DAY 288 Monday 23rd JUNE 2008

Kent, Washington (Miles to Date: 29470)

We have moved from the Olympic Peninsula to the city of Kent, just south of Seattle. With only two days before we have to start our journey across the country we decided to buy a City Pass ticket to get us into all the main attractions in Seattle, which then puts us on a mission to see everything.

Our first stop is the Seattle aquarium which is down on the waterfront in a converted wharf building. Not the largest aquarium we have visited but the quality of the exhibits are great. There was the usual touch-tank with sea creatures found in local tide pools such as sea anemones, star fish and sea cucumbers. As usual Jack and Emily leap in there, without hesitation, to touch as many of the inhabitants of the tank as possible. Also in this area is the giant octopus who is very shy on this occasion. Many local fish are on display, including the poisonous Lion Fish. The best exhibit as far as we were concerned was the very cute sea otters, three of whom were serenely swimming on their backs in their pool.

From the aquarium it is a short walk to the jetty where the tour boats leave for a 1 hour trip along the water front of Seattle and the dock area. Seattle has a compact downtown area with some interesting buildings, and the backdrop of the Cascade Mountains makes the scene all the more dramatic. Luckily the day is clear and we can see the ever impressive 14,000 glacier capped peak of Mount Rainier 60 miles in the distance. Heading north along the water front we reach Seattle’s best known landmark, the Space Needle. This highly distinctive tower was designed by Edward E Carlson for the 1962 World Fair in Seattle. Tomorrow our plan is to take a ride to the top!