to us like there was no way to bail out, but, with a little bit of fancy maneuvering, we managed to get the heck out of there. It took us some time, but we found a route to Seattle that did not require a ferry. It just was not a good day for a boat ride.
As a result of this, we somehow, through no plan of our own, ended up in Gig’s Harbor. We have been there before and decided that it would be a pleasant place to have lunch, so we sat by the harbor and watched the pleasure
boats, the tourists, and the gondolier (yes they have gondolas). He was even dressed in costume. The sun blessed us during lunch time, so we got a little vitamin D along with our food.
We then pointed the car towards Tacoma, instead of Seattle, and were able to get a land route over to the mainland. We had two GPS’s going and still ran into issues as they decided to route us around traffic and into neighborhoods rather than on I-5. It took some time, but we made it to Pike Place Market, near Fisherman’s Wharf in downtown Seattle. Traffic in the city was laborious and pedestrians were overwhelming. So, after driving by the market, we got out of there as quickly as we could.
Our hotel reservation was in Everett, north of Seattle. The GPS got us to the right corner, but we could see no La Quinta anywhere. We drove around for more than half an hour before calling the hotel. It was there, but I challenge any intelligent human to find it without directions. On this corner is the Mariner Square. In that square is a casino as well as many shops and restaurants. Well,
the hotel desk clerk said “we are behind the Holiday Inn, which is behind the Casino”. Yes, it is. Totally hidden from view from any vantage point. We drove up and found it under renovation. But our room was already completed and very nice. So, we are settled in for the night. It was a long day with a lot of missteps, but by tomorrow we will be rested and ready for another day…onward to Kamloops, BC. Hopefully I will have better things to report on and be able to stop complaining…I guess I have become a bit travel weary. I need some SUNSHINE!!!
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Sharon Gauert
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Olympic National Forest -- almost primeval
We loved touring the rain forest. Did you see the 4 Patriots? 4 huge Sequoia trees that may be up to 2000 years old. We hiked in the forest; I swear a dinosaur could have come around the corner & it would fit in. We also got lost and Nancy thought we were doomed. Happy memories; thanks for bringing them back.