We landed in our new neighborhood on a Monday evening after departing an adorable little place called Port of Cascade in Oregon. It was our last stop before crossing over into Washington. The further we get away from Bend the harder it is to turn around.
Finding campgrounds that are near larger cities can always pose a variety of challenges so when we looked for places which were a reasonable distances from Seattle, we landed on Fay Bainbridge Island Park. And let me tell you, it was just adorable! And the camp host was an absolute gem.
Bainbridge Island is a cute quaint little island that sits right off the mainland. You can actually see downtown Seattle from the island. In order to get to the city, you have to take a ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle.
We took the ferry over on a Wednesday afternoon to meet a friend of ours that was in Seattle on business. We met up at a local brewery and then moved on to have pizza at the Starbucks Reserve. It’s great seeing old friends from back home!
Let me tell you a little about our first ferry experience. When we had made plans to head into Seattle, we looked at the ferry schedule and made a point to arrive the ferry station in time to catch a ferry over to Seattle. Well, as the ferry is pulling away from the dock (or the port?) we noticed that it took a right, instead of heading straight, which was the way to Seattle. We both then realized, at that moment, we didn’t actually confirm if we were boarding the correct ferry. Nope. Instead, we just followed the droves of people who were in line and boarded the ferry nearest to us. Which is always smart. Just follow the crowds, right? Anyway, after realizing we had no idea which ferry we were on, I got up the nerve to ask a couple next to us if this ship was headed to Seattle. And fortunately, they let me know it was. I embarrass us on a regular basis so this moment was no different.
Our first ferry ride we just walked on without a vehicle or bicycle but the next two times we took the ferry over we brought the truck. It was exciting and a tight squeeze! Our mirrors are larger than they look.
Thursday evening we’d made plans to eat dinner at a dear friend, Leta and John’s, house in Seattle. They had graciously invited us over for dinner and there really isn’t anything better than a home cooked meal that reminds you of just that, home. There was even a delicious homemade coconut pie their neighbor had brought over. I was in heaven.
The following Saturday we headed back over to Leta and John’s home for their annual Bastille Day celebration. On our way over, we stopped by Pike’s Place Market to pickup some of their infamous flowers and grab some fresh lavender. The place was a madhouse! When we arrived at the party we were introduced to another couple who quickly showed interest in our current lifestyle. And those poor, unsuspecting people had to listen to us RAMBLE on for hours while we cornered them. Clearly, we do not get much human interaction.
We really enjoyed visiting with friends while in Seattle and are very grateful for their hospitality.