Airplanes, Salmon and the San Juans

FLYING HERITAGE COLLECTION

Monday we drove to Everett for a Boeing Factory Tour. Since our tour time was scheduled for 4:00 p.m. we visited Flying Heritage Collection (FHC) since both are located at Paine Airfield. FHC was established by Paul G Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. The two hangers contain warbirds and tanks from both the US and other countries. An interesting fact about this collection is that all the planes and tanks are in operable condition. In fact, many times each year, the planes and tanks are taken out and operated. Each exhibit tells a story about where that particular item was located and restored.

Flying Heritage Collection

Billy Mitchell B-25

The very rare Messerschmitt ME 163 Fighter Jet
has a short eight minute burn time on the rocket engine.

The Infamous V-1 "Buzzbomb"

Sherman Tank

P-51 Mustang

Huey Bell Helicopter

BOEING FACTORY TOUR

After lunch we visited the Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center.

Future of Flight Aviation Center
All plant tours begin here.

This Boeing Assembly plant is the largest square
foot building on the planet.

We saw the assembly line for the 747, 777 and 787.
This plant operates 24 hours a day, five days a week.

GULF OF GEORGIA CANNERY

The RV resort we are staying at is just 12 miles south of the Washington/Canadian border. We spent a day at Richmond, British Columbia and toured an interesting museum highlighting the fishing/canning industry in the Vancouver area. The 1894 salmon cannery on the waterfront of a historic fishing village has been restored to serve as an interpretive center highlighting salmon canning and herring reduction. During its heyday, this cannery earned the title of the Monster Cannery, a reference to its size in comparison to the other 15 canneries on Steveston's Cannery Row.

Iron Chink, mechanized fish-butchering machine,
used to gut and clean salmon at
a rate of one per second.

The fish go in...the cans come out.

Stilt houses were built close to the canneries for the workers.

W.T. PRESTON - ANACORTES MUSEUM

The Army Corp of Engineers is responsible for keeping the shipping lanes open and free of snags and silt. The W.T. Preston is one of only two sternwheel snagboats remaining in the US.

W. T. Preston Operated from 1930 to 1980.

Steam-winch Used to Pick Up Snags and Debris

Wheel House

For comparison, we took this picture of a modern day
US Army Corp Snagboat in July at the locks in Seattle.

SAN JUAN ISLANDS

On Thursday we decided to take a poor man's cruise to the San Juan Islands. We boarded the Washington State Ferry at Anacortes, Washington and took an hour cruise to Friday Harbor on the island of San Juan. We departed at 9:00 and returned at 4:00.

Virginia is watching for whales, otters and seals.

Approaching Friday Harbor on Thursday.

Overlook of the harbor and our "cruise" ship.

Our ferry made a stop at Lopez Island before returning
to Anacortes.