May 10: Southwest Road Trip Day 1

The day has finally arrived for us to start our SW Road Trip!

We've been thinking about our next 45 days on the road for weeks and in the last several days have been putting objects aside, laundering and organizing clothes, and making lists of things not to forget. This morning we packed the car, took a quick walk to Homegrown to buy some sandwiches for lunch, and, at 9:15, headed south on 99 to connect to I-90, I-82 and I-84 headed for first night, in Baker City, OR.

Ha! Seattle was not so easy to leave! It took us 30 minutes to drive from the south end of the Battery Street tunnel to exit at the stadiums for the "quick" hop to I-90. Only a 2 miles, but it's all good and we finally got on our way at Interstate speeds. The rest of Western Washington was easy. We ate our sandwiches at a nice picnic table off the Interstate just before the town of Selah, WA (just before crossing the pass into the Yakima Valley.

The weather was good and the vineyards and farmlands were beautiful.  Beautiful was the appropriate word for the high forests of Northeastern Oregon. The forest is not as dense as the western slopes of the Cascades so it is easier to see the varied terrain. This being Spring, the grass carpet under the trees was very green.

These first few days of the trip are primarily to get us to Arizona as quickly as possible, but to still enjoy the road. We decided to try to keep it under 400 miles on any given day so we don't get overly tired. Mission accomplished as we pull into Baker City's Geiser Grand Hotel in time for Happy Hour at the bar.

The Geiser Grand

Opened in 1889, this was the finest hotel between Salt Lake City and Seattle. It had the third elevator installed west of the Mississippi. It fell on hard times, closing in 1968 after accommodating the cast of Paint Your Wagon during filming in the nearby Blue Mountains. Lovingly restored, it reopened in 1993. Our room was on the second floor, with quite a view of those mountains. We dined in the Palm Court, which has an immense stained-glass ceiling.

Blue Mountains

Palm Court from the 2nd Floor

Ceiling Glass of the Palm Court

The soundtrack at dinner included songs from Paint Your Wagon and other westerns. Amy had a salad and steak, I had Bourbon & Honey-glazed chicken. Satisfied, we called it a day, having covered 383 miles. Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be even better as we head into Idaho and on to Utah.

Reactivating this blog...

This blog is now a resource for my family (and, perhaps, others).

Enjoy!
Wayne

August 15 #30 Marsh and Foster Islands

The hottest day of the year, so far. I have a confession: we already tried to do this walk once, but ran into a bit of a challenge. It seems the level of Lake Washington varies a couple of feet over the course of the year. It is highest in June, when the run-off from the mountains is at the maximum, and it is lower in fall, just as the run-off runs out and before the rains really start in. Our previous attempt was in May. Much of the trail was pretty soaked from the Lake, so we bailed before getting off of Marsh Island. Today we are prepared with sandals and we have a big towel in the car. Well prepared, but it wasn't needed as the 8 inches or so that the Lake has fallen since our last attempt makes all the difference. It is pretty solid now, with no danger to shoes.

The walk starts near MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry). If you want to see this, get there soon, because the new 520 bridge will require its removal. It will probably resurface somewhere else, but its current venue is a pretty nice location, with several Seattle memorabilia (like a Ben Bridge Street Clock and a gun from an old battleship).

We followed the walk out to Marsh and Foster Islands, skirting along the edge of Lake Washington where it flows into the Montlake Cut:

The millfoil is severe. It's pretty bad in the calmer sections of water, but at least the flowers are pretty.

This is another instance of a locale that we really should have visited before this; we've been in Seattle how many years and this is our first (well, second, but a couple of months ago didn't really count) time enjoying these islands? It was a really nice stroll on the trail through the dense foliage. We crossed the second bridge from Marsh to Foster Island and made our way out to the point on the north side. Lots of people were enjoying kayaking, sailing, rowing, picnicing.

We continued on the walk passing under 520 and then going through some more marshland, finally making our way to the Arboretum's Visitor Center. (They were setting up for a wedding, but happily it hadn't started so we were able to enjoy several gulps of cold water.) We briefly visited the botanical garden before turning back West to enter the Arboretum proper, crossing over Lake Washington Boulevard:
We continued on, exited the Park, then walked several more blocks through the quiet Montlake neighborhood (except where it is near 520 or 23rd Avenue). A great walk on a hot day.

July 25 #29 Magnuson Park

Finally, some really good weather! Our next walk takes us to Northeast Seattle, to the former Air Base, Magnuson Park. We parked just outside the entrance to the park:

I never realized how popular this boat launch is! After heading due east on NE 65th Street for quite a while, we came upon a boat back-up. There must have been 20 trucks towing boats that the owners were anxiously waiting to put into the Lake. It must be serious fun for anyone to want to wait hours to get to it!

This walk circumnavigates the park. After walking east, we did a quick jog to the south and then followed the shore line mostly north. Just at the shoreline, we came upon a really interesting bit of Useful Art:
This “art” can be used to calibrate ones location equipment! You can sight through the holes you see in the various slabs. Each slab is separated from the next by a distance that increases by a factor of two for each slab. (Memories of Civil Engineering students being tortured at University.)

We continued along the shore and enjoyed the cool coming off the water. A very faint Mt. Rainier can be seen in the distance.

