Middle Fork Snoqualmie River

We decided to forgo Mount Rainier on Sunday due to rain/snow at higher elevations; instead we went on a hike in the Cascades about 40 miles East of Seattle. The trail roughly followed the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River and meandered its way through some very beautiful old-growth temperate rainforest.

It was, of course, raining...but we were prepared for that; it worked out for the best because we had the entire trail to ourselves. Some of the trees were huge; others were smaller and so covered in moss that, in Anya's words, "they look like they're wearing sweaters." The only wildlife we saw were a pair of giant slugs (we didn't know they could get that big); check out the pictures here.

Fremont Soapbox Race

Today we attended a rather curious and entertaining event. The quirky Fremont neighborhood in Seattle played host to a Soapbox Race. We took a few of our own pics, but it was difficult due to the rain (which didn't stop an estimated 30,000 people from showing up) and the speed of the cars. The race was sponsored by Red Bull and had a similar atmosphere and theme as the Flugtag events they also sponsor (look it up if you're not familiar). The event's website will hopefully post some more pictures or videos here.

It was about a 7-block long course along Fremont Avenue with one banked 90-degree turn and several chicanes (zig-zags). It's a relatively steep stretch of street - you use your hand brake and curb your wheels when you park there - and the announcers claimed that the racers were able to attain speeds of over 30 mph. The entire course was lined with hay bales for safety; crashing into the hay was the preferred method for stopping at the end of the course.

The race was organized time-trial style with one car racing at a time, but speed was only part of the objective. Each team had to perform a small skit for judges at the starting line (usually to music), and "style" was the primary metric used to rank the racers. There were some pretty spectacular crashes; unfortunately we only saw those on the jumbotron as none happened near where we were standing.

Many of the cars were very creative: there was a ferry boat dragging the Space Needle behind, a large salmon on wheels, a rolling toilet, and a scaled-down version of the Fremont Troll (which anyone who has visited Seattle may remember). It was a unique and fun event.

It's snowing!

Yes, snow. Okay, I’m exaggerating a little…not actually here in Seattle, but up in the mountains nearby. They had a dusting a couple of nights ago, and then today more than an inch fell in the Cascades at places above 4000’. Both Anya and I are eager for the ski season to begin, so this was exciting news for us!

Meanwhile, down here in Seattle, autumn has clearly begun in the past week or so. Some of the trees are turning colors, but it’s not as dramatic as in Minnesota owing to the fact that more of the trees here are coniferous. It’s been getting comfortably cooler, highs in the 60’s, and foggier in the mornings. The fog usually is gone by the afternoon, and we’ve been having some of those beautiful (if chilly) fall evenings.

This weekend we’re going to try to go to Rainier for one last hike this year; the majority of the roads in the park close for winter on October 10^th. If we can remember to bring the camera along this time, I’ll post pictures.

Portland

This past weekend Anya and I again visited the wonderful city of Portland; we took a few pictures.

Unlike our previous trips to Portland, we decided to do this trip in a day rather than stay overnight. It's a 2.5 hour drive each way, but it feels faster than that because you can drive 80+ mph. With the exception of a short stretch in central Washington, Interstate 5 is a 6, 8, 10, or 12 lane freeway the entire 180 mile distance.

That's not to say that it's not a long day. We got to Portland early enough to have a late breakfast at a bakery that probably has the best bread in the world and didn't get home until about 11 pm.

We spent the majority of the day in the Pearl District, a neighborhood we've become fairly familiar with. It's the former industrial/warehouse area near downtown that's been Soho-ified and is now Portland's go-to place for eating, drinking, art, and non-chain-store shopping. REI Portland, a flagship store, is one of the only exceptions to the non-chain rule. We spent the day in the Pearl District eating, drinking coffee & beer, and enjoying Oregon's sales-tax-free shopping.

We also went to a neighborhood along the riverfront that had a vibe not unlike the St. Anthony/Main area in Minneapolis. Portland is on the Willamette River just a few miles upstream from its confluence with the Columbia, and the Willamette here is similar in size and sliminess to the Mississippi. I have to point out that anyone who played Oregon Trail as a kid will remember that this was your destination.

REI; Naches Peak Loop Trail

Last weekend, with my parents, we went on a relatively easy 4.5-mile hike called the Naches Peak Loop. The hike was a few miles away from Mt. Rainier itself and straddled the National Park and an adjacent wilderness area. The trail is in a sub-alpine area filled with beautiful Cascade vistas, alpine lakes, and spectacular views of Rainier itself.

Most of you who read this blog are probably sick of seeing pictures from Mt. Rainier. It seems like we go there pretty often and always take a lot of pictures. The pictures are always, to us, a bit disappointing because photographs fail to really capture the beauty and grandeur of the place. Nevertheless, we're going to keep posting the pictures we take there; some of them do turn out really well (for photographs). Click here to see them.

My first week of work at REI went very well. My manager and team are great; I think they're going to be wonderful to work with. Everyone that I've met has been very kind and helpful to the new guy. There's a positive vibe around the office - a very welcoming and friendly environment that I'll enjoy.

The commute hasn't been bad, either. It's taken about 20-25 minutes to go to work and 30 minutes to come home...traffic moves along at 60-70 mph with almost no slowdowns. Not as nice as walking to work like I did in Minneapolis, but certainly tolerable.

Parents' Visit

For the past week, my parents have been here to visit us for the first time since we moved. Although they've been to Seattle several times previously, I think they enjoyed seeing it from our perspective. For our part, it was fun see them and show them around our new environment.

The highlights of their time here were our day sailing (see Sailing entry below) and a day hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park (pictures coming soon). We also took some pictures of various things in & around Seattle. As the photos show, we kept quite busy.

In Seattle, summer is considered to last until the end of September; in fact, September can be the most pleasant month of the year weather-wise. My summer, however, is over. My parents leave tomorrow and I begin my new job at REI. I'm excited; it will be nice to have something to do and to have a change of scenery.

Audi

As previously mentioned, I had to bite the bullet and buy a car. New cars are overpriced, especially nice ones, so I went with a Certified Pre-Owned Audi. It's a 2003 Audi A4, 40,000 miles, with a 1.8 liter 4-cylinder turbo engine and the Quattro All-Wheel Drive system. Having AWD will be very helpful once winter comes and we spend (hopefully) most weekends in the mountains skiing.

So far I'm really liking my car. The gas mileage of course isn't as good as Anya's Civic, but it's a comfortable car that's a lot of fun to drive. We took it to Mt. Rainier this weekend; here are a few pics of the car (I'll post pictures of the scenery later).

Sailing

My parents are here visiting us for Labor Day weekend; they have longtime friends, Kathy and Larry, who have lived in Seattle for years. Yesterday we were fortunate enough to have them invite us to go out in their sailboat for the day. As usual, many photos were taken; they are here.

Kathy and Larry's boat, Starr, is an ocean-ready 36' sailboat, complete with living quarters (including a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen). Every summer they take several weeks off to sail the boat north of Seattle to the San Juans, a group of beautiful islands near the Canadian border.

Our trip was a bit more abbreviated: we had fairly steady winds to sail across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island, a large island usually accessed by ferry from Seattle. We ate lunch and cruised through Port Madison, a small inlet lined by beautiful trees and expensive houses. It was a sunny and clear day, so we enjoyed beautiful views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, the Cascades, and the Olympics.

Sitting at the front of the boat, legs dangling just above the water and salty breeze in our faces, was exhilarating. I've been in motor boats many times before but there is definitely something special about having nothing but the wind to propel you.