Alaska Airlines vs. Delta: Game on

 

Alaska Airlines purchased Hawaiian Airlines in September

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is hoping its loyal base of Northwest customers will no longer have to look to competing airlines when booking international travel.

"This is our city to serve," said CCO Andrew Harrison, laying down the gauntlet primarily to Delta Airlines which flies 25 percent of international passengers out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport compared to Alaska's 16 percent.

Alaska, which flies 57 percent of Seattle's domestic passengers, uses partner airlines for international connections. Now with a fleet of wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliners acquired through its purchase of Hawaiian Airlines last September, it has been one-upping the much-larger Delta with a series of announcements aimed at including flights to 12 international cities by 2030. 

 Alaska will be flying non-stop between Seattle and London Heathrow; Rome; and Reykjavik, Iceland (seasonal flights aboard the 737-8 MAX) starting in the spring of 2026. It began non-stops to Tokyo-Narita in May, and will add non-stops for Seoul (using the Airbus A330-200) in September. 

Delta, which flies non-stop to Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Shanghai, London, Amsterdam and Paris from Seattle, relies on partners KLM and Air France for onward connections in Europe. It answered Alaska's moves by announcing plans of its own for a new non-stops to Rome and Barcelona next May, cutting out the need to connect through Paris or Amsterdam.

What will all of this mean for passengers? Hopefully some price competition. Alaska will now be competing with its current partner, Iceland Air, on flights to Reykjavik;  British Air on flights to London; and Japan Airlines on flights to Tokyo. 

Delta customers, unhappy with its requirements for elite status, could decide to switch their elite status to Alaska, given a wider selection of international options that can be booked directly with the airline. Delta requires a minimum yearly spend of $5,000 to maintain Silver Elite status while Alaska's requirements for MVP Gold center on the number of miles or segments flown, bars easier to reach with the addition of longer, international routes.

Flight amenities and comfort will depend on the specific route. Delta has the superior in-flight seat-back entertainment system while Alaska passengers must stream movies and TV shows on their own devices. Delta seems to have lowered the quality of its food service on international flights in recent years, so it will be interesting to see if Alaska can do better.

Alaska‘s newest lounge at Sea-Tac Airport

Both airlines have high-end lounges in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a busy airport getting busier with the number of new international routes being added by Alaska, Delta another airlines. 

To play in the big leagues, Alaska will have to up its game when it comes to the level of customer service and staffing that international flights require. Sea-Tac customers often complain of long waits to reach someone on the phone or long lines at its airport service desks when problems occur. 

Had a data center hardware failure that caused a three-hour, system-wide ground stop here recently occurred on a flight originating in Europe, customers would have been entitled to major cash compensation under European laws.

EC Regulation 261 grants passengers the right to seek compensation when they have experienced delays (two to four hours or more), cancelled, or overbooked flights, with few exceptions. Those include weather, strikes, security risks etc. but not technical problems.

All carriers, including U.S.-based airlines, are subject to the rules when flying inside or out of the EU. 

 

Travelers looking for value, new experiences should pivot to Asia

 

Taipei  night market

Remember when the phrase "Pivot to Asia" stood for a U.S. foreign policy strategy of shifting our focus away from Europe and the Middle East?

Politically that never happened. Instead, we became involved in a war in Europe and two wars in the Middle East. But with overcrowding and anti-tourism sentiment rising in some parts of Europe. and the euro rising in value against the dollar, adapting the "pivot to Asia" concept to travel makes sense

Experienced travelers know that nearly every Asian country offers great value, safe travel and unique experiences, but for whatever reason- most likely perceived language and cultural unfamiliarity - Americans are more apt to focus on Europe, Mexico or the Caribbean.

Maybe it's time for a change.

While attending a celebration in Seattle recently for the opening of the Taiwan Tourism Administration's first  U.S. information center, I was reminded of the delightful week my husband and I spent a few years ago in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, the independent island off the coast of mainland China. 

Unused to seeing many Western visitors, people gave us the thumbs up sign on the subway, offered us extra free samples at the markets, chased us down the street asking if we need directions, and always asked where we are from and how long we plan to stay.

This amazing city is popular with other Asians, but Taiwan remains off-the-radar for most Americans - the reason for the recent West Coast tourism push.

Four airlines now fly non-stop between Seattle and Taipei. There are also non-stops to Tokyo, Singapore, Mainland China, Manilla and Seoul and South Korea, with connections onto Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and other Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

Why go? Competitive airfares, Inexpensive hotels and transportation; great food and friendly people are a few reasons. 