When we got a little separated from the shore, it was pretty warm. Lots of people enjoying picnics and barbecues. After making it all the north to the Dog Run, we headed inland. Interesting structures reflected this land’s former use as a Naval Base; lots of bomb-proof shelters where munitions and other equipment must have been stored. Lots of walkways to nowhere and ladders to the top of a very small shelter. One must use the imagination to remove overgrow trees to imagine what it was like 60 years ago.

Some more walking found us near the end of a fund-raiser (Cancer Awareness) and a friendly game of Football (not the American version).
Really nice facilities. Lots of children’s playground equipment, as well. We continued West to Sand Point Way and headed south back to the car. Along this part of the walk, we got a call from our daughter Sarah and had a very nice conversation planning what we would all do when she visited us next week. Good Times. Hot. Enjoyable Summer Day!

July 24 #18 Chittendon Locks to Discovery Park

An absolutely beautiful day! This summer has been atypical, with good weather on the weekends and lots of overcast during the week. We parked in Discovery Park (the end point of the walk) and walked across the locks to start the walk from the proper point. Getting to the start required us to pass along Commodore Way through the north Magnolia - it is a very nice section of Seattle; the yards and houses are well-kept, clean and pretty. We had a nice, short stroll to the beginning.

This is one of the top 5 destinations in Seattle on a nice day. This is where the river meets the sea. Boats go in and out, birds fly looking for fish, fish struggle to get up the ladder.

After getting in the gate, we visited the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens. Quite lovely, quite relaxing. Getting to the canal side of the gardens, we get a fine view of the locks.
We then moved down to the locks, proper. It’s fun to watch the boat crews get into the lock, tie up and prepare for the rising water (most were heading up to the lake today). It’s also fun to see the spillway and the waters heading to the sound. The salmon are jumping today, you can see a jump every half minute or so, and you can see swarms of salmon lining up to head into the ladder.
After a couple of minutes watching the activity, we moved along to the fish ladder to watch the salmon heading up to the lake. The number of salmon going through is about back to what it was when we first arrived in Seattle (1983). They really tapered off around 1990 or so, but they seem to have bounced back.

The ladder viewing room is very dark, so I wasn’t able to get any good pictures. However on top of that room there is a pretty cool sculpture:

After a couple more minutes enjoying the views of the fish, we headed back up Commodore Way to Discovery Park and the car. It was a most enjoyable walk.

July 11 #41 Seward Park

Today finds us in search of something a little different. We have been to Seward Park a few times, but have never circumnavigated the peninsula, so that is what we are doing today.

This is a nice walk around a unique setting on Lake Washington. This venue is quite remote from our house, so takes some effort to get to. The weather is decent, but not spectacular. There are lots of people here and lots of boats on the lake enjoying a lazy Sunday.

The walk is straight-forward; just a loop around the outer edge of the peninsula. One looks to the right to see water, and to the left to see foliage. I was surprised at the amount of poison oak here. At least it is well marked!

Our first picture is from the north point of the park, looking west into Seattle. You can just see where I-90 goes into the Mt. Baker tunnel at the right edge of the frame.


We continued around, coming on the area where there seem to be some fishing opportunities, not to mention a calm area for boat enthusiasts to laze in the sun.


On the left edge is where Seward Park connects to the mainland.

We finished off the walk by passing the headquarters building. A nice walk, even if there wasn’t a whole lot to talk about.

July 5 #15 Magnolia

Seattle continues to be doomed to an unusually cool summer. Despite the weather, this walk got off to a good start with lunch at Serendipity, a rather family-friendly eatery on West McGraw. Yum.

I have to be honest; I’ve never been really keen on Magnolia. It’s a long way from anywhere else, rather isolated. It reminds me of growing up in the ‘burbs. That said, it is a pretty neighborhood. The Magnolia “downtown” (called the Village) has some interesting shops, including the Magnolia Bookstore. Some good restaurants, too, including Szmania’s, as well as the bistro where we just ate.

Being satisfied, food-wise, we ventured forth on the walk. It was a lazy Sunday, especially so being the day after Independence Day. We headed SW, then NW through a residential area. The houses are large, well-kept and the gardens are, mostly, enviable. My wife and I had a nice talk along the way and were not distracted by the scenary until we turned the corner onto Magnolia Boulevard West. Ah, this is why people live here!

This is the view of Elliott Bay from the south-facing bluffs of Magnolia:

We continued on, completely enjoying the uninterrupted views. (There wasn’t much traffic, either, which made it quite pleasant.) The story goes that the earliest non-indigenous visitors mistook the madrone trees for magnolias, so this area got mis-named. There is a section of Seattle called Madrona, over on the east side of the city, overlooking Lake Washington. Perhaps it’s a good thing that this area was named Magnolia, because two neighborhoods both named Madrona would have been very confusing.

We continued on, curving with Magnolia Blvd and turning into Magnolia Park (the upper portion).


There were a couple of people out playing with their dog, and one or two other small groups, but it was not at all crowded. We turned around, heading back to the north, past the tennis courts (where no one was playing), and were very soon back to the Village. We enjoyed the walk because of the quiet and the outstanding views. A great way to pass a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon.