Washington State (The Return)

The Covid Virus and our responsibilities at home had us busting at the seams to get out and enjoy another adventure so in May 2021, we returned to the beautiful state of Washington to do a little more exploring. Fortunately, our flight on American Airlines, was not delayed and we arrived in Seattle right on time.  Unfortunately, the car rental agencies are NOT located within the airport. After a 30 minute wait for a shuttle to get us over to Enterprise we finally drove away from the airport and headed to our first destination - Discovery Park.




Flying over Mt. Rainer
Flying over Mt. Rainer

Discovery Park is a 534-acre park on the shores of Puget Sound in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is the city's largest public park and contains 11.81 miles of walking trails. United Indians of All Tribes' Daybreak Star Cultural Center is within the park's boundaries.





West Point Lighthouse at Discovery Park

After walking off our lunch at Discovery Park we headed to Shilshole Bay Marina to get another view of the Puget Sound and to drool over the amazing sailboats and yachts.  

Yes, that's a seal or sea lion at Shilshoe Bay Marina







Shilshole Bay Marina is located right on the Puget Sound and is a great marina for every kind of boat from kayak to mega-yacht. This marina is widely regarded as the premier boating and sailing center of the Northwest.

We chose to stay at an Embassy Suites located in Lynnwood, Washington, which is a suburb of Seattle.  This central area was the perfect location for "home base" while we explore Edmonds, Washington.

Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington. It is located in the southwest corner of the county, facing Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains to the west. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located 15 miles north of Seattle and 18 miles southwest of Everett.



Love a place where you can get both power tools and vodka!

Robert Lang Recording Studios in Shoreline, Washington.  Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews and more recorded here!






We enjoyed a delicious dinner, al fresco style, at the Salish Sea Brewing Company and then headed over to Bracket's Landing North to watch the sun go down.  The amazing sunset views were a great ending to the first day of our 2021 adventure!

Next stop - Pike Place Market and Snoqualmie Falls!

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Ballard, Washington

Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the  Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
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Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park .  The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas.  The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east.  Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the  Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.  
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Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,