You Say POTATO and I SAY POTATOE

Daily Mileage=319; Trip Total=6328

Today we drove from Seattle to a great town called Coeur d' Alene. Before reaching it, we passed through some areas in Washington that had mountains, valleys, ranches and even wineries. We crossed over the famous Columbia River which you do actually see on some wine bottle labels from Washinton state. Coeur d' Alene, is in Idaho not far from Spokane, WA. It was recommended by several folks we met along the way as the place to stay. It's delightful and once again, the poor people do not live here. It's on a great lake (yet another one, where the huge northern varieties of pines cover the mountain and slope right down to the water's edge).

There are several small towns around the lake but we are staying in the one named after the lake. It has a big resort style hotel on it, with the same name, and a marina that is quite interesting. It claims to have the longest floating boardwalk (a dock-type boardwalk) in the world (3300ft.) We went out on it and we agree it's pretty long.

Needless to say the town has all the cute little restaurants and sights that you would want at the "beach" lake community. We guess their thing is the "painted moose" since we saw several and here is Rich with one of them.

We stopped at a pub and enjoyed some beverages, I had a "laughing dog" ale which had a golden retriever logo, (I'm such a sap for those goldens)!

The best thing we've heard about the place, but didn't see in person, only in brochures is that it has the world's only "floating green" at the golf course here by the lake. It looks rather interesting and you boat out to the green to finish your putts. We can think of several of you, who would probably love this.

So given that we were only looking for a place to stop over on our way to Glacier National Park, (tomorrow's destination), we stumbled on a very nice town that we would have had no problem staying in for several days. Finally, as always, here's Rich's newest friend. He's trying to steal the salmon back from the bear, (what can I say?)! Love & Joy, Mare & Rich

Starbucks

Daily Mileage=9;Total trip 6009. (We hoofed it today, being in a city!)

Well, today's blog title is for all you Starbucks fans and/or employees. Apparently there aren't too many song titles with "Seattle" in them, but a bunch with "Starbucks." I think that says it all. And, yes this is a real title to a song.

So, of course, you can't come to Seattle and not see a Starbucks or some other kind of coffee place here. We stopped at the first Starbucks ever (established in 1971) to take a photo, especially for Mike Matos who works at Starbucks in NC. Mike, we've been to the coffee mecca! (Sorry if we are about to offend anyone, but we're really not fans of Starbucks coffee and don't get me started on what "I Believe" about their stores and the customers in them! Just the same, we, even had to stop by.)

Today we were exploring Seattle. It's another great city surrounded by hills (like San Francisco) and water everywhere. This makes it different than Portland or Denver, two other cities that we liked very much. It has all the culture, diversity, restaurants and shopping etc., that make living in a cosmopolitan area ideal. The one thing that I think is different with these western cities (other than size, they are way smaller than NY) is that you can see nature and be in nature in a short amount of time. Again, Seattle has these great views of mountain ranges just about everywhere. Mt. Rainer is visible as are the other Cascade peaks.

We took a harbor cruise to see the city from a different perspective. We happen to be here when the sun is out and that may make a difference in our liking the city. Seattle has about 250 cloudy, sunless days, which is why people think it's a rainy city. It actually gets less rain than Miami, NY and Boston but the lack of sun does some damage on the moods of its residents (they have a high suicide rate). We don't see that because we've had great weather while we've been here.

We also went to Pike's Place which is a huge city market that was started so people could eliminate the "price gauging" middlemen back in the 1880's. It's still a wonderful place filled with stalls selling everything from apples to zucchini. It's the home of several fresh seafood vendors that not only sell you the fish but put on show while doing so. You have to watch along with all the others (mostly tourists) while the 10lb salmons "fly" through the air. There are some of the most beautiful flowers we have ever seen available in bouquets starting at $5.00 and not many over $10. They beat out the Korean markets I used to buy from in NYC. Of course, there are samples of food everywhere you go. So we ate our way through the "Farmer's Market." So much for losing weight!

Rich once again met a new friend as he does almost everyday. Her name is Rachel and she is an actual piggy bank (not named after Rachel Ray as you may think because of the food connection). The money collected in her is used to support children's charities in the area. There are even little "hoof" prints" around her with benefactors names on them. Very cute!

