Starting Out

Saturday, July 02, 2016
SeaTac, Washington, United States
Today was our first day of our trip. Because we used points to book our flights, we ended up flying out of Seattle instead of PDX. This gave us a perfect excuse for a day trip to Anderson Island on the drive up.

My parents were kind enough to drive us and seemed happy to come along for the fun . We spent a very pleasant day together. It was a nice easy paced day to begin our trip.

While we waited to board the ferry to Anderson Island we took advantage of low tide and flipped over rocks and watched the crabs scuttle back under again. Desmond got to hold a tiny crab for a second or so and kept talking about how it tickled his hand.

We crossed the Puget Sound, watching jellyfish swim around the ferry, and then found a nice park with a lakeside view to eat our picnic lunch. Desmond saw jet-skis for the first time and called them "water motorcycles."

Bryan gave us a tour of the island and we visited a number of parks, giving Desmond a chance to be out of the car and explore. One park even had a tiny rock wall and a huge zip-line! The adults took turns zip-lining while Desmond looked on.

We took a few moments to visit the cemetery where Bryan's grandparents are buried. It is the first time we have been back since Grandma Carol's memorial service six years ago, and it was good to do. I wish I would have gotten the chance to know her better before she passed. Bryan's memories of summers on the island with she and his grandpa paint a beautiful picture.

We dreamed about having a place on the island of our own and guessed how much it would cost. Mom was Googling prices and pointing out places she liked.

Then we headed back across to the mainland while Desmond napped. We found another park to enjoy before dinner at Spaghetti Factory.

Soon it will be time to rise early and leave this Hilton for the airport. ~ Merilee

After our 2012 trip to Europe, we were looking forward to going back. Of course, money was the obstacle. I started learning about travel-hacking as a way to help us afford another trip. There are lots of ways to make travel cheaper and we used a few to make this trip happen. As Mer writes the blogs of our experiences, I will share what we did to make this trip nearly free.

~ Bryan
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Comments

Jaynie Roberts
2016-07-03

What a fun start to the adventure!

Andrea
2016-07-03

What a nice day! Makes me contemplate flying out of Seattle for a trip if needed. Have fun and be safe!

Fran Strege
2016-07-03

Thanks for posting!

2025-02-10

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