Kayaking the Seattle Arboretum

Last night, before I fell into bed exhausted from a wonderful day filled with more Seattle sights and activities than I'd ever experienced in one day before, I mentioned that one of the clues in Elisabeth's unique Seattle scavenger hunt was a stop at the Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club. Because renting a kayak there and paddling around Portage Bay and the Seattle Arboretum was such an incredible treat, I promised to devote an entire post to the experience. Here ya go!

First, let it be known that the correct way to do this whole Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club thing is to treat yourself to both the food ("cafe") and the kayaking ("paddling"). I've been to the Agua Verde Cafe before (no, Rachel Ray wasn't there that day -- but she she does love the place!) and I can attest to the fabulous food there. The tacos are unique and out-of-this-world delicious, and the atmosphere is... well, duh -- it's right on the water, it's at a major university, and there are docks a'buzzin' with boating activity within almost an arm's reach!

I'm not going to bore you with a long, wordy narrative. Instead, I'll set you free to enjoy the experience, just like they did with us, asking you to notice three things in particular:

1. Houseboats a la Sleepless in Seattle
2. The fact that an expansive nature reserve that's teeming with wildlife is located a literal stone's throw from one of the busiest freeway interchanges in the Pacific Northwest. In some photos you can see both peaceful, beautiful birds -- herons, ducks -- and turtles, and a busy freeway at rush hour!
3. The SUN! This was the very first sunshine over Seattle in all of June. There'd been twelve solid days of gray gunk UNTIL these two hours! And believe it or not, the clouds began to roll right back in within an hour of our coming ashore.
   

This post is dedicated to Sophia, with whom we plan to replicate this adventure right around...oh -- JULY 24th or so! (Wink, wink!)