With south sound in our rear view we knew we had to face the inevitable - returning to our home port Elliott Bay Marina. After seven straight months of non-stop cruising this reality wasn't a happy one. But we still had three weeks to slowly make our way back. After regrouping in Oro Bay we decided to stop back in Tacoma where we went last year but due to covid it was a ghost town. The 24 mile cruise in overcast skies was exciting because we spotted a pod of orcas swimming ahead. We slowed the engines to idol and watched as they swam along. The entire time we were in Alaska we only spotted orcas once. They are hard to find so we super excited to see them. We took our time letting them have plenty of space while Jeff snapped pictures and we watched in awe. Finally they dove and we increased the rpm's and moved along. Back at Dock Street Marina the trains squealed along making their presence known every few minutes. This time felt different though. There was life along the harbor and people were milling about. It was so refreshing to see after deadsville last year. We had a little lunch then walked up the ramp to the famous glass museum. We saw all the exhibits and then a live demo of glass making which we both found really interesting. After, we strolled downtown and visited a couple bars which were now open and had a couple drinks. It was so nice to be back in a city with some life.
Pod of Orcas
Glass Blowing Demo
Glass Blowing Demo
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Drinks in Tacoma
Dock Street Marina
Downtown Tacoma
The next day was Sunday which for us means football. A big blow came in so we were more then happy to stay in pjs and watch football the entire day.
After two days in Tacoma we decided to move onto Quartermaster Harbor and anchor and take a people break. The short 12 mile cruise was easy. When we arrived we read, had dinner and watched Monday night football. The next day we lowered the dink and took a hike on shore. It was peaceful and quiet.
Hike at Quartermaster Harbor
Sunset Quartermast Harbor
Blake Island State Park is a favorite of ours. When we went last year we found it so still and quiet despite being right across the bay from Seattle. This time was no different. We were only one of three boats there and with our stern to shore we felt like we were a million miles away. With an appointment scheduled at Miller and Miller the next day we knew we only had one day to enjoy the park so we had our lunch and set off for the 4 mile perimeter hike. While really nice, scenic and great exercise it had way more uphill then I remembered and I found myself really happy to be back at the boat at the end.
Hiking on Blake Island
Approaching Blake Island
City from Hike
Deer on Blake Island
Sterned in Blake Island
Deer Blake Island
More Deer
Geese on Hike
Hike
The next morning we set out early in order to get through the Ballard Locks, get fuel and get to Miller and Miller Boatyard to have some work done and take the dirt dingy to get serviced. The cruise and the lock were both uneventful as was the fueling. We tied up at Miller and Miller and Jeff went over the work he wanted done with Joe and then we set out to get the dirt dingy to service.
Ballard Lock
Dirt Dingy Getting Towed
Ballard Lock
Cruising to Lake Union
Beautiful Fall Colors
The day quickly turned to shit after we realized that our new fridge that was supposed to get installed at Miller & Miller wasn't ours but belonged to another customer. Then the dirt dingy couldn't get on the tow truck and the inexperienced tow truck driver scraped up the rear bumper attempting to load it on the flat bed. After the hassles we had drinks on board and settled in for the night at the boat yard. The next morning we drove the dirt dingy ourselves to the dealer while Joe finished up some work on the boat. The rain came and with it brought some sun and a lovely rainbow.
Rainbow at the Boat Yard
In all over our travel around the Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands we've never cruised Lake Washington or Lake Union other then going to Miller and Miller. We decided while we have the time why not do some exploring around the lakes. Our first stop would be the town of Kirkland the former corporate home of Costco. Saturday morning brought lots of boaters out on the lake along with some floating partiers. We even passed The Wizard getting some boat work done. We were both excited to be exploring new territory.
Arriving at the marina on their public dock might have not been the best idea on the weekend because it was a constant swarm of people right outside the boat and we felt like we were on display like zoo animals. Nevertheless we locked up and walk around the town among the hoards and saw all the cute shops and restaurants. We decided on burritos for dinner and did some provisioning as well.
Gasworks Park
Cruising to Lake Washington
Cruising to Lake Washington
Downtown from Lake Union
Lake Union
The Wizard
Gasworks Park
Gasworks
Party Raft
Kirkland Marina
Herds of People on the Dock
Stern View from Kirkland
The next day feeling a bit overwhelmed by the constant barrage of people and it being a Sunday we lowered the blinds and watched football for the day.
While we were glad we finally got to see Kirkland we were ready to move along up the lake. Our next stop would be an anchorage (or so it was called) at Edwards State Park. For us having anchored mostly solo all around Southeast Alaska to call Edwards State Park an anchorage was funny to us. It was a hill with beautiful trees right in the middle of the bay. No indent, no shore just a hill with trees called a state park. Well, at least nobody else was there and we did have it to ourselves. There is no way we could have been here with any kind of weather because it was completely exposed.
Edwards State Park
Cruising to Edwards State Park
Anchorage at Edwards State Park
Anchored Edwards State Park
After enjoying the leaves and scratching our heads a bit we continued on. Today we cruised most of the way around Mercer Island to Andrew's Bay Anchorage. We even managed to see Russel Wilson's house along the way. Now Andrew's felt more like an anchorage we had known. It has a nice bay to drive into and offered some wind protection from all direction except from the North. We dropped the hook with three other boats and took in the scene.
Andrew's Bay Anchorage
Sunset Andrew's Bay
Pretty Trees Andrews Bay
Russel Wilson's House
The next day we lowered the dink and took it to shore for a nice walk around the park. It gave us great views of the lake and trees.
