Located on Bainbridge Island, the Bloedel Reserve is a nature lover's dream! The quiet and tranquil gardens are a glimpse into nature's paradise. Previously the residence of the Bloedel family, they established the non-profit Arbor Fund to manage the reserve after their passing. They wanted to ensure others could share in their love for nature and what they worked so hard to create. We were lucky and got the last tour of the day on what was one of the most gorgeous days in Seattle! If you like hiking, nature walks, or photography, this is definitely a great way to spend a couple hours. The grounds were absolutely breathtaking (see accompanying blog entry for more photos). They offer self-guided tours for $10 pp which take approximately 2 hours to complete. They are only open 10am-4pm on Wednesday - Sunday and the last reservation is at 2pm. Make sure to schedule ahead of time as they only allow a small number of people at each time slot to ensure everyone has the best experience possible.

This was a recommended stop on our Bainbridge Island tour and I'm glad we stopped. It's a cute pub with a deck that has great views of the Bainbridge marina and beaches, as well as back into Seattle. We just happened to luck out with a clear and sunny afternoon! They have a good selection of local beers and wines so I opted to try the Hood Canal Agate Pass Amber Ale from Poulsbo, WA which was awesome. Didn't quite realize I was going to go Greek when I ordered it otherwise I probably would've stuck with wine since we just finished tasting at the Bainbridge Island Vineyards. HA HA. I had seriously been craving Greek salad ($9.95) and they had one on the menu that sounded yummy. I ordered that with hummus ($7.95) as an appetizer and both were excellent. I've figured out that nothing can compare to the salads while I was in Greece last year but this was probably the best one I've had since I've been back! Shane had the spicy crab and artichoke dip ($8.95) to start and the fish and chips ($11.95) entree - both were recommended as must tries. I assume they were both good as Shane gobbled them up! HA HA. I tried a bite of the crab and artichoke dip which was rather tasty. This was definitely a cool spot for lunch/dinner and was pretty crowded when we left. They have open mic night so my guess is it's a pretty popular spot with the locals.

Bainbridge Island Vineyards and Winery is a local winery serving 100% estate grown wines since 1977. They primarily focus on sweeter whites which is in part due to the climate in the Puget Sound region. Their wines were pretty good, even though I am not a huge fan of white wines in general (did try their drier ones which were nice). They have one dry red - a Pinot Noir which was not bad either. What they did have was raspberry wine, which was beyond fantastic! OMG! The wine has no grape juice or water added and it truly tastes just like fresh raspberries. Only 131 cases produced and they have a strawberry one being released later this year that I am dying to try! Their wines are available in some local shops and restaurants and they are willing to ship - but do not take credit cards for shipped orders. You must send a check or money order. Note: their tasting room is only open on the weekends (Fri - Sun 11am to 5pm) and they do have a tour on Sundays at 2pm! Tasting is $3 for 4 tastes.

Day 2: So we had a good last half of the day friday out exploring, now was time for day two of the "Erins visit" explorations.

We woke up saturday and we were excited, as it was supposed to be about 70 degrees or so out and the warmest day since probably september(seems like a lifetime ago). We went to get Erin coffee, so she would behave herself for the most part that day(like a kid begging to go to the toy store - coffee coffee coffee i want i want...lol)  she is not really that bad, but sounds funnier that way ;) so we get the stuff we need for the day loaded and go get coffee and we make our way to Seattle. First stop is to check out some hotels for people to stay at for the sept. seattle meetup. Things are a bit crazy cuz the Dalai Lama is in town so police are out and happy happy people are walking to the event. We check out a couple hotels, I show Erin some of the area close to the hotels and tell her of some of my thoughts and plans for the meetup and then we decide to leave the area and all the hubbub and go catch the ferry.

Erin wanted to take a ferry ride if possible while in town, and it just so happens there is a winery on Bainbridge Island, and if you know Erin , you know she likes her wine :) So upon hearing her mention the ferry ride and that Bainbridge has a winery, I contacted the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce for other suggestions of things to do and places to eat and got a couple ideas I thought we would enjoy.
The ferry ride was nice, , man it fealt good to be on the top deck before we left, sun beating down , nice and warm. Then we start moving , HOLY CRAP BATMAN - it got windy and cold up top in some parts, but was a relaxing ride and good vantage point for photos.

We arrive on Bainbridge (the island is the size of Manhattan i am told, but like 1 millionth the population) and we head to our first destination, also referred to by some as "the secret gardens" . Keep in mind you have to make a reservation ahead of time(gets very busy in the summer, or nice days), and the last tour is 2pm (make sure you get to the ferry early and it does not fill up).  So we head like 6.5 miles to the Bloedel Reserve, the pics and the link to the website will tell you what you need to know, it was just very calming and peaceful. After two hours of walking we were ready for a break from the walking. So we headed down the road to the Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery to do a wine tasting. We tested and enjoyed some wine,  Erin bought some wine and I bought a few collectible items. The winery owners collect antiques and glassware, etc. and they display some of the items, which adds to the experience and if you really like, many are for sale which is nice. Erin had fun ,  the owner of the winery was actually the one doing the tasting so Erin chatted with him about stuff way over my head :) (grapes and the process and techniques and yada yada...lol).  After all this we were a bit hungry and decided to head to the final destination, on my list of suggested "to does while in bainbridge".

