Anniversary in the Pacific Northwest, Part 1
It was a plan in the making for the better part of a year and the masterful concoction of Lisa, Amy, Steve and myself.
Amy and Steve married just three weeks before Lisa and I exchanged nuptials. We’ve always been close, so having a week long 20th anniversary vacation in tandem with Amy and Steve sounded like great fun.
Although we first settled on Vancouver as our vacation destination, it wasn’t long before we realized Vancouver was also having their gay-pride celebration the same week. This boy was not interested in such distraction. The city of Victoria on Vancouver Island, however, had a bevy of activities that interested us: sailing, whale-watching, zip-lines, old-town charm, fantastic scenery and great food. (Well, Amy wasn’t so keen on the zip-lining at first, but she came around.) We also decided to fly in and out of Seattle because we wanted to visit old friends, the Stackhouses, and it was flat cheaper not to fly internationally. So, we made plans to take a ferry across to British Columbia.
Our entire flying experience with United Airlines was less than stellar. All of our flights were delayed causing us to miss every connection. We were fouled up so bad on the way home, our luggage beat us back by a full day and we were diverted through Denver for a complimentary overnight stay without clothes or a toothbrush. Thank goodness we didn’t let United’s poor performance keep us down. Every time one of us got a little grumbly, the others would encourage with laughter or gratitude. On the positive side, the delays gave us opportunities to visit over a fine craft beer or two.
Our first memorable experience was the flight out of Austin on a 50-seat regional jet CRJ 200. Our small aircraft hit a thunderstorm updraft sending our plane abruptly up and banking 30°. Drinks went arcing across the cabin like the Bellagio fountains, and someone’s tomato juice left a bloody trail on the ceiling and overhead bins before landing on Steve’s head and shirt. This unfortunate incident gave the flight attendants opportunities to comfort the passengers with extra creature comforts (no free drinks though), and Steve reason to shop for a new shirt at the airport. We reached Seattle after 11pm (PDT) after the Enterprise computers shut down. By the time we reached our hotel and checked in, we were spent.
On our first morning, Lisa and I met Heather Stackhouse down at historical Pike Place Market early for local coffee, flaky apricot pastries and a personal tour (Steve and Amy understandably slept in). We discovered ladies cutting fresh flowers behind mounds of bouquets, butchers throwing fish in the market, and farmers giving out samples of their sweet treats. Among the throng of shoppers, made up of an equal mix of beatniks and foreigners, were workers pushing their wagons of wares, street musicians and mimes, and clowns and cops.
Later on, we picked up Steve and Amy and drove on to Anacortes, Washington to catch a ferry to Sidney, BC. On our way to Anacortes we passed vineyards and timber yards. We passed lonely watering holes. One such forlorn saloon adorned a sign blinking, “Bikini Baristas.” We almost stopped to take a picture (of the sign).
The ferry trip to Sidney was spectacular, navigating west through the San Juan Islands. The Washington State owned-and-operated vessel was clean and comfortable. We didn’t encounter any whales abreast our boat, but we gawked at a lone sea otter pup floating on his back nearby. As we passed, he curiously stared back at us. It was mutual captivation.
Once we landed in Sidney and past through customs, it was a short drive to Victoria. We would have gotten to the Queen Victoria Hotel a lot sooner but the speed limits Canada were entirely too slow for us Texans: highway speeds averaged 70 kilometers/hour (45 miles/hour).
Part 2: Our sunset sail and zip-lining in the Canadian forests.
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