In Search of the Hidden Mountain
My co-worker and I finished our project a little early today, so we decided to head into Seattle.
I think I could easily live here--Great place!
Where else can you find an African restaurant that had badass food next to a Cajun food place owned by people from Thailand? That's a cool place in my book.
It was a perfect day and a reward for a job well done.
The morning started out foggy. I know, imagine that: fog in Seattle...in the morning?! Getouttahere!
A foggy view from the hotel room window
Heading into Seattle, even the highways are pretty. Once we got into the city, it was really cool.
Buildings on the way into Seattle
I dig the water. I've never seen anything like this. I've seen docks on Lake Michigan, but nothing quite like the port in Seattle.
Bigass Boat!
We went straight to the waterfront.
Some buildings from the waterfront
The Seattle Aquarium
Football and Baseball Stadiums
Bigass Crane Thingy
Ferry Boat
I had to jump underwater to get this shot. Water was friggin' cold!
Okay, so we decided to check out the aquarium and the diver was in a tank.
Diver in a Tank at the Seattle Aquarium
Starfish have always freaked me out. Not in a bad way. They're just...freaky!
Starfish
BEHOLD, THE MESMERFISH!!!
BEHOLD, THE MESMERFISH!!!
Otters are the coolest. I can watch them swim and float around all day.
Except for things trying to kill you in the wild, being an otter would be cool.
Otters Rule!!!
Did I Mention That Otters Rule?!
Multiple Otters Rule Even More Than Foghat, Duuuuuuude...
Seals Turned Their Backs on Me.
They're Just Jealous We Evolved!
I've only seen one true cafe racer in Texas, but I saw a few today. Took a picture of one of them.
A Cafe Racer in the Coffee City
We had to check out Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market Sign
The Market
The Famous Fish Stand
We Didn't See Hurled Fish
I Was Really Sad
I can't even begin describing this shop.
It smelled like burlap, and they played funk hits, but done in a Latin style. You have not lived until a guy tries selling you hacky sacks while you hear a Latin version of "Brickhouse."
The Interior of the Place was Funnier than the Sign
We didn't go into the Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame.
I'd love to come back to Seattle with Cynthia. She's the sci-fi geek and I'm betting it's cool in there.
How can it not be cool...you can ride a monorail into the place!
Nothing says "future" and "sci-fi" like a monorail!
Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame
I Missed the Monorail in the Shot!
Then we checked out the Space Needle
The Space Needle
The City
Downtown
Downtown. Again.
Woooooooooooooooooooooo...
The Docks
Behold, the Pee Boat!!!
The Street from the Space Needle
Bigass Boat!
Buncha Sailboats in the Background
The City and Mountains
I was impressed the first night here when I saw Mount Rainier from the top of what a co-worker dubbed "The Hill O' Death."
So after checking out the city, it was south to the mountains.
It's funny how the closer you get to a mountain, the harder it is to see.
It's like they know...
Mount Rainier Hiding from Me
I wanted a shot of the mountain with no clouds. Of course, I didn't get that.
Minutes after this Shot, the Clouds Went Away
(I would have waited, but we were in...somebody's driveway :) )
Of course, the moment we turned to head home, the clouds broke. I wanted to turn back, but didn't want to subject my co-worker to chasing down a mountain. She was patient enough as I kept driving down roads we thought might give us a view of the mountain--I know better than push my luck.
I can be...a bit...bad when I want a picture of something on the road. I have subjected Cynthia to all kinds of fiberglass dinosour hell. I will stop to take pictures of funny signs, weird buildings, and weird people.
Most people don't have the stomach for schlock or hokey adventure I have, and years of traveling with friends and family has taught me it's best not to obsess over every little thing on the side of the road.
I can't believe I just typed that.
If it were up to me, I'd wake up early in the morning, drive back to Mount Rainier, and sit there and wait for hours if I had to, just to get the picture I wanted.
Even though all I'm armed with right now is my little digital snapshot camera.
But we did see some great fall color and found some hilly and windy backroads that made chasing down the mountain more than worth it.
But I'm serious, when I saw the mountain in the rearview mirror, I really did almost turn back.
As Bad as a Bigfoot Sighting!
It's an elusive beast!
It Even Hid from my Co-Worker!
Behind a tree, no less!
When we got back to the area where we're staying, the clouds were still gone. We stopped to eat at this Teriyaki Burger place that seems to actually specialize in fish and chips (and they have a good veggie stir fry), and we could see the mountain again.
After we ate and headed back, the clouds returned!
