You couldn’t have picked a better time to leave our smoke-filled Central Valley than last week.....and it would be hard to pick a better place to escape the smoke than the Pacific Northwest, where blue skies, open waters, green forests and clean air provided a welcome contrast from fire-filled California.

Kathy and I spent a few days in Seattle visiting daughter Kamie and her boyfriend Casey, and enjoyed every minute of our stay.

Other major cities could learn a lot from Seattle. I believe it is one of the cleanest cities I have ever visited, people are laid back and courteous, their public transportation system is extensive (and well used) and Seattle’s vibrant atmosphere blends the city’s rich heritage with the ultra-modern buildings that seem to be going up everywhere one looks.

While a major metropolitan area, Seattle has its distinct neighborhoods that are a large part of the city’s charm.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Seattle and the Pacific Northwest to anybody looking for a West Coast vacation destination.

Our days included several activities, including a drive into the heavily-wooded Cascade Mountain Range east of Seattle, a late-night visit to West Seattle to enjoy the marvelous Seattle skyline from across Puget Sound, a trip to the Pike Place Market, walks through one of Seattle’s busiest park area with Kamie’s Dalmation Kayla and much more.

Our favorite activity was probably the two-hour cruise of Lake Union and Lake Washington, where the sights included both natural and man-made marvels.

Highlights included a waterfront view of Bill Gates’ home on Lake Washington.....just a nice little hideaway of 66,000 square feet with eight bedrooms, 25 bathrooms, six kitchens and four building levels. Widely regarded as one of the “smartest” houses in the world, technology at the Gates mansion includes visitor lapel pins programmed with their preferences of temperature, lighting, and music....when the guest enters a room, their surroundings adapt to reflect those preferences. The lapel pins also unlock doors for the guests – and prevent access to areas of the home which they are not authorized to enter, according to our tour guide. One would expect to see a multi-million dollar yacht (no shortage of those in the Seattle waterways) moored at the Gates dock, but that’s not the case. Gates’ vessel is no larger or more luxurious than many of those pleasure boats you see being towed behind a pickup truck or motor home to the local reservoir.....that seemed a little out of keeping with the “bigness” of everything else at the place.

Other highlights of the lakes tour included a closeup look at the floating house from the movie “Sleepless in Seattle,” a visit to the city’s famous floating bridges and a waterfront view of the University of Washington....where floating tailgate parties are a tradition at Husky football games.

A close second on our list of favorites was a visit to the locks linking the fresh-water lakes with the salt-water sound. It wasn’t on my list of “must-sees,” but the operation is fascinating, and we also got to view salmon heading upstream to spawn in a fish ladder created to accommodate them (complete with underground viewing area), and loved the adjoining botanical gardens. Definitely a pleasant surprise!

Of course, we also spent time just hanging out, enjoying a barbecue with fresh ingredients from the public market and indulging in the fine Seattle tradition of not one but two happy hours a day (late afternoon and late evening), where the inexpensive appetizers were a meal in themselves.

We didn’t feel too guilty, however, as we more than walked off those extra calories. Between taking Kayla to the park for her walks each morning we did plenty of walking during our stay – and sore calves were a reminder that for every leisurely walk down a hill there’s a long hike back up in the other direction!

Of course, no trip goes without a hitch in today’s world, and our downfall proved to be a bottle of honey.

We were running short on time getting back to the airport, and stood in a slow-moving line to check our bag because we weren’t sure if the honey was too large to meet security regulations for carry-ons. By the time I got to an attendant, he advised me that the bag probably wouldn’t make the airplane, so we took our chances on getting through security with bag in hand.

After what seemed like forever (but probably was a 15-minute wait) it was our turn to go through the screening point and we were posied to make a break for our waiting plane.....when suddenly the security agent watching bags go through the scanner frowned and stopped the belt. He moved my suitcase backward and then forward, trying to get an electronic birds-eye view.....and then turned to me and sternly asked, “Sir, do you have a bottle of honey in your bag?”

We were so busted!

We pitched the honey and took off for the plane, only to arrive at the gate to find a solitary agent behind the counter, nobody in the waiting area and the door to the jetway closed.

That’s not a good feeling. Even though we were eight minutes ahead of our scheduled departure, that plane was going to Sacramento without us.

Fortunately we were able to catch another flight a couple of hours later, so we just relaxed in an airport Starbucks (no shortage of those in Seattle) and recounted the highlights of our visit to pass the time.

Now it’s back to the real world.....but there was plenty more to see and do in Seattle, which means that a return visit might just have to be in the cards!

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