I left the campground early in the morning and stopped a few places during my 3 hour drive to Seattle. I chose not to take a ferry so I could see the countryside …. more tall trees and the bay shoreline! Point Defiance Park was my first destination. It is a beautiful park with a 5 mile drive, a hiking trail through the park, a rhododendron garden, zoo, aquarium and Owen Beach.

Seeing various towns always makes me wonder, why do people live here? Some people love the crowded busy areas, others like the rural quieter placesI, and often there is someplace in-between! Some are water people and others are mountain people. This area is definitely for water lovers. I drove along the shoreline of Commencement Bay and stopped south of Point Ruston. And for us mountain lovers, here I got my first glimpse of Mount Rainier! No plan to visit it this adventure. Now I was arriving into more populous areas and traffic! The Port of Tacoma is an industrial-looking area as one looks at barges and cranes in the port.

It was wonderful to visit with a Seattle friend I had not seen in a few years. How could I not love relaxing, drinking wine, eating home-cooked meals, doing laundry, not driving, watching tennis on tv, and simply enjoying my friend’s positive energy. We visited Richmond Beach Saltwater Park and Carkeek Park; however, only the usual gulls and crows were around. And that was okay. Walking and talking, and not driving, had its value for me! My water-loving friend lives where she can sail her boat … perfect!

After a few days, I was back on the road driving across the state of Washington. From the cool temperatures of the Olympic Peninsula to 30 degree higher temperatures of Spokane Valley. The very tall trees were left behind to lots and lots of hay being grown in this state. Plenty of wind for the windmills I saw, and then more hay! I knew I was close to a large city when an Amazon distribution center was a short distance off the interstate. Welcome to Spokane! My campground was a few more miles down the road in Spokane Valley.