The Emerald City
The M/V Columbia arrived at the dock in Bellingham early Friday morning. We loaded up the truck (mainly with dirty laundry and leftover snacks) and bid farewell to our bunkbeds before heading to the car deck for another exciting ride on the industrial elevator. We drove off the M/V Columbia, excited to be back on land and for the shelf-un-stable breakfast that awaited us.
We found a quaint restaurant called the Birch Door Café where we were quickly seated and wasted no time ordering enough breakfast food to feed a small army. The food was delicious (arguably too delicious) and we decided to spend some time walking around Bellingham before continuing on to Seattle.
We made a quick stop at a local mechanic shop to solve a minor, but infuriating issue with the truck’s navigational system. The truck was clearly in denial that we were leaving Alaska and was insisting on starting all our routes in Anchorage regardless of where we actually were. Thanks to the quick and friendly work of a very tall mechanic named Tom, who coincidentally was from Ketchikan and eager to help some fellow Alaskans, we were able to get everything sorted out and hit the road with restored confidence in our navigational abilities.
We knew we were in the right place when we saw Val’s dad’s truck in the driveway
After navigating the mid-day Seattle traffic (what are all of these people doing on the road?! Don’t they have jobs?!), we arrived at our friend’s house. I had gone to high school with Valerie and Jay and was looking forward to catching up and introducing them to Pat. They were both at work when we arrived, so we decided to stretch our legs out with a quick run through the nearby Discovery Park. We ran four very hilly and stair-filled miles through the park, and quickly discovered that our “ferry fitness” plan had not been as effective as we had hoped.
Pat and Penny
After catching our breaths and cleaning ourselves up, we spent some quality time with Penny, Valerie and Jay’s dog and Pat’s newest best friend, and welcomed our friends home when they got off of work. We spent the rest of the night catching up over dinner, enjoying some great wine, and admiring Val’s impressive garden.
Valerie and her prize winning (at least we think they should win a prize) tomatoes
Before leaving the next morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Fisherman’s terminal and walked the docks, evaluating the boats that were for sale and scheming up plans to become sailors someday. After exchanging heartfelt goodbyes, we headed out of the Emerald City, continuing on our journey east.
