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Alpacas in the morning<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Relaxing at the B&B<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>A little exercise before lunch<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Views of Friday Harbor<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Lunch by the harbour<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Restaurant in Friday Harbor<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nWe set out in a trip of kayaks, a double one for Keiko and I, and Rowan and our guide in their own vessels. The hope was to see whales, and we paddled up and down the shore for several hours, but without any luck! We did sea seals, which was an excellent consolation prize, and enjoyed hearing about the local area and its history from our guide. The Pig War of 1859 between the US and UK, sparked by the killing of a pig, was a particularly interesting example.<\/p>\n\n\n
A post-lunch treat<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Dessert<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Ready for kayaking<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Evening traffic into Friday Harbor<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nKayaking complete, we dined in town again before walking back to the B&B for some time with the alpacas and other creatures before bed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Our first destination the next day was Seattle. We took off from Friday Harbor, enjoying beautiful views of the town as we turned south and flew down the coast to Everett field, home of the Boeing factory and museum. The field was packed with new Boeings, fresh out the factory and being prepared for delivery to their new owners. We parked up outside the museum; it was only after we shut down the engine and disembarked that we noticed the spot we were in was labelled “747 only”!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
A nice smile<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Lazy alpacas<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Departing Friday Harbor<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nThe museum was well worth a visit, covering a wide variety of aerospace and Boeing history. After a couple of hours we joined a tour of the factory itself. Photographs were not permitted! We entered the factory through one of the extensive network of tunnels that run under the building, carrying utilities and also being used for easy transportation from one part of the main floor to another. Wide-body Boeings were lined up from end to end, being assembled as they moved along the floor and out the doors at a glacial pace!<\/p>\n\n\n
Arrival at Paine Field<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Home of the Boeing factory<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>In the Boeing Museum of Flight<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Ready for delivery<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Hordes of new Boeings<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Departing Paine Field<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nWe were taken back to the main museum, and found someone to let us out the doors onto the ramp and back to the aircraft. After fueling up at the self-serve we departed, heading south for a late lunch at the on-airport restaurant at Pierce County. From here we set out into southern Washington, where we had chosen a small airfield near the coast as our camping destination for the evening. Called Willapa Harbor, it was quiet and unattended, and absolutely swarming with mosquitoes! We set up the tents as quickly as possible and retired inside to safety.<\/p>\n\n\n
Approaching Seattle<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Downtown Seattle<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Evening light on the way to Willapa<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Special aviation shirts<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Exploring at Willapa<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Sunset at Willapa<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
September 18th was a special day. Referred to by my brother as “International Rowan Day”, it was known to the rest of us as his birthday. We had a celebratory breakfast picnic under the wing, the mosquitoes happily having dispersed, before packing up and heading south. The first leg of the flight took us to Mt St Helens, the volcano that famously erupted in 1980 taking the lives of 57 people. The impact of the eruption is still clearly visible, with the side of the mountain blown away, and the remains of trees that were torn down by the pyroclastic flow still floating in mountain lakes.<\/p>\n\n\n
Rowan supervises the pre-flight<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>International Rowan Day breakfast<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Above the overcast on the Washington coast<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Smoke over the Cascades<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Approaching Mt St Helens<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Felled trees from the eruption<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>The intact side of Mt St Helens<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Mt St Helens crater<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Crevasses in the glacier<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nCutting south past Portland, we landed at Salem airport in Oregon to lunch at the on-field restaurant. we fueled up and departed on the second of the day’s two scenic flights, with this one taking us over the famous Crater Lake. Surrounded by Crater Lake National Park, the lake is the deepest in the US (594m, or nearly 2,000ft). The views of the Cascade mountain range were stunning, and we lingered for a while before setting course south again towards a favourite destination on California’s Lost Coast, Shelter Cove.<\/p>\n\n\n
Portland<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Crossing Oregon<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Crater Lake<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nConditions at Shelter Cove were ideal, and we came in for a smooth landing on runway 30 before parking up next to the camp site. We set up camp and spent a while wandering around the island, which Rowan and Keiko had not visited before. It was the right time of year to see seals, which were sunning themselves on the rocks near the southern end of the peninsula. <\/p>\n\n\n
Arriving at Shelter Cove<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Shelter Cove lighthouse<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Sunbathing seals<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>A top notch seal impression<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>The brave explorer<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Shelter Cove dusk<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Shelter Cove dusk<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>The airport landscaping team<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Celebrating International Rowan Day<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nAs the day drew on, we walked along the runway to the north end, where we held a dinner at the only open restaurant to celebrate International Rowan Day. Keiko had even bought a musical candle, that played happy birthday when lit. Unfortunately it could not be turned off so we had to take it outside the restaurant and hide it in a bush so it would stop annoying the other patrons. We walked back down the runway, serenaded by the candle, and stashed it in the airplane where happily its battery ran out over night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The next morning dawned to overcast skies again, typical on the coast in this part of the world. We took off, taking advantage of a hole in the clouds to climb up into clear skies. The instruments in the 182 were old and tired, and I didn’t want to trust them in proper IMC conditions! As we continued south, and the day warmed up, the marine layer burned off and the coast came into full view, including the mysterious Buddhist temple that I’d flown past a couple of times before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Climbing out from Shelter Cove<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Over the marine layer<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Airplane-selfie headed for Half Moon Bay<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>The overcast starts to burn off<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nOur route down the coast took us past the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. We had wonderful views of people enjoying themselves along the beaches and Golden Gate Park. Our destination, just south of San Francisco, was the coastal town of Half Moon Bay. We looped around and landed from the south on runway 30, tying down the aircraft on the parking area closest to town.<\/p>\n\n\n
Buddhist temple<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Perfect flying conditions<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Golden Gate Bridge<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/katamarino.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/P1010628.jpg\"){kind=link}