8/16 Sunday
Sunday morning we woke up and ran over to a farmer's market held in Barrett, which was the town next to Wallingford where we were staying. The market was just like we had experienced in San Fran in the past with a bunch of fresh veggies and other foods coupled with a few local restaurants serving things like gyros and pizza. We had a blast and felt like locals checking out the scene.
In the afternoon, we had planned to go to Olympic National Park today, but our plans were de-railed by a 90 minute wait to get on the ferry. We ended up wandering into the next closest town called Edmonds. They were doing a taste of Edmonds that day, so we headed over to the festival, but soon left after feeling like it was just way too commercial in regards to shops and what not. Walked around the town and felt once again that Seattle was brimming with quaint little places to visit. Headed to the beach so Zach could run around-he managed to make a natural fence using wood that was strewn about on the beach.
Ended up eating a very average meal at a local Italian restaurant that was not even worth mentioning...
Finally headed to our next place, which was a fully furnished 2 bedroom loft near Alki Beach. Had all the amenities we needed including a huge grill so this guy could get his grill on!!
8/17
Today was probably the most enjoyable day of the trip. Why pray tell? Well...this is the day that we drove to Mt Rainier to get in touch with nature. Mt Rainier was known as Mt Tacoma or "Mother of Waters" to the local Indians of the area. It also happens to be an active volcano with lava formations dating back 840,000 years ago. It is the 21st highest mountain in North America and to us it was absolutely breathtaking.
We stopped at a place to pick up picnic supplies before we paid our 15 dollars to get into the park. Once inside the park, we were amazed at how many things you could possibly visit and knew that one day was not going to be enough. We raced up the mountain at 15 miles per hour(speed limit) stopping at some places for the requisite pictures. Took a break at Narada falls to check out a really nice waterfall. However, our final destination was Paradise Valley- my god it was incredible! Once we started our hike, the first thing you noticed is that the area is festooned with wildflowers ...they must have at least 100 different varieties...enough to warrant having a pamphlet devoted specifically to the subject. You have flowing streams, amazing vistas and all with a backdrop of this tremendous glacier behind you....you have to see it with your own eyes. We hiked for about a mile and a half or so and decided to head back since it was getting late. That nite, we had our first home-cooked meal of baked salmon (a dish my wife concocted with the bare minimum in cooking accoutrements) and boy oh boy it was delicious.
8/18
We were thinking that today we would go to Olympic National Park, but the fact that it was 3 hrs one way put the kibosh on that plan. Instead, we headed to the Flight Museum, which was only 15 minutes away and Zach was so happy we did. He got to go inside Air Force One(that was used up until the Nixon Presidency) and he also was able to go inside the Concord, which was amazingly narrow and very little legroom for the passengers on board-the fact that people paid 15 grand a pop to save 3 hours on a flight still mystifies me.
There were other exhibits like the lunar landing exhibit that let you feel firsthand what it was like trying to repair a satellite in space- incredibly tough if you asked me. Zach loved every minute of it and was difficult to extricate from the building when it came time to head out.
Once again, we had home cooking courtesy of both myself and Marie. I grilled some chicken, halibut and corn on the grill and enjoyed every bit of it.
Almost forgot that we jumped into the car after dinner to take in the sunset at Alki Beach(4 minutes from our place). We were blown away with the view, sunset and the twilight illumination after sunset-driving further down the beach we came across views of downtown after sunset that were magnificent. Felt like I was in Brooklyn looking at the the downtown skyline of NYC.
8/19
Wanted to take it slow today since it was going to be our last day in Seattle, so we hopped in the car and headed to Bellevue, which was possibly a place that we may consider moving to in the future if it was to our liking.
We arrived and were pleasantly surprised by the cosy feel while offering all of the trappings that mid-size city could offer(museums, malls and other things of that ilk). Had a nice lunch a nearby cafe then headed to the mall to beat the heat(hottest day of the trip so far hitting 88 degrees at mid-day.)
That nite, we grilled and chilled feasting on a huge ribeye and baked potatoes that we packed up in a bag so we could watch the sunset by the beach. Unfortunately, certain mishaps didn't allow us to see the sunset, but at least we got there in enough time to see the post sunset afterglow.
8/20
Woke up at 5:49 am to catch a flight to Atlanta. Met by momma and dad at the airport with open arms and made it back to their abode with enough time to allow yours truly to make a decent pasta dish to impress the rents. Its great to be back home and look forward to catching up with friends and loved ones over the next 10 days in Hotlanta.
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