Strangely enough Lake Washington only has three designated overnight anchorages and this would be our last. Other then the town of Kirkland we had pretty much exhausted all of our options in Lake Washington. With still 10 days left before we took our slip at Elliott Bay we continued our exploration out of Lake Washington. I had gotten notice that a big blow was coming from the South so we chose an anchorage on Bainbridge Island called Port Madison. Friends of ours had anchored on the outside but we wanted to try and tuck into the inside for some protection from the wind. Thankfully there were only a few boats moored there and we were able to tuck in before the blow. Surrounded by houses and fall colored trees we settled in for the night.
Port Madison
Leaving Lake Washington-University of Washington Stadium
Locking Back to Puget Sound
Port Madison
Port Madison
Leaving Lake Washington-Sleepless in Seattle House
I had read that the Suquamish Village around the corner had a dock and a good restaurant. So the next day we took the dink to find out. Just as I read Sully's was the local restaurant open to the public with a nice public dock. The staff were really nice and welcoming and our lunch delicious. After we walked the quiet main street we headed back to the boat for reading and relaxation.
Lunch at Sully's - Suquamish Village
Dingy Dock
Sunset Port Madison
With still more time to kill we decided to visit another one of our favorite places the town of Poulsbo. With more wind due to come in we decided a dock and a town would be entertaining and fun. The short 10 mile cruise around the bend was familiar yet different. We sterned into a 40 foot slip because they were expecting a minus tide and this slip gave us the depth we needed. The marina was quiet and empty for the off season and perfect for us. We quickly checked in and walked the cute Norwegian town visiting familiar shops and Jeff and got some baked goods and chocolate. Later we had a drink at the Kraken Bar then had dinner at a cute tapas place. A very busy and eventful day.
Downtown Poulsbo
Poulsbo Marina
Downtown Poulsbo
Pretty Fall Colors
Cruising into Poulsbo
Sunset
Poulsbo
The next day (Sunday) the wind kicked up and we stayed in and watched football all day. Monday would be the same and we sat in the boat watching the boats at anchor go for a wild ride. A sailboat's mast tore to shreds and full on rollers were coming into the marina. Fortunately the Seahawks played on Monday night football.
Sailboat Shredded By the Wind
By Tuesday the wind was dying down but we decided to stay one final day and get off the boat and stretch our legs a bit. We went to the marina store and Jeff got an ice cream.
I was more then ready to leave Poulsbo as cute as it is and thankfully Wednesday we were on our way to what would be our final anchorage before hitting Seattle. Manzanita Bay was a short 6.4 miles from Poulsbo but it felt secluded and like it was a million miles away. We shared the anchorage with a sailboat and couldn't be happier to be away from the docks. We decided to spend two nights here and really enjoy our last anchorage. It rained most of the time and we read and relaxed and took in the scenery.
Manzanita Bay
Sailboat Anchored Behind Us
Manzanita Bay
Rainy Manzanita Bay
I kept hearing the song, "Back to Life, Back to Reality" going through my head because today was the day that we return to the city. Not our marina but downtown Seattle for Halloween weekend and to see a Seahawks game. Despite knowing it was going to be fun to be downtown and walk around the shops and restaurants and bars and to see a Seahawks game I couldn't stop thinking about how our cruising was coming to an abrupt end. I tired not to focus on that and be present for our homecoming. Bell Harbor Marina is 19 miles from Manzanita and we arrived around noon in order to maximize our time there. Funny enough we stayed there on the exact same days last year.
We were excited to be back in the city that we love and quickly left the boat to go exploring around the harbor, pike place and finally to a fun vegan Mexican dinner. So many options just a short walk from the boat.
Lumen Field
Cruising to Seattle
Cruising into Downtown
Downtown Seattle
Docked at Bell Harbor Marina
Night at Bell Harbor Marina
Pike Place
Storyville Coffee Shop - Pike Place
Bell Harbor Marina
The next day after a good nights sleep and slow morning Jeff wanted to pick a restaurant to have lunch that wasn't vegan. He decided on Lowell's at Pike Place. It had a nice view of the harbor and the food was good too. We walked all around downtown and went to Whole Foods and Target getting some provisions. We spent the evening on the boat enjoying the view.
View from Lowell's - Pike Place
The next day (Halloween) is the day we had been waiting for for a long time. Seahawks game! We got up and out early walking the short 20 minutes to Lumen field to take it all in before kick off. We walked through the gate to a live band playing and people dancing and having a good time. We made our way around the entire stadium level by level seeing all there was to offer. We saw another band of all drummers who danced as well. We got some beers, took in the view, saw warmups and then decided to get to our seat for the beginning of the game. We found our section and then started walking up the stairs. We walked and walked and huffed and puffed all the way to the very top row of the entire stadium. Row rr was as high as it gets and our legs and lungs were feeling it. Jeff said he had no idea they were this high when he picked them out and all I could do was laugh.
Lumen Field
Our Long Trek Up
Warm Up
View from Lumen Field
View From Lumen
Drummers
Seahawks Getting Pumped
Coach Carroll
Downtown View from Stadium
Drummers
Top Row
Band Playing
We continued to make that long trek two more times before scrounging seats lower down. The hawks got the win and the day was perfect. The crowd was happy and we all meandered out of the stadium and through downtown and finally back to Bell Harbor. We were both tired from the long day and turned on the Sunday night game and chilled the rest of the night.
The next day November 1st we left Bell Harbor marina for our homeport Elliott Bay Marina where we will dock for the winter until we leave in April for British Columbia.
