Today I'm blogging on a bus on my way from Seattle to Whistler, by way of Vancouver B.C. I decided to do the train/bus combo instead of driving, and while I'm glad not to be behind the wheel for 5-6 hours today, I could live without the public transport experience.
Yes, I admit it - I'm a public transport snob. I'm fine with it under the right circumstances, but US buses and trains don't fit those criteria. For example, the train leaving Portland yesterday left 45 minutes late. Not because it arrived 45 minutes late, mind you - everyone had boarded in plenty of time to leave as scheduled. So why were we late, you might ask? I couldn't tell you, since there was no announcement, apology, or communication of any sort.
As for the bus, it's okay I guess, minus the annoying British 20-something girls who keep clapping and giggling, one of whom arrived at the departure time without a ticket, holding us up an extra 10 minutes. Thank goodness for my iPod - without it, the exposure to the general public would probably kill me (death by annoyance).
Last night was
Erik's (of Erik & Lenore) 40th birthday party. It was actually his 40 ½ birthday, since the dead of winter isn't the greatest time of year for a party in Seattle. They hosted a dinner cruise, which was a fabulous choice,
considering the high temps we've been experiencing in the northwest the past few days (107 in Portland Friday!). The breezes off the water were a welcome relief, though I was still tempted to molest the ice sculpture.
The cruise took a couple laps around Lake Union, giving us a great view of the Space Needle and downtown Seattle, then went over to Lake Washington via the ship canal that connects the two lakes.
On Lake Washington we got to see how the rich and famous live - the highlight being when we cruised by Bill Gates' house. (It's quite the setup, though hard to tell from the photos, since they've done a good job of using trees to keep out prying eyes.)
We
also got to see a spectacular sunset - all told, a lovely evening.
Back to the bus now - we just had to abandon the British girls at the Canadian border because one of them can't find her passport. Classic. You can imagine how sad I am to see them go.
More when I get to Whistler.
P.S. Additional photos at http://babas.typepad.com/photos/great_northwest/index.html.
Great job on the party pics Barb. Hope you're having a relaxing, fun time up there. I love you. Mom
Posted by: Jan | July 25, 2006 at 03:33 PM