From Where I'm Standing: Puget Sound

Showing posts with label Puget Sound. Show all posts

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Cycling Mt. Constitution, Orca Island

Craig and I finally checked off riding our bikes to the top of Mt. Constitution, Orcas Island. It was a beautiful ride with a nice mid-point stop with lots of restaurants and cafes to fuel up before the big climb. Once we reached the summit, the views that greeted us lived up to their reputation. The scene was an expansive sea of blue dotted with heavily vegetated green islands and backed by a ridge of white mountain peaks on the horizon. As usual, the San Juan Islands did not disappoint and I look forward to a return trip!

Nesting birds at the ferry terminal

Wood carving outside of the Historical Museum.

View from the top of Mt. Constitution. Mt. Baker is the white peak in the background.

We made it!

Tide going out on the ride back to the ferry.

Departing Orcas Island for Seattle on the ferry.

Sunset on Mt. Baker from the ferry.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Afternoon on Vashon Island

One of my favorite things about living in West Seattle is the easy access to Vashon Island. It's a piece of rural paradise just west of Seattle that is only accessible by ferry. Fortunately for us, we're about 1.5 miles from the ferry station so we can easily hop on our bikes and be on the island within 30-40 minutes. Every time I visit, I find something different. With distilleries, wineries, coffee roasters, strawberry festivals, cideries, a lighthouse, and beautiful small farm landscapes backed by volcano views, it's hard not to find something to love.

After a long, rainy winter, spring is finally starting to arrive in Seattle, allowing the perfect opportunity for an afternoon bike ride on the island. Ah, how I've missed this place!

Ferrying to Vashon

Biking on the rural roads

Chocolate cupcakes at Snapdragon

East Indian pancakes, pupusas, and local ciders at Snapdragon!

More views along the ride.

Tying up the steads on the ferry ride home.

Beautiful spring day in Seattle

Me with Mt. Rainier in the background

Looking down from the 2nd deck of the ferry

West Seattle ferry station

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Craig's Parents Visit Washington

Craig's parents, Debbie and Dan made the trek from West Virginia to visit us in Washington this summer. While they were here, Craig and I got to be tourists in our own city! We dined at fabulous restaurants in Seattle, spent a weekend on San Juan Island, had dinner in the Space Needle, saw a Sounders soccer game, and spent a lazy afternoon on Vashon Island! Below are some photos from their stay.

View of Friday Harbor from the ferry

Some of us preferred the view from behind the windows to the right.

While on San Juan Island, we visited the Palindaba Lavender Farm. It was a gorgeous setting with a field full of pastel purples. The numbers of bees in the fields was also astonishing. Their buzzing provided a constant background hum while we walked through the rows of puffy lavender plants.

Lavender!

Lavender fields forever

I spy a Craig.

Craig in the dried lavender shop

Fam in a field of purple

Here we are battling it out to be the tallest in the photo. I think I won.(Lime Kiln State Park)

Having some wine in our room with a view!

A ferry arrives with more weekend visitors to Friday Harbor

While on San Juan Island, we also went whale watching. It was a first for me and because of my recent experience with boats, it was also a first for me trying over-the-counter motion sickness meds. Unfortunately, we weren't able to track down any orcas, but we did stumble upon some humpback whales and I didn't get motion sickness! Yay!