Coastal Washington

Pike Place Market in Seattle

In late April and May, Allison and I spent four weeks traveling through Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.  This post describes the portion of our trip in coastal Washington, including Bellingham, Peace Arch Park, the San Juan Islands and Seattle.

The International Peace Arch at Peace Arch Park

We arrived in Bellingham early in the morning on board the M/V COLUMBIA, the largest ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway system.  Bellingham is a college town – home of Western Washington University – and its lively downtown reflected that with many quirky coffee shops, restaurants, stores and galleries.  Bellingham’s busy waterfront is home to a mix of fishing boats and yachts.

Art appreciation at Peace Arch Park

From Bellingham we traveled a short distance north to America’s northwest corner, at Peace Arch Park in Blaine on Washington’s border with British Columbia.  Visitors to this unusual park can wander freely across the international frontier, enjoying lush plantings and a sculpture garden.  The park’s centerpiece is the International Peace Arch, a monument to America’s and Canada’s shared friendship and common heritage.  Allison and I were struck by the park’s nearly complete lack of border controls, which was in such marked contrast to the border between San Diego and Tijuana which we visited only weeks earlier.

America's border with Canada

The next morning we drove from Bellingham to Anacortes, where we would board a ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.  Along the way I sampled a special breakfast treat at Joy’s Bakery & Cafe in Sedro Woolley: a crunchy coconut pancake.  It was both out of the box and out of this world!



Coconut pancake at Joy's in Sedro Woolley



Ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island

The ferry route from Anacortes to Friday Harbor meandered among several of the San Juan Islands – including Orcas Island and Lopez Island – before terminating on San Juan Island itself.  Allison and I were very much taken with these enchanting islands.  San Juan Island features small tidy farms, excellent yacht harbors, miles of scenic shoreline and a gentle rolling landscape where colorful flowers intermingle with fragrant spruce forests.  Orcas (killer whales) frequently swim in the Haro Strait, between San Juan Island and Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Orcas (killer whales) in the Haro Strait

We were particularly impressed by Roche Harbor, a resort on the former site of historic limestone quarries and kilns.  Roche Harbor’s former industrial facilities have been replaced by a picturesque village, marina and expansive gardens.  Outdoor sculpture galleries lie on either side of the village, tempting visitors to linger for hours.

Roche Harbor on San Juan Island

We also visited the San Juan Island National Historical Park and San Juan Islands National Monument, where we hiked to Cattle Point Light before picnicking at a rocky beach nearby.  Allison and I thoroughly enjoyed the San Juan Islands and were reluctant to leave, but look forward to visiting again when we have the opportunity.  In the meantime, our sadness at leaving was tempered by excited anticipation over our next destination: Seattle.

"Allison's World" (Cattle Point Light)

Allison and I have visited Seattle many times; we love the vibrant and diverse city.  Our previous visits have often centered around family events or mountaineering trips to the nearby cascades, but on this occasion Allison and I immersed ourselves in Seattle’s culture and neighborhoods.  We stayed in the funky Queen Anne District, which is full of popular restaurants and close to the Seattle Center’s many theaters and other attractions.


The Experience Music Project's Sound Lab

1935 Gibson experimental electric guitar

We walked through the Seattle Center and around the Space Needle on our way to the Experience Music Project, an interactive museum of music, science fiction and popular culture.  At the Experience Music Project we toured exhibits on Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana, wandered among an extensive display of science fiction memorabilia, and played with a variety of musical instruments and sound equipment in the Sound Lab.

Fresh seafood at Pike Place Market

We then rode the Seattle Center Monorail downtown and walked to Pike Place Market.  At this iconic Seattle landmark we wandered among the merchants’ displays of flowers, salmon, oysters, Dungeness crabs, fruit, berries and other Pacific Northwest products.  The weather was sunny and warm, allowing us to enjoy lunch al fresco in a plaza overlooking the harbor.

Seattle International Film Festival marquee

The Seattle International Film Festival was underway while we were in Seattle, and we participated by viewing one of the entries: Stuck In Love, starring Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly.  We found it both funny and touching, and enjoyed the opportunity to submit our ballots for the festival’s Golden Space Needle and other awards.

The Fremont Troll

Our final stop in Seattle was in the Fremont neighborhood, on the north side of the Lake Washington Ship Canal.  Fremont has industrial roots but is becoming gentrified, so it offers an eclectic mix of trendy stores and restaurants interspersed with some grittier businesses and housing stock.  Allison and I visited the Fremont Troll, an enormous and imaginative community sculpture which includes an actual VW beetle.  We also stopped by the Ship Canal’s locks, where spawning salmon can often be seen migrating upstream through a series of fish ladders.

Locks on the Lake Washington Ship Canal

We have visited coastal Washington before, but on this trip we made every effort to see new places and things rather than merely revisiting old familiar favorites. Our efforts paid off, and now we have several new favorites including the San Juan Islands in particular.  Having thoroughly enjoyed these wonderful new experiences, we were ready to proceed with the final phase of this trip: inland Washington and Oregon!

Guitar sculpture at the Experience Music Project