Dishing out a lemon jelly drink 

In Taipei, we spent the week walking an average 8 miles a day while eating our way through the night markets, exploring tea plantations, dipping our toes in thermal hot springs and just soaking up life in a high-energy city where street vendors dishing out 30-cent dumplings do business next door to New York and Tokyo-style shopping malls. The suburb of Beitou, a town known for its thermal hot springs, is just 20 minutes out on Taipei's efficient metro. 

If safety is one of your concerns, add that to the list of reasons to visit Asia. Syndicated travel consumer columnist Christopher Elliott loves to yammer about "travel fears," mainly it seems to generate a good headline or scary cartoon. Not that anyone should feel over-confident about not being pick-pocketed, ripped-off or harassed, but the chances of having to worry about these things is minimal compared to big cities in Europe. 

Steam rises from Beitou's thermal valley 

Last year, we visited Cambodia and Hanoi for the second time. This  year we are planning a return trip to Japan. Our first was more than 20 years ago. Given the 9-hour flight from Seattle is no longer than it takes us to get to Amsterdam or Paris, why not return? 

Japan is one of the few countries where the value of the dollar remains strong (Canada is another), meaning that what was once an expensive country for Americans now represents good value.

I rented a full apartment in Tokyo on Airbnb for about $140 a night, booked a $115-a-night hotel in Nagano that includes breakfast and free ice cream 24-7, and am now sorting through offers from free volunteer guide services to meet locals and see what's new.

I'll use klook.com, an easy-to-use booking site, to find time tables and book tickets for bullet trains online. ChatGPT helped me research the many coffee shops that offer breakfast in the morning (called "morning sets") for the price of coffee in the afternoon.

The two Western-style hotels I booked outside of Tokyo required no credit card deposit or advance payments. Neither did the ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) I booked in the charming Kiso Valley, an ancient trade route mapped during the Edo Period (1603-1868) when Samuri soldiers walked from Tokyo to Kyoto.  Accommodations there are often booked a year ahead, but the family-owned Echigoya-Ryokan in old post town of Narai simply took my name and dates, and asked that I let them know if plans change. 

English is not as widely spoken in Japan as in some other Asian countries, but learning to pronounce key words and phrases is easy. This is because Japanese words are pronounced exactly the way they look, with no accents on any syllables. Language apps can help.

While Europeans protest over-tourism due to suffocating crowds ruining their cities and Airbnbs driving up rents,  Asian countries are hungry for more American visitors.

Taiwan's new Seattle headquarters will serve as a central resource for travelers, media, and tourism professionals throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond — including cities such as Portland, Salt Lake City, and Denver. 

While American companies are pulling their support for DEI initiatives and PRIDE events, Taiwan (the first country in Asia to leagalize same-sex marriage) plans to be a sponsor of Seattle's PRIDE parade in 2026.

And while U.S. airlines oppose new rules making it easier for those with special needs to travel with wheelchairs, Taiwan has taken steps to welcome older adults and travelers with mobility needs.

Taiwan and other Asian countries are clearly pivoting to the U.S. It's time for us to return the favor.

Chinatown-International District food tours create tasty cultural connections

 

Harry Chan, a third-generation owner of Tai Tung, welcomes guests at the counter

Seattle's Wing Luke Museum in the city's Chinatown-International District is where visitors gather to learn about the culture, art and history of Asian Pacific Americans.

There's a gallery devoted to Hong Kong martial artist and actor Bruce Lee; exhibits on how immigrant communities celebrate the New Year; and historic photos tracing the journey of the first Chinese settlers to Seattle in the 1860s.

On select Friday afternoons, however, the buzz revolves around food when the museum hosts its Tastes of Chinatown-International District food tours.

"The tours are just kind of an extension of the story telling we do," says Wing Luke staffer and tour guide Doan Dy. "People may not be familiar with the museum, but everyone likes food."

Started in 1985 as a way to draw people back into the neighborhood after a mass shooting at the Wah Mee gambling club, the tours were suspended during the Covid pandemic. Now they have resumed year-round as Wing Luke strives to help family-operated restaurants recover and combat anti-Asian sentiment.

 "While some restaurants we loved have closed, there is still a lot to love," says Dy. "We want to bring you into our neighborhood to taste, enjoy and find community while sharing our favorite dishes together."

Some, such as Tai Tung, the oldest restaurant in the area, opened in 1935, serve classic Chinese-American fare, a throwback to a time when it made sense to combined traditional Chinese recipes with inexpensive ingredients available in the U.S. Others innovate with dishes such as vegan pizza.

"The food that comes out of these spaces reflects the history of the times," says Dy.

Every tour is different as organizers alternate restaurants and dishes according to the season. Groups of 25 are divided into three as they embark on two-hour walks covering a distance of under a mile.

