A Wet and Wonderful Winter Week

Things did not go well for us here. We were supposed to have a queen bed with a pull-out couch and ended up in a double with a pull-out; then we were moved to a queen without a pull-out. The hotel staff eventually sent up a roll-away. However, the room was extremly hot and humid (it's January, remember?), and the excuse was that someone in the morning must have taken a hot shower. They told us to just turn on the A/C. Well, we turned on the A/C and tried to figure out how to open the windows, but we couldn't. The next day, I put in a request for maintenance to look at the A/C unit to see what was wrong, since the room was still just as hot. When we returned that afternoon, no one had checked on our unit; however, a nice lady with housekeeping showed us the trick in opening the windows. After another call to the front desk, maintenance came up only to tell us that there was no A/C because it was winter. The extra heat and humidity were because it had been warm, and they were doing renovations. We then found out that, because of the renovations, no more rooms were available. For the rest of our January trip, we spent as little time as possible in our room and slept with just a sheet over us. We ended up getting a one-night comp, and on my wife's numerous return trips, she has stayed elsewhere.

This is a fun way for the family to get around. We left from the ferry on Keystone on Whidby Island and went to the quaint seaside town of Port Townsend, and we then took a larger ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. My children had a blast. It was windy and cloudy, but the rain held off, so we were able to see the Olympics, Cascades, and Canada. You can't beat the view of the Seattle skyline coming in from the west, with the Cascades to the east.

This park is on an island northwest of Seattle but still easily accessible. We took a short trail through the dense forest, which led to a woodland pond and then down the cliffs to a beach. Because it was January, we had the place to ourselves, and I was able to let my young kids roam and explore.

We discovered two parts to this park on our trip, though there seem to be more. The first was like a land bridge to an island. Coming from the north, we took the first right at a sign to the park and followed the road to a closed gate and parked. When we got out of the car, the smell almost knocked me over. It was not a bad smell but the overwhelming smell of a moist forest. There were gigantic trees paralleling steep cliffs. We found a sandy beach, and I let the kids explore. We then took a trail to the top of a rocky bluff. From there, we could see across to Canada and, closer in, seals playing around the rocks. From there, we continued our walk down and came to a large totem pole and read about the Native Americans who once lived there. It was a great introduction to Washington's history and nature.

Farther south, we came to Deception Pass Bridge. This is one of those famous bridges that everyone takes a photo of, and I see why. It was spectacular! It just fit right in with the scenery. You can even walk across it from the parking lot on the south end of the bridge.

This museum towers over the Tacoma waterfront with its spiraling top. Inside, you will find several permanent galleries and a changing gallery (which was closed when we went). The highlight for us was the studio theater where we got to see the artists work while one provided narration. They made my daughter's day when one of the artists came up and gave her a glass heart with a paper heart inside! Outside are oversized installations and Chihuley's astounding Bridge of Glass.

After winding past suburban sprawl east of Seattle, you cross the river and find yourself at Salish Lodge (for directions: http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com/). Park in the parking lot on the right side of the road, take the pedestrian bridge over the road, and you will see it. There is Snoqualmie Falls, a must-see site because of its beauty. The Snoqualmie River tumbles down the deep tree-filled canyon, creating a spectacular site. We couldn't walk all the way down because of the muddy trail, but there is a pleasant covered observation deck on the edge of the cliffs behind the gift shop. From here you can take in the majesty of the 270-foot waterfall.