Late night in Seattle August 25th, 2009

Finally arrived

To all of those who think that taking the ferries from Vancouver to Seattle is a good idea, think again.  I got a nice early start from Vancouver and got on the very first departure to Vancouver Island.  The BC ferry system is very good.  The motorcycles get to skip all of the lines and move right to the front.  They also provide nice wooden blocks to prop up the non-kickstand side of the bike.  I also picked up a passenger on my way.  A girl from Australia that I had met in the Hostel in Kelowna was staying in Vancouver and was trying to get to Seattle, so she rode with me.  We had to drive from Nanaimo to Victoria to catch the ferry to Port Angeles.  WE maed it with time to spare, but they said they couldn't fit me on the boat.  That was for a 3PM departure.  The next boat out didn't leave until 7:30PM.  So we killed some time in Victoria.  I smoked the obligatory Cuban cigar in Canada and we got on the boat.  Those of you who have ever sailed with me won't be surprised to hear that I slept most of the way across. 

We got off the boat in Port Angeles around 9:30 and it was interesting being back there.  I had spent a summer on a ship there as a cadet.  Even in the dark it was surprisingly familiar.  We got on the road and it only took about 20 minutes fo me to get a speeding ticket.  Haha. Jesus.  The cop was decent, though, and only charged me for 10 over.  He also suggested we take the ferry across to Seattle and that it ran really late.  Turns out the GPS agreed and so off to the ferry we rode.  Turns out the ferry does not run late, at least on weeknights.  So back on the bike.  The GPS kept trying to route us on different ferries, though, and eventually i discovered how to set it to avoid ferries.  WE got into Seattle late and I dropped Shelly off at her hostel downtown and headed over to my friend Lauren's place.  She was gracious and let me in and it was straight to bed. 

I guess I slept through some rain this morning, but it is turning into a nice day.  I had some Seattle Starbucks, and off to explore and catch up with some friends.