Blog | 51�鶹

Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn

Charter Destinations, Tofino, British Columbia

Imagine Cannon Beach before its coast was lined with a concrete jungle and you might be close to picturing Tofino. At least, you’d be close to picturing Tofino’s Chesterman beach. Unlike its grass-lined southern brother, Tofino’s shores are rimmed with old growth forests. Here, trunks grow out of dirt that rests next to sand.

Smack dab at the end of the road – literally, it’s the last stop on Canada’s transcontinental highway, the Pacific-Rim Highway – this quaint town has yet to be overrun by commercialized tourist attractions. Its landscape remains pristine. It’s locals, all 2,500 of them, embody the back-country, wave-as-you-pass friendly attitude you’d expect in a small town.

March 9, 2022/by Mikaela Judd

Chief Pilot Jay Todhunter

Blog, Kenmore Family

Feb 24, 2022 Mikaela Judd

Chief Pilot Jay Todhunter set out to fly for 51�鶹 in 2013. But the path to his stripes wasn’t direct.

Like many of 51�鶹’s flight crew, Jay started on the dock, splashing planes and washing windows. The job let him get his foot in the door. It also gave him access to 51�鶹’s flight instruction department, where he earned his seaplane rating.

Jay had gotten his pilot’s license while earning his Bachelor of Science in Flight Technology at Central Washington University.

February 24, 2022/by Mikaela Judd

Top Seattle Tours: Seattle Underground Tour, Scenic Flights & More!

Things to do in Seattle

Couple enjoying ice cream at the Seattle Pier

Bordered by the ocean and ringed in mountains, the Emerald City’s natural beauty is unlike any other metropolis. Its neighborhoods are nestled against lakes, and the original downtown core is built on what once was marshland. Fueled by coffee, it is a mecca for foodies, tech experts, and outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you’re visiting for the long weekend, popping in for the day or looking to make a memory playing tourist in your hometown, there are a plethora of fun things to do in Seattle.

February 7, 2022/by Mikaela Judd

Island Fibers on Lopez Island

Blog, Featured Artists, Things to do in the San Juan Islands

Nov 2, 2021

How two local artisans support island agriculture through the Slow Fiber Movement.

There’s a rural beauty to Lopez Island, a slowness �ٳ󲹳�’s earned it the nickname ‘Slowpez.’ This is thanks in large part to the generously flat terrain, where gently rolling hills are studded with farms and speckled with artisans. While the locally grown offerings are diverse — including beef, pork, and berries — the quaint 29.5 square-mile agricultural community is perhaps best known for its sheep.

Lopez Island wool products, in particular, are heralded throughout the United States and beyond for their exceptional quality and beauty. This is in no small part thanks to Maxine Bron- stein and Debbie Hayward, founders of Island Fibers.

November 2, 2021/by Mikaela Judd

Walla Walla Getaway

Adventures, Blog, Charter Destinations

Sep 17, 2021 Rick Turner

Photos by Sara Satterlee

Sipping, eating & chipping through Walla Walla.

Someone much less clever once said of New York, that it was a city “so nice, they named it twice.” But those of us who spend our time between the nether regions of Parallels 46 and 47 understand that there is really only one city that accurately fits that description.

Walla Walla (a town so nice … you know the rest) is tucked away in the southeast corner of Washington, where the state meets with Idaho and Oregon to serve up a hardcore Northwest vibe with a little something for everyone.

It is where small-town hospitality meets the French Rhone Valley. Where Lonestar belt-buckles and old faded Levi’s meet oaky notes and bold tannins. It boasts one of, if not, the top golf course in the state. It’s a burgeoning Foodies delight and the recreation options are endless year-round.

It’s hard to experience all that this sleepy little Eastern Washington burgh has to offer, but my good friend Sara and I figured we’d give it a try. Read more

September 17, 2021/by Rick Turner

Island Hopping with Kids

Blog, Things to do in the San Juan Islands

A weekend jumping from Orcas to San Juan Island.

