Bellingham to Cascade Locks

After a hellish ride we were so glad to be off the ferry finally.  First things first we went to the Marine Park nearby to let Millie poo and eat breakfast.  She was very happy to be off the ferry too.  Then we found a off leash area near by (on 4th Street) where Millie got to run around more.  She was a usual naughty self and decided to jump in and roll around in a mud puddle just as we were about to leave.  Argh!  Good thing we carried a few towels with us for times like this.

Kaiten zushi

After leaving Bellingham we headed for Bellevue to meet with Sue & Mike at the Sushi Maru, my first kaiten zushi in the U.S.  It was pretty good!  Then a 3 hour drive to Portland to meet Maria and her friend for dinner at Tasty N Sons.  Unfortunately, I ended up asking her to come out to the ghetto of Portland because I wanted to avoid downtown traffic.  I wish I had left it to her to pick a place... oh well.  By the time we were done eating we had to head for our hotel, which was still 45 minutes away.  I didn't get to see much of Portland at all like I thought I might, so I guess I'll have to come back and check out this city again properly.

Tonight we're in Best Western Plus Cascade Locks.  I've been trying to stay in Best Western hotels where I can since they have the most pet friendly rooms.  Although a Mariott or Hilton would be nice, their pet fees ($75-100) are worth it only if you stay there a long time.  Most Best Western hotels that allow pets don't charge a pet fee, or if they do, it's only like $10 or $20 a night.  So far this hotel and the Best Western Plus Landing in Ketchikan have been really nice.  There aren't 'Plus' hotels in all the places we're going, so it won't be nice all the way, but hopefully the regular Best Westerns will be a comfortable stay.

Seattle

I had couple of days in Seattle, but my main objective here were to see a few friends.  I had a great time catching up with friends I haven't seen in years.  I also spent about 6 hours trying to catch the sights in downtown Seattle.  Although I thought I hated cities, I actually liked Seattle.  It's a different feel from DC, and also from NYC.  Not sure how to describe it, but I could see myself living there.  Maybe someday I will try a West Coast city.  Who knows. 

My 6 hour whirlwind tour of Seattle started with a monorail ride from the Space Needle and a short walk to the Central Library.  It was a very nice library.  Then over to Pioneer Square for the highly recommended Underground Tour.  For those who did not know, the city of Seattle was once an underground city.  This tour gives you the history of the place and how it came to be underground.  It's a pretty neat tour.  Afterwards, my friend & I headed over to Pike Place Market.  It's an indoor market with lots & lots of shops, but neither of us needed to buy anything so we left after getting suckered into buying smoked salmon.  We headed back towards the car via a sculpture garden, and then headed over in our car to see the troll before heading over to Bellevue for the night.

Road to Alaska: West Yellowstone to Liberty Lake

Now that I've had my vacation, I'm back on the road again.  Millie is also back with me so I am happy about that, too!  Today's drive from West Yellowstone, MT to Liberty Lake, WA was probably the most scenic drive yet.  I drove over several mountain passes with beautiful views.  The nice weather also helped.  With sunny skies, temperatures in the 40's, and evergreens dotting the mountains, it almost felt like summer.  Then I noticed the snowcapped peaks in the distance and it reminded me that I'm actually pretty lucky to have made it this far safely.  I barely missed the storm of the century when I first started the trip, and I did go through some dodgy weather along the way.  If I had hit some of that weather over these mountain passes, I could've been in big trouble.  I have one more long drive day to go tomorrow... and the weather isn't supposed to be all that great.  Hope my luck doesn't run out.