We then walked over to Pioneer Square which is an older part of the city. It has all the old building fronts and lampposts etc., with all the new art galleries and restaurants in them. We didn't take the "underground tour" which looked interesting (apparently Seattle just built over their burnt out city in the late 1800's and you can still see some of the old streets down below). We opted to just walk around above ground and ended up at the Klondike Gold Rush Museum. It told about the "gold fever" that started in Alaska back in the late 1880's into the early 1900's. Seattle became the departure point for the journey north into Alaska. I'll sum it by saying the people gave up a lot, underwent major hardships and for the most part didn't get any fortunes of gold. It's a lot easier to buy a lottery ticket today. Interestingly, John Nordstrom, ancestor of the current day Nordstrom's heirs, did some prospecting and in the end, did better selling shoes in Seattle which turned into the "gold mine" that Nordstrom's is today!

Of course we had a few drinks at happy hour overlooking the harbor and the sunset. Once again, we talked to the locals and learned about their city from their perspective (which is sometimes different than the Fodor's guide!!). All day long we had eaten steamed clams, mussels and some wonderful raw oysters (not cheap but really great) as we headed to one of the "local" sights. It's the troll under the Fremont bridge (An old hippy town that still is quite with it.) This was a community art project that was done as a city wide art competition. We figured, how can we miss seeing a troll? And where do they live but under a bridge. He even has a VWbug in one of his hands. So here's our "out of the way" place for Seattle.

As we say good night, we are dining in our room on some of the purchases from today's stroll through the market which include: locally made cheese, wonderful crostini, great salami, WA state wine and chocolate covered cherries. Life is indeed very good! We hope you do not run into any trolls but if you do, offer him some really good wine or maybe some chocolate...Love & Joy, Mare & Rich

Seattle (the bluest skies you've ever seen, in Seattle)

Daily Mileage=272;Trip Total=6,000 (AND, YET ANOTHER MILESTONE. RICH SAYS WE'RE OVER OUR 85o0 mile trip estimate!)

Today we stopped at another section of the Olympic Peninsula, called Quinault Rain Forest. However, it actually also had a beautiful lake that was the result of the river running downstream from the mountains. The main peak being Mt. Olympus (7900 feet). We tried to capture it in a photo, it still has still snow on the top of it.

The rain forest was once again beautiful and we drove around the lake on at least 20 miles of dirt road. It took you to out of the way places to camp, hike and gain access to the water for boating and/or fishing. The ride was a little bit more than we needed to do, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Let's just say the car is a new color (dusty brown) and needs to be washed! We did a brief hike which showed a homesteader's house and abandoned farm. When you read the history about it, you could see why they left after being flooded out every time the river overflowed. We would once again recommend exploring this area which has cute little cottages along the lake shore. Reminded us of vacations long ago to the Poconos or the Catskills.

We then continued onto Seattle. As we were driving we could see Mt.Rainier in the distance at every turn and apparently, Mt. Rainer is seen everywhere. It looks unreal floating on the horizon. It still has a lot of snow on it and that's probably why we won't be visiting it (lots of road closures).

When we got to Seattle we found our hotel in the Queen Anne neighbor which is slightly north of downtown. It's very close to the Space Needle and the Seattle Center grounds. The area is quite hilly and residential which reminds us of San Francisco. It has a mix of restaurants, bars and entertainment spots. It works because it is also close to the monorail which brings you downtown. (By the way, the BLOG title is a song that kept going through my head. Bobby Sherman sang it and it was the theme song for a "sitcom" show way back... about Seattle and brothers and logging. Anyone know the name of the show? Anyway, the song kept coming into my mind, but I wasn't sure the title was actually SEATTLE until I looked it up!)

Of course we had to visit the Seattle Space Needle. It was built in 1962 for the Seattle World's Fair. The observation deck is 520feet high, although it seemed higher to me as you went up an exterior elevator! The views were spectacular since it was clear and sunny when we were there. They have a good amount of information at what you're viewing which helped us newcomers.