Watch the sun slowly dip down from the comfort of your own balcony after you’ve scrubbed the dirt and washed the sand off your little ones from a long day of exploring. Instead of battling crowds and waiting in lines, introduce your children to the finer things in life like clams caught mere steps from where they are eaten. Spend your mornings walking out to an island made accessible only by low tide.

Listen in awe at the excited squeals from each discovery of sea stars, sea cucumbers, and crabs. Spend the day whale-watching and the evening on a sunset sail. From Lopez to Orcas and San Juan Island, each has its own distinct sense of place and will have a unique draw to visitors. When you cannot decide which island is right for you, don’t. Instead, plan an “island-hopping” adventure, combining the best of what a couple of islands have to offer.

September 8, 2021/by Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Celebration Worthy Pints at Cairn Brewing

Blog, Things to do in Seattle

Aug 24, 2021

Celebration Worthy Pints at Cairn Brewing

You won’t find Cairn beers in the grocery store or on tap at the bars around town. A taste of this neighborhood brewery requires a trek to the north end of Lake Washington. It’s worth the visit (especially if you find yourself just .8 miles away at 51�鶹’s headquarters).

Nestled beside the Burke-Gilman Trail, The brewing area is set among communal tables that spill onto a large patio. On tap, you’ll find a selection of more than 15 beers ranging from seasonal ales to year-round favorites.

August 24, 2021/by Mikaela Judd

Meet the 51�鶹 Family

Blog, Kenmore Family

Aug 18, 2021

Munro’s descendants and their spouses: Leslie Banks, Tim Banks, Gregg Munro, Margie Munro, Todd Banks, Jayne Banks, Olivia Banks, Hunter Banks, Mason Banks, Allison Russell, Chris Russell, Kylie Russell, Logan Russell, David Banks.

3 Generations of Mr. Munro’s Descendants (and Counting)

AT THE NORTH END OF Lake Washington, tucked beside the mouth of the Sammamish River, sits a humble airport. It has sat there ever since Bob Munro founded 51�鶹 in 1946 with two high school friends.

What started out as a one hangar, single seaplane company has grown into a thriving multi-faceted business. Today — 75 years later — picnic tables serve as departure “gates”; employees park among company aircraft, and, Munro’s descendants have been raised — quite literally. The original family home still stands at the westernmost edge of the five-acre campus where Munro and his wife Ruth raised their three children, Leslie Banks, Gregg Munro and Margie Munro.

August 18, 2021/by Mikaela Judd

Washington’s Pig Headed War

Blog, Things to do in the San Juan Islands

Jul 26, 2021

Photo by Tomas Nevesely

The killing of a pig nearly plunged the United States and Great Britain into war in 1859. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed.

Long before the San Juan Islands were a vacation destination, they were the focus of an international crisis ignited by an unlikely incident: The shooting of a pig in a potato patch. This was the famous Pig War of 1859, when military and naval forces of the United States and Great Britain almost came to blows in midsummer after the death of the Berkshire boar.

But in the end, not a single shot was fired. The nations opted for peace, an outcome that was commemorated more than 100 years later with the creation of San Juan Island National Historical Park. The issue, aside from mid-19^th century notions of honor, was mainly about real estate.

July 26, 2021/by Mikaela Judd

75 Years of Doing it Right

Blog, History

Jul 11, 2021 C. Marin Faure

To most of us, flying is simply a fast and efficient way of getting from here to there. But it can be so much more. Accelerating across the water at the point of a sparkling vee of spray, lifting off to look down through big windows at the shining towers of a city beside a deepwater bay, skimming close over a jigsaw puzzle of islands and inlets, soaring around the ice-draped peaks and looming volcanoes that make up some of the most impressive mountains on the planet… Now �ٳ󲹳�’s flying.

That this remarkable experience can be had by simply buying a ticket on 51�鶹 is due entirely to a single gust of wind which shortly before the outbreak of World War II flipped over a tiny, two-seat Aeronca floatplane on Seattle’s Lake Union. Seattle seaplane pioneer Lana Kurtzer salvaged the plane, stacked the pieces behind his shop and forgot about it until 1944 when a pair of young Navy Reserve aviation mechanics asked if he’d be willing to sell it.

July 11, 2021/by C. Marin Faure