Father's Day

Was able to spend father's day with the father! Wes and I picked strawberries at a nearby farm (boy, they were sweet and succulent!) to bring to the father's day feast on the Sun River Ranch.

I <3 waterfalls

Hidden Lake--More hidden than we thought...

We set out with high expectations of a lookout at a high altitude with a shelter to camp in, a hidden lake and a view of the north Cascades. We ended up sliding in snow, digging our toes in the snow to make steps to climb the slippery slope (where are my crampons?!! where is my ice axe?!!), just to turn around as the remainder of the trail was covered in snow and HIDDEN (see, it isn't just the lake that's hidden, it's the trail as well!). Plus, the water rushing beneath us as we walked on the snow presented a bit of a hazard and we didn't want to risk falling through! I must admit, however, that drinking crystal clear glacier water was a decent consolation prize. We shall attempt it again come August. For now, we'll stick to the Issaquah Alps (sans la neige).

Tunnel-rific

Twin Falls to Snoqualmie Tunnel

3 hours of sun, rain, thunder, a freezing tunnel, a bear, 2 elk, waterfalls, creeks and bridges. Our afternoon of biking 32 miles turned out to be a mini-adventure filled with firsts.

We saw our first Washington bear, our first Washington elk, but the coolest first was the ride in the tunnel. The part of the trail we biked is just part of the Iron Horse trail that extends to the border of Washington/Idaho. The 2.3 mile tunnel is the nation's longest tunnel open to non-motorized traffic. Some trivia: the Snoqualmie tunnel was built between 1908 and 1911 for the longest electric railroad in the world that operated for over 70 years. Ain't that somethin' else!

Mariners Moose

Why, praytell, is the mascot of the Mariners a Moose? Did you ever see a moose out at sea? They just liked how it sounded...better than the Mariners Mackeral I suppose. Mascot marveling aside, we had a great time. Two words: Aaaaaaadrian Beltre!

rattlesnake mountain & beaver lake

Muddy muddy trails led me a bit off course! Least it was a soft landing! Hiking up Rattlesnake Mtn. was a middle-earthly experience

Me and W2 at the summit. We spotted the mini in the parking lot and a white tower we had thought was a waterfall. Curious...

View of Rattlesnake Lake from Rattlesnake Mountain.

SPL

Worked across the street at 1001 Fourth for a week and a half, so I had the chance to take a peek at the Seattle Public Library.

Syttende Mai (May 17th, Norwegian Constitution Day)

Folks waive Norsk flags whilst walking in the Syttende Mai parade in Ballard.

Mt. Si

Mt. Si

If you live in the Pacific Northwest and a full weekend of rain lets up, you take advantage of that clear day and spend it outdoors! After breakfasting at IKEA, we hiked up Mt. Si (about an 8 mile return hike) and picnicked amidst the view from the top.

The Biking Adventures Begin

Wes and I have been taking advantage of our new state and our proximity to great trails. Biking together on the weekends has been so much fun, except for the stinging nettle incident (my entire right leg was stinging for hours). We've explored a few nearby trails, but our favorite so far is the Beaver Lake area (not pictured).

Pictured is the view from Whitaker Park. We deviated from the Preston-Snoqualmie trail and kept going up...and up...and up...and up...Not sure of the elevation gain (Wes figured around 800 ft.), but it was a workout! Luckily it paid off with views of the Cascades.

Snoqualmie Petticoat

It's crazy to think how close we are to raging waterfalls! Snoqualmie Falls is just up the road about 20 minutes and is a sight and a half! You can feel the vibrations from the falls whilst standing on the viewing platform. As they cascade down, they remind me of lace...rather, a lace petticoat. Bit of trivia: the Twin Peaks title sequence features these falls--remember?!

Concrete Welcome Silos

Whilst visiting Dad I took the opportunity to take a pic of the "Welcome to Concrete" silos.

Me and the Fahzha

Me and Dad celebrating Cinco de Mayo, aka the day of his birth. We ate at the Buffalo Run Inn (which surprisingly had a full page of vegetarian options, although I'm not totally veggie anymore) in Marblemount (up the North Cascades Highway, about 20 minutes from where he lives).