PNW/Cascadia vacation report

[sunvalleylaw]

We are just finishing our annual family trip to Gig Harbor, Seabeck at Hood Canal, greater Seattle area, etc. pics first, then description.

My kid enjoying the view.

Getting some Cascadian Dark in Cascadia.

Mount Rainier over Gig Harbor in the gloaming.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Mouth of Gig Harbor.

The bridges. The green metal one on the left is older, and the one that replaced Galloping Gertie that went down. The one on the right was added about a decade ago, and is not yet paid off.

Looking at the western slope of Tacoma and University Place over Day Island. UP and the western slope of Tacoma was where I was raised.

 

[335clone]

Love it.

Heading to the Columbia river (Gresham Or) next week.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Firs, built in 1925, where we stay at camp.

My brother, in front of "The Brothers" of the Olympic range.

My brother photobombing and obscuring my mom, who is sitting next to her friends you can see. She loves to get out in the boat.

Rocket Launch day.

The old historic meeting house that was used back when this place was a loggin town. And Pines, built in the late 50's I think. It is going to get replaced with something more modern in 2018.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Our old family cabin. Watched a girl go through a non-safety plate glass window here. The moms were out in a row boat. Kind of a high drama day. Back in 1970-something.

The old hotel on the bay

The bay. YMCA Camp Seymour is on the left.

My new panda whale hippy coffee mug. and kids going out on an adventure class. @Flamencology , that slip that is not used on the outside of that pier on the left of the frame is my Mom's. I really want to put a Thunderbird sailboat there. I can't justify owning and maintaining one for the amount of time I get to spend here. But I am looking into a boat share or something.

The bike trails.

out on the trails.

 

[12Pack]

Awesome. I think the US North West are is some of the most beautiful places to see.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

 

[micwalt]

Nice!

 

[Chad]

looks beautiful up there.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

We arrived last Saturday to my Mom's in Gig Harbor. First photos are of the first day as I obtained local brew and got settled. Did some paddle boarding and followed a
Band of young guys playing rock and jazz on a boat in the bay. They were not so bad! I have a clip I will try to post later.

Next was a ride the next day up to the Narrows Bridges.

Then off to a family camp we attend. I have done so since I was 11. Used to be a group through the YMCA and now through a group my Dad helped to start. That pic I post of me playing my acoustic with my Dad on sax was taken there. A hard place to explain.

Then back to Gig Harbor, a mountain bike ride in the woods, (typical second growth logging land) and a stop to check out Glen Cove on the Key Peninsula, where my family used to have a cabin, since I was close. Now the area is known for meth labs as well as vacation homes and YMCA camps.

We spent our last day touring Bellingham and Western Washington University for my kids one is considering school, one moving there and maybe attending community college there. A nice place with some good local brews to bring home with me.

Now, driving through hot and dry Oregon through smoke from the BC wildfires. A heck of a lot of smoke over Wa And Or right now, not to mention BC. Hope they all stay safe and they get it out.

A nice trip this year. Grateful to see family and friends, and visit the land of evergreen and inland salt water.

 

[telecaster911]

That looks like a fantastic vacation!

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Description edited to add the rest of the details. Was in the Blue Mountains with no coverage. The smoke is slowly clearing as we head east, but is still holding on. Wish I would have taken a pic or two in Bellingham.

That is my brother skiing and driving the boat.

 

[nuke_diver]

Nice

We are heading to Oregon in a couple of weeks alone with the entire planet apparently to try and watch the eclipse and spend a few more days there. I hope it cools off, Portland is supposed to be 106 tomorrow.

Bellingham is on the list of places to move to so we need to spend a week up there. Preferable when the weather is supposed to suck like Jan/Feb to make sure we know what we are getting into. The weather this time of year is usually pretty nice

 

[mongooz]

cool pics.....looks like a lot of fun.

also.....some of those pics appear to have a polarizer filter used on them

 

[yabba]

spend any time in Oly? that's my old college days stomping grounds (they've got some kinda crazy controversy going on there at the moment, which is not entirely out of the ordinary)

I really love that part of the country

 

[sunvalleylaw]

cool pics.....looks like a lot of fun.

also.....some of those pics appear to have a polarizer filter used on them

Nope. No filters or even post shot effects. Just iPhone. Though the Hood Canal pics show a strong algae bloom making the water a different color than normal.

 

[mongooz]

Nope. No filters or even post shot effects. Just iPhone. Though the Hood Canal pics show a strong algae bloom making the water a different color than normal.

i was referring to the super blue sky.....you can get that effect using a polarizer....i do it all the time.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

spend any time in Oly? that's my old college days stomping grounds (they've got some kinda crazy controversy going on there at the moment, which is not entirely out of the ordinary)

I really love that part of the country

No time in Oly, though some time at Hood Canal with friends from Oly.

Yeah, it can get weird there and I heard there was some stuff going on.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

i was referring to the super blue sky.....you can get that effect using a polarizer....i do it all the time.

It was exceptionally clear this trip. Until the smoke came in at the end of the trip.

I used a polarizer on my SLR all the time for that same reason. But not this time.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Nice

We are heading to Oregon in a couple of weeks alone with the entire planet apparently to try and watch the eclipse and spend a few more days there. I hope it cools off, Portland is supposed to be 106 tomorrow.

Bellingham is on the list of places to move to so we need to spend a week up there. Preferable when the weather is supposed to suck like Jan/Feb to make sure we know what we are getting into. The weather this time of year is usually pretty nice

I could live there. My buddy who lives in Ferndale says it is sunnier than Tacoma/Seattle but not as banana belt as Port Townsend.