Pandan at the Wing Luke

A recent stroll started out in the museum's theater with savory appetizers called Pandan, a waffle-like treat made with leaves from a tropical plant, coconut and black sesame by Phin Vietnamese Coffee & Etc.

Around the Lazy Susan at Tai Tung

The walk continued along King Street, past buildings that used to be boarding houses for Chinese laborers. At Tai Tung, a favorite Bruce Lee hangout when he lived in Seattle,  Harry Chan, a third-generation owner, greeted us from behind the counter. Soon we were gathered around a Lazy Susan where we munched on fried chicken, garlic pea vines, tea and fortune cookies.

Cucumber and wood ear mushrooms at Jufeng Noodle House

 

The next stop was Jufeng Noodle House, a modest hole-in-the-wall Cantonese restaurant Dy says people could easily miss, or mistake for not being open. Served family-style at a long table decorated with red paper lanterns were bowls of cucumber and wood ear mushrooms and Singapore-style fried rice noodles seasoned with tumeric and curry.

Doan Dy of Wing Luke serves up tofu and noodles at Phnom Penh Noodle House

At the Phnom Penh Noodle House, a Cambodian restaurant that traces its origin to a mobile food cart on the streets of Battambang, we sampled noodles with ground shrimp, roasted peanuts, salted radish, tofu and pickled cucumber and Mee Katang (wide rice noodles) with chicken or tofu.

The tour ended back at the museum where dessert awaiting - Ube (purple yam) cookies from  Filipino Hood Famous Cafe & Bar. 

 Wing Luke staffers are constantly testing out new places to add to the tours, says Dy.

 "Our aim is to introduce you to a lot of the places that we enjoy. "Besides being businesses in the community, they are all our friends." 

 If you go:

Tours are held on Fridays from 4 p.m.-6:30. Vegetarian options are available. See link for reservations and upcoming dates. Cost is $55.95 per person. Children under 5 are free.

Slow down and discover what there is to do and see on the road to Mt. Hood

 

Mt. Hood as seen from the Draper Girls farm in Parkdale, Oregon

Bike high above the Columbia River through tunnels blasted through basalt by road builders in the 1920s.

Sip cider made from locally-grown apples and pears while salsa dancing on outdoor patio.

Spend the night in a doll-sized tiny house in the woods, followed by sushi and saki in a vintage school bus.

Seattleites traveling to Mt. Hood - Oregon's tallest mountain and a year-round outdoors destination - might be tempted to make a beeline to the ski areas, hiking trails and iconic 85-year-old Timberline Lodge. The drive, after all, takes a minimum of 3.5 hours, and that's if you take the shortest route directly through Portland. 

With some extra time to spare, my husband and I decided on a slower pace for our first post-Pandemic trip south. By bookending our trip with stops between Hood River on one end and the small-town villages of Welches and Sandy on the other, the journey to and from the snow-covered mountain became part of the adventure. 

Views from Mosier biking/hiking trail above the Columbia River

Heading south on Interstate 5 towards Portland, we  first detoured east for a bike ride above the Columbia River near the town of Mosier, then used the car to explore orchards, cideries and farm stands in the lush fruit-growing area in the Hood River Valley.

From there, it was a 40-mile drive to Timberline Lodge, a destination worth several days, but also easily enjoyed in just a couple of hours. Snow fell as we warmed up with bowls of roasted cauliflower soup before heading down along Highway 26, a byway that for decades has connected travelers to campgrounds, roadhouses and old-school resorts.

Here were a few of our favorite stops.

The Mosier Twin Tunnels 

Hikers catch the view from a window inside one of the Mosier twin tunnels

Walk or bike through the Mosier Twin Tunnels, built for the original Columbia River Highway (replaced by I-84), now part of a car-free section of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.

The views of the Columbia are spectacular along a wide, paved trail which runs 4.5 miles between the towns of Mosier and Hood River. Give yourself plenty of time. Although short in distance, elevation gains and high winds make it a longer ride than expected.

Builders dynamited through solid basalt to create the tunnels when this section of the Columbia River Highway was built in 1921. With the completion of the new highway in 1954, the tunnels became obsolete, and were filled with rock rubble. They were reopened in 2000 with help from local benefactors who wanted to ensure the highway would remain car free.  

Start your hike or ride at the Mark O. Hatfield West Trailhead, and finish with a stop at Randonnee CQ Coffee https://www.mainstreetmosier.com/randonnee  CQ in Mosier, or a tasting at several wineries nearby.

Cider stops

Since a change in the state law in 2017, small orchards have been allowed to operate tasting rooms with alcoholic ciders made from fermented apples, pears and other fruit.

