Summer in Seattle

July 6, 2012July 22, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 2 Comments

Whale Watching in the San Juan Islands

July 3, 2012December 9, 2012 ~ Crystle ~ 6 Comments

Whale Watching in the San Juan Islands has been on my to-do list since I moved to Washington. So when Jordan came to visit last weekend, I finally had the chance. The 2.5 hour drive North from Tacoma to Bellingham went by relatively quickly, probably because the area is so beautiful. I remember the scenery well from our trip to Mt. Vernon for the Tulip Festival earlier this year.

Jordan and I were out on the water with our fellow tourists all day. The day started out grey and cloudy, but the sun broke through and shone down brightly. It was still cold. After a few hours, we were both beating ourselves up for being underdressed and neglecting to bring sunscreen. Outside of a flu setting, I had no idea it was possible to be freezing cold and hot at the same time. The wind cut through us like a knife while the hot sun bared down on our shoulders and faces. It was a strange dichotomy, truly. And talk about gnarly, the ocean wind did quite a number on my hair.

Otherwise, it was a beautifully scenic and informative tour. I had no idea here were so many Islands that compromised the San Juans!

It took several hours to arrive at the waters surrounding Henry Island, where both migrating, and native Orca pods fed on salmon. Relief swept the boat when the tour guide announced the first dorsal fin sighting toward the bay. We all crowded around the side of the boat snapping photos or scoping out the sights through binoculars. It was a spectacle.

Now, when my husband and I went to Discovery Kingdom on our California Sojourn a month ago, the Orca show was spirited. The star of the show caught some serious air, comparable to the dolphins we saw later that day. Well, these Orcas were in hunting mode, not performance mode. They tended to skim the surface of the water, only bobbing up once or twice to show us more than their face and dorsal fin.

Still, they did not disappoint.

Our tour of the Islands was not limited to Whale Watching. I counted four bald eagle sightings, one even plucked a fish right from the water! I failed to get any lasting images on my Canon, the eagles are a bit too quick and small for a girl lacking sea legs. Some of that water was mighty choppy.

We also spotted some wild rams on an island just south of Canadian waters. It was exciting! And for the first time I saw how fresh water mixes with ocean water. I had no idea their densities were so disparate.

If ever you find yourself with the opportunity to Whale Watch in the San Juan islands, I highly recommend it. Hopefully you’ll miss the rain like we did!

And many thanks to Elizabeth for recommending Jalapeños in Bellingham! Dinner there was delicious.

Twin Peaks

July 2, 2012December 9, 2012 ~ Crystle ~ 3 Comments

The weekend has finally come to a close. We just dropped off Jordan at the airport after an eventful Birthday weekend (she has just joined the ’26’ club!) in Seattle, North Bend and Bellingham. We checked out the tourist spots in the big city, visited the filming locations of one of our favorite shows Twin Peaks, and went whale watching in the San Juan Islands near the Canadian border.

Overall, and I think Jordan might agree, the best part of the visit was our tour through North Bend and Snoqualmie Falls to check out the filming locations of David Lynch’s 1990 show, Twin Peaks. Although many of the filming locations have changed a lot over the years, a few remained seemingly unchanged.

Stopping off at Twede’s Cafe, or the RR Cafe in the series, we had burgers and topped it off with cherry pie and a ‘damn good cup of coffee’. The original interior of the restaurant was damaged in an arson-related fire in 2000. Now the interior decor channels more of a classic 50’s style. Even though it was rebuilt, the interior maintained a layout true to that in the Twin Peaks series.

While we were hunting down the rural location of the ‘Welcome to Twin Peaks’ sign (which obviously doesn’t exist), we found Ronette’s bridge. Since 1990, the railroad tracks on the bridge have been removed. It now serves local runners and cyclists as a trail into the adjacent woods. The river below was no doubt the one used in many stock shots in the series, usually for credits. With the flowing river below, and the thick woods adjacent, this spot couldn’t have been more peaceful.

The mill and Sheriff’s station were the most difficult locations to find even though they were on the same property. Their appearance has changed a bit since 1990, but they’re still quite recognizable.

The exterior of the Great Northern Hotel has changed little, except that in reality it’s called the Salish Lodge and Spa. With the weather unremitting, it was difficult to get a clear photo of the lodge and the falls.

The cool weather also prompted the clouds to hang low enough to obscure the peaks of the mountains. Which is why my Twin Peaks intro photo looks a little bit askew. The area was also a bit overgrown, and now had a cement barricade on the shoulder of the road. Why I expected the site to be identical to it’s 1990 appearance? I have no idea. Wishful thinking, I suppose.

Finding all these locations would had been nearly impossible without the map we purchased at Twede’s Cafe. I highly recommend stopping off there first if ever you find yourself on a Twin Peaks Tour. They seem to get a lot of Twin Peaks fans stopping in, we were just a few.