We fly to Washington for the baby shower of Donna’s youngest brother in Snohomish, WA and then drive down to visit the Oregon coast for a few days on our own.
Charlotte Airport - While waiting for our early morning flight out of Charlotte we ventured outside the terminal to look at the statue of Queen Charlotte and we startled a bunch of birds on the parking garage into flight. (09/29/06)
Mukilteo Lighthouse - Our first couple of nights were spent in a B & B in Mukilteo, WA. We arrived in town with an address and no map. We followed the main road to the end and parked at the waterfront discovering this cute little light house, Light Station Mukilteo. Of the few people we asked where our lodging was only one seemed to know where it was and gave us directions. Of course they were way off causing to drive in circles until we got the innkeeper on the phone. (09/29/06)
Hogland House - The Hogland House was built in 1906 and the current owners have lovingly restored it and the furnishings to that time period creating a 2 bedroom B & B. Each room also has all the comforts of the 21st century; phone, TV, DVD player and wireless internet. (09/29/06)
Breakfast View - This is the view from the dining room window as you enjoy a home cooked breakfast. Those are the ferry boats that cross every half hour between Mukilteo on the mainland and Clinton, WA on Whidbey Island. (09/29/06)
Guard Animals - Donna's brother Scott and his wife Beth live and work on a small farm just outside Snohomish, WA. As with any farm when you first arrive you are greeted by the "guard" animals who then after learning that you are friend not foe, run around under foot waiting for a snack or to smell your crotch. (09/29/06)
Barn House - This is a working barn, but one end has been converted into Scott and Beth's living quarters. The first floor has the kitchen office area and the upstairs is their bedroom. (09/29/06)
Room With A View - This is Scott and Beth's view from their bedroom. Tough to take huh? (09/29/06)
Up Up And Away - They are not too far from the small airport at Snohomish and they are forever seeing parachutists, parasailors, ultra lights and hot air balloons in the skies. These three balloons drifted by while we stood there and chatted Friday afternoon. (09/29/06)
Barn 2 - Friday night we went to Beth's parents, Les and Janie's house for dinner. They also live on a farm about 10 minutes away from Scott and Beth. This is their barn in the fading daylight. (09/29/06)
Baby Shower 1 - Saturday's mid-day was filled with the sound of grilling hamburgers and the tearing of wrapping paper. There were probably 35-40 guests outside the barn. This is looking to the right down the table. (09/30/06)
Baby Shower 2 - Looking to the left. Along with grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, guests treated to a pot luck lunch that included everything from soup to nuts. (09/30/06)
Baby Shower 3 - That is Donna's brother Scott in the yellow shirt with the very pregnant Beth in the denim shirt. That is Beth's sister Meghan, the mastermind of this event, behind Scott. (09/30/06)
Ferry To Whidbey - After the baby shower, Donna and I along with her older brother Jim and his wife Linda went back to Mukilteo and for the heck of it rode the ferry over to Whidbey Island. (09/30/06)
Langely Waterfront - We were all in the Sebring with the top down and took a little drive to the next small artsy kind of town called Langely. We got out of the car and puttered around in some shops and then took a little walk along their waterfront park. (09/30/06)
Ventnor Ave. - With all that art stuff rattling around in my head, I took this "arty"picture of a street sign that was in someone's yard. (09/30/06)
Seabeck Morning 1 - Sunday morning Donna and I got an early start on our drive down to the Oregon coast. We drove a little further south to Edmonds, WA and caught a different ferry over to Kingston on the Kitsap peninsula. Trying to stay off the main roads we followed this one road to the small town of Seabeck, WA. (10/01/06)
Seabeck Morning 2 - When I say small I mean small. There was one general store with a small cafe out back and this abandoned pier. The breakfast at the cafe was great. (10/01/06)
