The Pacific Northwest: Vancouver Island, The San Juans, Seattle and more
Prior to moving to a tropical location, all my vacations were planned around warm weather. That changed this year. Living on the Caribbean Coast of Mexico is lovely, but September can be hot and often the start of the busiest hurricane season, so what better time to pack up and head to cooler climes. We chose the Pacific Northwest as our first “cooler weather vacation.”
After much planning and help from friends, we were ready to take off on our 3-week adventure to meet up with friends and explore parts of Washington State and Vancouver Island. We chose Alaska Airlines because they had a direct flight from Cancun to Seattle. We arrived late and chose to spend our first night in Seattle at the Best Western Plus Pioneer Square hotel. It is an older hotel located directly across from the ferry station to Bainbridge. We were not disappointed. We arrived late for our check-in, due to the fact that one of our bags was left on the tarmac in Cancun, so we had to fill out a claim after going through customs and Immigration. We also realized that several of our toiletries were in the bag, still in Mexico. No problem, the folks at the front desk were happy to help us with whatever we needed. Next morning, we started with complimentary breakfast in their lobby. I loved the feel of the old hotel and was also pleased with the cleanliness, food options and great staff.
After breakfast we packed up and headed over to the ferry to Bainbridge. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of Mount Rainier during our ferry ride, but visibility was horrible because of the smoke from the fires from California to Canada. Standing out on the bow of the ferry to catch a few photos as we were underway, I realized that was the coldest I had been in many years – a subtle reminder that I am a tropical girl now.
Our dear friend Deborah, who moved to the Olympic Peninsula from Charleston, was kind enough to meet us at the ferry dock. We took the scenic route to Port Townsend, where we spent two nights at the Tides Inn. Skeeter, the manager, did his best to check us in and fill us in on a few post covid changes – breakfast was no longer included. We found out later that they only offered maid service on request, which was disappointing because we didn’t request it, though the room could have used a little more TLC. When we ran out of things like toilet paper it was up to us to go to the front desk to get more. And of course, the price didn’t reflect the lack of services. The Inn is the only property right on the water and that, and the fact it was where “An Officer and A Gentleman” was filmed, keeps it booked.
Port Townsend is a lovely small town and where our friend Alex has lived for many years, when she isn’t in Mexico. The weekend we arrived was the same weekend as the Wooden Boat Festival. This was the first time in 2 years they were able to hold it. With 300 wooden boats, ranging in size from canoes to 3 masted sailing yachts, it was a wonderful sight to behold.
Port Townsend is a very historical place, great architecture, lots of artists and a great foodie tradition. I would highly recommend a visit. Our only disappointment was, due to the smoke, we couldn’t capture the full effect of the views.
After 2 nights in Port Townsend, eating, drinking and catching up with good friends it was time to head to Port Angeles where we would catch the ferry the next morning to Victoria. We hopped on a mini greyhound bus, and since we were the only riders, the driver took us right to our hotel. We spent the night at the Red Lion Hotel, located right on the water and a short walk to the ferry terminal. It was a lovely spot, excellent staff, large, very clean rooms and, I imagine, great views. It was so smoky that we couldn’t even see the Olympic Mountains, which were right behind us.
Early the next morning we walked to the ferry terminal and boarded the Black Ball ferry to Victoria. Visibility was still bad due to the smoke, but it was an enjoyable ferry ride and Victoria was absolutely beautiful, with its Victorian buildings and gorgeous hanging plants. We were met by our snowbird Puerto Aventuras friends, Pete and Y’vonne, who had graciously invited us to spend several days with them and be our guides around the island. There is so much to see and do on this island and they did a great job of picking their favorites, which we loved - Butchart Gardens, boating, pedal-pub crawl with friends, Goats on the Roof, Parksville and more.
The hardest part of planning this trip, post-covid, was how to get from Sidney, Canada to Orcas Island, US. We could see it from the shore, but the ferry was no longer operating. We decided, after exploring all possibilities, the best option was to charter a Cessna and fly over. This ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. The views of the islands from the small plane were breathtaking. It also made for the easiest visit to customs ever. Our plane landed in Friday Harbor, the customs officer came out to the plane, looked at our passports, asked a few questions and we were quickly on our way to Orcas Island.
The reason for the Orcas Island visit was that our best man, Mike, his wife, Barbie and daughter Camille were vacationing on there, at West End Resort, for the week. We were great friends 30 + years ago when we all lived in the Bay Area. Since then, Mike and Barbie have moved to Colorado, and their daughter is attending grad school in Seattle. We had a great time exploring Orcas Island and Friday Harbor. The only disappointment was not spotting a single whale on our whale tour, only the second time that happened the whole year. I seem to be a jinx when it comes to these sort of boat tours! But at least the smoke began to move out and we were finally able to see the great views.
We ended our trip with 3 nights in Seattle at an Airbnb. Barbie and Camille went ahead of us, as we stopped to get our covid booster shot in Marysville, and when they arrived at the Airbnb, the owner was there and was absolutely shocked that the place had been booked. She had apparently asked to have the listing removed for renovations. She felt bad she couldn’t help us but there was literally no furniture in the apartment. It all worked out in the end, however, as we ended up in a lovely house, walking distance from the zoo, which was even better than the original property.
Flying home to Cancun on a plane full of vacationers, it really dawned on me how much I love living where I do. I enjoy the fact that I can now plan vacations to cooler locations, but, more importantly, the place I love to visit the most is now home! The colors of the Caribbean make me happy, my eyes light up seeing all the vivid greens and blues. Stripping off my layers of shirts and sweaters, it felt good to feel the warmth on my skin again. And to top it all off, Manito gave us a wonderful welcome home. No matter where you travel – there is no place like home.
I will be writing more about our wonderful trip to the Pacific Northwest, but I wanted to start with an overview and a big thank you to all our friends who made this such a wonderful trip!! And our friends, Michele, Jim, Jim and Jill who took such great care of Manito while we were gone.