Getting There Is Not Half the Fun
Holy Cow! RVs are great, and there is no reason to ever fly. Or I should say there is every reason not to fly. Unfortunately, we did not take the RV, but rather flew to Seattle.

After Wednesday's lovely day of airports and 12-inch wide airplane seats, we finally arrived in Seattle at about 7:30 in the evening - 9:30 Houston time, just 11 hours after leaving home. Then we had the pleasure of waiting around at Hertz while they found a full-size car for us. It was our fault; we only made our reservation a month ago. They were willing to offer us a Mercedes SUV at a mere $18.00 per day more. This was a special deal just for us, or so we were told. We finally made it to our hotel in a Dodge Charger at about 10 o'clock.

We Check Out Boeing
Since Boeing is the largest airplane manufacturer in the world, and since they are headquartered in Seattle, a tour of the plant was definitely in order. 

The plant is mammoth - it covers over 98 acres and is the world's largest building by volume. They assemble the 747, 767, 777, and the new 787 all at this facility. The tour costs some money, as Boeing apparently is not making much margin on their planes. But it is worth it.  

Absolutely no cameras or electronics are allowed on the tour, so the photo below is bogus. Our photo was taken in front of a green-screen, and then we chose the background we wanted. All very cool. However, this photo could have easily been the real deal. This is what we saw.

After an hour-and-a-half the tour completed with those wonderful words, "Please exit through the gift shop." 

Outside the plant it was like a car sales lot, except for airplanes. There were planes lined up one next to another with all sorts of airline names and logos. Each one was in the process of final testing by both Boeing and personnel from the purchasing airline. I took a photo of the line-up, but it really does not do justice to the sight.

I have added this little video as it shows the entire manufacturing process of a Boeing 777 in a mere three minutes. It is a bit different than the one we saw at the Boeing Visitors Center, but every bit as much fun to watch. Enjoy!

Mukilteo
Just minutes from Boeing's giant facility, is the charming town of Mukilteo and the Mukilteo Light on the shores of Puget Sound.  The lighthouse sits beside a ferry which goes across the sound to Whidbey Island. On the other side of the lighthouse is a lovely park which was getting a lot of use when we were there.

A ferry is departs every 15 minutes for Whidbey Island. Each ferry carries in excess of 100 cars along with walk-on commuters. There was a rather nice 35 foot Allegro RV boarding while I was watching. We once took our RV across the Delaware Bay from Cape May, NJ to Lewes DE. It is great fun.

Some Photos of the Mukilteo Waterfront on Puget Sound

OMG - Its a Space Needle!
There are some things that are almost obligatory on any trip. In New York, it is Times Square; in Philadelphia it is Independence Hall; in San Antonio, the Alamo. Well, in Seattle it is the Space Needle, a symbol of times gone by.

The Space Needle was built for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair). At 605 feet, it was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. That title did not last long as a mere three years later the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was completed on the west bank of the Mississippi at a height of 630 feet. Alas time marches on, and today the Space Needle is only the seventh tallest building in Seattle.

But Seattle is very proud of their needle. The price for a senior in the off-peak hours is $18, or one buck for every 20 degrees of the full 360 degree view! But it was fun and the view was great. Here's a small slide show tour of our Space Needle experience. Please exit through the gift shop.

A Short Slideshow of the Space Needle and Seattle Center

Now It Is On To Alaska
Sunday morning we hop on the bus that will take us to Vancouver, BC and our berth on the Statendam. We will be under way to Alaska. 

Another postcard will come soon. Thanks for visiting.

Yep, that' s right. We're on our way to Alaska with a stop in Seattle. We fly to Seattle and visit some family. Then we take a bus to Vancouver, BC to board the Holland-America Line's Statendam for a week-long trip up through the Inside Passage to Anchorage. From there it will be a train ride to Denali National Park and Mt. McKinley, North America's tallest mountain.

Along the way we will stop at some of the tourist ports and do the tourist stuff, we will cruise Glacier Bay, and hopefully see some great wildlife: whales and seals, Dall sheep and mountain goat, moose, maybe even a bear, and a few different birds such as eagles, murres and puffins. 

So this is obviously not just another RV road trip. It requires planes (I vowed I would never fly again), trains, buses, and a boat larger than the one we keep at Lake Conroe. But it will be great fun. We're excited, and I'll do my best to keep you up-to-date as the trip progresses.  So, watch your email for the "postcards".

The song, North to Alaska, was sung by Johnny Horton and was big in 1960. Somehow my strange little mind remembered it, and of course anything can be found on the Internet. So if you want a quick trip back in time to 54 years ago, click on the player below and hear the original version.