In summer, drive the Fruit Loop, a 35-mile scenic drive through Hood River Valley farmlands, wineries, you-pick orchards, cideries  and lavender farms.

Salsa dancing at Cider Crush Cafe

Off-season, the family-run Cider Crush Cafe  is a one-stop venue for sampling a variety of locally-produced European-style alcoholic ciders.

Choose from 17 ciders on tap while dining on flatbread pizzas, chili and cornbread in an outdoor cider garden. My favorites were the Nellie 2022, made with winter Nellis pears from Hood River, and the Kingston Black made with local British cider apples. 

A local salsa dancing club offers free lessons at 6:30 p.m. with open dancing at 7 p.m.

Heading away from town to Mt. Hood along Highway 35, the Draper Girls Country Farm  is a must-stop for canned cherries, peaches, jams and ciders, all produced on the farm Theresa Draper inherited from her parents, and now runs with her partner and three daughters.

Theresa Draper

Country music welcomes visitors into an old-time general store leading to a flower garden and goat pasture with a view of Mount Hood from the patio.

"Why let anyone walk out the door without buying anything," was Draper's thinking when her daughters encouraged her to start selling hard ciders a few years ago from her farm-grown fruit.

Flavors include quince, made their own quince, and cherry pie, made with seven varieties of cherries.

Mt. Hood Tiny House Village

With summer rates ranging from $255 to $455 per night, the Timberline Lodge isn't in everyone's budget. Fourteen miles east along Highway 26 in the town of Welches is Mt. Hood Village, an eclectic collection of forested cabins, cottages, yurts, and for anyone who wants to try out what downsizing might feel like, tiny homes.

Glamping under cover at Mt. Hood Tiny House Village

Built by a company called Tumbleweed, the miniature houses, all on wheels and with names such as Zoe, Scarlet and Lincoln, surround a well-kept courtyard with chairs and a fire fit. 

Small enough to fit in a driveway, the colorfully-painted houses  range in size from 175 to 260 square feet. All come fully furnished and have a full bath, kitchen, heat and AC. Rates start at $139 per night. With sleeping space in a loft, the largest can accommodate up to five. 

Koya Kitchen

Red paper lanterns and strings of colored lights flashing from the highway draw curious travelers to the Koya Kitchen, an Asian-inspired restaurant, saki bar and gift shop.

Koya Kitchen's outdoor living room 

Describing herself as a "white lady making Asian food," owner Jolynne Milone lived in Japan and India before remodeling a "haunted shed" into a restaurant, taking inspiration from historic log-cabin roadhouses that offered travelers with food, music and fun.

Koya means shanty or shack in Japanese, a place to rest and relax. 

"Seven years ago, I didn't think the mountain was ready for sushi, but it became my No. 1 seller," she says.

Milone and her staff prepare the sushi, poke bowls and Indian curries in a food truck out back, Customers eat inside the cabin under a ceiling filled with hanging plants; outside in outdoor living room decorated with heaters and curtains; or inside a vintage church bus with a psychedelic ceiling.

School bus dining

"It rolled it up, and I said myself, 'is anyone gong to want to sit in a bus? Turns out they do, especially kids who like to open and close the door.' "

Splurge option

If you're up for a splurge on the way to or from Mount Hood, consider an overnight stay at Sakura Ridge Farm & Lodge in Hood River.

Reminiscent of an Italian agriturismo - a farm that also provides accommodations to visitors - the five-room inn provides a luxury stay on a 22-acre working farm, surrounded by 4,000 pear and apple trees, gardens and berry patches. Sheep roam the hillsides, and resident chickens lay fresh eggs.

Log-cabin style balconies overlook Mount Hood

Operated for years as a modest log cabin-style B&B, the property took on new life when the owners of Vashon Island-based Nashi Orchards began looking for property in Oregon to expand their apple and perry (pear) cider business.

In 2005, Jim Gerlach and Cheryl Lubbert bought a home on the island designed in the tradition of a 17th century Japanese country estate. It happened to come with a declining 300-tree Asian pear orchard. Neither had an agricultural background, but they set about renovating the orchards. Jim started fermenting the fruit. People loved his Asian perry, and Nashi Orchards was born.  

This time around, while looking for property in Oregon, they acquired an orchard that just happened to come with a lodge. 

Carrying out their love for Japanese design, they embarked on renovations, incorporating stone soaking tubs, fire places, cork floors, private balconies and long log-style porches with views of Mount Hood.

Breakfast is served

A private chef takes orders in advance from guests to produce breakfast from organic ingredients grown or raised on the farm or from a local co-op. Appearing on the dining table might be buttermilk biscuits with homemade blackberry jam, chia seed pudding or Persian-inspired herbed frittatas.

