Seattle and Vacinity - Anacortes, WA

2 Chicas say Anyone for Anacortes?

Anacortes is a waterfront town on Fidalgo Island in northwest Washington. Needless to say, it is a seafarer’s paradise with a number of industries linked to water: shipbuilders, seafood and great water and eco-tourism industries.

2 Chicas were here to go on a whale watching excursion to the San Juan Islands and both were as excited as an anteater on a termite farm!

Anacortes is a cute town with over 14,000 residents. It is considered to be the gateway to the San Juan Islands, a group of isles in Puget Sound that are known for their solitary beauty and wealth of wildlife.

There is a lot of history in this area and Chica 2 was surprised to discover that there were explorers named Joseph Whidbey (Whidbey Island) and Captain George Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia) for whom these areas were named.

But Chica 2 is not to be distracted from the adventure at hand, she shrieks: “On the whale watching tour, I’m going to free an orca and name him Chilly! Free Chilly!!” Chica 2, these whales are already free and living in the wild. Lawd!

As 2 Chicas sat having dinner, we watched a collection of sailboats conduct a series of maneuvers in Fidalgo Bay. Chica 1 commented on the relaxing nature of the evening. That the sailboats seemed to be performing a ballet for a private audience.

In typical Chica 2 fashion, she peppered the conversation with a mad musing: "wouldn't it be a perfect ending to the evening if a bald eagle swept down and plucked a giant salmon from the mouth of a grizzly bear!" Only Chica 2 could flavor the moment with such a descriptive, yet insane comment!

2 Chicas and Whale Tale

2 Chicas departed early to take a look around town. Anacortes has stately homes overlooking the bay and neat streets lined with beautifully adorned yards.

Chica 2, with her childlike innocence, drove street by street, pointing at the nicer homes and claiming them as hers.  If only the residents knew what was going on outside their lovely abodes!

So much for watching houses it is time to head out on the water. As we board the boat, Chica 2 begins to exclaim that she not only wants to see whales, but that she wants to ride a whale! Perhaps even swim with the whales. Only in her little mind. These creatures are huge and just the wake made by the tail would easily drown a human. 

The captain begins his narration sharing about the history of the small islands we pass. Chica 2 is impatient wanting to immediately see Moby Dick!

She paces on the boat, rolling her eyes at the stories of early settlers. Slow it down Chica 2, the captain just shared that the ride out is about two hours!  Soon the captain receives a whale report and heads to the site. It is quite a ride, but the water is relatively calm and the weather is perfect.

Chica 1 pops another motion sickness pill and holds on. Approximately 8 boats have come to see the lone whale.

He dips down in the water and resurfaces. All the boats move closer. Chica 1 becomes a bobble head.

The wakes made by all the boats make taking a picture almost impossible. As soon as the camera focuses  on the whale, the boat rocks and the picture is of just water. Or even worse, a blurry figure in the water!

Chica 2 is ecstatic! She runs from side to side on the deck and chases the whale visually. She is in love with the tail taking a slow dip beneath the icy waters.

"It looks like giant butterfly wings slowly washing themselves!" Up and down, but surfacing far away.

But it didn't take Chica 2 long to ask - "Is this the only one?" One solitary whale? All by himself? No brothers, sisters, mother or father, friends or foes?

After about an hour of watching this Goliath feed in the general vicinity of all these boats, the captain said it was time to head back. Just so much interest a single whale could hold.

Chica 2 came inside dejected. Chica 1, trying to be encouraging, said "At least you saw that one, what if we couldn't find any?" On the way back, the captain stopped so the passengers could look at huge harbor seals.

He shared that the seals would be heading back to the Bering Sea in a few weeks. He also said he spotted a black bear on the island but no one else seemed to see it. Hee hee hee.

We arrived back at the docks around 4 p.m. and Chica 2 solemnly waved goodbye to Anacortes. We drove over Deception Pass and headed over to catch a ferry to our next adventure.

