Tuesday - Traveling Back to PA

After spending about (3) weeks on the Westcoast we made our way back home on Tuesday, flying from SeaTac to Harrisburg with a stopover at O'hare in Chicago.  Overall it was a great trip and we were able to visit many family members along our route.  Thanks to all who may have taken a look at this blog and I hoped you found it interesting.  Until our next adventure.  Fondly, Jim & Sheila

Last Day in the RV on Misery Point

We had a nice time staying in an RV on Ben's property on Misery Point overlooking the small town of Seabeck, WA.  Ben, Sheila, and I went for a short walk on the main road and I've included several pics from his property entrance and by the RV.

A Visit to Defiance Zoo/Aquarium

On Sunday Sheila's two sisters and brother Ken and Darrell began their travels back to PA and CO, respectively.  Ben and Matt (Ben's State College friend) and Sheila and Jim made a trip down near Tacoma to visit the Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.  We had a very nice day and spent quite a few hours visiting this facility.  For those who may have taken a physics course during their academic years I've included a shot of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge which was built to replace the "infamous" bridge which self destructed in a strong windstorm shortly after construction and was captured on video to show how engineering can go wrong.

Return Visit to Port Angeles and Olympic National Park

Saturday turned out to be a nice day so we drove 50 miles back up to Port Angeles and entered Olympic National Park, our destination being Hurricane Ridge.  I've included some pics from that beautiful area where we hiked some of the trails spending about (4) hours on the mountaintop.

Buffet on Ben's Property

After our successful day on the Hood Canal (9 Dungeness crabs) we motored back to Seabeck and began to prepare for our outside buffet including the crabs, prawns, tuna, pork chops and many side dishes.  The weather cooperated and we had a nice campfire going the whole time.

Crabbing on the Hood Canal

We returned to the Silverdale/Seabeck area the following morning and, since the weather wasn't as good as we had hoped, several stops were made to quilt shops in Sequim, Port Gamble, and finally dinner in Poulsbo.  Friday morning Jim, Dave (Ben's old neighbor), Bruce (Dave's friend) and Ben ventured out on the Hood Canal to go crabbing (dungeness variety) and silver salmon fishing.  We spent about four hours on the canal and caught (9) crabs, a great haul!!  Here are some shots from our canal trip that day.

The Albion Manor B&B

This is our third stay at the Albion Manor, a rather eclectic home not far from the ferry terminal.  I've included some shots from the interior and gardens around the house.

Evening at Victoria's harbor

Several pictures of the governmental buildings as well as the Empress.

The Empress and Victoria harbor

After dropping off our bags we walked back to the harbor and headed for the Fairmont Empress Hotel for high tea.  Here's a picture of the five of us with the hotel in the background.

Here's some pictures of the Victoria harbor area.

Arrived in Victoria, BC

Our trip on the COHO was fairly uneventful, we arrived in Victoria and made our way to the Albion Manor Inn, a B&B we found several visits ago.

I've attached several pics from the house and our room dubbed Tbe Queen's Terrace.  After dropping off our bags the gals headed off to high tea at the Empress while the guys strolled around the harbor area.

Port Angeles to Victoria Across the Straits of Juan de Fuca

Today, Wednesday , 9/2, we left Ben's area (Seabeck) and drove up to Port Angeles, WA, to board the COHO ferry for the 90 minute trip over to Victoria, BC.  I've included a shot of our ship headed out of Washington into the straits and our entry into the harbor city of Victoria with the showcase Fairmont Empress Hotel at the end of the harbor.

Across the Puget Sound to Seattle

After settling in our new RV digs we then traveled by ferry (Sheila, Ben, and Jim) across the Puget Sound from Bremerton, meeting Wendy, Monica, Ken, and Darrell at their hotel for some sightseeing in the city.  Of course there was a quilt shop stop (photo) very near the Pike Brewing Company (photo).

We then wandered around the Pike St Market for awhile and after lunch we took a ride on the Giant Wheel which offered a good vantage point for panoramic shots of Seattle (with the Space Needle on the left side of one of the city pictures). In the last photo in the distance are the arched roofs of the Mariner and Seahawk's stadiums.

Our Arrival in Seabeck

We were met by Ben, our younger son (31), at the King's St train station and we hustled (in the rain) about (3) blocks to the ferry dock for our 70 minute ride over to the Kitsap Peninsula to the west of the Puget Sound (from Seattle).  We arrived at our RV which had been positioned on Ben's lot on what is called Misery Point.  Here's a shot of Sheila & Ben at the front of the RV.

The Coast Starlight

Here are a few pictures inside the reburbished 1950`s era parlor cars which are on each Coast Starlight train.  Comfortable swivel chairs, a bar, and a small number of dining tables are available for use during one's trip.  This is the "upstairs" section of the car, on the "lower" section is a 30 seat movie theatre, (3) films were shown during our 24 hr trip up the Western coast.

I was able to exit the train during our short stop in Portland, OR, here's a picture of the train station.  This may be a duplicate of the Portland Train station.  Sorry!

"Training" from San Jose, CA, to Seattle, WA via Amtrak's Coast Starlight, a 24 hr trip.  Stewart & Kathy dropped us off at the station (photo) and we boarded at 8:30pm to begin the trip north.