First things first: we started the day with the best coffee of the trip, so far. Coffee Girl, part of the Pier 39 complex, made us perfect lattes and very good quiche. While we were there, a coast guard ship docked and three guardsmen came in and got coffee, then back in their boat. The views were charming and the local history was prominent. There were a ton of unused pilings in the harbor where structures used to sit; other piers were fenced off due to ‘structural issues’. So it was very cool to see that the town had found a way to keep this pier going strong.
Then it rained. It was probably only 500 yards to the car, but at yard 100 the downpour began. Rain was flying horizontally at us, and we were fully saturated long before we even reached the car. Museum plans were scrapped and the car’s heater was turned on high. We dried off instead as we crossed the Astoria-Megler Bridge, a very long and spindly bridge indeed.
Maggie suggested a hike to us, and hikers we are so we made that the new plan. Quinault Rain Forest was the destination; our first rainforest experiences. It was beautiful, moist, and all kinds of green. Trees were growing out of trees and moss covered every surface. There was a bog! And a lodge! And a number of lake houses which absorbed our envious looks with indifference.
Our rental in Alki is a cute little detached garage that was flipped expressly for use as an AirBnB — a good choice because it has some obvious problems that would only be a problem if you lived here a while. It’s well appointed, clean, and comfortable, and will make an excellent home base for the next four days. It is right in the middle of the Alki Beach peninsula, which means if you look in either direction you see water at the end of our street. We took a short walking tour to close the night before sleeping hard in a soft bed.
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