Sunny in Seattle

After a nice, leisurely morning and a delicious home-cooked breakfast, we set off to see the area.  Stephanie is making a wonderful tour guide!  She drove us around her town of Auburn and showed us the high school where she teaches (which has an excellent view of Mt. Rainier) before taking us into Seattle.

Today was an absolutely beautiful day: crystal clear blue skies!  It was a bit warm, but being near the coast meant that a steady breeze helped to keep the air moving.  We walked down Alaskan Way stopping to go in some shops, enjoy an art show, and ride the giant Ferris wheel before walking up to Pike Place Market.

On the Ferris Wheel

The "gum wall"

It was here that my parents and I spent many hours enjoying ourselves several years ago, and we did the same today: watching men to toss large fish, people watching, taking in the gum wall, perusing the stalls and enjoying some delicious food.  Today’s meal consisted of a crab-cake burger followed by some doughnuts with sprinkles on top.

Stephanie drove us over to West Seattle, an almost beach community with cute older homes on the beachfront before we boarded a ferry to Vashon Island.  This morning, when discussing our plans for the day, I told the girls about this interesting sight I had read about on Roadtrippers.  They were kind enough to humor me, and so we took a trip to Vashon in search of a tree, yes a tree.

View from West Seattle

Enjoying a windy ferry ride

The island is 25 miles long, and much narrower across.  It is a lush island with even a little bit of farm land.  Life on the island seems slower-paced and less stressful.  All of the shops were closing up as we drove through at 5pm, on a Saturday.   The people were incredibly kind and were very proud of their small island.

We quickly found the tree though and were very happy to find it was easy to spot: 

As the story goes, a young boy on the island was given a hand-me-down bike from a girl in 1954.  He begrudgingly rode the bike, but one day did not return with it.  His mother was upset, but also knew that the bike was not something the boy liked, so she dismissed it.  Decades later, she discovered where the bike was when a local newspaper wrote a story about a tree that had swallowed a bike.

We also drove out to the lighthouse on the island.  Although it was very small and simple, the setting of it was just beautiful with the blue waters, rocky beach and Mt. Rainier in the background.

Look to the right for Mt. Rainier!

There was a sign for a 24-hour gym on Vashon, we wondered if this was it.

A different ferry ride put us out in Tacoma where we enjoyed a fabulous meal on the water.  I’m so very thankful to be with friends and seeing so many interesting sights!  I'm also very thankful to have been in Seattle on such a sunny day!

Miles traveled: ? Stephanie drove!
Gallons of gas purchased: 0

Hours in the car: 4
States: Washington