Days 10 (and 11) - SeaTac, WA - Conway, AR

We purposely booked a midday flight home so we wouldn't have to be rushing around in the morning to get to the airport.  Even with the extra time, we arrived early and buzzed through security without a hitch.  Near our gate, a cellist who plays (or played) with the Seattle Symphony was set up in a common area playing her electric cello.  It was so soothing and relaxing that I nearly dozed off right there in an airport seat (NOT the easiest thing to do).

Our inbound plane from Dallas was delayed due to weather and thus our outbound flight to Dallas was delayed too.  Our connection time was already a little tight, but this made it even more so.  I kept an eye on the weather and the timing and decided to just go with it and not worry about rebooking anything at that point.  We were soon boarded and on our way with Mount Hood and Adams off to our right, still covered in snow, but gleaming under the sun.  Even the mountains of Idaho were pretty!  I was able to see the Great Salt Lake before clouds obstructed further views.  Dallas was still dealing with weather/storms and by the time we got close, the pilots slowed us down just enough that we could sneak into our final approach just following a storm.  It did provide some really cool photos from my window seat, but quite a bit of turbulence too.

Upon landing, my American app notified me that our flight to Little Rock had been cancelled and we had been rebooked on an 8:30 pm flight Sunday night.  Gah!  I had no intention of spending and entire day in Dallas for no reason.  After getting off the plane, we stopped and some friendly gate agents where we struck up conversation and made the best of the situation.  After about 20 minutes, we figured out the best we could do was an early flight the next morning on United to Chicago, then an American flight to Little Rock.  Not great, but at least we were going to be home by noon.  We walked to the Hyatt Regency at the airport (being on-site sold us), got two rooms, and soon settled into a dinner at the hotel restaurant.  Before heading to bed, I checked to see the status of our bags (we checked them) and they had made it to Little Rock where they would be waiting for us the next day.

We both had to set alarms at 3:45 am in order to get to the airport in time to get checked in and get boarding passes.  Our flight for Chicago left at 5:45, which is really, really early folks.  We hit some bumps over Missouri as we flew over thunderstorms that had parked in the air, but we were soon on the ground at O'Hare.  Unfortunately, the helpful gate agents in Dallas made a snafu on Carolyn's ticket so we had to fix that with the ticketing agents in Chicago.  All was well in the end, but when you're running on little sleep and you're ready to be home, it just added to frustrations.  Finally with boarding passes in hand, we got on the plane bound for Arkansas.  Again, the storms over Missouri caused us to have some roller coaster fun mid-air; even our descent into Little Rock was fun.  We deplaned and then retrieved our bags from the American baggage office (faster than the baggage claim!).  Our parked car was ready and we were soon headed over the river and back to Conway.

This was an amazing trip.  Such sights, such fun, and such food!  I'm a traveller at heart and whenever I'm on the road, I'm often at my happiest, especially when I'm there with family and friends.  And when I return from trips, I'm always re-energized and ready to tackle the daily grind.  Time to start saving up vacation time again, but I'm already thinking, "Where to next?"

Day 9 - Hood River, OR - SeaTac, WA

A bright and mostly clear sky greeted us first thing at Hood River this morning.  After a Starbucks run, we drove through downtown before heading east.  At Mosier, we exited the interstate and returned to Highway 30, the Historic Columbia River Highway.  This scenic highway continued to impress us as it provided sweeping vistas, the chance to see an apricot orchard, and the ability to stop and really savor this sights all around us.  The highway ends at The Dalles, and after driving around their city center, we jumped back on the interstate and continued our trek east.

We soon turned north onto Highway 97 and very quickly came across a replica Stonehenge.  This version was built in 1929 by the same engineer who built the Columbia Highway.  It's meant to be an exact model, even including the horizontal lintels.  A wind turbine farm was also located nearby as the landscape changed from the river gorge into a scrubby, plains look.  Our journey continued across the Yakama Indian Reservation as we made our way to Yakima, and lunch.