If you are ever in the area, Anacortes and the surrounding cities are beautiful and offer endless adventures and opportunities for wildlife viewing. We saw a number of bald eagles on our drive! They were the only things that lifted Chica 2's spirits.

That is until the ferry pulled out of the port. Chica 2 once again returned to her crazy self. She wanted to go upstairs and explore. While the ship captain steered us over to Port Townsend, Chica 2 marveled at the level of comfort this boat provided.

There was an upstairs lounge with a kitchen (that is typically open during the busier times of the year). The bathrooms were very nice and modern.

There was a reading area and various sitting areas with views. There were passengers engaged in various card games (go figure) and children sat with parents doing homework.

It wasn't too long before we were pulling into the port and driving off to dinner.  Chica 2 wanted soul food and by golly, there was a restaurant in Port Townsend. Needless to say, the food was uneventful and we both left disappointed. Next destination - Port Angeles. 2 Chicas need a good rest; tomorrow will be a busy day.

 2 Chicas and the 2013 Olympics

Chica 2 starts with one of her fantasy stories about how she could have been in the Olympics. Chica 1 so cleverly responded that her dream had come true because she had just entered into Olympic National Park!

Chica 2 naturally did not enjoy the interruption. She could be bob sledding or skiing down one of these slopes representing her planet in the Winter Olympics. (Ok, Chica 1 added "planet" - Tee hee hee). Chica 2 continued to happily chat on and on and on about her great winter sport skills. Please! 

A quick stop in the Visitor's Center and we are on the road again to see the Madison Creek waterfall.  This little beauty is easy to get to and produces a nice mist. Chica 2 felt it was the perfect backdrop for a few "selfie" pictures. Finally Chica 2 took a minute for some quiet reflection. Both Chica's listened to the falling water.

The sounds of nature create an incredible impression on the soul! It really is a wonderful walk under a beautiful canopy of trees. in the distance, the sound of water pouring down into a pool. PEACE! The ranger at the Elwah River station is entertaining all by himself. Stop and spend a minute talking with him - you are bound to learn something you didn't know and get a chuckle for free.

2 Chicas and the Bright Waters

The route to Lake Crescent is beautifully scenic. The winding road provides outstanding views of the surrounding area. The water surface of Lake Crescent looks like a mirror. The Olympic Mountains are drowning in

their reflection. Chica 2 comments that it looks like you could reach out and scoop a handful of snow for a good old fashioned snow fight. Chica 2 laughs and reflects that she would drown attempting to play that game.

As we pull into the Marymere Falls Trail, a deer reminds us that we are in the wild. Chica 2 wants to go out and have a moment with the deer, but he moseys across  to some tender munchies. Chica 2 doesn't want to interrupt his meal so she carries on. 2 Chicas continue on past interesting bridges and inch closer to the beach.

2 Chicas and the Best of the Olympics

2 Chicas were excited to be headed to the beach. Not that beaches are something particularly hard to find, as we live in Florida, but, the Pacific Coast is quite a bit different. 

Up here in Washington State, the water is really, really cold and the surf is incredibly powerful. The initial approach to the beach is beautiful! There is a lovely vantage point that overlooks a wetlands area. 

As we moved closer to the beach, the sound of the water beckoned us come. Like two mesmerized waifs, we parked, got out of the car, and wandered towards mounds of driftwood. The rocks crunching under our feet assured we would not go unnoticed.

The driftwood looked like the bones of a giant who had washed ashore. Chica 2 imagined he and his family had once lived on one of the remote islands surrounding the beach and had been washed  away by a towering tsunami wave.  Pretty good imagination Chica 2! I actually envisioned the whole thing as you told your tale. Once out on the beach, Chica 2 began to climb the beautiful "bones" or driftwood. She searched the pile looking for a skull, but to no avail. She actually looked disappointed!

