Bright and Sunny Seattle

The drive to Seattle was a long one.  We got up in the dark at 4am to get a head start on it and were on the road by 5am.  After 4 hours we were feeling cocky, "look we've already gone 4 hours and it feels like we just got started", but that quickly faded an hour or so later into we're doomed and never going to get there.  Eastern Washington is very bleak and the drive was very South Dakota west river like only without all the wall drug signs.  The numerous dust devils were interesting though and were fun to try to dodge as they made there way across road.  The road got busy going into Seattle area and I got the first taste of heavy traffic hauling the trailer (I can't even image what going through LA will be like). That, combined being overtired from the 4am wake up, resulted in a white knuckle affair that I won't soon forget.

But pulling into our campsite at Dash Point and walking down though the lush overgrown forest to the Puget Sound made the whole drive worth it instantly.  We of course got right in the frigid water and had a blast swimming around and building castles in the sand.  Some dudes on the beach even gave the boys a quick skim-boarding lesson.

The next day we hit Seattle and all the blue sky and sunshine it's know for.  We broke the rainy day streak our last day in Glacier and this continued on through Seattle.  Views of Mt. Rainer looming in the background where my favorite.  We hit a ton of sites right around the city center and had a wonderful but exhausting day.

The last day in the area was used for resting, getting laundry done, and one last dip in the sound.  On the way back from laundry I got a chance to talk with one of Federal Ways finest in my first traffic stop of the trip.  Going a little too fast down a residential street (that didn't make much sense to even be on. Sometimes my driving app Here drive likes to get creative with the routes).  He was very friendly and professional and luckily let me off with a warning.

Here's some pictures from our three days in the Seattle area.  Who would have thought we'd be sunburned in Seattle.

Rest stop on the way to Seattle, first view of Mt. Rainer

Sam found this leaf right after pulling into the camp site.

Thick forest, on the walk down to the Puget Sound from our campsite.

Puget Sound

Becky and Marcus at the gum wall.  It was gross.

Lion fish, because he looked bad ass.

Lucas in front of the sea otters.  Lots of, "we don't use tables we use our bellies" references.

Looking out of the Aquarium

Family in front of the big wheel

Going up

Shot of the big wheel from the ground

View of the space needle from our harbor tour

My favorite shot of Seattle; the needle, the city, and Mt. Rainer all in frame

We're on a boat

Cargo ship

Shot of both stadiums

Goats trimming the grass under a bridge, very hippity dippity

Looking up

Looking down

Shot from the top, with my fav Mt. Rainer in the bacnground

Marcus at the EMP Museum

Sam and Bubba at the EMP

Lucas at the EMP, he would have played games all day

At the EMP

Great park at the city center

And a fountain the boys weren't supposed to get very wet and ended up drenched but had a ton of fun

Chihuly Glass

Now back to the car

2 dollars and the vending machine kept the boys busy doing laundry

Back at the Sound, tide was out further and it was a little more disgusting but we still swam

Building sand fortress' was the boys favorite, especially Lucas.  They would build one after another to battle the tide.