Astoria Column 1 - Crossing over the Columbia River near its mouth leads you into Astoria, Oregon. At the top of a hill overlooking the town is the 125 foot tall Astoria Column decorated with 14 scenes of historical significance to the area, most of which have to do with Lewis and Clark and the Pacific Fur Company. (10/01/06)
Astoria Column 2 - Looking down on the parking lot from the observation deck of the Astoria Column. (10/01/06)
Astoria Column 3 - The city of Astoria from the observation deck. That is the Astoria-Megler Bridge in the background that we used to cross the Columbia River. It is 4.1 miles long and the bridge?s main span is 1,232 feet in length, the longest "continuous truss" in the world. (10/01/06)
Astoria Column 4 - This is a panoramic shot from the observation deck of the column. Please pan to the right to see the whole image. (10/01/06)
The Ocean Lodge - Our home away from home for the next two nights, the Ocean Lodge in Cannon Beach, OR. A very nice newer resort where every room has a balcony and overlooks the beach. (10/01/06)
Balcony View Left - This is the view looking left, or south, from the balcony of our room on the second floor. (10/01/06)
Balcony View Right - This is the view looking right, or north, from the balcony of our room. (10/01/06)
Haystack And Needles 1 - The sun sets behind Haystack Rock and it's companion formation, the Needles. (10/01/06)
Photographing Haystack 1 - One of my favorite quirks in photography is to snap pictures of other people taking photographs and even though it is off-season I am not alone on the beach with a camera. (10/01/06)
Photographing Haystack 2 - Some photographers will go to great lengths to get that perfect image. Me, I prefer to keep my feet dry. (10/01/06)
Needles At Sunset - This was the best sunset of our two night stay, while not award winning, the Needles silhouetted against the colorful sky is a keeper. (10/01/06)
Haystack And Needles 2 - Another view of the rocks, but from a different vantage point. We walked down the beach and then went up to the road to walk back to the lodge. (10/01/06)
Haystack And Needles 3 - A foggy dawn look at Haystack Rock. (10/02/06)
Haystack And Needles 4 - A little later, but still early morning. (10/02/06)
Haystack Rock Morning - Finally the sun breaks through the clouds and has risen enough to fully light the scene. (10/02/06)
Haystack Rock Afternoon - In mid afternoon the sun has moved to the west and illuminates the seaward face of the rocks. (10/02/06)
Haystack Rock Reflection - Haystack Rock, a 235-foot tall sea stack, the third-tallest such structure in the world (behind a couple in Scotland I think) is reflected in the wet sand. (10/02/06)
Other Rocks 1 - Just down the highway a bit there is a lookout with views of a couple more big rocks. (10/02/06)
Other Rocks 2 - The water looks shallow enough that you could probably walk right out to them. (10/02/06)
Other Rocks 3 - The waves give some sense of scale, but a better judge is to gage the rocks against the height of the two people walking along the beach. (10/02/06)
Other Rocks 4 - A close up look at one of the basalt rocks. (10/02/06)
Oregon Coast 1 - If you looked straight west, out to sea, the sky would appear normal, but if you looked parallel to the beach you could see the effect of all that pounding surf, a mist and fog that hovered above the ground. (10/02/06)
Oregon Coast 2 - Very pretty in a different way than my southeastern eyes are used to seeing. (10/02/06)
Oregon Coast 3 - We took a hike in the Ecola State Park just to the north of Cannon Beach. It was a mile and a quarter of mostly up and some of the views were spectacular. If you look through the pine tree on the right you can see Haystack Rock. (10/02/06)
Oregon Coast 4 - The hike out was all up, but that was OK as that meant the trip back was mostly all downhill. (10/02/06)
Silver Cloud Inn - We stayed at this Silver Cloud Inn in Tacoma, WA for our last night away. We almost stayed at a Silver Cloud Inn in Mukilteo before opting for the B & B. This one is built on its own pier sticking out into the Tacoma harbor in the fashionable Old Town section. (10/03/06)
Tacoma Harbor - Our last day in the northwest dawned like most of the others while we were out there, with low clouds, fog and mist. Made for an interesting walk along the waterfront. (10/04/06)