This year's Spring Break trip took the family to Seattle, Washington. We had six days total, 2 of which were spent driving to the Emerald City and back again to home coordinates. At this time of year, the weather in the Pacific Northwest can be pretty unpredictable and we planned for cool-to-mild temperatures and rain, but were pleasantly surprised to have five beautiful days and only one in which it rained all day.
Day 1 - Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market, Space Needle, Ivar's Restuarant
We used the official Seattle CityPass, which was a great deal and allowed us to each choose one location that we wanted to explore. First to choose was our youngest daughter, and she selected the Seattle Aquarium. Located on Piers 59 and 60, and adjacent Ocean Pavillion, we were treated to exhibits such as the 120,000 gallon Window on Washington Waters habitat that was designed to replicate the seascape around Neah Bay. We learned about the aqarium's resident giant Pacific octopus named "Eve", walked through a swirling ring of moon jellyfish, and were able to gently touch sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and sea stars in the "hands-on" tidal pool.
On Pier 60, we explored marine bird and mammal habitats which included harbor and fur seals, sea otters, river otters, and a window into the Veterinary Care Center, and an outdoor walkway with stunning views across Elliott Bay. I think the family favorites were the sea otters and fur seals.
.jpg)
At the Ocean Pavilion, we were amazed at watching over 5,000 animals and plants in a 500,000 gallon Reef through a 30-foot by 23-foot viewing window and a unique overhead viewing oculus. Here, we came face to face with Indo-Pacific leopard and black-tipped reef sharks, Eagle rays, bowmouth guitarfish, schooling fish, mangroves, more than 40 species of coral.
Leaving the Aquarium, we climbed up multiple flights of stairs to Post Alley, home to the famous "Gum Wall" where we added our own pieces. Around the corner, we arrived at Pike Place Market and spent some time watching the fishmongers toss fish ordered by customers, sat on Rachel the Piggy Bank (a large bronze statue in the main market that acts as a donation box for the market's social services) and walked the length of the market to the location of the original Starbucks, where we elected not to stand in line for a lattee but rather snapped a photo and continued on our downtown journey.
A short walk delivered us to the base of the Space Needle where the rest of the family ascended the 605-foot-tall landmark to enjoy the panoramic view of downtown, Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier while I remained on terra firma and did a little local geocaching.
.jpeg)
As the day slide to late afternoon, we boarded the Seattle Center ALWEG monorail and rode its historic 1.2 mile transit back downtown, where we departed and walked back down to the harbor.
We enjoyed a wonderful seafood-filled dinner at Ivar's main restaurant on Pier 54 (Acres of Clams), where, sitting water-side, we watched nearby Seattle Ferry conduct its portcall at the nearby pier.
Geocaches Found:
GC7B9XN Pike Place Market - Virtual
GC9P69R Bumbershoot [Virtual Reward 3.0] - Virtual
GCAJJEH Red Eagle - Virtual
GC7B6BG The Seattle Space Needle - Virtual
GC7VTN3 World Wide Web - Traditional
GC3G2EH John T. Williams memorial totem pole - Traditional
GC9P6WK Interntainal Fountain - Virtual
GC7B9G7 BIG WHEEL - Virtual
Day 2 - Museum of Flight
The second day of our trip was the only one in which we had rain, and it was the second youngest daughter's day to choose our daily adventure. Grey, rainy, and gloomy, we were glad for her having decided earlier to spend the day ot the Museum of Flight.
.jpg)
This world's largest independent, non-profit air and space museum was absolutley amazing, featuring over 175 aircraft and spacecraft, millions of rare photographs, and extensive, interactive exhibits. Located at Boeing Field, the museum highlights aviation history through artifacts, a massive pavilion for large planes like the Concorde, 747, the first Air Force One (a Boeing 707), a B-17 Flying Fortress, a Lockheed MD-2, SR-71 Blackbird, and a full-scale NASA Space Shuttle Trainer,. There were also incredible exhibits with numerous, famous World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and Cold War-era aircraft, but the highlight of our day was attending the Artimus II watch party and launch of the Orion spacecraft. Completely unplanned for, being able to participate in this historical event was beyond our greatest expextations and certainly mmade the day even more unforgettable!
