01-07AUG10 - Various, WA (if its tuesday, it must be tubing)

As we did last year, we flew our kids, Rebecca & Joe, out to join us for one week. (see our BLOG entries from 31JUL09 to 05AUG09, for complete details & photos of last year's whirlwind visit) They landed at 1330 on Saturday, 31JUL; & we immediately headed straight to Alki Beach in West Seattle. Alki was the spot picked by the first non Native Americans, the Denny party, to settle on the shores of Elliot Bay in 1851. They soon learned that the other side of Elliot Bay (ie the east side) offered easier living & soon abandoned Alki for what is now Seattle. We had a great lunch at Spud (not Spuds), the oldest “fast food” restaurant in Seattle (celebrating 75 yrs). After walking on the beach, people watching, & locating the original spot of Seattle’s founding; it was off to Fishermen’s Terminal in Ballard.

http://spudfishandchips.com/

Fishermen’s Terminal is the homeport of most of the crab boats seen on the TV show “Deadliest Catch”. Even though none of the crab boats were in, it is still a nice area to visit including the Fishermen’s memorial to those lost at sea. While there we bought fresh clams for tomorrow’s dinner. Then it was off to the neighborhood of Fremont (center of the Universe). Rather than bore you with more details on Fremont, just check out our BLOG for 19JUN. Oh yeah, this year rather than trying to stuff four people into the RV at night, we rented a pop-up trailer for the kids to sleep in (let's say the kids were less than excited).

http://www.fishermensterminal.net/

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2010/06/19jun10-fremont-wa-aka-center-of.html

The next day, 01AUG, it was off to the Iron Goat Trail to hike. The trail uses the remnants of a Great Northern Railway line abandoned in 1929. The nice thing about railroad lines are that they were usually limited to a grade of 100 vertical feet per mile, making for a pretty nice hike. But first we had a late brunch at the Sultan Bakery. After a few hours of easy hiking we then headed by car to the new Iron Goat Trail Interpretive Center where Corrie decided to rest while Dan & the kids headed straight up 750 feet in one mile to hike another section of the trail. The Interpretative Center is dedicated to the 1910 Wellington Avalanche, the largest railroad disaster in USA history (see below internet link). After a full day of hiking it was back to the RV for a great al fresco clam dinner.Trivia - How did the old steam trains climb 2000 feet in 6 miles?

http://www.irongoat.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington,_Washington_avalanche

Then Dan, Rebecca & Joe headed into Seattle for more sightseeing. First stop was the boathouses on Lake Union, followed by checking out Queen Anne Hill, & last stop was Seattle Center site of 1962 World’s Fair. The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) was a World's Fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962, in Seattle, Washington. Nearly ten million people attended the fair. At the time Seattle was the smallest city to host a World’s Fair; & unlike some other World's Fairs of its era, Century 21 ran a profit.

As planned, the exposition left behind a fairground and numerous public buildings and public works; some credit it with revitalizing Seattle's economic and cultural life. The fair saw the construction of the Space Needle and the Alweg monorail, as well as several sports venues and performing arts buildings (most of which have since been replaced or heavily remodeled). The site, slightly expanded since the fair, is now called Seattle Center. Another notable Seattle Center building, the Experience Music Project & Science Fiction Museum, was deliberately designed to fit in with the fairground atmosphere, but was built nearly 40 years later. Unlike most Fairs (or even Olympics) that were touted as revitalizing a part of the hosting city; Seattle’s World’s Fair did just that & is in continuous use to this day! Last stop was the top of the Space Needle for great views & a great sunset.

Trivia – How far above ground level is the Space Needle’s center of gravity (hint – you are probably taller than the center of gravity)?

http://www.seattlecenter.com/

http://www.spaceneedle.com/

Monday morning it was off to Leavenworth, WA, to go tubing on the Wenatchee River like last year (see below BLOG link). Although cousin Sheila & daughter Tess Morris could not join us because they are trekking in Nepal, we were joined by Mike Morris. Because of the late snow melt & recent rains the river was higher & faster than last year. This resulted in a scary & close call for Corrie, but all turned out ok. After tubing it was off to Mike’s for a home cooked meal & relaxing visit.

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2009/08/04-18aug09-monroe-wa-bears-oh-my-part.html

On Tuesday, 03AUG, we arrived back at Bonnie & Steve Kiesel’s in Kittitas, WA. Immediately after setting up camp it was off to the Yakima River for more tubing. This river was also moving faster then “normal”, but there were no close calls. In fact this float was much longer than on the Wenatchee, & we spent almost three hours on the river. (like last year no one wanted to risk their digital camera while rafting, so there are no photos) Back at the ranch we were treated to a BBQ dinner of fresh salmon & halibut!

Early Wednesday morning (& we mean early) Steve & Joe took off in the Jeepster hunting for elk. While they were seeking big game Dan smoked a pork roast for dinner, & Rebecca & Corrie went shopping in Ellensburg. That afternoon there was spirited tournament of “ladder ball”, followed by sightseeing at the Wild Horse Wind Farm (see below internet links for info on the wind farm). We were joined by Steve & Bonnie’s son, Kenneth, for another excellent dinner. After dinner Bonnie broke out a family album containing the family history of the Kiesel family & Peters family (Steve’s mom’s family& Dan's mom).

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2008/06/20-25jun08-kittitas-wa.html

http://www.horizonwind.com/projects/whatwevedone/wildhorse.aspx

Before heading out of Kittitas Thursday AM, Steve & Joe took-off one more time hunting elk. After their return we then headed to Wenatchee Confluence State Park located in an industrial part of Wenatchee, WA. Although located in an industrial park, it is a beautiful state park where the mighty Columbia & Wenatchee Rivers come together. After setting up camp we headed to the beach to just relax & enjoy the sun. After dinner, we started a campfire & made S’mores.

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Wenatchee%20Confluence&subject=all

Friday, 06AUG, we had to return to our RV spot at Evergreen State Fairgrounds because we have to return the pop-up trailer. After Dan & Joe returned the trailer they headed to our property to clear brush, while the ladies did laundry. Saturday was not only the kid’s departure date, but Dan’s birthday. For some reason his birthday cards all seem to be based on being too old and/or too many candles on the cake? On the way to the airport we stopped for breakfast at the Pancake Chef, one of those classic diners in business for over 50 years (but still not as old as Dan). At the airport we learned Rebecca & Joe’s first flight was late & would cause them to miss their connection! Thankfully they were able to rebook through a different city & make it home by 3AM!It was a great, but hectic, time; & we will probably need two weeks to recover!!!


2 comments:

Chuck and Anneke's RV travels said...
The pop up looks like a good idea. Looks like you had a lot of fun!
12 August, 2010 20:24

Corrie, Dan and Gumbo Ryan said...
definitely made life easier, rather than have four adults trying to sleep in our "smaller" RV. even though rented from US Navy, still not cheap ($45/day)! still catching our wind after a whirlwind week!! - corrie & dan
12 August, 2010 20:52