Sleep Less in Seattle

Yes, the space is there for a reason.  This was not one of those lounge around and get lots of rest trips.  But that's ok.  I saw so much of the Seattle area and had a great time.  Here are some highlights.

Thursday - The Fair.  We spent an entire day at The Fair.  Seattle greeted me with its finest misty rain.  I suppose I had to be indoctrinated into life must go on in the drizzly rain.  We saw art work, chainsaw carving, fresh baked goodies, and lots of animals.  This little goat was my favorite.  He went all in for his food!

We then saw Jeremy Camp and Mercy Me in concert.  WOW!  Jeremy's concert was so worshipful.  I could have listened to him for an extra two hours.  Except for the fact my body couldn't remember that it was no longer in the EST time zone.  

Friday.  Oh, Friday, you were a busy day.  I had a conference call first thing so my friend cooked me breakfast while I worked.  Yeah, I'm spoiled like that.  Then we headed off to the Washington Park Arboretum.  I could have spent many hours here just wandering through the trails.  But alas we were on an agenda so off we went to the Ballard Locks.  This is where the salt water meets the fresh water. And where the fish swim upstream to have more fish.  See, it's a fish ladder (or steps.)

Oops, I forgot.  On the way to the locks we stopped off to meet one of Freemont's most famous citizens.  

Then our agenda allowed for time to stop and eat a crepe.  A banana and Nutella crepe to be exact.  And yes, I took a bite before I took a picture.  It was heavenly.

Next stop was the Space Needle.  Thanks to my tour guide for the day, we had a connection and I was able to get a guided tour which included information about Seattle and the surrounding areas as we walked aroudn the top.  Here's a view of downtown Seattle from the top.

Our final touristy stop of the day was the Museum of Flight.  I could have easily spent more time here, but it was a lot of fun to learn about the history of Boeing, flight in Alaska, and even what the numbers on the runways mean.  I even got to go aboard the plane formerly known as Air Force One.  

Friday ended with a nice dinner cruise around the Puget Sound harbor.  The weather was amazing and the sky was clear. 

Saturday: We headed downtown to Pike Place Market and the waterfront.  What a perfect day.  Low 70s, clear skies, good food, great friends.  In order to get some sleep, we opted to sleep in and grab something to eat downtown.  Kerri, I had a Piroshky for breakfast.  Sadly I was so hungry I did not get a picture.  My favorite part of the market were all the lovely flowers.  Forget the fish being thrown around, I could not get enough of all the flowers.

Thanks to the wonderful weather and clear sky I was able to get some shots of both Mt. Rainier (over Qwest Field) and the Olympic Mountains from the market and waterfront.

Next we headed North to a corn maze which is in the shape of the state of Washington.  The paths through the maze are the highways and interstates of the state and there are items/signs throughout the maze telling you about different parts of the state.  If any of you read Twilight (which I don't/won't/shan't) this picture is for you.

Sunday - Snoqualmie Falls: On Sunday we haded East to Snoqualmie Falls.  Sadly the trail to the bottom was closed so we couldn't hike down there, but the view from the observation deck was incredible.  I am so glad we made the drive to see it.  I've been told to come back in 2013 so I can do the hike when it reopens.  Sounds like I better start saving my pennies!