Washington....state, that is

We had one last marathon drive to get to one of our pinnacle destinations, Seattle, Washington. It didn't have to be a marathon drive, however.

Wednesday morning we left Cody, Wyoming bright and early for a marathon drive to Spokane, Washington. We had no idea how long this would take, but wanted to leave extra time so we wouldn't have to set up a tent in the dark! About ten minutes into our trip we found ourselves at the Idaho border, so naturally we stopped to take a picture:



Behind us pulled up a car with a father and son duo from Southern California. We chatted for a while and the father gave us some pointers for our west coast tour, and he suggested we take Route 20 through Washington to drive throught the North Cascade National Park.

So, we did.






We drove past Lake Diablo, and the scenery was probably the most breathtaking I have ever seen. It was a comfortable 80 degrees, with a strong mountain wind blowing through. The pictures don't do the turquoise color of the water any justice...and the peaks of the mountains are so impressive in person. It was everything I had imagined Washington state would be.







Last night we arrived in Seattle around 8:00pm, Pacific Time. We're three hours behind all y'all back home! We crashed last night.

This morning we woke up when we wanted to, had no tent to pack, and had the luxury of our own bathroom. Don't get me wrong, I love the tenting, but sleeping in a bed after a long drive is the best!



We walked down five blocks to the Pike's Place Market which is right on the Puget Sound.
After a breakfast of "piroshkies", a Russian pastry, mine filled with apples and cinnamon, Matt's with Rosemary chicken, mushrooms and rice, we ended up at the first ever Starbucks. Also, the first chain restaurant we have visited that we can also go to at home. This is legal, because it is the original!






Mmmmmm, venti iced cafe mocha!












Pike's Place Market is a great time. Walking down a brick road, you are flanked by flower vendors on one side, and fish markets on the other. The aroma is a mixture of sweet smelling flowers, salmon steaks and Dungeoness Crab. Very Seattle.

Among the flowers, seafood, and craft vendors, we also saw a one Dustin Pedroia walking along with his parents. I wanted to say hi and get a picture with him, but Matt wouldn't let me. Ladies, he is much cuter in person than on the jumbotron!
















Of course, the next Seattle experience has to be viewing the city from the top of the Space Needle. So, following the throngs of Red Sox fans much like ourselves, we end up looking over the Puget Sound 520 feet up.




Tonight, we go to Safeco Field (or as I like to call it, "Sa-Fee-co") to watch our beloved Sox play the Mariners. Hopefully the Sox can pull through and finally win a game here! Look for us in the "Hit it Here Cafe" in right field.