Well I was in Bellingham, about 90 miles north of Seattle. The dojo I attended was a satellite of the Kannagara dojo in Granite Falls. The Kannagara dojo has a website which gives some more information. My dojo also has a website in progress but it basically only provides a schedule at the moment.

The dojos I attended seemed to focus more on a balance between the spiritual and physical sides of aikido. The dojos here in Tucson seem to focus more on the physical. This is the best explanation I have for not enjoying the dojos here. Add to that the fact that the dojos here are USAF (US Aikido Foundation) and seem more concerned with hierarchies than what I'm used to. On top of all of this, the dojos here are about a third the size of the one I attended. Which is particularly odd -- Tucson has lots of space, and land is relatively cheap. I'd expect it to be reversed as far as size goes.

I've seriously considered moving back up to Washington to be able to train in a dojo I like. Well, partially that -- the job market in Tucson seems particularly slim for software developement. But that's not going to happen anytime soon.