July Trip Seattle/Cascade Loop/San Juans
 

Looking for feedback on our July trip, as well as any suggestions for activities, great restaurants, in particular looking for great Pacific NW food and the best pizza in seattle (for husband, a pizza junkie).

Days 1,2,3 Seattle; staying downtown
(thinking about Savor Seattle tour, anyone do this?)

Day 4 early morning; Pick up car (downtown), begin Cascade Loop, staying in Wenatchee

Day 5 Take Lady of Lake ferry to Stehekin

Day 6 In Stehekin

Day 7 Float plane (9am) out of Stehekin, con't Cascade Loop into Anacortes to catch evening ferry to Orcas, staying in Spring Bay Inn!:-)

Day 8 Orcas Island

Day 9 Orcas, then meandering afternoon drive to SEATAC (staying in hotel near airport)

Day 10 early flight

Two questions:
1. A good scenic route from Anacortes to SEATAC?
2. Regarding the drive from Chelan to Anacortes to catch ferry - Will we be able to stop at all along the way? I calculate it to be about 5 1/2 hours? As of the spring ferry schedule it seems the latest trip during the week is 6:40pm (for weekdays). Any idea of how much later they may run for the summer schedule? This will be on a Tuesday, so hopefully ferry traffic won't be awful...

trying to post on Washington board, sorry, don't know what I did wrong, will repost there!

A recent thread on Seattle boutique hotels (I think that was the title) had some great information about restaurants and input on the Savor Seattle tour, which I just did last week and thought was great. So have a look at that thread (sorry, I don't know how to do a link to a specific thread).

As far as pizza--I haven't been to Serious Pie yet but I hear it's great. I also love Tutta Bella which is authentic Neopolitan pizza--they have a location at the northern end of downtown in the same complex as the Pan Pacific and Whole Foods.

Day 7 is going to be a LOOOONG day. I think 5.5 hours is on the optimistic side for that drive--I'd plan on a bit longer. There will be a later ferry on the summer schedule--last year it was at 9 PM. You probably will need to be there by 7 PM to be on the safe side but check the ferry website to be sure that's early enough (it should be for a Tuesday).

Lucky you to be staying at Spring Bay, it's great.

You could come back to Seattle via Deception Pass and Whidbey Island, or via La Conner.

I like your itinerary!

Instead of Wentachee, you might also look at staying in/around Leavenworth. There are various ersatz 'Bavarian' hotels in town, but there are some great cabins and chalets in the outlying area, such as along the Icicle Creek Road.

When on Orcas, drive/bike/walk to the top of Mt. Constitution for spectacular views.

Right outside of Anacortes is the steep drive up Mt. Erie, with views that approach those from Mt. Constitution. Then take Route 20 to Deception Pass State Park. Check out the Park, then cross over the high Deception Pass bridge between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands (there's a place to park in the middle so you can stop to catch the view). Continue down Whidbey Island, stopping at a beach park or the picturesque town of Langley. At the south end of the island, take the ferry from Clinton to Mukilteo, then drive back to Seattle.

The summer schedule isn't out yet, but in the past, I think the last ferry left Anacortes at around 6-ish. Your driving estimate from Chelan to Anacortes sounds right, assuming that you are taking Route 20. Route 2 would be faster but less scenic - and you wouldn't then do the loop. At least stop and walk out to the viewpoint at Washington Pass. If you go there and Mt. Constitution, you will have hit my two favorite viewpoints in the State.

Thank you both for your replies, great info, especially in regards to the drive.

NWWanderer, from lurking on past posts and reading your high accolades for Spring Bay was the reason I first looked into staying there - so if it's not everything I expect I'm blaming you! :-)

ALF, I had wanted to stay in Leavenworth, but we will be there the weekend of the 4th and everywhere I looked at had a 2 night minimum, which we couldn't do as by then we had booked the nights before and after...but we will definitely spend time there!

On Day 4 I would stay in Chelan rather than Wenatchee. Book now at Best Western Lakeside.

On Day 7 you are pushing it to drive through the Methow Valley and the North Cascade Highway to get to Orcas Island in the evening. Among other things, you may have a L-O-N-G wait to get on a ferry.

What style pizza does your husband prefer? Thin crust? NY style? Other?

Love the pizza question: everyone has there own view of good pizza! What he really likes is "Chicago-style thin." which you don't find too often outside of chicago, so other than that I would say really good pizza, not too thin/crisp, not too thick. For anyone not familiar with "Chicago thin" here's brief description: "The crust is thin and firm enough to have a noticeable crunch, unlike a New York-style pizza, yet thick enough to be soft and doughy on the top."