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
Starting Out
Saturday, July 02, 2016
SeaTac, Washington, United States
Other Entries
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1Starting Out
Jul 02SeaTac, United Statesphoto_camera12videocam 2comment 3 -
2Flying to San Francisco
Jul 031 day laterSan Francisco, United Statesphoto_camera6videocam 0comment 5 -
3On to Boston
Jul 031 day laterBoston, United Statesphoto_camera6videocam 0comment 3 -
4Freedom Trail
Jul 042 days laterBoston, United Statesphoto_camera25videocam 0comment 2 -
5Flight to Zürich
Jul 042 days laterZürich, Switzerlandphoto_camera14videocam 0comment 2 -
6Arrival
Jul 053 days laterZürich, Switzerlandphoto_camera16videocam 1comment 2 -
7Lovely Luzern
Jul 064 days laterLuzern, Switzerlandphoto_camera31videocam 2comment 2 -
8Amazing Alps
Jul 075 days laterLauterbrunnen, Switzerlandphoto_camera27videocam 1comment 3 -
9Train Day to Innsbruck
Jul 086 days laterInnsbruck, Austriaphoto_camera23videocam 3comment 1 -
10Through Salzburg to Wien
Jul 097 days laterSalzburg, Austriaphoto_camera27videocam 2comment 2 -
11When in Wien
Jul 108 days laterWien, Austriaphoto_camera41videocam 2comment 1 -
12Trains and Bones
Jul 119 days laterPrague, Czech Republicphoto_camera24videocam 0comment 1 -
13Prague Day
Jul 1210 days laterPrague, Czech Republicphoto_camera23videocam 0comment 3 -
14Bus Out to Nürnberg
Jul 1311 days laterBeroun, Czech Republicphoto_camera10videocam 1comment 1 -
15Nürnberg
Jul 1412 days laterNürnberg, Germanyphoto_camera33videocam 0comment 4 -
16Day Trip to Rothenburg
Jul 1513 days laterRothenburg ob der Tauber, Germanyphoto_camera39videocam 0comment 3 -
17Rhine Cruise and Onward
Jul 1614 days laterMainz, Germanyphoto_camera31videocam 0comment 2 -
18Belgium
Jul 1715 days laterBruxelles, Belgiumphoto_camera29videocam 0comment 1 -
19Paris
Jul 1816 days laterParis, Francephoto_camera14videocam 2comment 1 -
20Disneyland Paris!
Jul 1917 days laterChamps-sur-Marne, Francephoto_camera28videocam 5comment 2
Comments

2025-02-10
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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!