Lake Sylvia-- Grays Harbor

         Today's post ventures out of Bellingham and even Whatcom county to Grays Harbor.    This is across the state of Washington from here.   A good five hour drive, on a perfect day of driving.  So, much longer on most days, because the journey takes you through Seattle.  Lately it seems that traffic picks up around Everette and might not ever get denser on your voyage.   On this day we had school functions to attend during the day, and did not do it our way and hit the highway, until about 4 P.M.  So we soon hit traffic gridlock and the I-5 turned into a giant parking lot.  

 Our car really did not like the stop and stop traffic added with the heat, and the engine started to over heat.  So we were soon parked on the side of the road for about half an hour.   Letting the traffic thin out a little bit, and mostly letting the engine cool off.  I am happy to report that a few people actually did stop to see if we and the kids were O.K.   There are still good people in this world!   

     Add some more pictures to my huge album of me beside vehicles with the hood up.

Max loves a car ride.

Although he was not sure he wanted to get in a car again after this trip. 

Here he is being my back seat driver!

Rest stop along the way. 

    I attempt to keep this blog page about activities and exploring Bellingham and the Whatcom area, but occasionally we take a worthy trip that leads us further down the road.   This trip was clear back in June, but with my new job and such, this page has been taking a back seat, very sadly.  Starting today I am bumping up posts and work on this page.   My wife had been planning a family reunion for her side of the family for a year, and it was at beautiful Lake Sylvia.   The old stomping grounds for her and her family when they were growing up.  

     Most of the time I recommend making a high speed U-Turn in the middle of the road, when you see the above sign, although I do love the city motto.   But this trip was for a great cause, and it was the best time we ever had in the harbor.   In the past, bad fates awaited us in the harbor every time we visited some how.  

   These signs are all along the coast line---but I figure if you are that close to the ocean and a Tsunami hits, you might as well stop and enjoy the view!

Another helpful sign!

My wife and host for the event!

I must say she did an awesome job.

    We had a great turn out, and more than enough food.   I was happily in charge of the BBQ.

                         Mr Max stood watch in case any of us dropped any food.   

   After I had cooked up enough food and had time for a few plates full of grub, Max and I wandered around the lake because there is always time to explore!

A boardwalk leads you around the lake and up to the old dam.

Many trails and camp sights fill the area also.

    After you pass the bridge near the parking lot, restrooms, playground, and care takers housing, is the above.   This round piece of wood is hundreds of years old and was used by loggers.  They would stand on it in the water, and see how long they could stay above water.

The entire clan!

A great old court house in Hoquim, WA.

Court houses are always very cool buildings. 

    We stayed in Aberdeen --a few miles away.    Beyond the great city slogan shown above on the city sign, the town also holds claim to the only mall I have ever seen that is literly sinking into the swamp land it was built on.   The contractors must have built this place and laughed all the way to the bank, and than fled the country.   If you walk inside, the floor tile ripples and warps up and is not even close to even.   It is kind of like walking drunk.   Most of the stores have pulled out of the  "mall."   The malls claim to fame is not that it is sinking --but that Tom Cruise visited the mall once.  There are many pictures of this inside.  Inside the mall that is, not inside this blog. 

     We stayed in our awesome hosts yard, so that we did not impose toooo much.   In the above huge tent that we had just bought.   We did not have time to test the tent before the trip, so found ourselves extra glad it did not leak.   The rain paused long enough for the reunion, but we did not see to many other breaks in the rain.   It is Washington state though.

    One of the many kittens were we stayed.    The kiddos and the kittens were at constant battle.

I do not mind kittens because they are not yet cats.   But Max does not like cats at all.   

  One of the few peaceful moments between the kittens and the kiddos!

    Sunday just happened to be Father's day and we enjoyed the states new booze laws on Saturday night.  

                                          MANY more exploring posts in the works!

      Also please check out my more established blogs at www.wyomingjack.blogspot.com

With 300+ posts to roam through now!!

  And as always......

                   **HAPPY TRAILS!!**

     

Seattle Mini Honey Moon

     **Writers note:  This originally appeared in my other blog on April 16th. Almost a month after we got married.  It is now my most read blog post, with almost 200 views!  Seattle is obviously beyond Bellingham but I had to share about the trip.   I always enjoy the town.  We had a great time and splurged a little, because we had just gotten married.  In case you have not gotten that memo!   Anyways, this picture filled blog includes pictures her and I took.  Obviously the pictures I am in, she took.   April takes great pictures, and  I credit her for that.   Please check out my other blog series 
http://wyomingjack.blogspot.com 

      April hit town a little later in the afternoon, as she was on Greyhound bus.  I have knocked the service before, but if you book early enough, you can ride from Bellingham to Seattle for only $10.00!   With current gas prices this is a deal and a half!   I arrived in town earlier and had some time to roam around near downtown of the great city and try to take some great pictures.  I got some pictures, not sure about great.   Having no vehicle, I enjoy how easily you can get to many star attractions quickly by foot.  

                I always enjoy an old building.   This is fire station #2 downtown.  
Parks and water fountains can be found all over the city.  Here is a few shots of the Space Needle from across town.   We did not have time to explore around there this trip.  But you can easily spend hours enjoying that part of town.  And than take a bus or the tram back to your motel if you find you have walked around a little to much.  Or are soaked from the never to distant rain. 

                                                          Umbrella statue is very fitting.
 Later in the day, we actually enjoyed full on sunshine.  A rare but very welcome sight on any March day!

                Space Needle at night admits an almost spooky another worldly glow. 

Walk through fountain also downtown.

I got soaked taking this picture, but think it was well worth it? 

