Washington - Oct 2024

After spending a few nights in Boise, we made it to Washington state.

Richland, WA

We stayed one night at Barbara's house (friend of Keith's family). She has a very large, nice home on a hillside that backs to one of the mountains in the area.  There are several wineries in the area but we unfortunately did not have time to visit any of them.  After getting settled in, we went to see her log cabin that has been under 'renovation' for several years and is finally ready to be rented.  It's a very nice place about 10 minutes from her home.  That evening, we went to dinner at Anthony's at Columbia Point, a nice seafood restaurant on the river.  We shared mussels for an appetizer and halibut for our main course. 

Visiting Barbara at her house

The next morning, we hiked Badger Mountain, doing two laps that took us 2 hours over 6 miles and 1.4K elevation gain.  It was a nice hike with views of the town below. There was no shade on the hike but since it was cool outside, we did not need it.  We cleaned up back at Barbara's and then headed out to drive to Seattle. 

Hike on Badger Mountain

Seattle, WA

We spent three nights with Kelly and Reed - two of which was on Vashon Island where they have a summer cottage and the last night at their house in Bellevue.  

We took the ferry to Vashon and arrived around 5:30 pm - Reed was there to welcome us with their dog Kala.  As we drove in, we were amazed and how 'unspoiled' the island was - really serene and not overly developed!  We got the tour of the house which is a really cute place with great views of the water.  Kelly got to the house about 45 minutes after us.  We walked down to the point to see views of Mt Ranier (it's rare to see it so we had to take advantage of the moment) and then we had dinner at their place.  Reed made a yummy salad and baked pasta dish and then we had berries for dessert which we had brought along with some wine.  

Mt Ranier from Vashon Island

On Saturday, Reed made us breakfast - eggs and toast - and then we set out for a day of sightseeing on Vashon.  We first drove to Maury Island Marine Park where we saw one of the wooden trolls and walked along the beach.  We then stopped to see the famous 'bike in the tree' which is a bike that was left against a tree and then the tree grew around it.  We also went to the Vashon Center for the Arts where we saw their current exhibit from an artist that featured scenes from around the island.  We walked around the main town for a few minutes and then had lunch at Camp Colvos where we sat outside and had a tasty salad and beef pastie.  

Walk on the beach with Kelly and Reed

We dropped Reed off at the house and then the three of us did a one hour hike at Shinglemill Creek, a nice undulating hike in the forest.  Our last activity of the day was wine tasting at Palouse Winery - they have a very cute garden in the back and the wine was pretty good.  We got a bottle of the Syrah to drink back at the house.  That evening, we got takeout from May Kitchen, their local Thai restaurant and shared a few appetizers and entrees - all quite good.  

Wine tasting with Kelly at Palouse Winery

On Sunday, Reed headed back early so we can do a long run with his son while the three of us took our time drinking coffee and having a relaxing morning.  We got a few savory croissants from Vashon Island Baking Company that we ate at the 'down' house - another house they bought a few houses down from the one we stayed in which needed some renovation but was caught up in some legal battles with one of the neighbors.  After we packed up, we drove to Bellevue and had a relaxing afternoon - enjoying their sauna for a bit.  That evening, they invited another couple and we had dinner at their place - Reed made a very tasty pork stew.  We also met one of Kelly's cousins (Shawn) and got to spend a little time with their son, Taylor.

View from Kelly and Reed's deck on Vashon

We left the next morning to drive down to Oregon.