Trailer Inns RV Park - Bellevue / Seattle, WA

Instead of driving from Canada all the way back home in one day, we planned our trip with a stop outside of Seattle. Our destination was Trailer Inns RV Park located in Bellevue, off of I-90, just eleven easy miles from the Seattle waterfront.

No strips of grass between sites here.  All asphalt.

We were in site #18R, 3D-PT, 3R, which is what a motorhome and a tow take up.

One of our objectives for the Seattle stopover was to visit Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum. Despite Sean attending the University of Washington for four years, we never got to the park.

Gate near the Arboretum Foundation offices.

A beautiful piece of art.

Azalea Way

The park is a great place to walk.

The structure of some of the trees was gorgeous.

47° 37' 53.94" N  122° 17" 43.36" W

A common sight in the park.

Some of tallest Rhododendrons I've ever seen.

Laura and I are Japanese garden fans. So much so that one of our many gardens in our yard is modeled after a Japanese garden. While we'd already done a lot of walking, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit this special place in the arboretum.

Well worth the visit.

A lot of walking today

Seeing this young Japanese maple in a location where a larger more mature version would look great reminded me of our own yard. Our Vancouver home is the first place we've ever lived long enough to see the yard change are things grew in. Over the years we've lost wonderful trees and shrubs, and have come to understand that it is part of the process. Our home's Japanese garden sits atop a reclaimed piece of the yard that used to be a holding spot for landscape materials. Our west side yard used to be the hottest, and now it's among the coolest on our property. Our yard is in a constant state of renewal, just like the Japanese Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum.

Interest use of ground cover to create a sea.

One of many beautiful Japanese maples.

We really enjoyed the statues

A nice dry stream bed

Love the bridge

The pond has Koi and turtles

Reverse angle of the pond

Nice use of stepping stones to create a natural look.

Seattle Yacht Club

Founded in 1892, Seattle Yacht Club is situated on Portage Bay. We had visited before, typically when attending the Seattle Boat Show, but this was our first in the summer. The parking lot was full because the club was hosting a wedding, but the guard at the entrance found us a spot once he knew we were there for dinner.

The back of the club slopes down to the water, so the clubhouse has another story under the main level.

Beautiful grounds

Custom carpet in the lobby

Lobby

Stairs up to the restaurant and more rooms, down to meeting rooms.

Lighthouse inspired tower.

One of the restaurants in the club.

Outdoor dining available, but we ate inside with the A/C.

Part of the club's marina

Wedding Party

Seattle Waterfront Park

Laura and I visited Waterfront Park in 1986 as part of our honeymoon. We were staying at the chambered Nautilus B&B at 5005 22nd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105. Totally awesome for Laura and me was the opportunity to stay there years later with Sean as we were considering the University of Washington as a college for Sean after high school. From that honeymoon, and all the subsequent visits, Seattle, and its waterfront holds a special place in our hearts.

Part of the art spread about the park.

Standing near the Seattle Great Wheel

Looking at Pier 56 to the right

Pier 56.  We believe this Starbucks was once a wood sign carving business back in 1986 when we had a sign carved for us.

The Seattle Great Wheel

Two Washington State Ferries meet

Approaching the Seattle terminal

End of a wonderful reliving old memories and making new ones.

The sun sets on our three week RV trip.  

Our first big trip in the motorhome had been a success. On the road for three weeks (one week in Anacortes, and nearly two weeks in Vancouver, BC) had us yearning for more. Aside from the difficulty of trying to work in Canada, there had been other issues. One week into the trip the Inverter stopped sensing the incoming AC and thus it would not recharge the batteries. The solution was a visit to Walmart in Vancouver, BC to purchase a marine battery charger. Another issue was the refrigerator which is supposed to have a drip tray for the cooling fins, but one had not come with our unit. As a result, we had to stay on top of the paper towels we put in the bottom of the refrigerator to absorb the water.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much