Seattle...the new Antarctica

Practicing our Totem Pole Pose

To celebrate the end of Fall Quarter, Trev and I decided to visit my sister (Heather) and her fiance (Rolf) who recently moved up to the North Pole...I mean Seattle (actually I think there is more sun in the North Pole than Seattle).  :)

My sis & I at Lake Washington

The trip started off by the pilot announcing that we were flying over Mount St. Helens (an active volcano in Washington). It was a huge, snow-capped volcano. There were 2 other very tall snow-capped mountains in the distance. What a site!

Mount St. Helens

The snow-capped mountains should've been a warning about how cold it would be when we stepped off the plane in Seattle. Trev and I each had 4-5 layers on, gloves, and beanies and we were still cold. However, my sister and Rolf walked around in jeans and sweatshirts like it was nothing. I guess we'd have to hangout in Seattle longer to get use to the arctic weather (Santa Barbara was 70 degrees the day we left).

H & Rolf at the Puget Sound

Even though we were only in Seattle for 2.5 days, we explored and had a great time. We visited the Pike Place Market, which was packed with carolers (three groups), Christmas shoppers, and crowds waiting for fish to be thrown at them. We saw Starbucks 1 (the first Starbucks store in the country), posed by a totem pole, and saw the Space Needle.

Seattle Space Needle

We also hiked around Lincoln Park and walked along the beach overlooking the Puget Sound. The hike was beautiful with huge trees. We even survived an entire minute of rain along our hike, then the sky cleared up. Apparently if you have an umbrella in Seattle, you are considered a tourist, so we endured the freezing raindrops on our faces to fit in.

We spent a relaxing Sunday watching football and staying warm indoors and then hopped on a plane Monday so Trev could be back to work Tuesday. Here are more photos from our trip:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/traveltt/sets/72157628405265261/show/