Nomad Life - Day 126

Last morning on Whidbey Island (sad)...  I woke up at 0425 (without an alarm) and began teleworking.  During a break, I made breakfast in my room at the Navy Inn.  Outside, I started hearing some jet noise on the base for the first time during my visit.  I continued teleworking until 0930 (half day with the rest of my time as PTO) and then spent about 10 minutes packing and loading my car.  Whidbey Island had great weather again (high 30s, clear, lots of mountains visible) and I reluctantly left NAS Whidbey Island at 0940.  For some reason, I was able to use the "Langley Gate" today and this made my drive through the northern Oak Harbor suburbs very easy.  After finding my way to WA-20, I followed very slow traffic all the way to Coupeville.  My impatience was dulled by an audiobook...  Switching to WA-525, I encountered more traffic and construction zones - it ended up taking almost an hour (less than 40 miles of driving, ugh) to reach Clinton.  At the Clinton Ferry Terminal (1035), I bought my ticket and, after parking, spent some time exploring nearby.  As I'd seen the day before, there were views from South Whidbey of Mount Rainier and some beautiful peaks of the Cascade Range.  I boarded "Tokitae" at 1055 along with a LOT of cars - somehow, we all fit onboard! There was time to get out of my car and walk around on the deck, even though the ride wasn't too far.  We departed Clinton (and Whidbey Island) at 1105 (a bit late, due to lots of cars, I guess) and had a great crossing.  Such a beautiful day!  We arrived at Mukilteo Ferry Landing by 1125 and I was one of the first cars off the ferry.  I texted my friend, Eric O, that I was on my way to his house and then followed WA-525 (AKA Mukilteo Speedway) towards the south.  Almost immediately, I started seeing signs for red light cameras (I don't like those) - thank goodness for Apple Maps!  Several miles later (after passing Paine Field in Everett), I got on I-5, which I followed until I reached the exit for the town of Shoreline (King County).  I easily located Eric's home (located across the street from tall trees and a beautiful golf course) by noon we had a great reunion (first since the late 1990s).  A bit later, we drove a short distance to eat lunch at Teriyaki Time on Greenwood Avenue.  The food was very good (I got some shrimp fried rice) and I had a lot of fun exchanging "sea stories" with my former S-3B crewmate.  We finished eating at about 1445 (by then, we were the only customers in the restaurant) and then returned to Eric's house.  I met his girlfriend and we looked at some cruise books before it was time for me to depart (1515).  When I entered the address for my hotel, the EconoLodge in Edmonds, I was surprised to see that I was less than three miles away!  This made my drive to my overnight accommodations almost leisurely (although the red light cameras and city congestion were conspiring against me...).  After checking into the hotel (1530), I unpacked the car and then made sure I was set up for a new telework day.  There was also some time to catch up on reading and Duolingo puzzles before a planned call with my daughter,  Erin (1700).  We had a nice talk about my trip, her activities in Virginia and her upcoming trip to Italy.  After hanging up with her (1745), I began walking around near my hotel, hoping to get the rest of my 10K steps.  By then, it was a bit cooler (30s) but the sky was still clear.  Along the way, I stopped for dinner at the Family Pancake House (1815), where I enjoyed a salad and a good club sandwich and resisted the urge to have pie.  There was a nice young Korean man working there and he had lots of recommendations for local Teriyaki restaurants - he assured me that "it's a Seattle creation!"  Once I was finished eating (1840), I resumed my walk along the sidewalks of WA-99 and explored some residential neighborhoods nearby.  Before I was finished, I'd discovered the Mathay-Ballinger Park and Interurban Trail - maybe I can visit them again tomorrow?  Finished with my walk and step goal (1945), I returned to my room and spent the rest of the evening watching movies and reading.  Bed time was at 2215.  It was another great day in the PNW, with a bonus reunion from my Navy Flying Days.  Life is good!