PA woman survives first flight

by Amy ~ April 22, 2009

( Sorry for the “essay” but I had a lot to write about!)

 We had a great visit with my parents, my sister Patty and our friend Sue last week. Mom’s first flight ever was smooth and uneventful so we hope they’ll make the trip again soon!

We packed a lot into 5 days and saw a good portion of the state! With the exception of whales, salmon, and the space needle, we hit everything on the itinerary!

We visited the Ballard locks and the salmon ladder. We had hoped to see salmon swimming in the ladder but it’s not the right time of year and unfortunately we were not able to see any salmon. The Locks aren’t a typical tourist destination but it is one of Zvonimir and my favorite places.

We visited Pike’s Place Market where we watched the fish flying through the air, bought some amazing fruits, vegetables, and local crab for dinner. We listened to some street performers and were entertained by the colorful locals. After the market we took the Argosy lakes cruise which takes you through Lake Union out onto Lake Washington.

Later that night my cousin Bill and his family, Leslie, Jack and Cole, as well as Leslie’s father, Richard, joined us for dinner. We had a great time catching up and eating our market purchases.

We did quite a bit of driving on this trip. We put over 1000 miles on the car in 5 days! On our first road trip covered nearly 350 miles. We drove north to Stevens Pass where there is still nearly 10 ft of snow on the ground. Then we drove on to Leavenworth, which underwent a transformation in 1962 to mock a Bavarian village to revitalize its economy. Then on to Aplets and Coblets factory so Sue and Pat could buy some treats.

Returning home we traveled through the farmland of central Washington to the Columbia River Gorge, where we took a quick detour to see several petrified trees.

Patty nearly killed us as she yelled “Z STOP!” on the highway and we were forced to pull to the side of the road. I thought maybe she had been stung by a killer bee or something but as it turns out she thought she spotted a cool bird (later we learned that the bird she thought she spotted doesn’t even live in WA…). En route to Snoqualmie pass we also saw a herd of Elk covering the hillside. We returned home tired and in need of sleep before our next adventure!

We took the Bainbridge Island Ferry over to Bill & Leslie’s vacation spot on the Hood Canal. We had a great picnic on their deck and watched an eagle soar above and spotted a seal fishing in the Sound. Next we went into a temperate rain forest in the Olympic Forest.

Our final day we drove north to the Skagit County tulip festival. The tulips are a blooming a bit late this year but we were happy to see a few colorful fields. We drove across Deception Pass and down Whidbey Island on the way home and were amazed to see 15 eagles that day.

We were exceptionally lucky with the weather and enjoyed the first days of sun we’ve had in a while! The minute their flight left Seattle the weather turned and it was cloudy and raining.

View the photos from my Family’s visit.