Tomorrow we will explore the city all day but tonight we had a wonderful Thai dinner (we've had several out here since there is a great Asian influence in these western cities). In fact that was one of the items they spoke about at the Space Needle. Seattle is a great blend of cultures and people in a relatively small city that has more than just coffee!
Let you know in tomorrow's blog. Love & Joy, Mare & Rich

On No, Don't Let the Rain Come Down

Daily Mileage=49;Trip Total=5728
Today we went to the Hoh Rain Forest. It is one of three rain forests in the world where such forests exist; the other two are in Chile and New Zealand. A combination of temperature and precipitation make it possible for this wonderland to happen. We took two relatively easy hikes into different sections of the forest. One showed old trees (400 to 700 years old) and the other ancient trees (700 to 1500 years old)! The size of these trees is unbelievable even though you are standing right next to or under them. It’s not uncommon for the height of these trees to reach 300 or more feet! The picture here shows Rich standing next to one that has fallen in front of one that is still alive and growing. Another phenomenon is "nursing trees." When the larger one falls, small new trees begin growing on top of the older one which provides nutrients and other elements needed to survive in the forest. These new ones will grow on the old tree for hundreds of years until eventually the nursing tree disintegrates. What is left looks like a row of trees known as a "colonnade." We saw many of these at different stages of development, and again it's simply amazing.

Another usual fact seen in the rain forest is the various kinds of “moss” that forms on the trees (which include Douglas Firs, Cedars and Big Leaf Maples to name the most common). The mosses also have many variations but it’s interesting and eerie to see the mosses on the trees. We tried to get some photos showing the moss but again the scope of these trees is almost impossible to capture in a photo. They would be great Halloween props.

While we were hiking we saw two groups of Roosevelt Elk grazing on the underbrush. This was pretty exciting because we were relatively close and no one was bothering them so they just kept on eating! (Photo isn't too good but Rich insisted we use it!)We’ve seen them before but never this close and personal in the wild. (We were actually at the very bottom of the glacier which is Mt.Olympus. And if we walked about 20 miles we could actually get to the base of the mountain. We didn’t feel up to it today!)

After we left this region, we went back to the beach to explore some of the tidal pools that are accessible at low tide. They are around the huge “sea stacks” that are scattered up and down the coast. It was great! We saw barnacles, billions mussels, ochre starfish (purple and orange), limpets and urchins plus a bunch of other things. It was a delightful walk on the beach compared to what we went through yesterday and the weather was much nicer too.

As always, we managed to find some friends for Rich to play poker with. He is sitting with them at the table waiting to be dealt a hand! (He lost 3 salmon and a honeybee nest and called it quits. I say he has lost his mind telling me to enter this into the blog and, maybe I have lost mine, doing it!)

The next subject today has to do with signs we see along the way. I’ve already mentioned that they have tsunami signs everywhere. Well, I thought I would share one with you. Here are my questions. 1) Do you think this guy will make it, with the waves coming up right behind him? 2) If he looked back down, what would he be saying? Maryanne thinks he’d be saying “Holy Sugar Honey Ice Tea” (I know there are some kids reading this). Give me a break! This sign doesn’t do anything to make you feel that you could actually get away from a tsunami.

Now, here’s one that Rich took a photo of. As you can tell from our beach photos, there are many, many huge logs/trees all over these beaches. I’ve indicated before that they actually look like matchsticks from afar. So, there are warnings all over about watching out for logs in the surf. Take a look at this sign. Would you go to this beach for a day of fun in the sun??? We thought this was great but we’re not sure the tourist board should use it in their advertising!

Finally, as we leave the Pacific Ocean and begin our slow return across the USA (in our Chevrolet) we leave you with this beautiful sunset we took this evening. We had a wonderful dinner of local steamed clams, Copper River Salmon and wild mushroom strudel and then watched the sun set as we drank our local Washington State wine. It’s a good life! Love & joy, Mare & Rich
Tomorrow we head for Seattle!

Surf City Here We Come (Not in CA but WA)

Daily Mileage=117; Trip Total=5679
Today we drove over to the northwestern part of the peninsula along the Pacific Ocean. The water is cold and rough with gigantic boulders (they call them rocks) scattered in the surf along the beach. The name given to these huge “rocks” is sea stacks. They were formed by the upward pressure of the continental plate movement over millions of years. They actually help a lot of the marine life, such as sea otters, seals; migrating birds etc. have a place to hang out.

At the same time we were awestruck by the sea stacks we were flabbergasted by the trees that have been washed down from rivers to the sea and redeposited back onto the beach. They are enormous! When you first look down at the beach from the overhanging cliffs, these trees appear to be matchsticks scattered all over the shore. There’s a picture of Rich next to one of these match sticks. You cannot truly appreciate their size unless you’re standing next to them and even then, it seems surrealistic. There are also numerous pieces of driftwood in all assorted sizes and shapes. As well as billions of smooth rocks.

