A Day Trip North and Mike’s Birthday

Good manners: The noise you don't make when you're eating soup.

Day trips can be fun.  Last Monday I took a little day trip heading West.  Then, Friday Terry and Sandi went along with me for another ride.  This time the direction was North.  When we first started out we had a little bit of an idea where we were heading but not exactly where.  Duchess was dropped off for a play day with Leo and Scotty --  Michael’s two little dogs. We were off with no time frame of when we needed to be back.  It was On The Road Again …. and it felt good!

Our first stop was Camp Murray.  This is a little gem of an RV park on American Lake by Fort Lewis.  We stayed there a couple years ago.  At that time we had an amazing site right on the lake.  The Eagles were flying overhead and the weather had been perfect.  We went back this day  just to check it out again.  Sometimes we visit a place and like it and then the next time we wonder why.  There was no reason to wonder why here.  It was still an amazing place but it was pretty much packed.

View of Ferry dock

Ling Cod at Anthony's

Sandi dreams of the day she’s old enough to follow in the footsteps of her older cousin, Justin.  She’s wanted to join the Navy for years.  We were only a few miles south of Bremerton, home of a large Naval base.  That’s where we headed.  Since we were already past the point of a choice of our route to go, we continued on to the Narrows Bridge in Tacoma.  This section of I-5 is always packed with traffic.  It starts north of Seattle and continues on through Tacoma and as far south as Olympia.  Many times it’s stop and go. It can also be a zoo from Bremerton south.  Timing is everything.  Our timing north worked even though it still was packed with cars and we experienced a few stop and go areas.

Ships in the Sound (Puget Sound) are the first sites you see when rounding the bend into the town of Bremerton.  The Navy definitely is visible around this area.  Sandi wanted to check the Navy base out so we let her do just that.  

This area is very popular for boating and every other water activity.  Not only the Navy ships fill the waterfront but several marinas dot the area.  The Seattle ferry makes trips back and forth to Seattle.  It's a 45 minute ride to the Seattle waterfront and about another 20 minute walk to Pikes Market from there.

After checking out the Navy we were on to Anthony’s ….. one of my favorite places to eat.  Anthony’s sits on the waterfront just above the ferry dock.  Outside seating on a beautiful day can’t be beat and it was a beautiful day and we were lucky enough to get a perfect table.

  

After lunch we checked out the USS Joy Turner.  It was a Vietnam era destroyer.  

  

We figured Sandi just might want to tour this ship and we were right. She had to check out the hatches, the sleeping quarters and of course, the mess hall. She was pleased.

Then there was the gun.  She liked that too.

It was a great day but time was fleeting and before long it was time to head back. We had a decision to make and we made the wrong one.   It took us much longer to get back than planned. Traffic was horrendous.  It was Friday and everyone else seemed to be trying to get out of town too.

There was no traveling for us on Saturday. We decided to hang close. Instead it was kayak time.

We headed to Horseshoe Lake.  Tammi and Robert were already there and they had decided to fish.

We just enjoyed time on the water.

This week starts with two birthdays to celebrate. On July 30th our grandson, Michael, turns 20. He’s leaving those teenage years behind. We have a scheduled birthday lunch and we’ll see what happens after that.

Happy Birthday, Mike

As it happens Duchess also has a birthday on July 30th too. She turns 12. She’s still doing fine but you can tell she’s not the young pup she used to be. Just like everyone else, age is creeping up on her.

‘Tis life on the road.