Blogs from Washington, United States, North America - page 2

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North America » United States » Washington » Mt Rainier July 28th 2023

Okay, I get it. This is not exactly timely. But it is what it is. Our reason for overnighting in Olympia was that we had planned to take my aunt to dinner. She is our only remaining relative from my parents' generation. But it was not to be. Shortly before arriving, we found out that she had just been diagnosed with covid, and so we abandoned that plan. However, we did go to her favorite restaurant in Olympia that evening. We also needed to have a part day in a town large enough to have a Honda dealership that could service my Honda Accord Hybrid. We had put 5000 miles on it since leaving Charleston. We knew this would happen, so had scheduled early morning service at the dealership in Olympia. Departing that thrilling adventure, we ... read more
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 916 Mt Rainier National Park WA 072823
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 917 Mt Rainier National Park WA 072823
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 919 Mt Rainier National Park WA 072823


When we left Missoula, we abandoned the Lewis and Clark expedition trail temporarily. From this point they had a relatively easy journey down the Columbia River to the Oregon coast, and we shall cover that later. For now, we left their path and made our own. First we went to Spokane to pick up Jennie and have dinner with her niece, then across the Snoqualmie Pass to the Seattle area, and on through onto the Olympic Peninsula. There was little of interest between Missoula and Spokane, unless you consider it interesting to be traveling through country you know is inhabited by 3 foot long earthworms. Seattle is just a big sprawl for the traveler passing through. Its charms require an actual visit. Eventually, at the end of two days of driving, we found ourselves at the ... read more
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 804 Jennie Hurricane Ridge Olympic National Park WA 072623
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 805 Hurricane Ridge Olympic National Park WA 072623
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 808 Hurricane Ridge Olympic National Park WA 072623

North America » United States » Washington » Mt Rainier July 26th 2023

Today was occupied by a visit to the Hoh Rain Forest and then the drive to Olympia, which was mostly uninteresting (the drive, that is). The rain forest is the finest remaining example of the vast temperate rainforest that once stretched from southeastern Alaska to the central coast of California. From the Kalaloch Lodge, we had to backtrack somewhat to reach the visitor center. If you decide to go, go early in the morning. Otherwise, prepare yourself for a prolonged sojourn in your car waiting for admission as others leave. The origin of the name "Hoh" is lost. Some think it comes from a Native American word meaning"fast flowing river". Since the broad and fast-flowing river divides the land, some think the name comes from a Native American word meaning boundary. A third explanation is that ... read more
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 851 Jennie Hoh Rain Forest Olympic National Park WA 072723
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 859 Hoh Rain Forest Olympic National Park WA 072723
2023 Lewis and Clark trip 869 Hoh Rain Forest Olympic National Park WA 072723

North America » United States » Washington » Clear Lake July 22nd 2023

The New Friend I made a new friend this year. And now he is gone. So, I’m sitting down to smoke a little of my new friend's herb and write a tribute to him. This summer, I had the pleasure of working with legendary designer, natural builder, electrical vehicle maker, and sculptor SunRay Kelley on the last building he ever made. I helped him at a challenging time. We had a lot of deep conversations together. And then he died. I am still in a state of shock over this, and I miss him, but not in the same way as his family and long-time friends do. It’s something different for me, but still quite potent. I miss the opportunities to learn more from this man, whose philosophy I strongly believe, and whose works I fully ... read more
SunRay's Business Card
Bonnie's Business Card
Treehouse

North America » United States » Washington July 5th 2023

The rush is on to get everything together for our next big trip! In two days we meet up with our friends Teri and Dave for an epic adventure. One item on each of our bucket lists is to visit The Last Frontier. Specifically for me, I've wanted to drive the Alcan Highway. This year the four of us will be able to check this off the list. Going along for the ride will be our fur babies Charlie (ours) and Vinny (Teri and Dave's). They're both really good travelin' and campin' dogs, let's hope they're equally good when it comes to long days on the road. Our longest stretch will be about 390 miles; luckily (?) it's our second day on the road so we shouldn't already be burned out and dreading that much time ... read more

