Summer Vacation Trip - Day 15

We were both up at 0530 and ate breakfast at the hotel. We did some packing, checked out and got gas (0635). The station was closed but my credit card worked. Our last true vacation day began early again and the weather couldn't have been better! From our room at Navy Lodge Whidbey, we could see the Olympics, the San Juans, Rainier and the base of Mount Baker. We also saw another seal in the harbor as we departed. Of course, as we've done for nearly two weeks, we looked for whales again - not just on the way off the Island but also near Everett and Tulalip (no luck). We continued south to Seattle and parked in Pioneer Square (0955). After so many days in the "wild", I did not enjoy the traffic or the number of people we encountered in the city. Mollie was even more unhappy with the change of pace... Once our NPS Passport work was done at the Klondike National Historic Site (which we’d visited in 2009), we headed down to the Waterfront and walked the Pier. We still had our binoculars but we didn't see any whales... Mollie did not enjoy the sounds from the Alaskan Way Viaduct that accompanied us - they are expected to be done with the tunnel work by the end of this year so that will likely improve the experience in the future. We climbed up the steps to visit the Pike Place Market for a short time and Mollie tried to get souvenirs for her mother (lines very long). We walked back on 1st Avenue (quieter) and then headed out of town. A drive along the seaside near Des Moines made us feel a bit better - as did the amazing views of Rainier as we got closer. We got some lunch at McDonalds in Des Moines (1155) and drove to the area (Kent) where our Ramada hotel was located. They let us check in early and we relaxed for most of the afternoon, trying psych ourselves up for the long flight home. At 1645 we drove to Tacoma, where we had a nice dinner (Sushi Tama) with Lee and his wife, Kristie. It was great to catch up (and talk about future plans). When we were done (2045), we drove back to our hotel and were able to get some spectacular pictures of Mount Rainier from the highway. Mollie posted on Facebook: "The past 14 days have been a whirlwind of activity, with us going to as many places and doing as many things as we could. This trip has made both of us love Washington more than ever (not counting Seattle *shivers*), and we plan to come back here as soon as we can. Until next time, Mt. Rainier..." Before bed, I went walking while Mollie watched TV. We both went to sleep at 2200. After 4000 miles in the rental car, 42 license plate sightings, snow capped mountains, volcanos, beach walks, gray whale sightings, ferry rides, Redwoods, 10000+ steps of walking every day, caves, 60 degree weather, restaurants and motels (and more), it will be hard to settle back into reality. Mollie's already planning another getaway for 12 months from now...