Advice from you Northwest folks needed- even from Brevik

[Steve Toburen]

I posted this over on the ICS board but I know the rough and tumble fun-loving types hang out here. So I'd appreciate any advice.

Anyway, Sioux doesn't usually travel with me but she loves the Pacific Northwest so she is coming with me to the Seattle SFS August 16 to 20. Our plane doesn't leave till Tuesday morning, August 24 so if we leave right after SFS finishes up on Friday at 3:00 that gives us three nights up in the mountains.

So where would you folks recommend within 2-3 hours from Seattle? We like small towns where we can park at a nice bed and breakfast and walk to fine dining, birding, moderate mountain hiking with dramatic scenery and maybe even some fun shopping. Victorian architecture would be a plus.

My thanks in advance for any suggestions and as a special bonus I won't even embed any links to the SFS site!

Steve
SFS.JonDon.com

PS Tim Wessels, our Seattle manager suggested Leavenworth, WA. However, when I checked it out it is a big German/Bavarian flavored area. Nothing wrong with that but I thought I'd go on a fishing expedition here on Mikeysboard. (Oh yeah, I don't fish so don't factor that in to the weekend.)

 

[Mikey P]

have her go over to Watsons and pull his thumb out of his mouf.

 

[Steve Toburen]

Thank you Mikey for your very positive and compassionate reply. Now if anyone else would like to actually answer the question ...

Island Boy

PS John, pay no attention to Mike. Old age is creeping up on him and when it does we can both kick him when he is down. Oh, and by the way, quit feeling sorry for yourself and take care of Helen. Man up here!

 

[Bjorn]

I could take you crabbing



P.S

Bring big Billy with you could always use extra bait

http://www.whenwegetthere.com/tourist_a ... abbing.jsp

 

[Ron K]

Steve you can take Ferry ride over to our Island Bainbridge. It's a 35 minute ride across Puget sound. Nice small town some shopping and some nice places to eat, rent a Vespa tour around,rent a Kayak in Eagle Harbor, winery's, nice parks on the water the ride back at night is really nice. Seattle lit up is real nice from the water. Poulsbo is also not that far from Bainbridge it's a little Norway. Call if you are coming we already got some people from SFS coming for a visit the more the better.

 

[topnotchman]

Steve,


I've been th Leavenworth its pretty neat. But other then that, I haven't really gone to any mountain areas here. My personal favorite place to go is Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. Nice ferry ride and neat community. But maybe you dont want to goto another Island 8)

 

[Bjorn]

might I suggest

McNeil Island it's kind of a hard core bread and breakfast

 

[Kabluey]

Steve I got the place for you and your wife. Here is a little tidbit about it:

The romantic waterfront city of Victoria is the vacation capital of Canada, and the premier tourist spot in the Pacific Northwest, basking as it does in the mildest climate in Canada.

Victoria's unique character is deeply rooted in its 150-year history, and its British colonial heritage is still very much in evidence. The one-time colonial outpost is alive with cosmopolitan dining, superb shopping, a colourful nightlife and a full complement of cultural offerings.

You take a ferry there and its truly a special place to have a great experience with that special someone.

http://victoria-island.com/

We also have the worlds largest building in the world at Boeing. You should take the tour there its a very cool event.

So, uh, if you choose my idea you can take full credit for it; if you let me come hang out at the food table during SFS. In Seattle, you walk into a class with Krispy Kreme donuts and you will have that class eating out of your hand. Funny too, Tim in Seattle sold me my first truckmount. Hes a good guy. Glad he talked me out of the bobcat with a bad engine.

 

[The Great Oz]

Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls. About an hour from Seattle.
http://www.salishlodge.com/

Drop down the hill into Issaquah for shopping.
http://www.gilmanvillage.com/about_a001.php3

Or go up the hill to North Bend for outlets.

Go a little farther over the pass to national forest land, and towns of Cle Elum and Roslyn

Nice little golf course nearby too.
http://www.tpcsr.com/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp

 

[Dan Joner]

Port Townsend would fit the description of what you listed. However, at the top of my list would also be a visit to Mt Rainier.

 

[Ron K]

Nice day hike Mount Si
www.wta.org

 

[Bob Foster]

I will testify to this operators quality. I know one of the captains on this boat quite well and have been out on his boat.

A fantastic day you will never forget!

Canada's most beautiful city and only an hour and a half from Seattle
l]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAXl89AU6bkl]

Take the high speed ferry from downtown Seattle to downtown Victoria (a nice trip its self) spend a night in a Victoria B&B or take advantage of the high speed ferries ride and hotel package.
http://www.clippervacations.com
l]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osd8HDIHMe0l]

 

[Steve Toburen]

Thanks guys. You have given me some good topics to Google.

Steve
SFS.Jondon.com

PS Look for daily crow-eating dispatches from Brevik starting on Monday, August 16. I plan to sit Terry right on the front row where I can keep an eye on him. I do plan to gracefully refrain from saying I told you so after T posts his SFS epiphanies. Hopefully the rest of you SFS graduates can also cut him some slack- after all, this board would never "pile on". Would they?

 

[John Watson]

With all the hype and all about attending this great class, Bet Brevic cancels out due to emergancy all you can eat cleaning job that just came up. Hope I'm wrong. Helen just agreed to take ol chopped liver up on the invite for Wed night. So I will get to see for myself if he makes it..

 

[Bjorn]

Brevik is not going!

5]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZrNDBkXIeg5]

 

[Brian R]

Yeah, all that evil information. How could he live with himself?

 

[harryhides]

Um Steve, a few hours North east of Seattle is an old mountain range - the Kootneys where the Columbia river comes from, perfect for an old Coot don't you think ?

Sioux would prefer Victoria though.

 

[bensurdi]

SNOHOMISH , thats where my office is, but it's also a really cool place to check out. google it.

 

[Jim Morrison]

If you like kayaking you can rent them in the harbor at Victoria and watch the float planes come in and take off on their way to Seattle. Neat little backwater you can paddle up through part of the city also.

 

[Bjorn]

Victoria dumps raw sewage into the ocean

so much for a green city

 

[The Great Oz]

So the consensus best high-altitude tourist retreat in Washington State is a sea level town in Canada?

Victoria is a cool town to visit via the Clipper, and would have Victorian architecture, eh? Water's too cold to swim in so you won't mind the sewage.

 

[Bob Foster]

I took my own advice to Steve today and went out on my buddies whale watching boat. What a great day!

Video to follow.

 

[Bob Foster]

Here you go Steve.

0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwDVrAIo51M0]