It really is a luxury to sleep in a bed and not have to put on shoes in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. We got up in the morning and showered again (because we could!). We were not rushed to do anything today. We had a hotel, Pensione Nichols Bed and Breakfast, for the night at the corner of Virginia and 1st Ave right next to Pikes Place. We took a leisurely drive up to Seattle.
We drove right to the place and I dropped Pam off so she could find out where we had to park. After a little confusion, we called the place and they told us where to park and then we walked back and got our room. Since this was Friday afternoon and we usually have a bottle of wine with our neighbors about now, our first stop was a corner café where we could enjoy a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.
Next, we walked around a bit and bought some new gloves for the next time we’re hiking in the rain. We also found a disgusting gum wall in an alley. It took me a while to find a piece that was still fairly fresh, wasn’t hard as a rock, and still had some flavor left. We also walked by the original Starbucks but were not about to stand in a line that long for coffee.
We settled on Pike Place Brewery for dinner and a tour. It was interesting and we ran into some guys from Wales. We talked to them a little about hiking and they also said screw the Cotswold Way and either try the Isle of Argosy or the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Looks like Wales is going to be moved on to our list for next year.
We’re still not used to late nights up (that is anything later than 8p) so we headed back to our hotel. We went up into the lounge which was on the third floor on the backside of the building. We had fantastic views of the Olympic Mountains, Mt Rainier, and the water front. We talked to another couple in the lounge for a while and found out they lived near John and Jenny around the 3 sisters.
Saturday morning, we got up and had breakfast in the lounge before heading to the airport. We really like Seattle when it’s not raining. I have several friends that have lived out here and they said there’s a lot of rain most of the year. I can believe that if they get almost 3x what we get in MO.
One of the concessions I had to make with Pam is that I get her back so she can have a full day of recovery before she heads back to work on Monday. This looks like it will be our last trip until we start our hiking odyssey next year.
We have made a few decisions about gear after this trip. I really like the BioLite Stove, but I don’t think it’s worth the weight vs a USB rechargeable pack and an alcohol stove. We also want to carry a lightweight tarp for rainy days (even if it’s only a piece of Tyvek). We are also going to pare down our emergency kit. I’ve gotten Pam to drop it from a Third World Rescue Kit down to saving a small town after a natural disaster. I will convince her to drop it down to a few band aids, an ace bandage, some sports tape (or the like), and some Vitamin I. After all, we’re never more than a day or two from a town. When we go to SE Asia or South America, we’ll go with her kit. We also took too many clothes, but we dropped our down jackets at the last minute and regretted that. We’ve already gotten the better gloves we needed. The other thing we need to consider is getting a lighter tent. I like the REI Halfdome T3+ but it comes in close to 4 pounds (and closer to 10 when wet). I’ve been looking at Zpacks’ tents but can’t decide if I’m willing to drop another $6-700.
