Alaska 2012:
Day 2 - Seattle
Day 2 - Seattle
 |
Thursday, August 2, 2012: After a delicious breakfast of Chinese food at O'Hare airport, we left Chicago bright and early for our flight to Seattle. We spotted Mount Rainier in the distance, ... |
 |
... and forest fires below us. |
 |
As we approached Seattle, the view of Mount Rainier was spectacular. |
 |
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon when we arrived at our first destination: Ivar's Seafood Bar in Renton. |
 |
We were here to meet with longtime family friend, Marley. Sadly, we arrived two weeks too late, because Gary had passed away the month before. It was wonderful to catch up with Marley, who has been a fixture in Debbie's life since she was small. |
 |
Of course, we were here to eat some delicious Ivar's seafood too. We got a little of everything: clam chowder, crab cocktail, fried scallops, shrimp, clams, and fish. It was so delicious. |
 |
Tom spent a good chunk of time on the phone helping out one of his business partners back home, but eventually he was able to join us. |
 |
We were so lucky to have such a gorgeous day and view of Lake Washington. |
 |
We heard them long before we saw them: the Blue Angels practicing for their appearance at the Seafair Air Show a few days later. They made numerous runs in various formations over the south end of Mercer Island for our amusement. |
 |
Our next stop was Burien to visit Debbie's cousins Stacia, Gabriel, and Adrian. |
 |
It was a great surprise that Karl was able to get away from work to see us as well. Stacia took a picture of the two Normark cousins and their families, ... |
 |
... and Debbie took a picture of Karl's beautiful family. |
 |
Jill and her second cousin Gabriel bonded over Jill's magic phone that played games ... |
 |
... and showed Sesame Street videos. |
 |
Tom used his Baby Whisperer skills to rock little Adrian back to sleep for his nap. |
 |
We had a schedule to keep so we had to say goodbye too soon. We made a quick stop at Ed Munro Seahurst Park, a beautiful beach park just down the road from Karl and Stacia's home. |
 |
It must be a great life living right next to Puget Sound. Oh, the smell of the ocean ... so intoxicating. |
 |
But it is fraught with danger. Shortly after our arrival in Burien, a magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck. Stacia was kind enough to text us later the news of what we had survived, because we certainly hadn't felt a thing. |
 |
We were in a Maersk-rich land as we drove away from Seattle around the south end of Puget Sound. This was one of many sightings along the way. |
 |
Mount Rainier towered in the distance. We were lucky to have such a clear day. |
 |
The last Ivar's in the area was in Tacoma, so we made another stop even though no one was really very hungry. |
 |
Debbie got a cup of chowder, since Tom had eaten his too fast to share earlier, plus she got another delicious crab cocktail. So very full, but so worth it. |
 |
Shortly before our trip, we had watched the famous video of the old Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse. |
 |
Fortunately, the newer bridge worked just fine and we crossed without so much as a wobble. |
 |
We passed the Kitsap-Bremerton Naval Base, ... |
 |
... then drove all over Silverdale looking for the best vantage point for one last photo of Mount Rainier. |
 |
Velkommen til Poulsbo! |
 |
Poulsbo is a town with Scandinavian roots and that is evident all over town. This quaint little tattoo parlor was named Thor's Hammer and Needle. |
 |
We were here for the main attraction: Sluy's Scandinavian Bakery. |
 |
It's a normal looking bakery, but they sell Scandinavian treats along with the regular fare. We bought a Viking Cup, which was an extremely delicious cinnamon roll, plus an eclair, a chocolate frosted yeast donut, a rosette, and ... |
 |
... a Dala horse cookie. We love Dala horses! The rosette was surprisingly undelicious but everything else was great. |
 |
We crossed the water as we headed northwest, ... |
 |
... and spotted Mount Baker in the distance. We snapped this photo thinking we wouldn't see it again. We were very wrong. |
 |
We made a short detour in Sequim, ... |
 |
... locating Applegate Lane, where Debbie's family used to visit family friends many years ago. |
 |
The sun was starting to go down as we continued to our destination for the night, ... |
 |
... lovely Port Angeles, Washington, where the mountains meet the sea, according to the sign. |
 |
We checked into our waterfront hotel room just after sunset. |
 |
On the beach to our left, there was some sort of Native American ceremony or celebration going on. |
 |
Here's the view looking to the right from our balcony, ... |
 |
... and here's the view looking straight out toward the north, where we were heading the next day. |
Copyright © Deborah Schilling/Thomas Bundy