We hiked what we thought would be an easy 3 mile round trip to a particular rock formation called, Hole in the Rock. Well, it was nothing but easy! We might actually say it was one of the hardest 3 miles we’ve done. You are not walking in regular sand but rather, gravel of various sizes. With each step you sink about 4 to 6 inches. Some of the stones are very small while others are fist size rocks. So even when you’re not sinking in “sand” you’re twisting and turning to move along. The up side is that the views are spectacular (even in the cold, rainy weather) and we searched for treasures, like rocks and driftwood, just as we would sea shells on any other beach.

We are staying in this part of the park at a rustic and lovely real log cabin. You can see our reception staff here. Also, here is Rich standing by our cabin (he says he feels like Abe Lincoln and even built a fire from scratch this evening in the fireplace). However, all kidding aside, you can also see our view from our cabin. It sits on a bluff(in a tsunami zone that they keep posting warning signs about – they don’t actually tell you where to go or what to do; only that you’re in the zone!). Our cabin overlooks the beach which is less rocky and calmer than those with the sea stacks on them but still has those big matchsticks on it. The name of the lodge is called, Kalaloch (pronounced, Klaylock) after the Indian name for “a safe place to land.” After seeing some of the other portions of the coastline, we can understand why this is named so.

On the way here, we also stopped by a site called, “Big Cedar.” Well, it was a big cedar and we stopped and tried to get the enormity of the tree in the photo by putting Rich once again, into the tree trunk (which is probably better than the car trunk).

We have no phone, TV, cell service or Internet service and won’t for several days. There’s something very nice about that. You’ll have to wait for the next segment of the BLOG but I think it will be worth it. (However, I must tell you that when we arrived two copies of Town & Country magazines were on our little wooden table. So, I ask, do you think anyone who reads Town & Country would be staying in such a rustic accommodation? Rich says we qualify for survivor finalist status!!)
Love & joy, Mare & Rich

The Sound of Music (The hills are alive with the sound of music.....)

Daily Mileage=133;Trip total=5562

Today we did a small part of the Olympic Peninsula. We didn't realize how big it is here and how far you can drive from one area to the next.

We started out by going into the park (you actually go in and out of the park, similar to Acadia NP in Bar Harbor, Maine) at what is known as Hurricane Ridge. It's called that because the winter winds can get to be hurricane force. It is a very high area that takes you up mountains that are 6,000 feet and more. There was some cloud cover but it was still beautiful and all of the trails, in what its usually an alpine meadow, were closed with snow still on them. By the way, just about anywhere on the peninsula, you are surrounded by mountains or have incredible views of them. Of course, I kept singing, "The hills are alive with the sound of music..." and Rich kept rolling his eyes wishing for me to end. Hence, tonight's blog title!

We then traveled to a totally different part of the park and peninsula called Sol Duc Hot Springs. Yes, they do have hot springs here but this is really an area that has the Sol Duc River running through it and is still home to salmon, although not as plentiful as in the past. You can imagine the story, man moves in, changes the landscape proceeds to over harvest the salmon and hence, not as many wild salmon anymore. The salmon run in the fall but we went to the area and hiked a couple of trails (relatively short ones) that took us to a very pretty, fast moving water fall. Both trails went through forest areas that had a tremendous amount of huge Douglas Firs, Cedar, and some other pines. We could not get over the size of the trees living as well as those that have fallen over the years. Most of the trees we were surrounded by were at least 750 years old. It was incredible! (They have the "old" forests and the "ancient" forests! )

We also drove by Lake Crescent which is absolutely beautiful. It is a very large lake surrounded by sloping mountains which fall right down into the water. The slopes are chocked full of huge green fir and pine trees. Simply incredible. We were heading back to Port Angeles as the sun was setting behind the mountain tops and it was simply one of the best views we had in a lifetime. And I should mention that the water is a clear crystal blue. It reminded us of Belliagio, Italy which is also one of the prettiest places we've ever seen. Of course, our photos do not do justice to the views we are seeing, but we want to share some of it with you. What you see here is the cloud descending on the mountain top.