With full stomachs, we turned the car back west.  When planning this trip, I really wanted to get up close to both Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens, but unfortunately it's still so early in the season that the roads leading to them are closed.  Instead, we took a great road in between Mt. Adams and Rainier that went over the Cascade range at White Pass.  We had the opportunity to see Rainier in the distance, but she shyly hid behind layers of clouds the entire day.  Mt. Adams was quite lovely to see.

We soon turned north and found ourselves in Friday evening traffic coming into Seattle from the south.  After getting settled, we headed out for a final meal in Seattle, this time opting to visit West Seattle.  We ate at Duke's Seafood and Chowder on Alki Aveune, which is across Elliott Bay from downtown.  The dinner was fantastic and we were soon visiting two spots at which you could see the skyscraper skyline across the water.

Bags are packed and we're ready to go home, with some regret at having to leave this beautiful part of the country.  Here's hoping for easy flights!

Day 5 - Seattle - Port Townsend, WA

The rain returned today.  We've heard that even for this area, this amount of rain is unusually high, in fact, landslides have been reported in several locations.  We are grateful we had the break yesterday for our visit to the mountains, but for today, the rain gear, hoods, and hats were on for sure.

After our final breakfast at our inn, we took the light rail into downtown Seattle so we could visit the Amazon HQ building which houses the grocery/convenience store called Amazon Go.  After downloading an app to our phones, a QR code appeared on our screens.  After placing our phones on a scanner, an automated turnstile opened and let us in.  All the items in the store have a tracking/scanning device on them so you just pick items from the shelves, put them in your bag, and walk out.  The store itself is about the size of a really nice convenience store back home, but the items are nice with a focus on organic, fresh choices.  In fact, as we approached the store, we could see kitchen staff preparing sandwiches and other meals for sale inside.  We selected some items, put them in our complementary bags, and walked out.  The turnstile devices near the front door scanned our items as we walked out and a receipt appeared on our phones within minutes.  I admit it felt a bit like shoplifting.  The building itself is very attractive and as we made our way back to the light rail, we passed the Amazon Spheres.  These geodesic domes are for Amazon employees and include greenhouses, nature spaces, and more, right next door to their HQ building.

Leaving our inn, we headed north to Mount Vernon where the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival was in full swing.  We stopped at the RoozenGaarde farm and, even through the rain, were treated to a sight I've never seen.  The fields were teaming with rows and rows of vibrant colors of tulips.  There were even amazing garden areas where tulips, daffodils, and other flowers were planted in beds, around trees, and in special shapes.  I really can't put into words the amazing sight, so I'll have to let the pictures speak for me.

It was late afternoon and we still had a drive to make, so we headed west on Highway 20 from near Anacortes, down the Whidbey Island Scenic Way.  We pulled over as we approached Deception Pass as the sight of the upcoming bridge spanning a narrow portion of Puget Sound was gorgeous.  Further down the road we stopped at Fort Ebey State Park where surfers were valiantly trying to catch some waves.  Next up was the Coupeville/Port Townsend Ferry which would deliver us to our final destination.  A short trip and we were driving to the Bishop Victorian Hotel.

Port Townsend had a population boom in the late 19th century which caused many of the downtown buildings and houses to be built in the popular ornate Victorian architecture.  Unfortunately for the town, the boom quickly faded and no new industries grew so the buildings were left abandoned, but not knocked down either, preserving them for 100+ years.  Our hotel is one of the old buildings and it's quite charming and Victorian.  It includes modern conveniences, but the hallways, decor, and layout are from the olden days.

Our dinner tonight was at the fantastic Fountain Cafe just two blocks from our hotel.  Probably THE best meal I've had in a long time and warm gingerbread for dessert.  The view from our window seat was pretty spectacular too.

Tomorrow we head to the Olympic National Park and we'll get sight of the Pacific Ocean!