Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Farewell to the West Coast


Reluctantly leaving the Seattle area, we headed north and east toward Whidbey Island. The ferry to cross over to the island departs from Port Townsend, a charming town situated on a bluff overlooking the water. We just had time to walk down the main street, which is lined with historic buildings and has a delightfully quaint atmosphere.





The highlight of the town was a used book shop -- of course. We didn't have the time to tour the historic neighborhood, but that just gives me a reason to go back...




The ferry left us on Whidbey Island, which reminded me a great deal of Nova Scotia, Canada. Verdant evergreens overspreading rocky coastline and meadows covered in waving grasses are the principle features of the island, from what I could see! We even caught a glimpse of a historic schoolhouse. The bridge over Deception Pass:











As we drove east through Washington, we drove past Wild Horses National Monument. It was so unexpected and dramatic that we had to pause on our journey.

 



This area of Washington reminded me of Nevada. The land is incredibly brown and barren, but the water is vividly blue -- whether of itself, or because everything else seems so drab, I don't know!

 


We drove for seemingly endless hours, across the states of Washington, Idaho, and part of Montana. The thin strip of Idaho that we traversed was mountainous and densely forested. It was quite beautiful, and not at all what I expected! We stopped for the night at Livingston, Montana, and in the morning we headed to Yellowstone National Park -- which I think deserves a post to itself!

3 comments:

  1. Dear Shannon,
    Yes, the scenery in Eastern Wa may look quite drab, but did you know that it was once a lush and verdant forest ? In Vantage, Wa, there is even a Visitor's Area with information on the numerous lava flows in the region that covered over the forest. It even has a petrified gignko tree trunk! The geology in this area is amazing.
    I hope you enjoyed Yellowstone. It is one of my favorite places on Earth.
    Cheers,
    Kristin

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  2. That's amazing, Kristin! I never would have guessed that from what it looks like now. And although I generally prefer more trees in my landscape, there is definitely a breathtaking beauty to Eastern Washington. I couldn't get over how *big* the sky was!

    And we did enjoy Yellowstone, by the way ;)

    Yours in Christ,
    Shannon

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  3. I like the wild horse monument in Washington. It's so pretty.

    I wish I could travel more sometimes...

    Jerusha

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