So there it is!

We enjoyed our trip from beginning to end. Thanks for following the blog--I have to say that we could not have remembered details of the trip if it weren't for the journal. On the road, entering each day was too time consuming especially as busy as our days were and how much we wanted to get done.

Daily event and photo Journal

Seattle

June 8th Wednesday: Last day! We arrived the night before and just hung out at the hotel. Didn't want to unpack too much because we would only have to repack. The hotel was busy with teams of I don't know who but lots of high school and college kids. We had all day to sight-see Seattle, we didn't have to be to the airport until 9:00pm for a "red eye" out of sea tac airport direct to MKE.
We talked about our next trip here. Definitely, we'll need a video camera and we never missed the 2 boxes of clothing we sent ahead to make room for our wine stash--so pack lighter.
Our first stop was the Seattle Art Museum--for 6 hours of parking it cost $30...that hurt! For some odd reason, we didn't bring our cameras for fear of looking like tourist...dah! what were we thinking...so all the picture here are with our iPhones. Here we go:

Don't look up!

WOW!

We were MOST impressed with this:

Cape made with Dog tags! WOW!

Sorry....couldn't resist! LOL!

We had a great time at the museum!

Stopped at a bookstore/bar called Hale's Ales!

Seating was also outside

Walked to the Piers/Shops

Walked all along Pike's Place Market!

We walked through just a portion of downtown known as Belltown. It was the end of the work day and people were everywhere. heading home or to meet friends--retail stores were closing. We did get lost on purpose (by car). Drove past the Needle and all around the city. We didn't see as much as we wanted to in the city--we wanted to see the underground, maybe a few more galleries, There just wasn't enough time in the day and both of us were very tired and just wanted to return our car and catch our flight. Upon arrival to return the car...once again our timing was perfect, the shuttle was waiting for us to take us to the airport. Our luggage was under weight. We made it to our terminal in plenty of time. Surprisingly, it was a full flight and with our luck again, our seats were the first to board -- Jim took his sleeping pill and nighty night until 5:30am

SEATTLE HERE WE COME!

June 7th Tuesday: Early birds--reorganizing and Coffee! It's our first cloudy morning and for once we're not awakened with song birds--They must of known we were leaving...HA!!
Breakfast was again HUGE! Oatmeal with apples slices, yogurt with fruit, local raised produced ham, hash browns, cheese slices AND a apple pecan muffin...Jim ate the ham, which he said was delicious and I took the muffin for the road. Kevin and Jen were perfect host and hostess for 26 years old with a baby on the way KUDO's to them for all their web marketing skills and hospitality. Jen is a fantastic cook!

Smoqualmie Falls

 We packed our car and wanted to check into our hotel Best Western, located near the airport around 3:00pm. Our rental had a shuttle to the airport so it made sense to stay near the airport.
We stopped in Smoqualmie falls at around 1:30pm. What a breathtaking view of the waterfall. This falls is 100ft taller than Niagara Falls in NY. School must not have been our for the summer yet as there were lots of kids with their classmates and teachers. We decided to have a late lunch picnic in the car with our left over chicken and asparagus and with our left over pecan muffin from this morning.

Late lunch in the car

The Islands

June 6, Monday: Breakfast was scones, quiche, garlic potato, bowl of fruit--Very good, TOO MUCH food! Heading to the Lummi Island today and one more great highlight to mark on our impressive map!

We decided to start highlighting where we've been 2,100 miles with no car problems. Pretty luck I'd say!

Lummi Island--Not only the home of sustainable fisheries, historic inns, organic farms, excellent restaurants and cafes, Lummi has many artists and artisans and hosts Studio Tour Open House three times a year. On this wooded, rural island you can still enjoy unspoiled natural beauty, bird and whale watching. It is graced with tranquil beaches and 18 miles of quiet, country roads ideal for walking and biking. It is home to the second highest point in the San Juan Islands, Baker Mountain, and the trail leading up to it offers a spectacular west-facing view across Rosario Strait. There are historical anomalies located on our beaches: a petroglyph dating from 1700, and a fossilized palm tree dating back 60 million years, videos of which you can see on this website. Since there are no RV parks, campsites, nor State parks, the island attracts a different kind of holiday seeker, those who want to be in touch with nature and themselves.

Lummi Island is the most northeasterly of the San Juan archipelago, and easily the most accessible. Located near Bellingham (Whatcom County), it is served by a small county ferry which makes the scenic, six minute crossing at least once an hour until mid-night. It is just two hours from Seattle, and one and a half hours from Vancouver, BC. We were on time!
We found a fantastic overview on a deception pass. (Deception Pass is a strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island, in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington. It connects Skagit Bay, part of Puget Sound, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca--overlooking Hope Island, through Oak Park (where there is an Air Force Base) Oak harbor is contemporary and very lively new construction--traveled HWY20 through to the ferry $9.00--entering Mukiltero up to Marysville and then to Stanwood and on to the island. (Mukilteo is the home of Boeing Aircraft). We also went on to of Whidbey Camano Island stopped in a tiny little park and caught some American bald eagles. Jim got a great shot...my camera wouldn't open in time...
Heading back...we stopped in a grocery store for chicken for the grill (provided) with asparagus spears and zucchini with cheese and crackers. We needed to reorganize the suitcases cuz tomorrow we head to Seattle for our last stop.

