In the second-to-last shot, in the lower-left corner, you can see the beach I was standing on.
Across the street from the ferry terminal is Keystone Cafe, with hot dogs, cold beer, and spotty internet. I like to hang there while waiting for the wind.
Driving The 5 through Seattle at rush hour is nothing like driving The 91 east in the afternoon in SoCal.
Seattle itself is a bit of a challenge - unless you know where you're going. It still beats driving in Santa Cruz.
When the freeway is wide open, Seattle drivers like to make radical lane changes for no good logical reason. It sure is entertaining, I'm laughing my ass off all the way down The 5.
Here on Whidbey, nobody drives the speed limit. Everyone wants to drive ten or fifteen mph under the limit, until they get to a passing lane, then it's Gren Flag Racing at 70 mph to make sure nobody can get around them. Once they're past the passing lane, it's back to fifteen under the speed limit again. It's f*#king maddening sometimes.
The reason folks drive like that here on Whidbey is because nobody ever gets shot for driving like a dick, like you would if you pulled that crap in SoCal. ( not that I condone shooting ass-hole drivers, but I can certainly understand it )
I do love choosing the weather. If it is drizzling at the house, drive to the desert just 30 miles east. If it is hotter than Hades, drive up to some alpine or mountain objective.
I do love choosing the season I will play in today. Snow? Rock? What's your pleasure?
The rock may not be all pristine, but the great mountaineering, and good skiing are a nice benefit.
Then there are lots of spots tucked into the forest that can host your private climbing party for the day
Nice shots Chaz. You've got that kite/camera thing down.
I've had some good times in the PNW. When the weather's nice, it's truly glorious but in a way those sunny days in the English countryside are glorious. They're so rare and the scenery is the result of lots of rain. I think Chaz' original observation pretty much sums it up:
The coffee's pretty good. I won't buy a cup of coffee south of, say, Grants Pass.
Every town - no matter how small - has its own brewery. Even little one-horse towns like Laconner, Port Townsend, and Birdsview have outstanding local breweries.
When the weather sucks as much as it does, you need strong coffee and lots of alcohol to compensate. You're actually trading alot for that good coffee and beer.
Why complain about the weather? I'm in an office all day anyway. If it's raining on the weekend, I go to the mountains. BTW, it hasn't rained appreciably in Portland for the last three months. The rainy months make reading books,cocooning with your artistic pursuits, and hitting the pubs and cafes very appealing. The culture is great.
Even though the Locals all grumble about the ferries, I like them.
The dog likes them too. She gets to walk around on the car deck. It keeps me from going upstairs and wasting money on over-priced beer.
I can't see myself ever on a cruise ship - even though I dig ships. Ferry rides are just long enough to be entertaining without the mind-numbing boredom of being stuck for days in a floating hotel.
Best wine in North America. Year round climbing and less than 10 inches of rain per year east of the Cascades (just why DO you folks live on the we(s)t side? - all the good wine and dry rock is over here....)
Let us know!