We ended up staying in a motel way out by the airport.  But soon learned that

Seattle is amazingly easy to get around.  We payed a little more to have a motel with a pool and hot tub.  Both very enjoyable after walking all over the city.  

 The motel also offered an extremely nice morning breakfast.   So many places offer cereal and some toast and call it continental.  Here we enjoyed a huge meal with make your own waffles even!

Some sunset shots from behind our motel.

   I was in town about ten minuets and had already passed eight Starbucks. 

    Coffee joints seem to multiply as you walk around the city.  And I found it entertaining to call out each time I spotted another Starbucks.  You can sit in one, at a four way corner and see three more S Bucks it seems.  Soon the only place to open new stores will be inside the restrooms of current stores.   How awkward would that conversation with the bathroom attendant/barriesta be?  Obviously in the Great North West there are better coffee joints abound to stop at, in fact I am enjoying on at this moment.  But Star Bucks has so many locations, I find myself in one to much of the time it seems.   

                Speaking of that the very first Star Bucks ever is in Seattle.
And yes they even let fanatics like myself in.   If you can survive the line, you can get a good cup of joe and some nice pictures at the same time.   This will be the only coffee shop you go to that needs a greeter, line director at the door.   I had wished my E Bay purchase had not gotten lost in the mail, as it seems.  Because the S Bucks cap on my head, would make me either look like a worker or a true fanatic.  My wife played the part of the crazed tourist, and took shots of me inside, overly happy.  Than she took some coffee to go.

                                                                       Ordering time
                                 "Uh...   I want Coffee!"   I said to the fine barestis.

    "MMMmmmmmm coffee!"    This also shares were I was in the last mystery location picture.  If you are one of the few that actually reads my blogs.  

   Across from coffee you can enter the Public Market.   With vendors of every type you can spend lots of time roaming and warming up. 

Vendors of every type show case there wares.  And of course you can find some of the freshest seafood around.   Watch out for flying fish, as your purchase is flung out of the ice, and packaged for you.  

Some new friends we made at the market:

                      I think big foot has morning wood.  Shhhh!  Don't tell. 

  Outside the market and down a long alley  you can witness the gum wall!   This goes on for at least 20 feet.  And is pieces and pieces of used gum.  Also take some time to enjoy the graffiti.   This is a shot my wife took, of one of the koolest pictures down there.  

                                     It says "Thats how we roll"  just under this picture.  

  We soon learned that you could take the Sounder tram for $5.00 all day.  This stops at all of the big attractions across the city.  And when we got sore feet, we would ride for awhile.  Each stop has some great art work nearby.

      The city bus also can get you around town fast.   The very first one we rode was an "accordion" bus were two pieces are stuck together, to make it longer and go around corners better.  Sitting in the accordion was not as much fun as I would have thought.  And kind of made me sick from the motion.   We also learned that sitting the way the tram was traveling, kept you from getting sick, and made it far easier to take pictures and determine were your next stop was.  

                  China Town

  Perhaps one of the strangest art at any of the tram stops.   Even after reading the information near this one, I am still not sure about the meaning.  I think it is just to deep for me! But apparently this boot is very well educated.  

                                    And perhaps the most fitting art we saw.   
                                     Maybe because it never rains in Washington!

 After several more coffee's we were headed to the water front.  But in the way was about two city blocks worth of stairs.   A even greater joy when heading back up to our bus that night.   Most of the town seems to be up hill, somehow.   
    Much time can also be spent down here.  Enjoying the shops and sights.  It was very sunny by the time we mastard all of the steps.  So people were out in full force.  

 We had a few hours to kill and ended up in a small arcade on one of the piers.   Were we of course won some very snazzy prizes with all out tickets.   I got a bracelet that we later found out was a very rare blue gold.   *It was actually blue plastic. 

And than it was time for one of the best parts of our trip.   We had booked Mystery dinner cruise.  Several amazing hours floating around the bay.  Enjoying the company, sights, food, beverages, and of course trying to solve the mystery before anyone else dies.  

I have to admit this was beyond kool.  I soon learned I do not have sea legs at all.

But a beverage or three, seems to help with this.  The dessert was amazing.  Although the buffet style Salmon left a lot to be desired. 

This mystery focused on the sad and sudden murder of Uncle Sean.  And an increasingly happy bunch of dinners rose there glasses in a toast every time his name was mentioned.  Actors roamed the crowd asking questions and engaging everyone. Several people from the crowd were named as key suspects.  But the killer or killers, could be anyone on the boat.  Suspects were "set up" ahead of time, by there friends on the cruise.   You could also roam the boat the entire time. 

Several of the actors.   The detective has the microphone.

At one point, they needed audience members to dance up front.  My wife knows that when I dance, someone calls an ambulance.  Because they think I am having a seizure.  Knowing this, she was really trying to get me on stage.   This backfired quickly, when an actor decided she should be the one on stage. 

And the plot thickens...

  In the end---We all could guess who the killers were and explain our thoughts on why they did it.  I won a prize of mini key chain handcuffs for the most disturbing plot line.   And not one but three suspects were placed in full sized hand cuffs.  

As I said, this was beyond kool.  And well worth the price.  If you would like to see more pictures or learn about how to take a similar cruise, contact me any time. 

Notice the blue gold on my arm I mentioned before in this blog.

The entire trip was a joy.   And some much needed R & R! I would also like to thank Royal Agrosy Cruise line and Events On The Edge for an amazing cruise night.   We also had time to scout out some great places to take the kiddos during a family trip.  I hope you enjoyed the pictures.   And as always....

Happy Trails!!