Biscuits and homemade jam

Overnight guests can arrange for private dinners at $150 per person. The inn is open April through October. Rates range from $425 to $650 per night. 

If you go:

Tourism information at Travel Oregon 

Click here for Old Columbia River Highway State Trail info.There are parking lots and pay stations at both ends of the Mosier Twin Tunnels trail.

Click here for maps and listings for the 35-mile Hood River Fruit Loop scenic drive. 

Explore beyond Seattle on a fast, walk-on ferry from the city's waterfront

 

A fast, walk-on ferry travels between Seattle and the waterside suburb of Kingston

Visitors aboard the fast ferry between the Seattle waterfront and the Puget Sound suburb Kingston often ask deck hand Coco Murphy for tips on what to do or see on a day trip from the Emerald City.

Once the boat begins its 40-minute scoot across the Puget Sound, she usually has time for questions. Chances are there will be only a dozen or so on board, compared to 150-200 riding in the opposite direction.

Kitsap Transit launched the walk-on fast ferry in late 2018 as a commuter service for Kingston-area residents, but nearly six years later, few still take advantage of the “reverse commute” — sailing from Seattle to Kingston in the morning and back to Seattle in the late afternoon or evening.

"It's a nice opportunity for people in Seattle to check out Kingston," says Murphy. The fast ferry eliminates the hassle of driving 17 miles north to the suburb of Edmonds and a  30-minute ride on a Washington State car ferry.

Sailings through April were weekdays only. Now with Saturday service running through September, more Seattleites will no doubt discover the delights of a day trip on a sunny day.  

With views of Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, the cruise is a budget-friendly way (fares are $10 westbound, departing from Seattle, and $2 eastbound, departing from Kingston) to explore a walkable waterside town where small business owners are trying out new ideas post-pandemic. 

Best advice: Go Thursday-Saturday when most businesses are open. Catch an early ferry, and be mindful of return times if you want to stay for happy hour or dinner.

Bakeries and books

It's hard to resist not stopping for a bag of miniature donuts made fresh in the morning, and sold through a window at Aviator Coffee next to the ferry terminal. 

Hot donuts to go at Aviator Coffee

Everything to do and see in Kingston is within a short walk of the dock, so grab a few donuts and a coffee to go while walking north on State Highway 104 towards a cluster of sit-down cafes and restaurants.

If breakfast or lunch is on the agenda, find a small strip mall housing two bookstores, a hardware store and the Borrowed Kitchen Bakery Owners Lacey and Kory Anders first started selling baked goods in the Poulsbo Farmers Market in 2010. Now they work out of a full kitchen where diners can smell the bread baking. Settle in at a window table with a savory croissant or lemon blueberry scone.

Next door is Saltwater Bookshop, one of a few new businesses that opened post-pandemic.

Saltwater Bookshop

Owner Madison Duckworth partnered with baker Lacey Anders to open the shop last year after selling cookbooks in the Borrowed Kitchen. 

Nestled among shelves stocked with titles by Northwest authors, cookbooks and a large selection of children's books are stuffed chairs for browsing or book club gatherings. 

All the titles are new, part of an agreement with the landlord to leave used books to the Kingston Bookery a few doors down where shelves bend under the weight of hundreds of titles the owner takes in trade for credit.  

Shop houses

Colorfully painted, restored historic homes house shops dedicated to gourmet chocolates, pottery, jewelry, houseplants and vintage treasurers.

Havencraft

Horticulturist and jewelry artist Anja McElvaney works with her partner Matthew Schaffer,  a woodworker, inside a century-old craftsman-style house where they opened Havencraft last October. House plants spill out onto the front porch while inside rooms are filled with handmade soaps, local pottery and earrings made from poppy pods painted and grown by McElvaney. 

A few doors down, in an aqua blue cottage built in the 1930s,  Methia Gordon runs Sweet Life Cakery.

Sweet Life Bakery

Inspired by “Chocolat,” a romantic comedy-drama about a woman who opens an unusual chocolate shop in a small French town, Gordon invites visitors to sit on her sunny enclosed porch to sip tea and sample a confection called "Sweet Bliss," two layers of chocolate cake filled with whipped cream enrobed in a chocolate glaze.

Hikes and a beachside stroll

Take a beach walk along Saltair Park near the ferry dock when the tide is out, or hike up the hill on Ohio Avenue to A Quiet Place Park, nine acres of walking trails through second-growth forests, named and donated to Kitsap County by Naomi M. Libby Elvins in 1993.

Keep an eye out around town for Kingston’s “Big Chairs,” giant Adirondack-style seats painted in bright colors. A local businessman came up with the concept to promote Kingston as a place to relax.

