For the busy people. Home. Safe. Seattle. Starbucks. River Cruise. Puget Sound/San Juan Islands.
For those not so busy, let me tell you a story about Mom and Jenn (and you thought I was going to say Jed. I ain’t no Beverly Hillbilly). It’s a bit of a novel. If you don’t want to experience it all, you can skip to just the pictures (grouped into folders).
As you see from the subject, flying has become my least favorite activity. I’ve thought many times about an Alaskan cruise because my dad had talked so highly about it. I may have to take it off my bucket list. But before that, let’s first leave Greenville. Some reading this and have read my other travel journeys are going to say, is this Groundhog Day?
Still in the driveway, I ask again for the hundredth time, “Do you have the passports? Let me physically see them” I haven’t gotten a “real ID” since my license doesn’t expire for a few years. Plus we had the opportunity to visit Canada. Had we changed our excursion while on board, we would have needed them. Beyond passports and before departing Greenville, we made 2 critical stops. First, having my baby girl complete an extended wait. Hugs and kisses, we made our way to Krispy Kreme. I really think this needs to be a habit. If you don’t eat them except at the start of a vacation, it really gets your mind into the mode. No dozen this time but they were still free. I know it’s data collection by companies but if you want to give me free stuff for my birthday, I’ll take it. And it’s not like they validate the date. So I randomly pick your birthday days to celebrate along side each of you. March, April, May, June, August, October, November, December. I know I’m forgetting someone because every month there is something free from somewhere.
Vacationing should be easy. But no trip is complete unless you forget at least 1 thing. Phone charger. Out of all the electronics and cords packed, however could I forget a phone charger? I keep one in the car but of course it plugs to the cigarette lighter. Found a Walmart close by. We were fortunate to arrive just before closing at 10 PM. Covid changed the world too much. Some changes were good but not having 24 hour Walmarts goes in the wrong direction. While still there, I noticed my readers were broken. Getting old kind of sucks always looking around where did I put my glasses. I’m being ears for Mom, can’t be blind too.
With an overnight stay in Charlotte, getting up before the sun, we got ourselves checked in with the airline. Through TSA, there was time to stand in line for Chickfila to get breakfast. None of it was terribly horrible but I can still remember the days of flying before 9/11. You could show up at the airport just before your flight with family in tow up to the departure gate. Let alone thinking about what is/is not in your purse/carry on/pockets, having an empty bottle for later filling, and putting shoes on/off. Some mild turbulence did rustle me out of my Tylenol PM induced nap. Touchdown and not a field goal but a safe landing, we departed the plane finally.
Mom did all the planning on this trip. Her 4th river cruise, my first. Just like me talking about London for 10 years and her finally going, I got to experience what she and my great aunt have done so many times. Since Mom found river cruises, she’s been asking “Do you want to do one?” I knew I did but wanted it to be something she hadn’t yet experienced either. We found the round-trip from Seattle which worked great. So before you ask how much did it cost, all I can say is memories are priceless. Spending my inheritance with Mom is so much better than thinking about the day when I’ll be spending the money alone.
Enough of that sad stuff, let’s move to the fun. A taxi ride to our hotel which was a 5 star (*****).Let me repeat 5 star (*****) in as many languages as I know. Anybody who knows anything about me, I’m the blue jean kid. Give me a McDonald’s Big Mac before serving me a filet mignon. A hotel is a bed to be slept in. As long as I feel safe and the bed/room are clean, I’m good. Fancy. As you see from the pictures, this room was probably as big as my bedroom if not bigger. Need to take care of business while doing business, this place had it covered. I didn’t test how long it would take for the bath tub to fill, didn’t want to waste water. But I sure thought about it. I did do the terry cloth robe just for fun. And the mirror had a TV built within it. Time zone changes can really work to an advantage when going east to west. It was just lunch time so we had a good half day to explore. Priority one is always food. I think we’d probably be arrested if we didn’t partake in local cuisine at Pike’s Market. While it wasn’t crappie fish my uncle caught, the fish and chips was awfully darn good. Could be we were hungry but I’ll say if you go to Lowell’s, don’t just pass it by. With splitting a meal, it allowed us to further indulge with more food. A street vendor had sour dough grilled cheese sandwiches which Mom says was the best she’d ever eaten. But food doesn’t stop there, I’d already researched and found Cinnamon Works. Some lunch and dessert, it was time for exploring more.
