Bilba ~ noun. ~ 1. happy couple known as Bill and Alba 2. celebrity nickname for Bill and Alba
You Remember Bill and Alba (Katie's brother and his beautiful girlfriend) as our first hosts in Arizona and Mexico when the trip began. They flew in late Thursday night to Seattle where they stayed with cousins, Joseph and Meredith. Friday morning Bilba was ready to get the festivities under way. Katie and I drove up to Seattle mid morning, and I met up with our visitors at Pike's Place Market while Katie had a prior engagement. Completing the last few items on their souvenir list, Dan took Bill and Alba to check out the infamous 'wall of gum' followed by a meandering walk along the waterfront. By the time we reached the end of the picturesque part of the walk, we were again joined by Katie. (Hugs were exchanged) We started to walk back towards the shops and pubs downtown. Meredith met up with the growing party on foot and took over the duties of tour guide. After walking around some historic sites, Meredith's office, and a few urban treasures, we headed to
Collins Pub for an early afternoon refresher. The hummus was the best we ever had and the artichoke crab dip was equally superb. We then proceeded to
Elliot's Oyster House, where we finally got to experience oyster progressive happy hour. Joseph joined our group here and the party was officially underway for Bill's birthday weekend. The basic breakdown is that we got a whole lot of oysters for not that much money. Though the price was definitely right, everyone was slightly disappointed by the VERY salty oysters. But the view was splendid and some of the menu items being carried to other tables looked superb. The rest of the night was spent at the
Capital Club, a Moroccan themed restaurant bar with some tasty snacks. Good conversations were had and memories were shared. Before calling it a night we revisited the
Dinette for a herbed frittata toast (unfortunately served with a little attitude this time) and got some braised pork tacos (cheap and delicious if a little small) from
Taco Gringos, a late night taco stand with Northwest flavor.
Saturday morning was a much slower day for many reasons. This time, Brian joined in on the festivities. Today's highlight would have to be the ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. Seeing the city from the water was unreal and recommended for anyone who visits Seattle. At the
Harbour Public House everyone enjoyed some delicious beers and beverages as well as an excellent early dinner. Highlights included the Killer Shrimp and the Crab Melt. Afterwards we headed back and relaxed in Capitol Hill. Katie revealed the german chocolate cake she had baked as a surprise for her brother's birthday and everyone enjoyed and then went to bed early in order to be ready for the next days activities.
Sunday started off early for the boys. Dan, Katie, and Brian woke up at 4 a.m. to get up to Seattle and pick up Bill and Joseph for a 6 a.m. salmon fishing excursion. After a dedicated effort Katie switched driver's seat with Dan and the boys were off. We got to the boat and were introduced to Captain Steve and deckhand, Austin. Setting off into the sunrise, the boys were about to embark on their first salmon fishing experience. Within the first half hour, Dan reeled up a Chinook, unfortunately it was the wrong season, Salmon 1 the Anglers 0. The morning progressed and we eventually all landed a Coho Salmon. Exhausted, we headed back to the condo to meet up with the girls. They had apparently slept in, made some tasty breakfast and were having delicious coffee. Anywho, everyone lent a hand in preparing for a delicious lunch feast of salmon. We prepared the fillets 2 ways. First, Joseph found a recipe to pan sear the salmon encrusted with ginger, minced garlic, green onions, and olive oil; it was very tasty. Second, Katie baked the salmon in poaching liquid for a classic take on the fish with butter, lemon, dill, and rosemary. Everyone had a sampling of each with a side of spinach and mashed potatoes. Fish just tastes better knowing you had caught it earlier in the day.
Bill with the Biggest Catch of the Day
Brian with a close Runner-Up
Lunch.
Everyone had to walk off serious food coma, so we headed over to the neighborhood of Queen Anne and watched the sunset over the sound and downtown. Thinking back, most of the afternoon was a lot of resting and relaxation. We think Dan has also rediscovered his love for the piano, stay tuned for that. Later that evening we went to
Via Tribunali for a final delicious meal before Bill and Alba headed back to Arizona. I do have to say the Pizze Salame is our pie of choice.