Kiwanis Park

The Port of Kingston's Mike Wallace Park at the marina and the port's Kiwanis Park near the ferry dock offer walking paths, benches and a shaded gazebo for picnicking.

Put together a sunset meal from a clutch of pandemic survivor walk-ups offering take-out from around the world.  

Saucy Sailor

Daphne White greets customers from a sidewalk window at the Saucy Sailor, opened last May. She arrives in the early morning to prepare British comfort food, such as bangers and mash and cottage pie, in a 230-square-foot kitchen. 

Next door is J’aime les Crepes www.jaimelescrepes.com with sidewalk tables for enjoying sweet or savory French-style crepes. Around the corner, Argensol Kitchen  bakes traditional Argentine empanadas filled with creamed corn, butternut squash and spinach and cheese.

The last weekday departure to Seattle is at 5:55 p.m. Saturday departures are at 7:05 p.m., 8:45 p.m. and 10:25 p.m., making it easier for visitors to stick around for happy hour at friendly Downpour Brewing or wine, cheese and live jazz at the cozy Cellar Cat 

If you go

Ferries leave from Seattle’s Pier 50. Crossing time is 40 minutes. 

What to expect on a day trip to Des Moines aboard the Chilkat Express

 

The Chilkat Express pulls into the Des Moines marina

Passengers boarding the new walk-on ferry to Des Moines at Seattle's Bell Harbor Marina could practically touch the massive Norwegian Spirit cruise liner ready to leave port.

But while its 2,000 passengers were bound for Alaska, a dozen of us were day-tripping to Des Moines, a suburb known more for jets flying overhead on their approach to Sea-Tac Airport than its tourism attractions.

The Chilkat Express, a 62-seat catamaran, equipped with a hydrofoil, joins other fast walk-on ferries zipping across the Puget Sound between Seattle and communities such as West Seattle; and Kingston, Bremerton and Southworth in Kitsap County. 

Those runs are aimed at commuters, but for now at least, the focus of the two-month, city-sponsored Des Moines pilot project, is on providing suburban residents a quick and pleasant trip into the city that doesn't involve fighting traffic.

The bonus for Seattleites is a cheap, 40-minute cruise ($10 each way for adults; $5 for seniors) across the Sound in a comfortable boat with upholstered seats and picture windows run by local tour operator Puget Sound Express.

The Wednesday-Sunday trips are scheduled to run through October 9, but city officials seem  optimistic about the possibility of the service continuing.

“Everything is about revitalizing the downtown and marina," City Manager Michael Matthias told The Seattle Times recently. "The ferry fits in perfectly with that.”

Boarding with bikes at the Bell Harbor Marina in Seattle 

Exploring with bikes

Catching the the first boat leaving Seattle at 11 a.m. and the last one back at 4 p.m. gave my husband and I about four hours to explore.

With electric power-assisted bikes loaded onboard, we joined the few others going south despite almost a full load of passengers disembarking in Seattle.

We've traveled to and from Sea-Tac Airport hundreds of times, but always on surface roads, never before on a route water route skirting familiar landmarks such as the lighthouse at Alki Point and Three Tree Point, a triangle-shaped spit jutting into the east Sound in Burien.

The Chilkat Express is enclosed but passenger can stand on the back deck for pictures

Zipping along at a brisk 32 knots (40 mph), the Chilkat Express reached Des Moines around 11:40. Maneuvering around construction at the marina (A $15 million renovation of the north sea wall calls for a set of steps, modeled after Seattle’s Harbor Steps, to link downtown and the harbor), we pedaled past picnickers and beachcombers enjoying low tide at Des Moines Beach Park. Picking up the paved Des Moines Creek biking and walking trail, we wended 

Low tide at Des Moines Beach Park

through shaded lowland forest. Jets flying overheard were the only clue we were just a few miles from the airport and the Angle Lake light rail station.

The trail is just four miles out and back, so with time to spare, we next detoured a few miles out of town to the city of Normandy Park and the wooded Marine View Park Valley Loop Trail, a mile-long trail popular with birders and hikers. Parking the bikes, we walked the trail, taking in views of the Sound and beaches below.

Doubling back to Des Moines, we relaxed at Anchor Espresso & Lounge with cozy seating and a large selection of fruit smoothies. A recent Seattle Times story on places to eat in Des Moines recommended Sweet D’Licias, a Mexican ice cream shop serving a drink called a mangoneada that combines pureed mango with the  spicy, sour tang of chamoy and Tajin.