I’ll never say to bypass a tourist attraction, the Space Needle was interesting but maybe more expensive than the gain of the experience. The standing in line waiting to be next for the elevator didn’t help. Mom said it was like Disney World. But I can say I did it. Beyond the beautiful views, I got to make a squished penny. Damn inflation. It’s now 76¢. I think the last time I did it was in St Louis and swear it was only 51¢ then. But maybe that was more years than I thought. The afternoon was beginning to grow long so we grabbed dinner on the walk back to the hotel. I’d, by this point, surpassed my daily step goal of 10K and was over 20K steps. We must have walked about 8 or so miles. I forgot to clock it. But based on the step count, I hit the same a few weeks before when Mom and I walked/hiked 8.5 miles around Lake Whelchel in Gaffney. Heading back, we stopped by the Gum Wall. Make that several walls. Art or disgusting, we’ll leave to eye of the beholder. Maybe some rest should be had before we departed Seattle for the cruise.
While breakfast did have the continental style, there was also thick cut bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, and parfaits. Loving the bacon and parfait, Mom asked about the brands hoping we could recreate it at home. It’s proprietary. Yep, that chef wasn’t given up the goods. With so much walking the day before, we had missed riding “The Wheel” just steps from the hotel. Make that 103 steps, if I counted correctly. Pumped from the caffeinated coffee, I wanted to feel like Rocky. Leaving Mom at the top, I descended then climbed back up in 1 minute 15 seconds. Yeah, I actually stop watched it. I’m no runner but felt impressed with myself. Our motor coach wasn’t leaving for well over an hour so we had time to again walk the market. It’s a lot like the Charleston market. A bit more of a fish smell and getting to watch men throw them was different. When you walk randomly, you get to find things unintentionally. The original Starbucks. I wasn’t going to stand in the ever growing line, already over a block long, so grabbed a photo with the sign and pretended to say I’ve been. We then walked to the top of the market where there was another Starbucks. There I got another jolt of caffeine. I had Starbucks in Seattle in honor of my coffee work buddies.
Our motorcoach tour then traversed the streets of Seattle. Our superb guide, Spencer, even laid on the ground to get the photo I couldn’t, Mom and I together with the Space Needle behind us. It was just a drive by but got to see the house boat from Sleepless In Seattle. In fact, Spencer was also an actor. He said he was Meg Ryan’s secretary in the movie. A quick photo with a movie star, it was time to finally board our ship. With only 73 guest, it isn’t large. 4 floors, 1 of which is a sun deck. Lunch time, it was time to eat before we completed the mandatory egress drill. A wander around, napping was needed before having dinner. Our captain kept us at the dock well into the evening. The water we would be cruising through was going to be rough. I had seen the morning news which had referenced “small water craft advisory”. I had no complaints for being docked.
I’m not sure how long it takes for the body to change time zones. But mine still hadn’t. 4:30 AM local time, I’m waking up. I drifted back off. Breakfast didn’t start till 7:00. It’s Sunday which means, Aldi day, clean house, and pizza. Hmm. Changing plans a little, I still got a 15 minute walk on the treadmill. Oh yes, I’m trying to maintain my exercising while on vacation. When you eat Chicken Tortilla Soup, Slow Roasted Pot Roast, and half each of Huckleberry Cheesecake and Poached Pear with Blue Cheese Mousee, the ship might start sinking as fat I was going to be. And that was just one meal from the first night, after having hor dourves during cocktail hour. Plans need changing quick. I opted for the ½ portion going forward. Mom and I always order opposite meals so we could sample the other.
Excursions begin. The ship offered an all day trolley service into Anacortes, technically walking distance. It’s a town but when you find the 2nd hand store, you’ve struck gold. Oh yeah baby. Since Spencer had mentioned being in the movie, Mom asked “Is it on Netflix?” Not currently. I knew I could probably get it from the library when getting home. I’ll do my soapbox to say visit your local library. Your taxes pay for it and they have so much stuff which is free, but not really because you did pay taxes. But back to shopping, wandering the store we came across the DVDs. OMG, there it was Sleepless In Seattle. A great movie to add to the collection and plus the memories of the trip to remember along side it. You never know what you’ll get to find when shopping 2nd hand. They had a digital scale for weighing. For only $3, I wanted to know how much this food was costing me. We continued the walk but skipped using the trolley for the return to ship. Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. With only breakfast completed, I needed to burn calories. Just over 3.5 miles total, we headed back for lunch before another excursion. La Connor. All the shops were local owners/artist. Our guide told us not to miss the great ice cream shop. At $6 for a single scoop, it was a dessert I could afford to miss. Plus, more money to put towards great new shirts to remember the trip. As with the Krispy Kreme tradition, I’m adding to the list, must acquire a doggy related shirt. Headed back to the bus, there it was “Zoltar”. I couldn’t believe I’d finally found it. I considered making my wish to be young again, oh to do things differently. But I like my memories. So while Tom Hanks made his choice in BIG, I kept on trucking. I didn’t want to be under 21 again, I’d miss enjoying cocktail hour with watching Mom try a mussel.
It’s day 3, Memorial Day. I’m still not acclimated to the local time. I’m up/awake and ready at 6:00 AM local. Gosh whatever am I going to do. Breakfast doesn’t start for over an hour. I decided to walk on water. Well more figuratively than literal but my fitness tracker makes it look like I was walking on water and at an average speed of 11.5 MPH, that is for sure some speed walking. No I wasn’t Jesus, it was just lapping around the sundeck a few times. We then made our way into Friday Harbor. But it’s Monday. The cruise line should replan the route to be in Friday Harbor on Friday, if you ask me. If it wasn’t for the daily itinerary I wouldn’t know what day it really was. But it was nice to be in this particular port today because they had a parade. One more soap box, remember to always thank a service member (military, police, firefighter, EMS) for what they did/do. A wander through the town, it was another 2nd hand store. No wacky mementos but picked up a cute blouse and Mom got a new jacket. Found another squish a penny, and this was back to normal pricing. With a lunch buffet, Mom finally got the apple pie she’s been craving. No napping allowed. We had to board the Jolley Trolley. Beyond getting to feed/pet lamas, our last stop was Lime Kiln State Park. A family of whales were enjoying the time along with us. With them dancing in the water, breath taking views behind them, we unfortunately had a schedule to keep. All aboard. But wait, an emergency happened with a crew member (they didn’t say what), we stayed in port hours past the planned departure. Feeling like a crew member with a leave from base, we went bowling. Yes, bowling. Ending the Jolley Trolley our tour guide mentioned JPs, local watering hole which included a bar, pool, and bowling. Without my bowling shoes, being unable to slide, Mom wiped my butt good.
Day 4 I’m still up before the sun. Well that could be because of the rain drizzle today. But no worries, we’re cruising the islands before we arrive at Port Angeles. Getting to watch the crew complete a man overboard drill was the entertainment after lunch, at least for me. Fascinating to watch. For the nautical people, if it is a woman, do you say “woman overboard”? Or, do yell “person overboard” to be politically correct? The morning activity included a scavenger hunt. And man was that fun. So while Mom worked the jigsaw puzzle, I was exercising, going floor to floor to find all the things. I got almost 3K steps in from working the hunt. Mom got in on the action too. But I was crowned/cupped champion because I got it done before anyone else. Thinking I would just lay on the bed for a bit before bingo, next thing I know it was time for lunch (have I mentioned eating yet?). We then had a walking history tour of the town. Similar to Seattle, there are 2 levels (old/new) where they raised the streets. We got to see what was once an 18 hole golf course, a men’s gym which had a boxing ring, the working area of an old movie theater and what was once a brothel was definitely entertaining. A brisk walk before dinner on the Olympic Discovery Trail (rails to trails, just like our Swamp Rabbit), we didn’t go too far. It was getting dark and as with all towns, there are the less scrupulous persons we wanted to avoid. If I had Zoey with us, I knew she would lick them to death while we got away. I’ve started missing my baby. We enjoyed some laughs after dinner from the comedian before heading to bed. The best line was “once a woman takes her bra off for the day she’s not leaving the house”. Too much truth and so many women, we all chuckled.
Day 5 we are still docked in Port Angeles. This is for those who wanted to go to Victoria. We maintained that we would pass on this excursion. Departure was 7:30 AM, a 2 hour ferry ride over the water, 2 hours to tour, 2 hours to ferry back. Seemed to be a waste in our opinion. Maybe we’ll eventually be able to make it back to the west coast with our own car, getting to spend the time we want in Victoria. So we opted for a morning tour of the Sequim Museum. They are very proud of their Olympic rowing team which has a book and movie made about it. The Boys in the Boat. The library has the book with a waitlist but didn’t see the DVD just yet. Next was a lavender farm. Prime time for the lavender is July. So, no fields of purple but we got to speak to Dash. He would have been offended had we not (this sounds like Jack). We enjoyed a chocolate lavender ice cream bar before loading back up. It was time for lunch. I really hope calories don’t count on vacation. Seems all I’m doing is eating. Full bellies, on to the next tour, wine tasting. We did sample a red wine blended with brandy which was not something I’d ever had. A brief pause in the room, we headed to cocktail hour. I swear these people can drink me under the table before I even blink. Mom enjoyed her 5th variation of sangria. Each night she asked for a different server to make their version. The glasses are always empty shortly after sitting down for dinner so no one has done a bad job.
Day 6. Don’t worry, we are nearing the end. We arrived at Port Townsend. Over 40 years ago, they filmed An Officer and a Gentleman here. I didn’t walk all the way to the paper mill where Debra Winger would have worked. I had other priorities. I needed to find Patrick Dempsey on the ferry boat (yeah, Grey’s Anatomy). But I think I may have found a better McDreamy. Mom’s been eyeing her future son-in-law all week. But I guess you really want to hear about the excursion of the day. It was a walking history tour that was to last just over an hour. After about 5 minutes, we decided to ditch. Moving at a snail pace just wasn’t going to cut it for us. Found another set of stairs to count. Quoting Meredith, “We're adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop?” You’ll find no adult in me. I’m the forever kid. I’m going to go down and feel how cold the water is. I had to be careful. I couldn’t get my shoes soaked by a wave (like the Outerbanks), no washing machine plus air drying time before I’d need them again. So while Mom heads back to work her puzzles, I meandered to the general store. I found Mom her toilet for camping (that’s her stories to tell). Hoofing it back to the ship, I couldn’t miss the bridge tour or the comment by another passenger who didn’t think they could make it for “going to the bridge” (about 30 steps down the hall) because she literally thought bridge as in the thing we drive across. After she left, the remainder of us had a really great laugh. Mom, still working her puzzle, helped me out to come in 2nd place for Name That Tune with 24 out of 40 points. While Mom napped, feeling like a teenager I snuck out, she never knew I was gone. With temperatures in the mid 60’s, it was the warmest day we’d seen.
Port Bremerton. This was more a business district than tourism. We took the foot ferry over to Port Orchard but shops didn’t open till 11 AM. We ferried back and decided to nap for our last day. Plus we had to begin to gather all the belongings. Dismemberment was at 7:30 AM the next morning.
Back at the Seattle airport, our flight was delayed an hour on departure, thereby putting us back in Charlotte at about 10 PM. It was getting close to lunchtime, finally got the fast food (McDonald’s kids meal) my body has been craving for the past week. My body clock was now on west coast time, plus being a little nocturnal, we drove on back home. Nothing rings more true than Home Sweet Home.
As always, you’ve been travelling with us, even if just in spirit. So with movie/TV references, great scenery, shirts, signs, and food, hopefully you’ve seen yourself in our journey of the pacific northwest. And, if not, maybe you’ll physically join us next time. If you were counting, it was 6 movies,1 TV show, 1 TV/movie referenced.
Between the eating, walking, and gorgeous views, vacationing sure is tough. I’m tired. I think I’ll go back to work now.