July 27, 2013

  • Seattle Summer

    Our exchange student from Japan, Taichi, has been studying English and American culture all week, but we have the weekend free. The students are going as a group to all the big Seattle tour spots (Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Museum of Flight, a Mariners game) so we have been showing him around Ballard.

    Thursday night we walked down to Golden Gardens.  Here is proof that Taichi touched this side of the Pacific Ocean! (Okay, the sound.)

     

    As we were walking back to the steps, I saw the original steps that were built in 1936. In the winter and spring, there's usually a waterfall going down them which is why I hadn't noticed before.

     

     

    Today, we decided to ride the bike around to Ballard/North Seattle sights. We loaded up the panniers with a picnic lunch and headed down to the Ballard Locks.

     

    Steve on top of the large lock gate, and a train going over the bridge.

     

    We watched the boats ride down to Sound level in the small lock, and went to the viewing windows of the fish ladder, which was full of Chinook salmon. The boys walking back over the gate, with the Ballard Bridge and Fisherman's Terminal beyond.

     

    We got back on the bikes, and rode the Burke-Gilman trail to Gasworks Park, where we ate our picnic lunch.

     

     

    Starting home, Steve asked if I wanted to go by the Fremont Troll, and I stupidly said yes, since it means going up a really steep hill!

     

     Since we were already halfway up the hill, we continued north up Fremont Avenue to Woodland Park, and seriously, I thought I was going to die. Ahhh! We finally made it up to the top of Phinney Ridge and had a glorious coast on Phinney/Greenwood Avenue. We had planned to head west on 77th back to Ballard, but then I remembered we were very close to the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company, and that Taichi had said he likes space ships. After we stopped there, Carl requested to visit the comic book shop around the corner (I will note this is a super-friendly store, they are always so nice to Carl and have given him free comics even when it's not Free Comic Book Day.)

    Finally we made it back home, where we will be grilling a well-deserved steak dinner tonight. By the way, one year ago today was the day we left Wichita and started driving west.

Comments (3)

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment