I Saw a Moose!

Granted it was a female, laying down, in partial captivity, but a moose none the less. I'm not quite sure if this counts enough to cross it off my Bucket List. I would really love to see a male, with a full rack, standing up in the wild. One of these days . . . But for now, I was thrilled to see what a saw. The rest of our animal safari was great. We saw every single breed of animal at the park which, we heard, was a very rare occasion.

Our last couple days in Washington were simply perfect. I truly don't know how we managed to luck out with the best weather they have had in a very long time. One straight week with no rain and the last 4 days were even sunny and warm. I actually had to buy a t-shirt because after scoping out the weather forecasts, I didn't even bother packing any short sleeves.

On Thursday we visited the Boeing Museum of Flight and that was very cool. We got to board an older US Air Force One and saw how the presidents flew in style. We also boarded a Concord and I was a bit under-whelmed by that. I expected it to be grander. Karlo sat in a few fighter planes and we also toured the original red barn where Boeing got it's start. Can you imagine that this company started in a barn?

On Friday we hiked at Mt. Rainer, some times in the snow, and I was still hot. That place is truly beautiful. Unfortunately we couldn't do the same spectacular hike we did 7 years ago because of all the snow. This time we had to hike at the base of the mountain, but it was still awesome. I love that place.

On Saturday we spent the entire day in downtown Seattle. We shopped and strolled and took a harbor cruise. We visited two glass blowing studios where we watched the artists in action. Luckily I have no desire to start up that new hobby. That art looks impossible. I really do marvel at how anybody can create those glass masterpieces. Unfortunately, Karlo was not impressed with the famous Pikes Market. Actually, he hated it. The crowds gave Karlo sensory overload so we didn't stay there too long. To remedy his ailment, we went to the REI flagship store and he was in heaven there. Thank goodness the store closed within the hour of our arrival. That place is very dangerous and could have been very expensive if we had more time. Blew the pants off of any EMS we ever visited.

All in all, we had a great time here. The Pacific Northwest has to be one of the most beautiful parts of the USA. Nice to visit, but we are happy to be home!

If you would like to see the full photo album (I'm warning you, there are tons of photos), you can visit this link.