Seattle Adventure with Shaunna & Her Mom - Day 2

This morning we explored the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.  They claim to be "The Center of the Universe" though the only reason I can find for that is their city motto is basically to express peculiarities.  Shaunna took me to see the troll under Aurora Avenue and we took a few fun pictures.  Fremont is a cute area to walk around, but possibly more fun on a Friday or Saturday night.  We did see a lot of fun and random art work on the streets so that was nice.  

Then we headed out to Gas Works Park where we had an incredible view of downtown Seattle.  We even got to watch an amphibian plane land in the water which is something I had never seen before.

We still had a couple of hours to kill before my train departure so we drove around Alki Point and had more good views of downtown.  I love this photo because after the Space Needle on the left, as you scan to the right the buildings start out small and then get taller and taller until you reach the last building on the right.  Then it was time to head back towards Pioneer Square to catch my train.  We just happened to park next to the Klondike Gold Rush National Park display so we went inside their free museum and explored for a few minutes.  It was interesting to read about Seattle’s history with gold.

Today’s media mention is The Clan of the Cave Bear.  Shaunna’s mom asked me on Sunday when we were at the Purple Moon Inn if I had ever read this series (they had a copy of one of the books inside the inn).  I had never even heard of the series but it sounded interesting.  When we arrived in Depoe Bay later that day, we happened to park near a used bookstore so Shaunna’s mom bought it with the intention that I pass it along to Shaunna when I’m done.  I’m not far in at all - it’s a bit of a slow start.  But I hope it gets going so I can get into it soon.  I guess I have 2.5 hours on the train I could spend reading that.

Eddie picked me up from the train station and surprised me with a walk to Rogue where we shared some beer and appetizers.  I really enjoy walking around downtown Portland.  It is so pretty and there are always fun people to see.

Seattle Adventure with Shaunna & Her Mom

Shaunna, her mom, and I drove up to Seattle this morning.  We stopped at a rest stop along I-5 which made me think of Randy Woodfield aka the I-5 Killer.  Thankfully nothing happened to us and we were safe.  Funny thing on the way up...  As we left Portland and got closer to the Washington border, we noticed a huge blanket of clouds that seemed to be hovering only above Washington leaving Oregon with clear, blue skies.  Thought that was kind of funny.

We drove around Seattle a bit and found a cute Mexican restaurant to have lunch at.  I'm not positive, but I think it was called Guadalajara and is located in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle.  The server thought I was silly for ordering my plain cheese quesedilla without guacamole or sour cream.  Then we spent some time at the Ballard Locks where we learned about the connecting of Puget Sound to Lake Washington and Lake Union via canal and how the locks operate to allow ships to come up or down to the water height of the body of water they are about to enter.  The locks also keep the salt water of Puget Sound from mixing with the fresh water of the lakes.  Then we got to see the locks in action and watched them both raise and lower boats to the appropriate water height for passage.  I’m sure that doesn’t make sense to anyone who has never been, but I don’t think I can do an adequate job explaining it, so if you’re really interested, read more about it here.

After the Locks we explored Pike Place Market and the wharf area.  I got some yummy olive oil that I tried when I was up here with my sister a few weeks ago and I also bought some good tea.  One of Shaunna’s favorite stores is Ye Olde Curiosity Shop which is very interesting inside.  They have two dehydrated human body remains which was certainly odd to see.

When we were done exploring we went back to Shaunna’s sister’s house to relax for a bit in the Green Lake neighborhood in Seattle.  When we were ready to head back out we decided to do the 3-mile walk around the lake.  It was a beautiful thing to see as the sun was starting to set.  Greenlake Bar & Grill was on our way back so we sat on their patio and enjoyed a round of beers and sweet potato fries.  Our evening ended with a card game at the house.

Today’s media mention comes courtesy of Shaunna.  During our drive up to Seattle she played Adele for me.  She first heard her one day when wandering around the cute streets of Laguna Beach.  I only heard a few of the songs, but her voice is awesome.  If I remember her when I get a job, I’d like to download the album.