Our first stop on our 3 month trip in 2026 is Seattle. Our son Mattias is studying at the University of Washington so what a great opportunity to catch up with him and explore Seattle.
We last visited Mattias in Seattle back in 2024 so super excited to see him again and get to know the city better.
Mattias is studying at UW(University of Washington) and lives close by which is just North of the city centre.
The area he lives in has some very swanky houses as he lives very close to Lake Washington. The only way to explore it is to jump on a bike.Seattle is a bikers paradise with cycleways everywhere.
Football fever is still lingering about as we arrived in World Cup qtr final week.
The Burke Gilman trail is around 30 kms – it was an old railway line so is flat. Just how Helle likes it!
We spent the first 2 days cycling about. Seattle is a beautiful city to explore with lovely lakes , parks and neighborhoods.
The weather has been superb – clear days around 25 degrees. Perfect for exploring.
Around Mattias’s neighbourhood are some lovely homes .
Helle was keen to go paddleboarding. Mattias has a couple in his flat so we loaded them onto the bikes and off we went.
They went in search of beavers but they were hiding!
One good thing in the cities are the street names – well very few names as the streets are all logically numbered so its easy to find your way. The US has got one thing right!
We had a quick look around the UW campus but had visited in 2024 so didnt do the full tour again.The campus is enormous with wonderful buildings, fountains and gardens.
After a few days in Seattle we hired a car to hit the Pacific Coast in Oregon. Mattias is bringing his bike so he can do it the hard way. Helle and I will keep to the car!
Pacific Coast Oregon
We are only driving about half way down the Oregon Coast to Pacific City. We didn’t realize but the Pacific Coast can be a lot colder than in Seattle.
First night we stayed in quite a cool little place where the owner had 5 dogs! They greeted us and we enjoyed playing with them.
We were his support crew although he didnt need much help! Helle and I went sightseeing.
We caught up with Mattias a bit further down the coast in a lovely seaside village – Manzonita.
We then hit our second stop on the Pacific Coast – Netarts.
The Pacific Coast reminds me of the NZ West Coast. It is black sand, wild and rugged.
It was around 16 degrees C! It is supposed to be summer. No one was swimming! It was quite bleak and winter like and we had no warm clothes!
The Pacific Coast is dramatic with many little rocks just off the coast they call haystacks.
Cape Meares
Mattias loved the ride. He did around 130 kms over the couple of days he cycled.
The Pacific was freezing! No one was swimming and I could understand why when I dipped my legs in!
Pacific City was our final stop on the coast. It wasn’t a city but a very small village with houses built literally in the sand dunes.
We of course didnt stay in one of the beach houses. We had a cute little cabin and Mattias had his tent!
Back in Seattle we watched Ryan Fox win The Open ! What an extraordinary last 4 holes. He reminded me of my own golf!
Magnificent day in Seattle so we took another ride.
In and around Lake Union are lots of house boats where people live permanently.
Our time in Seattle is over. We have had a great few days and wonderful to see Mattias. Mattias has carved out a top life in Seattle. He enjoys his PhD program, his cohort, flat and friends – many who we have met over our stay. Big thanks to his flatmates for having us to stay. We have loved our time again in Seattle.
Explore The World 