Kate and Jim's 2004 "Glacier Tour" Vacation Virtual Postcards

We named this vacation the "Glacier Tour" because, well, we saw lots of glaciers.  Even more than on our last trip to Florida!

The pix have been seriously compressed, the biggest is about 150KB.  

Seattle

SR 71 spy plane at Boeing Museum south of Seattle

Kate in the cockpit of the above plane

Seattle skyline from the Space Needle (that's Mount Rainier in the background

Jim having an Americano at the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market in Seattle.  Kate's reflection is in the window.

Mount Rainier

  Mount Rainier

  Kate looking for White-tailed Ptarmigan (unsuccessfully) on the Fremont lookout trail at Mount Rainier

From Mount St. Helens to Port Angeles

  Blast zone of Mount St. Helens (you can see what's left of the mountain in the background (an amazing place).

  Rhinoceros Auklet at Port Townsend (one of two lifers at this spot - the other was Pigeon Guillemot)

Victoria, BC 

  Heading to Victoria and Vancouver Island (where we got the Skylark - another lifer!), BC on the ferry

  Butchart Gardens - some yellow stuff

  At the Victoria Butterfly Garden (some sort of bug)

Victoria BC to Lake Louise BC

A shot from the ferry carrying us from Victoria to Vancouver through the Gulf Islands. 

  On the road from Kamloops, BC to Lake Louise.  We stayed overnight in Kamloops.  Gotta love a town named Kamloops.

  A Columbian Ground Squirrel along the road at Roger's Pass along Route 1 (from Kamloops to Lake Louise)

Lake Louise BC

  The classic Lake Louise shot.  You're required by Canadian law to take this picture.

  We hiked the trail along Lake Louise, this is kinda the reverse of the above picture, the hotel we're staying at.

  Another ground squirrel (Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel).  We're getting lots of squirrel pictures on this trip.  Kate even bought a book!

  Finally, a shot of us together after dinner at the hotel.  

Lake Louise to Spokane

  Not much scenery, compared with what was around Lake Louise, but we did find some interesting stuff at a picnic area in BC.  

Spokane to Seattle

  We actually did some birding in a section of the Cascades called Wenas Campground.  Lots of birds were there, but our target birds, Vaux Swift and White-throated Woodpeckers weren't.

  On our way to Seattle, we stopped at Rosyln, where "Northern Exposure" was filmed.  I think I detected a depression in the pavement where I took this picture.  I think this must be the most photographed side of a building in the western hemisphere.  Never let it be said that Jim Frazier was above the standard, cliché shot.

Bellingham and Whidbey Island

  We visited Bellingham researching potential retirement locations - nope.

  However, we did visit Whidbey Island (this is the bridge over Deception Pass) and it has potential.

  And we finished up the trip with a ferry ride back to Seattle.

So when do we go again?