We head to the Harbour Pub to get a bite to eat. Now this place was recommended by two different sources, and it did not dissapoint. Good food, friendly staff and the view of the marina was just awesome on a nice day like it was. Erin and I took a stroll down by the boats and down the road to see some other stuff, as we tried to walk some of the food off.  Their bathroom was filled with funny sayings on the walls, including one that read "Used Beer Department" over the mens urinal :) (see photo)(also see link at bottom of this for review). After our dinner and stroll, we catch the ferry back into seattle, and i freeze my tooshy off at the front of the boat trying to get more pics as the wind knifes thru me. Once back in Seattle we then head to alki beach in West Seattle. Do to my fed ex experience i know the streets there well which was good, we were able to escape up some roads others did not know were an option. The whole waterfront was packed , it being a beautiful saturday and just at the end of sunset. All the low rider cars and people cruisin. Its a 2 lane road with no outs for like 3 miles or so, so we were just barely creepin along... We break free from the masses and head home after 1/2 hour of snail pace crawling, but Erin got to see lots of cool waterfront properties and the tail end of the sunset(from the car) so it was ok. It was a long tiring day, but it was so worth it, now it was time to rest , still plenty to do before she headed back to Cali.

UPLOADING PHOTOS RIGHT NOW, LAST PHOTO WILL BE OF THE END OF A SUNSET

Please see the review below to see pictures of the food.

Links used for this review:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

http://www.bloedelreserve.org/

http://www.bainbridgevineyards.com/

http://www.harbourpub.com/

http://www.bainbridgeisland.org/

http://www.bainbridgechamber.com/    click here to locate member businesses

The harbour Public House is a nice relaxing place. They have good food, the pita bread was very good as were the crab & artichoke dip and the humus that the pita bread was for. My friend Erin (poohstanggt) enjoyed her greek salad and I liked the fish and chips. (however beer, pita bread, and battered fish and chips was all a bit heavy for me, my bad thinking when ordering). I got a good laugh from the signs in the bathroom(see my journal), the view of the marina from the restaurant and the ability to walk along the marina make the experience even better. I recommend this as a destination when it is nice out and take the time to try and get a seat outside. Not sure if they take reservations, but they seem to be a very popular choice so maybe try it at off peak hours..

Once on the island, we were going to check out the Bloedel Reserve, do a little wine tasting, and find somewhere to eat lunch/dinner.  Shane had called to get reservations for the tour at Bloedel while we were waiting for the ferry to arrive only to be told they were completely full for their last tour! What?!?  Shane is amazing...the man has skills! LOL.  He sweet talked the lady on the phone into letting us join their last tour of the day by explaining we were coming all the way there, friend in town, research for a TB meet up, etc!  WOW!  I am so glad she made room for us as this ended up being such a beautiful place!

Bloedel Reserve

The entire property is comprised of almost 150 acres, with about 84 devoted to second growth forest. The remaining acres make up the reserve which was once the home of the Bloedel family.  Prior to their deaths, they established the Arbor Fund, which is the non-profit operating foundation which is responsible for managing the reserve and ensuring it is available for the public to enjoy.  This was such a beautiful and peaceful walk through nature (except for Shane trying to call the birdies over to get in the pictures - ha ha). 

The tour is pretty much self-guided and you can go at your own pace - expected to take two hours to complete but we finished it in about 1 1/2 hours stopping along the way to take photos of everything and anything I could! :-)  It's hard to put into words how beautiful it was and I can imagine later in the season as things are beginning to bloom and change color, it's even more breathtaking. 

Bainbridge Island Vineyards and Winery

Of course, if there's a winery close by......had to check it out!  What I didn't realize...this was Shane's first time wine tasting.  HA HA.  We got inside and it was pretty packed.  Like a good wino, I was waiting patiently for a few people to finish up and we'd be in the next group up. It was pretty small and as it was crowded, I prefered to wait for the bar to open up versus standing 3 rows back! LOL.  They had some very interesting collectibles for sale which kept me rather amused for the 5-10 minutes for everyone to finish up.  Shane was somewhat perplexed why people didn't just get wine and go elsewhere rather than talk to the people (the owner and winemaker was actually the one pouring).  :-)  Our turn finally - YEAH!  Again, forgot it was Shane's first time....I was in my element and I spaced.  LOL.  It was the first time Shane was quiet....HA HA.  This time, it was me chatting - I talked to the winemaker a bit about the wines and growing grapes in that region and his history in the business.  Super interesting and very friendly people!  

Next we were headed off for food.......and to take the ferry back in hopes of catching a gorgeous Seattle sunset!

The Harbour Public House

Someone recommended we try this place for lunch/dinner as it's right on the water and supposedly good food.  We definitely hit the right time as we had a 5-10 minute wait for an outside table and what a gorgeous view!  We were able to look back into downtown Seattle and see the skyline while enjoying a somewhat rare warm and sunny afternoon!  I tried a local Washington Amber Ale which was really good and although a pub, had some interesting choices on the menu.  I decided to satiate my Greek craving since Joy and I had been chatting a couple days before about a Greek Isles wine tasting trip.  After visiting Greece last summer, I have been dying to find a Greek salad as good as what I had there.  I ordered the Greek Salad obviously and decided to try their hummus.  YUM!  Shane opted for the recommended fish and chips and had the crab and artichoke dip to start.  We were quietly enjoying our appetizers, taking in the scenery, and then I hear my phone vibrating loudly in my purse.  HA HA.  I look and hmmmmm, it's stuck receiving a picture email - somebody loves me...who's sending me what!?!?  And then I see it......Mel  sent me a pic of all the sushi she was out enjoying!! HA HA HA.  That's ok, Shane and I sent her one back of the beautiful water and view that you can't get in Las Vegas!!! :-P

All in all, it was a great day on Bainbridge Island and I definitely am looking forward to hopefully going back on my next trip up to Washington! :-)