Mel & Trinity

I have had such a wonderful three days in Seattle that it’s with a slightly heavy heart that I leave today. It is amazing that a place and people can find space in your heart so quickly. Thank you Mark for introducing me to your amazing friends!

It’s taken a few days to get used to the 8 hour time difference. Last night I managed to sleep through and woke at 06:30 this morning. I can live with that!

Carol (the homeowner of the AirBnB where I’ve been staying) has had breakfast and a fresh pot of coffee waiting for me when I’ve woken up each morning. That makes me so happy! It’s definitely something I am going to miss. That, and of course Carol and Mimi’s company. Mimi is Carol’s cat (I love cats). Fortunately I will be back in Seattle at the start of September so a visit is already on the cards.

Most of yesterday was dedicated to picking Trinity up from the airport. The trip to the airport itself was a treat. Seattle opened a light rail system between the airport and the city centre in the last few years and it works really well. At $3 for a single fare it is also a steal. I really like the way the light rail and express buses use the same stops. It’s such an efficient use of space. The stations are clean and each one unique in character. They have adopted a type of Oyster card system (we now need to introduce them to contact less payment).

I never used any of the buses but I did managed to make use of the monorail. I also spotted the cycle hire, partly because their use of the words ‘Explore. Dream. Discover’ We clearly think alike! That made me smile.

Trinity flew over on Delta airlines. The cargo warehouse was about a 7 minute walk from the terminal so not an issue to get to. I hadn’t appreciated that I needed to clear customs before picking Trinity up. Fortunately the building was only a 10 minute walk up the same road so it was easy enough to find. I was expecting this large imposing building but instead I found a cabin like structure. That was not what I was expecting. The other thing I wasn’t expecting was to meet Pope, the customs officer who helped me sort out Trinity’s paperwork. He was so sweet. My experience of border patrol and customs officers is that they are always so serious. He was quite the opposite and he loved the idea of my trip around the U.S. on a motorbike. It became a conversation piece.

After Trinity’s customs clearance paperwork had been finalised I headed back to the Delta warehouse. I clearly took the staff at the warehouse by surprise as they’ve never had someone uncrate a motorbike at their front door before. It definitely attracted some attention as people kept popping by to see how I was getting on. I’m really glad they eventually managed to find an electric skew driver because my Leatherman could not cope with removing some of the larger screws I needed to undo to get Trinity off the crate. I’m also very happy that I had some burly blokes to help me get Trinity off the crate. I’m not sure I would have managed that on my own. So thank you to everyone at Delta for getting me on the road!

I have been really pleased at how easy it is to get around Seattle. I had a look at Google Maps when I was filling up with petrol (gas) and I managed to get all the way back to where I have been staying without needing to stop and look at a map again. It helped that I had walked around a lot the last two days so I recognised some street names and landmarks which pointed me in the right direction. A grid system is so easy to navigate in comparison to London’s organic road network. I always get lost in London!

After dropping off my stuff at Carol’s place, I headed to Lake Washington on Trinity to meet up with Kristin (one of Mark’s friends) and her son Finnian. They have a beach like set up where the kids can swim and I can understand the appeal. It was so peaceful with the view of Mt Rainier in the background. I really loved my afternoon relaxing next to the lake and getting to know Kristin and Finnian. It’s been the highlight of my trip so far.

My evening ended speaking to Carol for a few hours, while I was playing with Mimi. It’s been a long time since I’ve had pets around me and I have really enjoyed it. This was my first experience of AirBnB and I am very pleased I made the decision to turn it and stay with Carol. It’s been a wonderful experience. Thank you Carol!

Seattle I will miss you and I look forward to my return.