Nov. 19, 2009 at 1:24pm Armchair Traveling - Local Trips

More videos on local travel destinations; Mt. Rainier, Seattle and the San Juan Islands

Rainier : the mountain
This video is a good example of armchair hiking (the more rugged version of armchair tourism). Excellent videography covering far ranging topics about the history, landscape, recreation and geology of the area. In addition to this well-done video, three of  the books mentioned in the video are available at the library. A Year in Paradise by Floyd Schmoe, The Measure of a Mountain by Bruce Barcott, and The Challenge of Rainier by Dee Molenaar are all waiting on the shelves to further inspire and educate on the topic of that oft shrouded mountain of ours.


Seattle and the San Juan Islands
This wasn't what I expected, and I recommend it highly. I thought the coverage of two such disparate areas of the state was odd, but I hadn't read the back of the video case before popping it into the DVD player. The reason that this video covers Seattle and the islands is because the entire voyage is by water. The captain and his friend travel aboard a 54 foot trawler from Seattle, through the Chittenden locks to Port Townsend, La Conner, Orcas Island, Friday Harbor, Victoria B.C., and finally back to Seattle. It is quite enjoyable to look at these locations from another perspective, and see parts of the cities and towns not normally paid attention to by those driving in. Some unplanned excitement occurs during the trip, and although the shipmates are not really actors, they are decent comedians.


Washington State's Emerald City : Seattle
Hatzoff Productions produces this video tour guide annually. Some clips of video are older, judging by the clothing, but the information is not out of date. Still images of maps are included in the video if you check the main menu. A professionally done overview of the sights and sounds of Seattle. Not much here to surprise those who have learned the byways of the emerald city, however, it could be used to entertain the in-laws the night before taking them for a day trip into the city.