Bellingham WA

Camera Bugs, HEY MOVE OVER!!!!

June 5, Sunday: On the shores of Bellingham Bay with Mount Baker as its backdrop, Bellingham is the last major city before the Washington coastline meets the Canadian border. The City of Bellingham, which serves as the county seat of Whatcom County, is at the center of a uniquely picturesque area offering a rich variety of recreational, cultural, educational and economic activities. Photo Tour.
Bellingham has 25 distinctly recognized neighborhoods, where active leaders work together to shape the future of their area and the City as a whole.  The City’s rich heritage and recent population growth are reflected in its diverse neighborhoods and housing styles, from regal Victorians, waterfront bungalows and country farmhouses to downtown condominiums and new developments.
 We took this picture in a reflection mirror window of one of the business buildings in Bellingham--- thought we were pretty brilliant...
With magnificent natural scenery, Mt. Baker skiing and snowboarding, hiking, arts and theatre, charming villages and waterfront adventures like whale watching, the Bellingham Mt. Baker region is a unique area of Washington state. 

Hellooooo!

We had lunch at a corner outdoor cafe and watched lots of college kids. Our waiter was a college kid and a hard worker, said he lived in Seattle and worked three nights in Bellingham and stays with a friend while he's there. There are three colleges in the area.
Contrary to popular myth, it does not always rain there! Bellingham gets 36 inches of measurable precipitation per year. That’s less than Miami (57 inches), New York City (43 inches) and Boston (42 inches). Yet none of those cities can claim to be among ” the top ten cities in the nation with the cleanest air ” (American Lung Association, 2002-2006).
Temperatures for the region vary based on altitude (for example, sea level in Blaine or the ski area of Mt. Baker) and other factors. The average high in Bellingham in July is 72 degrees with a low of 53 degrees. In January the high is around 43 degrees and the low 31 degrees.
On the average there are 71 sunny days, 93 partly sunny days and 201 cloudy days.
 Anyway, our waiter suggested that we travel  down Chuckanuck drive--(HWY 11) said it was beautiful. We did, it had white knuckle views with very little shoulder and narrow 2 lanes. Lots of motorcycles. We went through Larabee State park. Wonderful overviews!

While in Bellingham we picked up a quiche at a small shop for dinner and of course a bottle of wine. We had dinner at 7:30pm and decided to jump in the hot tub in the back yard for 1/2 hour. We seemed to be the only guests at the time--although, while we were having dinner, a family had arrived and the teenage daughter was freaked because she was seeing ghosts..."Call the Ghost busters!!"
pulll--leeeezzzzz--I see dead people!!!! you don't hear me freakin---kidding.
Jim found a couple of great ideas to build:

Tilted shoe rack on the bed of stones

We both thought the shoe rack for WET shoes was a great idea for winter time-- drips into the stones. Put your orders in now!

Anderson Creek Lodge last Bed & Breakfast!

Managing the Lodge (see the closed tram)

June 4, Saturday: Our arrival to our last B&B is Anderson Creek Lodge--Built in the 70's--it was modern in it;s time--the air conditioning is based on the chimney effect. All the rooms upstairs have window trams all along the inside wall ceilings...somewhere, at some point, someone enclosed all of those trams...it was HOT! The front of the lodge faces west and if you go to the link you can see all windows. The day cooled off quickly and the evenings are cool not cold. Very comfortable temps. We unpacked and head out for a bite to eat. Neither of us were very hungry. The lodge managers suggested a German style restaurant about 1 mile away. We decided on 3 appetizers and soup which was just enough. Had a nice glass of Riesling wine. I have to tell you that that glass of wine set me on my tail. Here's the story: while lugging our luggage up the stairs...there is canister lighting on the wall in the middle of the staircase--on first trip up the stairs...Jim hit the light with his shoulder...that was the Oops! On the second trip up the stairs...Jim hit the light with his shoulder...I heard "Oh I can't believe I hit it again--third one is a charm" and the last trip up he hit...the....light....AGAIN!!! I just lost it...(I'm sure it was the wine). I was laughing so hard I wet my pants! I know you don't think it was that funny but...I lost it...damn WINE!!!
...it went downhill from there...It was time for bed. Our selection for a bed & breakfast was lovely. There was a Llama on the property. It was very unfriendly or just couldn't hear.

Anderson Creek Lodge

Open field for the Llama

Only one

 Our first Breakfast morning was HUGE! 3 pancakes, yogurt with fruit, 3 slices of pepper bacon, hash browns with cheese--we took a long walk after the delicious breakfast and got started on our tour through the city of Bellingham. We loved Bellingham. Most of the downtown area are old buildings renovated to modern chic. Fresh new environmental graphics and very unique shops and signage.

Leavenworth WA

June 4, Saturday: Leavenworth WA....What can I say, the pictures say it all...

We stopped for some German beer and a sandwich--there was a wine tasting event (fund raiser), going on throughout the town where shops would offer wine and participants would get a card punched. It was $60, we did not participate, not because Jim's tongue was still numb from all the wine tasting he had already done--but we had to hit the road. It was such a beautiful day we strolled among the artist and nearby shops. Our next stop was our last B&B in Bellingham so we hit the road around 2pm to get there by 6:30pm.