North America » United States » Washington July 1st 2023

The worst part about the summer? It can be so hot that it is absolutely rotten to be outside. The current weather across this awesome United States for the next week is that of dangerous levels in the South, West, and Midwest. To add insult to the forecast: Canada is on fire and the smoke is oozing into the Northeast, Midwest and everywhere in between. So, based on my vast experience as a Soldier, I have gathered options for this weird weather time period. Bottom Line…We got this people! As usual, I’m gonna tell a story that is exactly 20 years ago. To go to a foreign land, out of the safety and comfort of your home and add a couple of dangerous dynamics can at times freak you out and make your butt pucker. But ... read more
Hot Hot Hot
Fugly Hot!
Worst Stacked Load Ever!


On a stay a few years back, to attend a special anniversary party, we stayed at the old Mayflower Park Hotel. It is situated almost perfectly, between the Nordstrom flagship store, and the old Bon Marche', then a Macy's, and now Uniqlo and office space. Here is some information about it: Still locally owned, the Mayflower Park url=http://i.viglink.com/?key=1779361d4a956134e030a7c269533d19&insertId=661d0c4bc044c18a&type=CD&exp=-100%3ACILITE%3A3&libId=jkvwyg8s01016ga7000DAjweaon1t&cuid=BBBxxQg%7Cus%7Ctra%7Css%7Ctraveltripidea&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%2Ftravel%2Ftripideas%2F20-american-hotels-hiding-historic-secrets%2Fss-BBLZ33A%3Fli%3DBBnbklE%23image%3D32&v=1&iid=661d0c4bc044c18a&out=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripadvisor.com%2F&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%3Finst%3D7&title=20%20American%20hotels%20hiding%20historic%20secrets&txt=%3Cspan%3EHotel%3C%2Fspan%3E... read more
Serious Pie logo
The night market

North America » United States » Washington » Seattle » Ballard June 11th 2023

Though we have been to Seattle many times, actually over fifty, it remains one of our favorite cities in the entire world. We have been visiting this fine city since our honeymoon in 1995. We now visit just once a year, at our Anniversary, though for many years, we visited three times a year, adding our birthdays in October and February. So, we are always on the search for places, events, people, and things to explore or visit. Most of the time, we find some a concert, museum exhibit, farm dinner, or party to attend. Other times, we get together with old friends or relatives for a meal or party. In the past, we have seen performers like Paul Simon, Sting. the Seattle Symphony, Chicago, Average White Band, Tower of Power, the Kingsmen (Louie, Louie), Janis ... read more
Pike Market music
Fresh grilled veggies

North America » United States » Washington » Seattle » Bell Town June 10th 2023

Originally written in 2017. We are here in beautiful and sunny Seattle. Locals have complained about an extremely long, dreary and wet winter and spring. It is gorgeous here this weekend, in fact, on Sunday morning at 8am, the sun was already out! We got very lucky with the weather, as I had to buy a pair of Bermuda shorts yesterday, to wear today. What is the most obvious thing about Seattle this weekend besides the sunny weather? It has turned blue, completely blue, and it is not even Seahawks season. The blue belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays MLB team, in town for a three games series with the hometown Mariners. Why so many Toronto fans? Blue Jays fans outnumbeed the Mariner fans last night by at east 2 to 1!!!! Why? It turns out ... read more
Love the fresh flowers
And the Serious Pie

North America » United States » Washington April 24th 2023

(This post also appears on my personal blog at nicnakis.com) The return journey was not nearly as interesting as the way coming. After all the excitement of seeing new places, meeting new people, and enjoying new experiences, backtracking home in a rush just doesn't compare on the same level of storytelling interest. But, I am a completist, and I will complete the story. We only got about 3-4 hours of driving done on Sunday night, so that meant we had a long way to go on Monday. With appointments starting at 6am on Tuesday, and school for Nathan, we were going to have to make it all the way from Dunnigan to Sedro-Woolley in one day. We drove from a little after 8 in the morning until a little after 10pm. There's not much to tell ... read more
Unloading
Dirty truck




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