Seattle, WA

Day 24 – July 2, 2016

Mileage – 78,861

Seattle, WA

We get a later start on our second day in Seattle but Kevin is up early to take full advantage of having access to both washing machines and  a hot shower.  Once Jenney, Teryn, and Logan roll out of bed we have a nice pancake breakfast, more showers are taken and clothes are folded.  With these basic needs meet our trek of the city commences – the primary goal is to utilize as many of our City Pass activities we can.

First stop is the waterfront so we walk the few miles down to the piers.  Seattle is packed for the holiday weekend and people are everywhere.  We stroll along the water and head up to Pikes Place Public Market.   We swing by the famous fish shop (name) so Teryn and Logan might glimpse some thrown fish.  We are not disappointed, within a few minutes there is a order and a huge fish flies from the back to a person standing out front.

With fish throwing accomplished we push our way through the crowds exploring the fresh fish, food, flowers, and more present in this bustling market place.  We pass the famous first Starbucks – and the 1 hour long line outside.  Here is a tip we learned – within a 2 miles radius there are about 197 Starbucks.  We stop into a cheese shop for some provisions and marvel at the odd street performers as we complete our tour of Pikes Place.

Next stop is a Target for so items, but as we approach the store we find a Hagen Dazs cart and a guy handing out free ice cream. FREE ICE CREAM?!  Of course we stop and dig in.

With belly’s full of free ice cream we head to the Seattle Aquarium.  We are all presently surprised by this small by this small Aquarium with loads of exciting ocean life and great hands on exhibits.  Highlights include the touch and feel tidal pools, exotic tropical fish, seals, and the sea otters.  City Pass coupon redeemed.

Next we head to our last City Pass redemption, a 1 hour sightseeing cruise of the harbor via Argosy.  As we wait for the ‪5:15 pm start time we find a free table along the pier for a picnic and people watching.

Our harbor cruise is also a nice surprise and a great way to finish off our expiration of Seattle.  We are treated to city views from the sound and learn more about the history of Seattle.  During our venture we even get up close to some huge cargo ships loading and unloading containers – and awesome sight to see.

Once safely back on land we use our Lyft app again for.a quick ride home.  We regroup as family and decide their is lots more we can do and see in Seattle but the draw of Glacier and out point east beckon.  So we pack up and plan to head out of city.  However, before we leave Kevin decided we need to make a quick stop at REI.  We have fun exploring the huge flagship store and even find a few needed/wanted items.

Finally we are back on the road, our destination in debate — we could head a northern route to Cascade National Park, we could drop south and check out Mount Rainer National Park, or we could select a more direct route east toward Glacier National Park.  In the end we decide the amount of time left for our trip is growing short so we opt for the direct route to Glacier, and perhaps a stop at Flathead lake to visit Logan’s friend Tess and her family.  We drive late into the evening, our final destination is Flying-J truck stop in Ellensburg, WA.  We are thankful for our time in Seattle and hope we can return again in the future.