Searching in Seattle…lighthouses

You’re saying to yourself, “Another post about lighthouses!!??” Sorry, can’t get enough of them…and this was a quick 48 hour trip up to Seattle! A few months back I received an email from the U.S. Lighthouse Society, of which I am a member, announcing three unique, on the water, opportunities to celebrate their 35th anniversary. Of the three that were offered, the one that fit my schedule was in beautiful Puget Sound, visiting eight to nine lighthouses on a fast catamaran, with a buffet dinner included. I signed up and asked my two travel buddies, Val & Jan, if they’d be interested in joining me. They both immediately said yes and the planning began.

We landed in Seattle on Friday, mid-day, and after dropping off our bags, headed out to the historic Pike’s Place Market, opened in August 17, 1907, and one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers’ markets in the United States. It’s a total touristy spot, including the original Starbucks store, but you gotta go! Although known for their fish throwers, I remember that area being much bigger than it is now, but the flower markets are spectacular. You can get a HUGE bouquet for $20…what a bargain!

We stopped for a glass of wine at Lowell’s, in the market with a view of Puget Sound, and then moved down the street to Aerlume, for their happy hour. It’s a cool new place that opened in Dec. 2018 with stunning views of the water. Their happy hour isn’t just small plates, but nice sized portions. We split the burger and fries, which were delish, and the brussel sprouts may be the best I’ve ever had!

It was still light out, so we walked through the Olympic Sculpture Park and watched the gorgeous sunset over Puget Sound, with a lovely northwest cloud show!

this looks distorted, but it actually looks this way and changes as the sun moves across the face…so cool!

We got up early Saturday and caught the 7:55 ferry over to Bainbridge Island.

It’s a quaint island, where Fall was in full swing! We enjoyed breakfast at the yummy, retro, Streamliner Diner , went to the farmer’s market and strolled through the shops on the main drag. Here are a few pics of our sojourn on Bainbridge.

Next time we’d rent bikes or a car and explore the island more, but we had to get back for our lighthouse tour. We headed out on the water at 3:00 and didn’t get back until 8:00. It was a spectacularly clear day and Mt. Rainer even came out to photobomb some of the lighthouses! The locals thanked us for bringing the nice California weather. Here’s a pictorial journey (all taken on my iphone) to all the lighthouses we visited, with 200 other lighthouse enthusiasts.

the lighthouse papparazzi!!
my favorite pic! gotta love the IPHONE 7+ camera!! looks totally fake…definitely making a postcard of this one

this is a tiny lighthouse on private property that you can only see from the water…and even then barely. Can you spot it??
you can stay in this lighthouse as the “keeper” chores and all…according to a few who had been there, its rustic, but a cool experience. the current keepers came out to the top of the lighthouse and waved to all of us!
there was a wedding going on in the keepers house on the right

getting a bit blurry as the sun was going down.

Washington was playing Stanford on Saturday night football (we’re all football fans), so we headed to a quintessential sports bar, Buckley’s in Belltown, to cheer along with the locals! Perfect place for basic bar food….onion rings, wings, etc…

We were up at 4 to catch our 6am flight back home…but were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise as we flew away!

You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!

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