MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND CRUISE

Jodi’s folks arrived Thursday and after work I threw the bike aboard and we headed over to Bell Street Harbor.  The plan was for them to stay at Bell Street on Friday, then I’d bike to work.

 

We had a cocktail cruise over to Bell Street followed by a nice dinner at Elliots (Thank you, Ken).

 

The crew reported a great day on Friday and Rex enjoyed the smells and treats of Pike Place market. 

Seattle Skyline retreating in the distance

 After biking “home” on Friday night, we untied and headed across the sound to Blake Island.  The docks were full, but the pilings afford a nice, comfortable moorage.  We nosed the bow near one piling and Jodi neatly lassoed it, then slowly pivoted around it bringing the stern to the other one with about 60 feet or so in between.  Perfect, secured fore and aft.

 



The Chef preparing dinner

Dinner was ‘White King Salmon” that Ken had purchased at the market.  Jodi prepared to perfection and we had Salmon and Asparagus. 

White Salmon, Quinoa, and Asparagus.

 

Blake Island feels remote compared to the hustle and bustle of down town Seattle, but they’re only an hour a part in a very slow boat. 

 

Saturday morning dawned early for me and I went ashore around 5:30am for some early morning shots.

Tillicum Village at Blake Island

poor picture, but a crow is bugging the heck out of an eagle, swooping down and buzzing him (or her)

And the retort

Camping, Seattle style

Cambria moored fore and aft

Crabbing

 

 

After breakfast I noticed the batteries had a significant voltage drop, the first indication that a pair of deep cycle batteries in are my future (it’s always something!).

 

Jodi, Ken and Judy went ashore for a hike and I stayed aboard to assess the batteries and try to get a charge into them via the generator.

 

The hike was reported by Judy to be quite long and hilly.  Apparently Jodi ‘got lost’ and took them for quite the hike!!

 

Ken and Judy after the hike

 

Just after the low tide (a negative 3 something!!) we headed down Colvos passage to Gig Harbor, seeing a few nice houses along the way.

The old "Olympus", former Governor's Yacht, buitl in 1927

 

Had not been to Gig Harbor in years.  The entrance is pretty small, but the old governors yacht ‘Olympus’ went through just in front of us.   The SYC dock was quite full, and not a sailboat on the dock, so we found one of the last moorage spots at an in town marina.

Fellow on his SUP with 'his baby'

One of the tenders off the "Olympus"

Jodi kayaking

 

The harbor is pretty active – kayaking, sailing, canoes and the new rage SUP’s (stand up paddleboards) are all common sights.  Jodi and Ken went for a paddle and Judy, Rex and I toured the harbor with the tender.

 

Dinner was at the old Tides Tavern.  Quite the happening place!! 

 

We had a choice of staying at Gig Harbor or taking a 4 hour cruise up to Poulsbo.  We decided to stay in Gig Harbor and went on another ‘JFM’ (Jodi’s Forced March) walking the town end to end.  Armed with a Map, an old, out of date one at that, we toured the town.

The town is well annotated

The narrow entrance to Gig Harbor

Somebody let the plug out

Gig Harbor

Stubby Rainbow

The "My Gal", an old Garden design

 

Gig Harbor seems to be fairing well.  It’s picturesque, interesting and affords for a pleasant day of sight seeing.  Probably not much more than that, although we did save the museum for a future visit. 

 

We found the site where the first Thunderbird was built.  Dad had told me that story many times of how Ben Seaborn on a design contest, drawing up a sailboat made of plywood.  Hulls 1 through 16 were built in Gig Harbor.

 

The town does seem to be wrestling with itself, torn between retaining it’s old character rooted in logging, fishing and boat building vs becoming a home for waterfront condos.

 

We found ‘7 Seas’ brewery and sampled some of their wares later in the afternoon.

 

Jodi prepared shrimp tacos which were magnificent.  The consensus score was 9.75, with a quarter point deduction for choosing a too sweet mango for the salsa.  It was a great dinner.