Strolling down the beach, the sound of the waves, the brightness of the sunshine and the never ending piles of wood made Chica 2 begin a new story. This time she was on an isolated planet and she discovered signs of life. Ok, all this adventure made the two girls very hungry. After much picture taking and admiring many a perfectly shaped rock, we moseyed back up the road to the local  cafe for a little grub.

The Three Rivers Cafe with its eclectic menu and obsession with the movie Twilight, was quite a pleasant little surprise.The food was quite tasty and the little general store was full of fun surprises. Let's get back on the road Chica 2 before the vampires awaken!

2 Chicas Say What Up Hoh!!!

To think that the Olympic Mountains contain towering peaks and a tropical wonderland in a rainforest is more than poor little Chica 2 can handle. She is barreling towards the Hoh Rainforest and is pleased to see a steady drizzle of rain falling. It's raining, she shrieks; it's weally, weally raining! In a voice similar to a cartoon character. 

Chica 1, ever the practical sort, says, yes, cold rain! The Hoh Rainforest is covered with green! Moss grows on everything. Benches, signs, steps, just imagine everything covered with green soft moss. Each step we take is an annoying squish, squish, squish! 

The hike on the short trail outside of the Visitor's Center is damp. Water from the trees drips down onto our jackets. 

Chica 2, suddenly filled with inspiration decides that she loves the experience. She bursts into "I'm singing in the rain! Just singing in the rain!!" On cue, a large drop falls from a tree into her mouth, abruptly ending the off-key serenade.

We piddle through the mossy underbrush and puddles until Chica 2 says enough already!! But Chica 1 is not just ready to leave the slick environs. She has to see one more tree or at least one more swamp-like area.

It is impressive to think that there are fabulous places like the Hoh Rainforest that exist in our great country. 

Get out there and find your paradise, come rain or shine! God's love is shown in every place we visit - what a wonderful life!

So long, fair well....2 Chicas Say Good-bye!

Our last day in Seattle provided a little sad. There is a strange sense of melancholy that seems to hover over the skies of Seattle. The clouds are always lingering, even on sunny days, in the distance, waiting for a chance to float over head. This may be the bizarre reason that Chica 1 wanted to spend this day seeking out a few oddities, and they all revolved around cemeteries. First, we would visit the gravesite of Bruce Lee, world famous martial arts expert. 

When we arrived at the Lake View Cemetery, the clouds were lurking, only periodically allowing the sun to peek through. As we search for Bruce Lee's grave, Chica 1 recalls sitting in the Palace Theatre in downtown Tampa watching Kung Fu movies and laughing with friends about the terrible lip synching. Back then, one could not wait until the next martial arts movie was going to be released. You had to be there or be left behind. Chica 2, needless to say, had enough of the reminiscing.

As she rolled her eyes, she did share that she would catch those very same moves as she was flipping channels on lazy, rainy Saturday afternoons. She would be sprawled across her bed and only stopped because of the great action fighting.

When we arrive at the gravesite, we first are taken at the beauty and simplicity of the graves. We are then taken with the sadness of thinking and father and his son are buried side by side after both having died young, the son following in his father's footsteps.

The number of mementos left on both graves are indicative of the strong and lasting connection Bruce Lee had with his fans and followers. Both Chicas sit quietly on the reflection bench and think about the impactful yet tragic lives of Bruce and Brandon Lee. God has a reason for all things and it is in this perfect peace that we quietly move on to our second cemetery.

The gravesite of Jimi Hendrix, the extraordinary guitarist, is quite a contrast. It is a monument to the musician. We look at each other in amazement!

How can it be that a 27 year old could leave such a physical presence in a graveyard. We walk around the huge mausoleum and look at the artifacts left behind by followers.

Perhaps two gravesites in one day is too much! We both leave reflecting on the fact that his whole family could be buried on the site together, which is something. Life is too short, we must remember to live each day God has given us to the fullest. What a wonderful blessing it is to be alive!

Thanks for the memories Seattle - On to the next adventure!

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