Trip to Seattle April 2016

April 12 - I boarded Amtrak Train 500 a little after 9:00AM at the Vancouver, WA Amtrak Station.  The train was late and it will get later.  I had two seats all to myself so I sat sideways, legs stretched out most of the trip to Seattle.  Trains were down to one track in Tukwilla.  We arrived in Seattle about 45 minutes late.  I walked across the street to catch the city bus to 3rd & Virginia.  I checked into the Warwick Hotel to find that my assigned roommate had already checked in.  I unpacked my clothes, etc. in a room overlooking the hotel parking.  My roommate was a Japanese woman named Grace.  I went downstairs to 2nd floor to pick up my packet and name tag about 4:00PM and met other Road Scholar participants, stayed for Welcome Reception, delicious Salmon dinner and Introductions.  Small group of only 14 people. 

April 13 - I had a hearty breakfast.  We had a lecture on Theater Criticism by Nancy Worssam at 9:00AM.  I really enjoyed the lecture and could have heard more.  We rode the Monorail to Seattle Center where we met Doug Fullington at Pacific NW Ballet McCaw Hall.  He took us on a backstage tour where we saw the sets for the three acts and then to the costumes on the lower level.  We had lunch in the Amory.  I bought a Protein Bistro Box and Shortbread Cookie at Starbucks, and then found tables to not only have lunch but a great location for "Meet Rose Red" on Sunday afternoon.

We rode the Metro to the Seattle Art Museum.  Not enough time to really see all of the museum.  We rode the Metro back to the Warwick Hotel.  We had dinner at Lola, rode the Monorail to Seattle Center and saw "Brownsville Song" at Seattle Rep.  Some of the Road Scholars complained about the profanity.  Evidently they do not get out much.  The play had a strong beginning and a strong ending but stumbled for an hour and half between those two moments.  Disappointing Post-Performance talk.  I decided to take the Monorail back but it was closed so I rode the bus. 

April 14 - Early breakfast.  We had a Pike Place Market Talk in a room on the 18th floor.  We rode the Metro to the Seattle Library for a library tour.  I chose instead to find a multi cache.  I got a bit of help from the librarian.  We saw the First Folio (1623) exhibit on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library - the book that gave us Shakespeare.  In addition to the First Folio, a rare copy of Shakespeare's Third Folio is also on display on loan from The Pigott Collection.  We walked to Pike Place Market where our leader took us on a short tour.  I  had lunch at Country Dough at 1:15PM with our leader, Carol Barton, and another RS woman.  Later I had a Seattle Shortbread and two tasting cups of tea at Perennial Tea Room in Post Alley.  I did a multi cache which ended on a bench.  There was a young woman sitting there when I walked up.  I found out she was from Sitka, Alaska and a crew member for the third year on an all woman Alaskan fishing boat.  She was quite surprised to hear that there was a cache.  I stopped at Starbucks for a blueberry scone and cuppa Earl Grey tea.  I met the group at Benaroya Hall for the Pre-Concert Talk which I dozed through.  I did not like the contemporary music in the first part of the program but thoroughly enjoyed the Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B 191 and the Cello encore by Narek Hakhnazaryan. 

April 15 - Early breakfast.  I  found a cache a few blocks west.  We met in the hotel lobby at 10:00AM to ride the South Lake Union Trolley (SLUT) to MOHAI,  After touring several exhibits we had a family style lunch.  I stayed until 3:00PM to look at more exhibits.  I found a cache near Lake Union waterfront.  I caught the SLUT back to downtown.  I found another cache  - Flower Power.  I was sprinkled on by the watering bucket!   I had a Shortbread Cookie and cuppa Earl Grey tea at Starbucks.  I purchased "Brooks" - a teddy bear - at Brooks Brothers.  We had dinner at Benihana/Hamanasu.  We saw "Assassins" at the ACT Theater.  I enjoyed the musical but I wish that I could have understood all of the words.  Where is Closed Caption when you need it?

April 16 - Early breakfast.  We met in the hotel lobby.  We took the Metro close to Pier 52.  We rode the Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island.  We toured the History Museum.  The guide for our group had been interred during World War II.  She showed us her family in a photo being forced to board a bus.  I had huge slice of spinach quiche from Blackbird Bakery for lunch and sorbet for dessert from Mora Iced Creamery.  I found a cache nearby.  We caught the 2:02 ferry back to Seattle and took the Metro back to the hotel.  At 4:10 we met in the lobby to catch a bus to Racha near Seattle Center.  After dinner we walked to the Seattle Opera Hall to see Pacific NW Ballet "Coppelia".  The principal dancer was Noelani Pantastico as Swanilda/Coppelia.  We took Uber cars back to the hotel.

April 17 - Early breakfast.  We  watched a film - "The Space Needle Story" filmed in 1962.  We took the monorail to Seattle Center.  I had a ticket for the Chihuly Glass Exhibit but I wanted to also we the view from the Space Needle.  I was sold a discounted ticket.  After spending quite some time on the Observation Platform I took the elevator down.  I purchased lunch at Starbucks in the Armory Food Court and found the tables for the "Meet Rose Red" Event.  I had a good turnout from 1:00-2:00PM.  Afterwards I toured the Chihuly Glass Exhibit.  I rode the Monorail back, walked to the hotel and retrieved my luggage.  I caught a Metro bus to the King Street Station.  I took Amtrak 509 at 6:05PM, arriving in Vancouver at 9:05PM.  I was so exhausted it has taken me three days to recover!

A day of Caching in the sunshine, Saturday, April 2nd

I drove my son, Christopher, to north on I-5 to Chehalis early this morning, April 2, 2016.  He is the pianist for the Scandia Singers in Portland, Oregon.  The Portland Scandia Singer were meeting with the Seattle Singers for a full day of rehearsal.  Christopher and I stopped for breakfast at McDonalds in Kelso, Washington.  I dropped him off at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis at 8:45 and headed out for a full day of caching.  And a beautiful day it was after months of rain. 

I found SC0210 benchmark at the 1935 Lewis County Courthouse.  I walked across the street to find Rock Around the Clock.  I drove to the Terminal for the Excursion Train to do The Terminal (A Walk Into the Past).  I could not find one of the coordinate numbers as I think they switched the yellow cabooses.  I had help finding the cache.  I met Echo ohcE.  I drove to the next cache - No Train Here - where I met verbumsap, a charter member of Geocaching.  I drove to the far corner of Walmart where I found the next cache - Just adding to the FUN.   The cache was a cute birdhouse with black bison tube.  I drove to a place that had a lot of brightly painted cows.  I was just about to give up finding the cache when a cacher - elbowgrease -  walked up.  We had help shortly from a salesman as they had moved the cache so Geomuggles would not disturb it.  I found Wallee Whirled.  Cache didn't make a lot of sense.  I turned off incorrectly twice on a turnaround - I hate those things - and finally settled on cutting across the parking area.  I wanted to go to Subway but ended up eating late lunch at Starbucks.  Leaving Starbucks I admired the Cocker Spaniel of a family setting at a patio table.  Turned out their name was also Wilson and the son was named Chris.  I talked awhile about Geocaching and my travels. 

I picked up Christopher at 4:30.  We drove to Centralia so he could find Goblindust's incredible cache - Johnny Islands Throne Room.  I had already found it a couple years ago.  I took a couple photos of nearby animals that I later posted.  We drove south on I-5 to Kelso so we could cross the Longview Bridge to Hwy 30.  We stopped in Rainier, Washington to find a large cache - The Gingerbread House.  We stopped for delicious pizza and drinks at Fultanos.  We got home about 9:15PM.  Very relaxing, fun day!