Chilling at the Quarterdeck pub

Looking for a spot at the marina for a late lunch before the 4 p.m. ferry, we snagged seats on the patio of the Quarterdeck pub, and settled in with glasses of Jellyfish Porter and grilled tuna sandwiches. The menu is simple, but the beer and wine- by- the glass selection is large due to a loyal boating clientele.

With just ten of us onboard, the trip back felt like a private cruise. Greeting us at the dock in Seattle was a long line of passengers headed home to Des Moines. 

If you go:

The Des Moines to Seattle foot ferry makes four round-trips per day, Wednesday-Sunday, departing Des Moines at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and leaving Seattle at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

One-way fares are $10 for adults; $5 for seniors and military. Children under 13 ride free. Bikes are $2 extra, with a boat capacity of four.  

Five stops worth a detour on a drive to Washington's Mount Rainier in winter

 

The taproom at Mill Haus Cider in Eatonville

Enjoy a soak in a Ukrainian-style, wood-fired hot tub, then feast on a steaming bowl of borscht or a platter of sour cherry dumplings.

Wander through a gallery where the work of Northwest artists fills a cheerful space where the state used to park snow plows.

Explore an outdoor sculpture park strewn with whimsical pieces fashioned from scrap iron. Then stop to learn a bit about Western native tribal traditions before ending the day with a glass of chilled cider and a platter of smoked chicken sliders. 

All this and more can be sampled along the road to Mount Rainier National Park in winter, a time when campgrounds and roads clogged with tourists give way to a hardy few who come to enjoy the snow.

No matter what time of year, the drive from Seattle (about two hours) is part of the reason for making the trip. The little rural towns of Eatonville, Elbe and Ashford are filled with quirky mom-and-pop businesses. Some close or have reduced hours in winter, so it's always best to double-check hours.

Here are five worth a detour:

Dan and Jay's Field of Dreams

No matter what your route from Seattle, you'll end up approaching the Nisqually park entrance (the only one open in winter) from the town of Elbe at the junction of Washington State Routes 7 and 706 - the Mountain Highway.

Three miles east of the Hobo Inn, with lodging in recycled caboose cars, is the Recycled Spirts of Iron & Driftwood sculpture park open year-round to the public.

Jay Bechtold and his motorcycle made from scrap metal

For many years, artist and former Seattle mechanic Dan Klennert, 71, invited visitors to wander through his property filled with life-size horses, locomotives, dinosaurs and other figures fashioned from scrap iron, car parts and found objects.

With his move to Arizona in the colder months, son-in-law Jay Bechtold, 50, took over, and began work on new projects, as well as continuing to collaborate with Klennert when he's in town.

"I see anything with rust on it, and get excited," Bechtold said, leading a visitor through their "Field of Dreams," bins and bins overflowing with metal parts including 10,000 horseshoes. Donations often appear in his driveway unannounced.

"We start with picking out one piece of metal, and build the whole project around that one piece," he said. The centerpiece of a 14-foot-long motorcycle was a Chevy hub cap to which he added logger chains, a wheel from a steam tractor and some upside down metal buckets.

his spring's project will be a 40-foot-tall Sasquatch. 

Recycled Spirits of Iron & Driftwood,  22410 Washington 706. Open daily. 

Mountain art and history

Six miles east of Recycled Spirits is the Ashford Creek Gallery where owners Jana Gardiner   and Rick Johnson turned a former state storage shed for snowplows into a shop, museum and bookstore dedicated to the work of Northwest artists, photographers and authors.

"Everything here is about Mount Rainier," said Johnson, a photographer and former park ranger. Using glazes made of silt from the Nisqually River, he finishes the pots and dinnerware that Gardiner hand-throws and decorates with designs of flowers that grow wild on the mountain.

Rick Johnson glazes a pot at Ashford Creek Gallery

Contemporary works for for sale include postcards made from his color photographs of Mount Rainier scenes, and the work of  other local artists who craft pottery, glass ware, woodcarvings and weavings. 

Scattered throughout the gallery is a trove of historical information about the park. Near the entrance is a glass case displaying Johnson's collection of post cards, some depicting scenes from 100 years ago (The park was established in 1899). Next to it is a display dedicated to Dee Molenaar, CQ an artist, park ranger, mountain guide and author of "The Challenge of Rainier" considered the definitive work on the mountain's climbing history.

Upstairs is a small museum displaying the work of well-known Washington State artists including a section dedicated to the art and stories of local Japanese-Americans interned during World War II.

Ashford Creek Gallery  Winter hours: Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Other days by chance or by appointment. 

Detour to Ukraine

Anyone who visited Mount Rainier in the 1970s and 80s might remember Moore Family Mountain Crafts, a sprawling compound, five miles from the park entrance where you could see people making pottery, painting and sculpting. 