The next morning however was beautiful with low lying clouds over a no less than perfect landscape set in tranquility. After scraping off our first frost of the season we arrived to the more historic part of Jackson where we grabbed a delicious breakfast from The Bunnery; we got the Glory Bowl which had 2 eggs, toast, hash browns with sauteed mushrooms and onions. It would have been a great place to sit and people watch while enjoying a yummy breakfast, but we knew a long day was ahead of us so we got it to go. On to Grand Tetons National Park! This set of mountains were just gorgeous. Being our second time, the sight just doesn't get old and the couple inches of snow and teasing clouds only further dramatized the view. After about a half hour just in awe of beauty we picked up the pace to get to Yellowstone National Park. We think that the Grand Tetons has Yellowstone beat this day in terms of majestic beauty. It also did not help that Yellowstone had 40 minutes of road construction and off and on mixed winter precipitation, yuck! Dan's car was not happy about driving on uneven gravel roads with 2 bikes strapped to the back. Anyways, many buffalo later we approached the exit to park with one last stop to the Mammoth Hot Springs. Besides the overwhelming smell of sulfur, we were amazed at the out of this world formations of mineral build-up. Really cool stuff. 
After Yellowstone, the long part of the drive was ahead. As we entered Montana, it started to snow, and not just a little bit. Luckily the weather was warm enough to keep the roads clear. Well that is until we hit a small mountain pass just before Bozeman. The snow came down harder and there was slush on the roads. We made it to Bozeman where 20 or so text messages later, we got the go ahead from weatherman Brian that things would clear up further west. We had the best lo mein at a little Chinese restaurant in downtown before getting back on the road. I think the restaurant's name was along the lines of "China Dragon Palace"...I don't know. It had an all you can eat buffet but trust us, if you ever find yourselves there, just go straight for the lo mein. So luckily, our travelers made it past some nasty weather and now the only challenge was staying awake. The sights of big sky and rolling hills were gorgeous, but the sunset happened rather quickly. We stopped in Missoula to get a pick me up. Much to our surprise there was also a Five Guys! (Side Story: Five Guys originated in Northern Virginia in the DC metro area. With that said, Dan will rave about the deliciousness of the burgers and large quantity of fries you get with each order at every opportunity.) We decided to get a regular order of cajun, which by cajun we mean they sprinkle a ton of Old Bay seasoning on it, and by regular we mean that the two of us could not finish the one order. So, coffee and fries, we are ready for the final leg of this drive with a good six hours to go. Things became a little concerning when we noticed that Dan's car headlights started flickering every so often. We drove through Spokane, 4 hours left, we just wanted to be home. Things are going well, we switch drivers every hour. Katie finishes the drive as we roll into the driveway at 3:30am, 20 hours after we left the Super 8. Semi-Home, dog, foldable beds, sleep.... 
Saturday morning was a much slower day for many reasons. This time, Brian joined in on the festivities. Today's highlight would have to be the ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. Seeing the city from the water was unreal and recommended for anyone who visits Seattle. At the Harbour Public House everyone enjoyed some delicious beers and beverages as well as an excellent early dinner. Highlights included the Killer Shrimp and the Crab Melt. Afterwards we headed back and relaxed in Capitol Hill. Katie revealed the german chocolate cake she had baked as a surprise for her brother's birthday and everyone enjoyed and then went to bed early in order to be ready for the next days activities.
Sunday started off early for the boys. Dan, Katie, and Brian woke up at 4 a.m. to get up to Seattle and pick up Bill and Joseph for a 6 a.m. salmon fishing excursion. After a dedicated effort Katie switched driver's seat with Dan and the boys were off. We got to the boat and were introduced to Captain Steve and deckhand, Austin. Setting off into the sunrise, the boys were about to embark on their first salmon fishing experience. Within the first half hour, Dan reeled up a Chinook, unfortunately it was the wrong season, Salmon 1 the Anglers 0. The morning progressed and we eventually all landed a Coho Salmon. Exhausted, we headed back to the condo to meet up with the girls. They had apparently slept in, made some tasty breakfast and were having delicious coffee. Anywho, everyone lent a hand in preparing for a delicious lunch feast of salmon. We prepared the fillets 2 ways. First, Joseph found a recipe to pan sear the salmon encrusted with ginger, minced garlic, green onions, and olive oil; it was very tasty. Second, Katie baked the salmon in poaching liquid for a classic take on the fish with butter, lemon, dill, and rosemary. Everyone had a sampling of each with a side of spinach and mashed potatoes. Fish just tastes better knowing you had caught it earlier in the day.