We are still here until Tuesday morning but we are heading over to the other side of the Peninsula, by the Pacific Ocean. We could have easily spent another week here and then some. We didn't hit the wineries, the water activities or Victoria, Canada (you can take a ferry to there from here). It looks like an old European city. And, we didn't even entertain the San Juan Islands that are between Seattle and Victoria,CA.

I might also add that we have had great Northwestern food since we've been here, especially sea food. Dungeness Crab, Salmon, Sturgeon, local clams and mussels. It's all been wonderful!!! The place is laid back with good food, wine and a New Englandy small village/town feel about it. We would highly recommend it to all! So, here's Rich with our latest find.

Love & joy, Mare&Rich

Ring of Fire

Daily Mileage=239; Trip Total=5429

Today we left Portland but not before visiting its Test Rose Garden. It is a part of huge city park (slightly away from the downtown area) that contains the Zoo, the Japanese Garden, the Children's Museum and even tennis courts. It's a very nice area that encompasses many activities.

The test garden is extraordinary. It has over 600 varieties of roses. Commercial nurseries "test" roses in this garden for general development and distribution. There are also award winning roses from the turn of the century that are represented in the garden. Portland is known as the rose city and when you walk through it you can't help but be amazed. June is apparently "Rose" month and we saw many beautiful plants blooming today. Over the next few weeks it will even be better. There is a Shakespeare garden which is popular for weddings and even an amphitheatre that over looks the city skyline. One interesting feature was that the stage "curtains" were huge bushes on either side. Very natural and practical. On a clear day you can even see Mt. Hood in the background (we could see it but it blended into the clouds on our pictures.) The oldest rose planted in the garden is from 1932, a British Duchess planted it and it's still there. The whole experience was just lovely.

Then we stopped at St. Helen's Volcano Park. This mountain along with Hood, Rainer and several others are part of the Cascade Range. They are called "the ring of fire" because they are all volcanoes that still have fire brewing way down under them and even if dormant probably won't be forever. Hence the title of today's blog. We were about 30 miles from the mountain (that erupted in 1980) and was quite impressed by the story and the view. It is big, not as big as it was since 1300 feet blew off in about a 10 minutes. As Rich says, "I don't want to be around when it blows again!" It still has tiny eruptions that are building a "dome" of ash in the center which may reconstruct the peak (or not). You can really spend a lot of time there driving around and seeing the destruction that was caused (over 27 years ago). One lake was filled in by debris flows and another was formed. Miles of forest, trails and homes were wiped out, ( 56 people actually died when the main eruption occurred). Animals and plant life are coming back and they have finally opened the park for visitors. You can hike pretty close (onto the mountain) but do you really want to????

We then took off to the Olympic peninsula in Washington state. It's west of Seattle and the Olympic National Park encompasses most of the peninsula. As you drive up along the eastern side, the water (Dabob Bay and Puget Sound) are on your right and the Olympic Mountains are on your left. It reminded us a lot of the coast of Maine. It's very green with 150'+ Douglas Fir pine trees growing next to rocky coasts and beaches. There are small coves and quaint or honky-tonk towns along the way. We are staying in Port Angeles which is a little bigger and the port for the ferry to and from Victoria Canada. Again, the views are spectacular.

We'll be here for the Memorial Day Weekend and it should be a wonderful time.

We finished another audio book, High Tide in Tuscan by Barbara Kingsolver. It was a short one in which the author writes a number of short essays on her life and general observations. We enjoyed it but it was more along the thinking that we have (more "green", liberal and had a spiritual connection). Good for a quick read but with lasting thoughts.

I'll end with my "I Believe" experience for today. We stopped at Dairy Queen (DQ) to get some ice cream. We ordered Sundaes and then went through the "extra charge" list for whipped cream, nuts and cherries. So here's my question, why are all the basic ingredients of a sundae "extras?" Here we were at a US ice cream legend and we have to ask for all the things that should just be there!! What's that all about. Sundaes are supposed to have all those items, they're not extras! Oh well, the only thing worse is that now you drive up and get your ice cream instead of getting out of the car, coming in, placing your order and eating the dish of ice cream with nothing on it sundae!

Good night, love & joy, Mare&Rich

Dreamy Oregon Moon

Daily Mileage=0 (we hoofed it );Total trip=whatever it was yesterday.

