Pacific Northwest Trip July 2009 Day 11 Friday July 31

UPDATED: February 5, 2022

This is the eleventh (and, other than final thoughts, the last) of a series of posts dealing my fifth trip to Seattle and second of two trips that year. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports. Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of three years later or to add further clarification. 

Got up at 4:30 to try to get the first ferry back but found I misread my itinerary and the bus I needed was further away than expected.  So with my first choice gone I found  myself at the stop for my third bus choice, which would allow me to make the second of two possible ferry connections, but there was another bus I could take that would get me downtown even sooner.  I should stress that there was no real risk of my missing the next ferry at this stage.

To hedge my bets, I dashed to where my 2nd and 3rd choices intersected, though that meant for a longer walk than if I dashed the quickest way to my 2nd choice.  Regardless, I just barely got my 2nd choice so made the 2nd ferry with a little extra time to spare.  I grabbed breakfast at McDonald's (had I gone with my 3rd choice that might not have been possible) and took the ferry to Bainbridge Island.

[NOW: The bus I took was a King County Metro Transit one. The McDonald's at Seattle Ferry Terminal is now closed. The ferry was Washington State Ferries.]

 

From there it was a bus to Poulsbo (where I stayed put instead of looking at Poulsbo Village, being weighed down), Poulsbo to Four Corners (there were other travellers from the Midwest heading to Forks for hiking, not Twilight so I told them they could miss the bus to Sequim if they stayed on to Port Townsend; this also applied to myself of course).

[NOW: The bus Poulsbo was the 90/Kitsap Transit, and the bus to the Four Corners stop was the 7/Jefferson Transit. I got a daypass where boarding that bus. Buses now connect in Poulsbo at North Viking Transit Center instead of Poulsbo Transfer Center. The 4 Corners stop is now at a Park & Ride.]

From Four Corners I took another bus to Sequim, stayed at Sequim Transit Center, then took a final bus to Port Angeles. 

[NOW: The bus to Sequim was 8/Jefferson Transit and to Port Angeles 30 Commuter/Clallam Transit.]

 

There I visited Odyssey Books, E-Z Pawn, and Port Book & News, then calculated how much I needed to declare.  I wanted a lunch buffet at China First but doubted I'd have time, so I settled for lunch at Dariy Queen. 

[NOW: China First and that Dairy Queen are now closed.]

I went with the faster/earlier Victoria Express ferry on the way back (it was right across the street from the DQ).  The ferry was a little late getting back, but for good reason: the ferry stopped so we would watch/photograph whales).  One of the straps of one of my new packs broke, but it wasn't a crucial strap.

[NOW: The Victoria Express ferry no longer runs to Victoria; it’s now a local Port Angeles tour boat.] 

At Customs I was permitted entry without being detained and walked home, sometimes carrying my large bag, sometimes wheeling that, though that meant leaning forward.