 

After dinner, Ken demonstrated his keen anticipatory skills by divesting himself of his watch, wallet, and cell phone before stepping on, but not quite in, the kayak.  Do not try this full immersion technique at home.  All’s well that ends well and despite a new found appreciation for Newton’s 3rd law of motion  (for every action there is an equal, and  opposite, reaction) and a slightly bruised ego, all was well.

 

The evening was rounded out by a dinghy ride with an unexpected event.  It was right at sunset and as we toured the shoreline, a gentleman was walking down a dock we were approaching in a crisp, military fashion.  I saw what he was carrying and I shut the engine off just as he began ‘Amazing Grace” on his bagpipes.  The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.  After a charming rendition, he spun and retreated.

 

The trip back was uneventful.  Monday was a grey, drippy day but we were warm and dry in the cockpit.

MOM's CRUISE

Mom took her first cruise and Jodi and I cranked up Cambria to see her off.  The cruise ships seem to travel in packs, her's was the OOSTERDAM and the last one to leave.

The Norwegian Pearl givng chase to the Victoria Clipper

The OOSTERDAM

Mom on the upper, upper, upper, upper aft deck....In Red.

THE COMMUTE

It’s odd to blog about a commute, but I like mine. Especially when it’s good weather. When I can ride the bike home, Bellevue to Ballard.


Today’s Seattle times listed Seattle’s top 10 attractions and from my commute I can either see or go through several of them.

Starting off in Bellevue isn’t too exiting. It took a while to get used to claiming the left hand turn lane in a bike, but you need to get out there in traffic and stake a position in the left hand turn lane if you want to turn left. After a few times, it dawns on you that cars aren’t trying to kill you.

I take 108th, which is a back route paralleling the far more busy Bellevue way. 108th is a straight shot all the way from Bellevue to I-90.

Once on I-90, the first nice view is midspan on the east channel bridge. See how the other half of a percent lives.

The trip across Mercer Island is largely on bike trails and towards the end you’re on ‘the lid’, a park built over the freeway and effectively tells I-90 to keep quiet. It’s amazingly quiet on the lid and you’d never know rush hour was taking place below your feet.

Biking across the floating bridge is a bit noisy, but on this day traffic was terrible. Even stopping for pictures, I still beat the cars across with the bike.

At the end of the bridge there’s a small climb up to a pedestrian tunnel above the car tunnel. It’s much shorter and pops you out on another man made lid.

Then there’s the sketchy part. The bike route leads you on a side road parallel to Rainier Ave South, then you cross it and head to the water front. There’s a decent bike lane for most of it, then it’s combat time with cars as you approach the stadiums. It’s only for a few blocks, cars are going pretty slow, but it’s still a little hectic.

Once you get to Alaskan Ave on the waterfront, it changes day to day with all the construction. The ‘ol viaduct is coming down and a huge drill, dubbed ‘big bertha’ is going dig a tunnel under the water front. Maybe the biggest change since the Denny Regrade.

Once onto the unmolested portion of the water front it gets better, but then at pier 70 you pop into Myrtle Edwards park, home of the sculpture park. The trail from Pier 70 to smith cove is wonderful. No cars, and even pedestrians and bikers have separate paths. And the views are stunning of Seattle, the sound, and the Olympics.

Had to take a shot of the old PI globe.  My Grandmother's favorite paper, now gone from the Seattle landscape. Or almost gone.  It still has an online presence run by a small staff.  Last year we met the entire sportswriting staff of the PI.  He was an interesting guy....

At Smith Cove there’s a sharp right hand turn which leads to a bike trail through the Burlington Northern Santa Fe switching yard in the ‘valley’ between Magnolia and Queen Anne. Always something going on there and the bike path at times is fenced in and so narrow in places that only one bike at a time can go through.

Once you emerge from that you’re on the home stretch. Pop down Commodore way (what do all those businesses do?) and then you’re at the locks – the south side. Apparently they’re pretty strict about walking your bike, and it’s a little tricky if there are lots of people, but the commuter crowd plows their way through. I like walking the bike as up to this point I’ve pedaled 17 miles and on my Mountain bike, that’s a long way.

One more mile to go and then it’s Shilshole, home of great sunsets.