Day 2 - Salina, KS - Westminster (Denver), CO

We grabbed a quick Hampton Inn breakfast this morning and actually got out the door and on our way before 9:00!  Yea us!  A short drive north and we found ourselves heading west on I-70 towards Denver.  Caroline and I both remarked how much prettier this central part of Kansas was than we were expecting.  There were still green trees, rolling hills, and the sky and clouds honestly looked like a painted landscape backdrop.  We encountered even more wind turbines on our drive today, which makes sense as the wind was constantly blowing out of the south.

We pulled off at a very nice rest stop along the way to stretch our legs and toss a football while we also consulted our Roadside America app.  This lists all the strange, curious, and interestingly odd sights along the highways that many folks never stop to see:  the largest ball of twine, for instance (which we passed without knowing it).  Although two natural rock formations were listed, they were too far off the beaten path.  Instead, we saw a "Wheat Jesus" billboard (yep...a painted billboard depicting Jesus in a wheat field holding the crop), another Tesla Supercharging station, and the world's largest easel holding a representation of Van Gogh's sunflowers.  See what you miss!  Soon we all got an hour younger as we crossed into the Mountain Time Zone.  Jason was insistent upon taking a picture and while most of our travelers were quite embarrassed to do so, it's a great shot that we'll be happy to have!

Next, it was time for some lunch in Goodland, Kansas.  We drove to the old downtown (mostly deserted), but when we approached the restaurant we had selected, we were met with a sign on the door saying they were closed to attend a funeral.  This just meant we went to Plan B and found another amazing local restaurant a few blocks down.  It was inside an old building that still had a tin ceiling and ornate moldings.  Downtown Goodland also had interesting plaques on their old buildings stating their original purpose and the year they were constructed.  A pretty neat idea that could be easily implemened in Conway.  One of the most interesting buildings was the the old telephone building.  The tile work was very colorful and quite surprising to be on a Ma Bell site.

Being good tourists, our next stop was to take a photo of ourselves with the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign.  This has a nice turnout so it's safe to stop!  We then pressed on west and eventually the Rockies started to rise in front of us.  We also witnessed at least two dust devils whirling up dirt in the dry fields.  Quite a sight!  A short time later we made it to the Cherry Creek area so Jason could visit the Tesla dealership/store.  Just like the one I visited in Seattle, this one had a Model 3 car, which is what Jason currently has on order.  It was great to see him actually be able to sit, touch, and play with the model car he is getting...the smiles were worth the detour. 

After checking into our hotel in Westminster, we drove back to downtown Denver where the boys all got out at Coors Field to watch the Rockies play the Mariners.  The girls had an evening to themselves where they found a street festival and then visited an upscale mall.  Happily, the boys had a great time:  Franklin met Dinger (the mascot), junk food was consumed, AND the Rockies won!  A short Uber ride to the hotel and we crashed for today.  We move into the mountains tomorrow for 4 days and we are ready!  "Rocky Mountain High...Colorado"

Day 2 - Seattle

Our first full day in Seattle began with an amazing breakfast cooked up by our inn host, Melanie.  It was enough food to energize anyone.  We then made our way to Seattle Center, which is the area around and including the Space Needle, which was designed for the 1962 World's Fair.  We walked past the home of the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Seattle Children's Museum, an outdoor fountain which danced to music, and made our way to the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit.  The exhibit opened in 2012 and showcases the artwork of Dale Chihuly who was born in nearby Tacoma.  I've not been a huge fan of his work (I certainly appreciate it), but getting to see it up close really does make you wonder how he originally came with the ideas that led to the pieces.  The exhibit has an indoor art gallery feature, but there is also an outdoor garden which has his artwork intermingled with flowers, shrubs, and trees.  I found this to be the most beautiful as nature and art intertwined.

Wanting to return to Pike Place Market during the day, we hopped aboard the Alweg monorail (also built for the World's Fair) and were soon passing Amazon's headquarters on our way to the Westlake station.  What trip to Seattle would be complete without a stop to Starbucks?  After refueling on some treats and drinks, we headed downhill to the market.  It did NOT disappoint as the entire east side was full of local farms selling bouquets of tulips, daffodils, peony tulips, sprigs of quince, and more.  Bouquets were available for $10, $15, and $20 or you could buy individual tulips and daffodils for $1.50 each.  Between whiffs of fresh seafood (being sold on the west side), we would get wafts of fragrant blossoms that instantly made me forget the gray mist outside and think about a great sunny Spring day.  I'm happy to report that I picked up a $10 bouquet which now adorns my bedside table.

As we headed back to the monorail station, I ducked into a local outlet of Goorin Bros.  This is a national, but small, chain that makes and sells hats of all sorts.  Today I felt the need to pick up a new flat cap that will be perfect for Arkansas this late Spring and Summer.  Once back at Seattle Center, we made our way to the car and returned to our inn.  Carolyn had the first session of her conference tonight and needed to prepare. 

A short time later, we zipped north to the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture, the conference location.  After dropping her off, I made my way to a nearby Italian restaurant, Mama Melina.  It was 6:00 Friday night and the place was hopping; good thing I made a reservation for one!  Eating at a nice restaurant by yourself is always a little odd as you don't have anyone to talk to, but you can easily listen in on other conversations (for better and for worse).  You can also read/look at your phone without offending anyone!

After dinner, I texted with folks back home as severe weather and tornadoes were moving through the area.  I stopped in a Safeway parking lot just to be able to pull up a radar and offer my weather advice.  I ended up driving to Golden Gardens park which has a beach on Puget Sound.  It offered some great views of the Sound although it was too cloudy to have a great sunset.

The Seattle Mariners team store in Bellevue was my next stop, where I hoped to procure some gifts.  The store is located in Bellevue Square shopping center which is home to an Amazon book store, Macy's, Nordstrom's, a Tesla dealership and more!  Happy with my purchases, it was time to pick up Carolyn. 

A great first full day in the Pacific Northwest.  No sun today, but no soaking rains either.  I'll call that a win!