Interstate Eats and Adventures

Some people are patient. They understand that things will come in good time. They enjoy the process as much as the outcome. 

It became clear to me on this recent trip from Boston to Seattle that I am not one of those people. We chose to fly this trip because of time constraints with work and the start of the school year. Even though right up until the week before we left I was ready to take a Delta credit and hop in the van and hit the road from Boston to Seattle.

The reason for the visit was a family adventure. We have children on both coasts. So this year we coordinated vacation time and brought the Boston crew to Seattle. We celebrated birthdays, my daughter and son-in-law’s anniversary, new job opportunities, visited with old-still-young friends, took turns hosting dinner parties, went on an epic family hike, cheered at a Mariners’ game, and still had some time for the two of us to explore at our relatively slower pace.

We flew to Victoria, British Columbia by seaplane. An exhilarating and quick way to get from Union Lake in Seattle to Canada.

While in Victoria, we visited the Butchart Gardens, one of Canada’s National Historic Sites. The first stop as we walked through the maze of crowded pathways in full bloom was the Sunken Garden. This garden was planted in a former rock quarry that supplied material for the Parliament building and others on the island. This was a Grand Canyon of gardens. As I wandered along the pathways, I imagined what it would be like to drive around the island in the campervan and discover more beautiful places like this one.

The van was on my mind when we biked the Burke-Gilman trail as well. It would have been a good launch pad plus we could have used our own bikes instead of rentals for our exploration. This 20-mile paved path can take you from Seattle to the suburbs. People use it to commute to work or school. It is also a safe pathway for training for cycling events. It was crowded with many different types of riders. We were on hybrids but we saw all the bikes out there-triathlon, road, gravel, mountain bikes-and scooters as well as pedestrians,

At the start of the ride, a very friendly cyclist told us to be sure to make a stop along the trail at the Senior Center in Bothell for a piece of pie. So we did. We were greeted by more friendly people. They welcomed us with a list of pies that were available only on Wednesdays. A group of volunteer bakers come in on Tuesday to make the crusts, then the filling and baking on Wednesday. Ingredients are also donated. The coconut cream pie definitely slowed me down on the return trip but it was a quirky and fun experience!

This last trip to Seattle was the best even if we had to arrive by plane. However, I did start a new mantra after this trip. Next trip west by van. We are looking forward to a launch next summer to explore the United States and Canada by campervan. In the meantime, I am going to be patient and put my energy into my list of adventures to look forward to.