Geocaches Found:
GC5GT6J Spaceflight Academy - Mystery/Puzzle
Day 3 - Geocaching HQ, Freemont, Bainbridge Island
The third day arrived and with it my choice of adventure. We scheduled a visit to Geocaching HQ and a ferry ride across the sound to Bainbridge Island.
I had been to Geocaching HQ back in 2010 while attending Geowoodstock VII and GC.com's Lost & Found Celebration, but the "lilypad's" location had been different then, and so this was another first for me. Arriving at our predetermined time, we were given a grand tour of the by Lackey GeoJudt, who gave detailed information about the Trackables, space caches, APE cache, and other artificats displayed. We also got to try an experimental Lodestones adventure (shhh). It was certainly one of the highlights for me.
After the tour, we took a short tour through Freemont, to the center of the universe, the Troll, and Troll Knoll Forest.
Next on the day's iteneriay was a ferry ride across Pudget Sound. We made our way to the Washington Ferry Seattle Terminal and embarked one of the iconic green and white ferries. The half-hour trip to Bainbridge Island was enjoyable and provided spectacular views of the city as well as the surrounding waters. Disembarking at the portcall, we walked up to the small town of Winslow and found a side-street resaurant where we all had fish and chips, and oysters. Afterwards, we quickly grabbed a nearby geocache before heading back to the ferry terminal and our return trip to Seattle.
Geocaches Found:
GCK25B Geocaching Headquarters - Geocaching HQ
GCAZ6KC HQGT: Jounrney to the Center of the Universe - Traditional
GCAJFEQ HQGT: Myth & Magic - The Freemont Troll - Virtual
GCAYG4A HQGT: A Stroll Through the Knoll - Letterbox Hybrid
GCAJFHM Dress for Succes - Virtual Reward 4.0s - Virtual
GCBETYT Wonka Wonka Willy - Traditional
GC9P51A Here Be Dragons - Virtual
.jpg)
Day 4 - MOPOP, the Pier, and Sushi
Our final day in Seattle gave our second oldest daughter the opportunity to choose her destination location, which was the Museum of Pop Culture. I have to admmit that I was unexpectedly surprised by this place as it offered numerous unique and one-of-a-kind experiences - from an exhibit on guitars owned by renouned artists to an exhibit of one of Seattle's own famous Jimi Hendrix. There were also exhibits and displays of Sci-Fi and Horror movies and television shows, as well as a fantastical exhibit of the Fantasy genre, with exhibits that displays artifacts and props from the Harry Potter series, the Dark Crystal, and other fantasy movies.
With beautiful blue skies and wonderful spring temperatures, we spent some time in the nearby labyrinth park enjoying the sunshine and a very elusive Mystery Cache.
Another trip on the ALWEG monorail took us back downtown where we found a wonderful sushi restaurant that treated us to fresh, locally-sourced seafood and sake.
Geocaches Found:
GCARK5A Signal's Labyrinth - Mystery/Puzzle
GC30EQY Octopus's Garden of Watery Delights - Traditional
GC2HV0X Puget Sound - EarthCache
.jpg)
Day 5 - Return to Home Coordinates
On our return trip home to Montana, I stopped us at three Virtual geocaches in the towns of Four Lakes (WA), Couer d'Alene (ID), and Frenchtown (MT). Each provided a unique lesson and added to our overall collection of Vrtual geocaches.
Geocaches Found:
GC6D88 Battle of Four Lakes - Virtual
GCBJ6GY An Eagle & An Osprey Feather - Virtual
GCA84E Rocky Mountain Canaries !! - Virtual
TOTAL GEOCACHES FOUND = 22