Seattle, Day 2.

Good Morning Stuffy World! Sandy  Bear and Little Fox in charge of the blog today.  Do you see us on this statue?  You have to look hard but we are here.

We are checking in today from the Port of Edmonds today. Lot's of boats to explore.

The port has a nice fishing pier.  You can walk about 200 feet on a pier to a fishing ramp.  Lot's of people fishing but no one is catching anything.  Drat, no fresh fish for this bear.

Lot's of fancy boats are parked at this port.  Part of the reason it's so popular is that people can drive from Seattle to Edmonds relatively easily and have access to the Puget Sound without having to go through the Ballard Locks (which get beary beary busy on a nice summer weekend). 

The port is quiet today.  Off to the left you can see the Edmonds Yacht Club.  Little Fox isn't a member so we can't explore that building but we did find an open gate the port so we can explore the boats. 

Apparenttly the gate was open because they had a wooden yacht festival yesterday and today.  Lot's of old boats from the 1910s to the 1950s.  Similar to a classic car show but for boats. 

Old boats are like old cars. An expensive hobby to keep up.  

I christen thee, the "SS Stuffy" offering free rides for all stuffies.  Unfortunately, maritime law does not recognize stuffy ships so the free ride part probably won't happen.  A fancy restaurant with views of the harbor are in the background.  Sigh, they are only open for brunch today.  

What a nice day.  What's that in the background? Cruise ship?

Not a cruise ship, a state ferry.  The Edmonds ferry travels between Edmonds and Kingston on the Olympic Peninsula. About a 20 minute ferry ride, perhaps on another day. 

Back home.  Time to say goodbye to my stuffy guests.  Back to Oregon today. 

Road Trip, Day 1.

Little Fox and I have hit the road to visit some of his older stuffy relatives in Seattle.
Coming into Seattle from the south lends you one of the best views of the downtown and the space needle, except for tonight.  It's a tad smoggy but if you look hard you can see the space needle way back there on the left.

We mae it safely and the older stuffies were ready to hang out with us. 

Rise and shine humans.  It's an amazing day, let's go!

In the distance you can see the Olympic Mountains.  If you go to certain places in Canada you can see the same mountains.

Our destination today is Ballard.  A neighborhood in Seattle that is known for it's Nordic heritage and it's fishing history.  Now it's known for it's hipsters and trendy shops.  Of course Ballard was first inhabited by the Shishole Native American Tribe, then in the 1880s the area became a major shipping point for timber and fishing industries which attracted many Swedish and Norwegian immigrants.  In 1907 Ballard was annexed by the City of Seattle and the rest is history. 

Lot's of back alleys.  An ship builder here. 

 Perhaps I can get a back alley deal on Salmon? 

 This boat looks ship shape. My guess is it's a fisher heading north to Alaska.  Perhaps I will see if I can catch a ride on it to Canada when I am ready to head home. 

Hanging out in town square. 

This bear needs a pick-me-up.  I'll take a venti hot chocolate please.

They have these bikes all over town. 

.

Who am I kidding, I don't know how to ride a bike. 

What?  Three sandwiches.....two stuffies?  This is the life!

To aid in the timber and the fishing industries the Army Corp of Engineers built the Ballard Locks.  The locks make it easy to travel between Lake Washington the the Puget Sound.  The Ballard Locks handle the most traffic of any locks in the United States.

Water level starts off low. 

Boats come in and the water slowly rises. 

And rises.

Till the boat is ready to go. 

Time to head home.  This bear and fox are hungry. Yes, fresh cheese from Switzerland, blueberries and crackers will do for dinner.  What, a stuffy size glass of wine too?   Sounds great. 

Ah, what a day.  Time for bed.  What's on tap for tomorrow? 

A, R and R (Day 2)

Ahhh, another great nights rest for little fox.  Looks like I am out of coffee - must be time to leave for another adventure.  Today, I am going to the Seattle Waterfront.

The weather was perfect. My roommates hinted that there might be a boat trip in my future.  Not on this boat they say. 

I got lost in some public art.  Beanie would love this. 

Looks like a ferry is coming in and this small boat is a police boat. 

Those mountains in the background are the Olympic Mountains - the range is in the US but beary close to Canada.  Hi Sandy!

I wonder if that sailboat has any fresh salmon on board? 

Huh, who knew German bread came from Canada? 

I had to leave the Seattle Waterfront for the Edmonds Waterfront.  Same body of water, 20 miles north.  My roommates took me to the ferry terminal as we waited for the ferry I read up on Seal Pups. I need a sign at my place that says "Don't Disturb Resting Foxes"

Allright!  I made it on the ferry.  Let's see if the captain will let me drive. 

Nope, not going to happen.  Perhaps if I had a captains uniform and a captains hat I could pilot the vessel?
What a great day to be on the seas. 

I look good against the blue sky don't I?

Coming into Kingston, Washington.  Looks amazing. 

A well needed break.  Don't you think I should have a nice little cup of hot chocolate to wash down the ice cream.  

On the way back we traveled on a different ferry.  Nope, they didn't need an untrained fox piloting this vessel, however I did leave my business card with the captain just in case they needed to get in touch with me. 

Walla Walla means many waters.  That seems like an appropriate name for this ferry.
Happy Memorial Day everyone!