Fast-forward a few decades to find a Ukrainian restaurant and bakery on the site, along with a traditional Ukrainian wood-fired hot tub.

Anatoliy Zaika and his Ukrainian hot tub

Anatoliy Zaika, who moved to the United States 18 years ago, first saw the idea on a YouTube video. "I started dreaming. I wanted to take this idea to America," he recalled.

Later, when he began looking for land with a view, "the Realtor said to me, 'I found you a good piece of land but it comes with a hotel and restaurant.' "

Zaika and his wife, Maria,  owners of the Ukrainian Kusher grocery and bakery in nearby Fife, renamed the complex Paradise Village. They renovated 12 rooms, and began introducing guests and locals to the cuisine of Eastern Europe. The bakery sells homemade bread and honey cakes made from honey produced by their own bees. On the restaurant menu are traditional dishes such as Ukrainian borscht and Polish dumpling soup.

A Ukrainian restaurant and bakery near Mount Rainier 

Open to the public by reservation ($95 for the first hour) is the "Cannibal" CQ hot tub, a 5,000-pound cast iron kettle Zaika had shipped from Ukraine. It sits on a rock pavilion above an open fire. 

He describes the experience as "kind of like being boiled in a hot soup, but it is an invigorating hot soup that is good for the skin." 

Paradise Village  Winter restaurant hours: Sun-Thu: 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Fri-Sat: 9 a.m.- 8 p.m.  

Tribal trading post  

A return trip to Seattle via Highway 161 north, or the scenic Alder Cutoff Road E. takes visitors through Eatonville. 

Time your trip to arrive in the late afternoon. Make an appointment to browse through Four Winds gallery's collection of Western tribal arts and crafts, then have dinner at the new Mill Haus Cider Co. taproom.

Both stops provide an antidote to what some felt was a skewed vision of their town in a recent Washington Post article on the far-right movement's inroad in rural areas.

David Craig with a Hopi feast bowl 

Four Winds owner David Craig, a Chippewa, offers insights into Navajo, Pueblo, Alaskan and Pacific Northwest native peoples' culture with his collection of baskets, handmade drums, jewelry and artifacts supplied by artists or gathered by Craig and his family on tribal gatherings. 

 "It's kind of like a trading post," he said. People bring or send things for him to sell in the one-room shop he opened in 2005. 

On display is much of his own work including watercolors,  sculptures made from elk hides and elk and buffalo hide healing drums featured in the 2022 Northern Plains Reservation Aid calendar.

Four Winds gallery Winter hours: Open by appointment during Covid.   

Cider stop

With its waterwheel, running steams, picnic tables and outdoor fire pit, Mill Haus Cider's new Eatonville indoor-outdoor tap room looks as if it was transported from a European mountain village.

Mill Haus Cider in Eatonville

Customers sip cider and snack on house-smoked sliders in heated outdoor nooks, or inside a cozy pub next to a glowing gas fire place.  

A community gathering spot is what Eatonville owners Steve Schmidt,his son, Caleb,  and their business partners Nick and Justin Baublits envisioned when they decided to expand their five-year-old cider company.

"I just kind of felt the town deserved something like this," said Schmidt. They opened the complex in November on land that sat vacant for 40 years.

 Mill Haus had been selling its alcoholic European-style ciders in grocery stores and bottle shops. Now six are on tap, including a ginger-lemongrass, blood orange and apricot-peach, along with a menu of gourmet bar snacks created by local chef George Moore.

There's a brie and apple flatbread and street tacos filled with pork and chicken smoked on a back patio surrounded by 75,000 pounds of rocks trucked in to create pathways and streams.

Outdoor ambience at Mill Haus Cider

"The whole place was designed around an 80-year-old apple tree," say Schmidt, a glass blower with a degree in zoology who settled on a career in construction. 

The apple tree still stands. Mill Haus uses juices to make its ciders, but plans are to eventually put the tree to use once it installs a cider press.

Mill Haus Cider Winter hours: Wednesday, 4- 8 p.m., Thursday-Friday, 4-9 p.m., Saturday, noon-9 p.m., Sunday noon-7 p.m.  

If you go:

Check here for information on winter activities at Mount Rainier National Park. 

The road between the Nisqually entrance and the National Park Inn and ranger station at Longmire is usually open. The road to Paradise is closed each day until it can be safely plowed. Check road conditions on Twitter at @MountRainierNPS.

The National Park Inn at Longmire

The National Park Inn is open as is a general store. The Paradise Inn is closed for the season. 

All vehicles, including 4WD and AWD vehicles, must carry tire chains from Nov. 1- May 1. 

Check here for visitor and lodging information.