CORRECTION TO LAST NIGHT'S BLOG: We only went down 200 feet to the sea lions cave, not 2000 feet. Sorry for the mistake. When in the elevator going down in the rock, it seemed like 2000!)

Today we just toured and walked the city of Portland. We figured that's the only way to see and get the true flavor of a city. We started out having a "wholesome" breakfast at a coffee shop that is a knock-off of Starbucks. And for those of you who know us, you know how I feel about Starbucks (Mare speaking). It was OK and I even had the veggie sausage; let's just say I've had better.

They have a very interesting feature in the city. There are these wonderful water fountains that just keep bubbling up. Apparently they placed them throughout the downtown area for the construction workers (years ago) so that they would have something to drink other than alcohol! Here's Rich partaking.
We then traveled by Light Rail (which is a trolley above ground) to the Old Town/Chinatown section of the city. The "train" ride was nothing like we've experienced in awhile. It was quite civilized! First, it's free in the "downtown area" and they announce the stops in English and Spanish and even tell you which side the doors will open! Sounds just like NYC, doesn't it!!!

We went to a wonderful Chinese garden that reminded me more of a Japanese garden (although I'm not sure of the subtleties between the two). It was a beautiful oasis of paradise in the middle of a cosmopolitan city. We took an audio tour while we were there and had a couple of hours of tranquility even though there were trucks, cars and a city right outside the walls. Of course the flowers/trees and architecture were perfect. When you could see the high risers outside of the walls, they too, seem to blend in with the peaceful surroundings.

Portland is known for its gardens. In fact, it is known as the "Rose City." Outside of Pasadena, which hosts the Rose Parade and Bowl, it has the next largest celebration for roses in the country. Everything you see, even the manhole covers has roses on it. I never knew that but now I do. They even have a test rose garden that is supposed to be extraordinary. And, after speaking to some locals we met tonight at Jake's bar (what can I say?) we will probably stop there tomorrow before we leave!

(JUST A NOTE HERE: Our friends Paul & Susan would say that you get a lot of good tips and conversation from talking to "locals" at the bars. Well, we have found that to be true. We've sought of known it for years, because we are the locals in Hilton Head and have given many tourists tips to those visiting our town. So, over the last several weeks, while sitting in microbreweries, bars and restaurants we have met many helpful souls. We've never been steered wrong. The only problem we have, is that usually we want to stay longer to do what they suggest in the area. Therein lies the rub. Sometimes we do what they suggest and sometimes we just have to move along or we may not ever return. In either case, the strangers we meet along the way have been wonderful souls that have changed our perspectives and lives. And, just maybe we've had the same influence on them. Pretty philosophical for two retired folks, huh?)

We spent the rest of the day walking all the various sections of the city (Pearl, Old Town, Historic River section, University Area and on and on.) It's not that it is a very large city but you can walk for a while. It reminds us of a smaller version of NYC. They even have streets like 5th Ave followed by 6th Ave followed by Broadway.... so you get our point.

We went down by the river (Willamette River) and had lunch there. They've done a very nice job of creating a walk/running path along the river for most of the city. It's a breath of fresh air for the city. Again, there are a lot of nice green areas and art around the city. By the way, Oregon has some law that says it has to spend 1% of all development taxes on the arts with no provision for such things as education. Not to get into a political debate, however, one wonders where do they stand in education in the nation!

We stopped at the Oregon Historical Society Museum and saw a interesting and well done display on Oregon's history. It was a nice break and we learned a lot about what those poor pioneers had to do to get across the Oregon Trail. We have trouble doing it today, so it really is quite amazing what they did back then!!

Lastly, the people of Portland look to Mt. Hood to determine what the weather will be like on a daily basis. As we drove into the city, we could see Mt. Hood which is about 50 miles away still topped with snow. One can't help but be humbled looking at such a peak (which happens to be a volcano). Mount St. Helena has finally reopened its trails to the top. They are only allowing 100 people at a time to hike it. It last erupted in the late 1980's. While we are amazed at its beauty, we can't help but ask, "Why would people live so close to such a potentially violent structure?" Then we stop and ask ourselves, "Why do we live on a barrier island, that could be washed away in a storm?"

That's it for tonight. Love & Joy, Mare & Rich

PS Here's a photo that our Nikki will love. It's one more of the "artsy" things around the city and fits in with Rich's theme of the animals we meet along the way.... Enjoy! This one is especially for you Nikki!