After the last three brutal days, we decided today would be an easy exploration of the Seattle area. We started out down at the newly reopened waterfront. Since we were early it was easy to find a parking spot. While purchasing parking permit for 3 hours, a guy struck up a conversation with me. He said that he had missed his train last night, that his cell phone was stolen, and that he just wanted to get back home to Missoula, MT. His story sounded plausable, but they all do. So I gave him $5.00 to help him out. He was looking for $25, but I figured that he was now at least 20% closer to his goal.
After paying for my $16 parking permit, I placed it on my headlight, as one is directed to do for motorcycles. We then had a nice time wandering the waterfront, taking pictures, and having a nice lunch of fried oysters and clam chowder. When I returned to the Spyder I found a parking ticket for $44. Hmm... What rule had I transgressed? Since it was timed for only 10 minutes earlier I figured that the officer who gifted me with it would still be near. In fact he was. He told me that while I had placed the sticker on my headlight, I had failed to attach the actual receipt with the sticker, which was in fact the backing of the sticker, which wasn't obvious from the tiny writing and tiny picture.
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| The evidence |
This made our $15 lunch the most expensive we have ever had at $75.
[edit: When we returned home to Colorado I filed a request online to mitigate the amount of the fine. My argument was that I had, in fact, paid the $16.00 fee, so the $44.00 parking ticket fee should be reduced by that amount. On 31 July 2015, a Seattle Municipal Court decided that I do not owe a debt to society and dismissed my parking ticket. SWEET!]
Of course this is Seattle, so we had to get the obligatory cup of coffee. Not Starbucks. And we had to make the obligatory pilgimage to the Space Needle, which we didn't go in. Because I am cheap - they want $18 each, just to ride the elevator. Besides I was already in that thing back when it was new.
Some views of seattle:
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| The squid |
Space needle from 1962 Worlds Fair
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| The clam girl |
Next we made our way north toward Whedbey Island for a scenic drive. Getting to Whedbey Island from the south requires one to take a ferry. We found the ferry line and added ourselves to the queue. In a short while a guy in a van leaned out of his window and shouted that motorcycles don't need to wait in line. They are permitted to go directly to the front of the line. Well, let's go!
It turned out to be correct. We made our way to the front of the line, paid our $8.15 and waited to board the ferry. First on and first off. Sometimes it pays to ride motorcycles! The drive was indeed scenic. I even saw my first wild otter from a high bridge!
Larrabbee State Park turned out to be a very nice park for $25. Cold showers are included, warm ones cost $.50 extra. A cold shower sounds nice right now. The trains with the noisy wheels are free.
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| Chuck a nut bay from Larrabee State Park |
Tomorrow we enter a foreign country - Canada.
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