Washington Bucket List

There's so much I want to talk about right now, and the past three days have been jam-packed with fun and productivity, but I have a paper due tomorrow that I've only just begun, so I'm going to insert a cop out post today.  This may be a bit premature as apparently the email that Colby got a few weeks ago about receiving his assignment in June with a report no later than (moving) date between October and January apparently gets sent out every quarter and only applies to a select few of the recipients.  But still.  My mindset is still that we won't be here through the winter, because honestly, that's the only way I'll be able to make it through another winter here.

So, Colby and I have begun compiling a list of all the things we want to do before we leave Washington.  From the length of the list, you'd think we did nothing but sit around the house twiddling our thumbs, but it's just that the longer we've lived here, the more things we keep hearing about that we must do before moving.  Plus there's a bit of Oregon and Canada thrown in just for good measure.  And, to our credit, we've done almost all of the major tourist attractions in the area, so our bucket list is sort of a graduate level Washington course.  I'm definitely taking suggestions as well, so if I'm missing something it's either just because we've already done it or we haven't heard about it yet!

◊    Woodland Park Zoo

◊    Asian Art Museum

◊    Whale Watching—San Juan Islands?

◊    Seattle Opera

◊    Weekend in Port Angeles

• Start at Port Angeles, and drive west on highway 101. You will see one of the most spectacular alpine lakes in the region. Crescent Lake is nestled amongst deep green firs, which rise in dramatic slopes from the waters edge. Nearby, Marymere Falls and Sol Duc Hot springs are great diversions in you’re staying in the area.
• Forks

◊    Sounders Game

◊    Mt. St. Helens

◊    Bainbridge Island Ferry

◊    Victoria, B.C.

• Tea at the Empress
• Butchart Gardens
• Craigdarroch Castle

◊    Winery Tour

◊    Discovery Park

◊    Lakeview Cemetery

◊    Steilacoom Beach

◊    Alki Beach

◊    Dash Point State Park

◊    Rhododendron and Bonsai Garden in Federal Way

◊    Saltwater State Park

◊    Southern Oregon

• Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival
• Crater Lake

Hm, maybe we will need a few extra months in town to get this all scratched off the list!

Comments

[Julia]

If you want to go whale watching and haven't been to the San Juan Islands, I'd plan for a weekend there before you guys leave. Orcas is beau-tee-ful and you can get a nice slice of island life WITH the whale watching.

Also, have you guys been down the Oregon Coast to Cannon Beach and Seaside? You can stop at the Tillamook cheese factory and can't miss fish and chips at Mo's!

Another favorite Washington coast haunt is Klaloch. You can camp or rent a little cabin. It's not too far from Forks and absolutely beautiful!

[shani]

Okay, you now I love cemeteries--is Lakeview historic or something?

[Becky]

For what it's worth, even my nieces weren't that excited about the zoo. Have you been to Astoria? That would be worth seeing, esp. if you're a Goonies fan.

[Jessica]

Oh my gosh, I went whale watching in New England several years ago and it was SO much fun. Bumpy on the boats but great views.

[Annie]

San Juan Islands are gorgeous!

[katelin]

okay those all sound amazing. but yay for moving, i'm so excited for you two!