Clouds Came Back...EEEEEEVVVVIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The place we ate at is a trip. The place is a hole in the wall, with rickety chairs and a strange menu. On a small raised platform, they have an old TV with a VCR next to stacks of bottled sugary juice-like sodas. On the TV, they rotate between cheesy 80s music videos, and videos in Spanish and maybe Japanese?
I love quirky places like that.
Oh, and here's the bottom of the Hill O' Death.
Pictures don't do it justice.
Behold, the Hill O' Death!!!
I think I could easily live here--Great place!
Where else can you find an African restaurant that had badass food next to a Cajun food place owned by people from Thailand? That's a cool place in my book.
It was a perfect day and a reward for a job well done.
The morning started out foggy. I know, imagine that: fog in Seattle...in the morning?! Getouttahere!
A foggy view from the hotel room window
Heading into Seattle, even the highways are pretty. Once we got into the city, it was really cool.
Buildings on the way into Seattle
I dig the water. I've never seen anything like this. I've seen docks on Lake Michigan, but nothing quite like the port in Seattle.
Bigass Boat!
We went straight to the waterfront.
Some buildings from the waterfront
The Seattle Aquarium
Football and Baseball Stadiums
Bigass Crane Thingy
Ferry Boat
I had to jump underwater to get this shot. Water was friggin' cold!
Okay, so we decided to check out the aquarium and the diver was in a tank.
Diver in a Tank at the Seattle Aquarium
Starfish have always freaked me out. Not in a bad way. They're just...freaky!
Starfish
BEHOLD, THE MESMERFISH!!!
BEHOLD, THE MESMERFISH!!!
Otters are the coolest. I can watch them swim and float around all day.
Except for things trying to kill you in the wild, being an otter would be cool.
Otters Rule!!!
Did I Mention That Otters Rule?!
Multiple Otters Rule Even More Than Foghat, Duuuuuuude...
Seals Turned Their Backs on Me.
They're Just Jealous We Evolved!
I've only seen one true cafe racer in Texas, but I saw a few today. Took a picture of one of them.
A Cafe Racer in the Coffee City
We had to check out Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market Sign
The Market
The Famous Fish Stand
We Didn't See Hurled Fish
I Was Really Sad
I can't even begin describing this shop.
It smelled like burlap, and they played funk hits, but done in a Latin style. You have not lived until a guy tries selling you hacky sacks while you hear a Latin version of "Brickhouse."
The Interior of the Place was Funnier than the Sign
We didn't go into the Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame.
I'd love to come back to Seattle with Cynthia. She's the sci-fi geek and I'm betting it's cool in there.
How can it not be cool...you can ride a monorail into the place!
Nothing says "future" and "sci-fi" like a monorail!
Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame
I Missed the Monorail in the Shot!
Then we checked out the Space Needle
The Space Needle
The City
Downtown
Downtown. Again.
Woooooooooooooooooooooo...
The Docks
Behold, the Pee Boat!!!
The Street from the Space Needle
Bigass Boat!
Buncha Sailboats in the Background
The City and Mountains
I was impressed the first night here when I saw Mount Rainier from the top of what a co-worker dubbed "The Hill O' Death."
So after checking out the city, it was south to the mountains.
It's funny how the closer you get to a mountain, the harder it is to see.
It's like they know...
Mount Rainier Hiding from Me
I wanted a shot of the mountain with no clouds. Of course, I didn't get that.
Minutes after this Shot, the Clouds Went Away
(I would have waited, but we were in...somebody's driveway :) )
Of course, the moment we turned to head home, the clouds broke. I wanted to turn back, but didn't want to subject my co-worker to chasing down a mountain. She was patient enough as I kept driving down roads we thought might give us a view of the mountain--I know better than push my luck.
I can be...a bit...bad when I want a picture of something on the road. I have subjected Cynthia to all kinds of fiberglass dinosour hell. I will stop to take pictures of funny signs, weird buildings, and weird people.
Most people don't have the stomach for schlock or hokey adventure I have, and years of traveling with friends and family has taught me it's best not to obsess over every little thing on the side of the road.
I can't believe I just typed that.
If it were up to me, I'd wake up early in the morning, drive back to Mount Rainier, and sit there and wait for hours if I had to, just to get the picture I wanted.
Even though all I'm armed with right now is my little digital snapshot camera.
But we did see some great fall color and found some hilly and windy backroads that made chasing down the mountain more than worth it.
But I'm serious, when I saw the mountain in the rearview mirror, I really did almost turn back.
As Bad as a Bigfoot Sighting!
It's an elusive beast!
It Even Hid from my Co-Worker!
Behind a tree, no less!
When we got back to the area where we're staying, the clouds were still gone. We stopped to eat at this Teriyaki Burger place that seems to actually specialize in fish and chips (and they have a good veggie stir fry), and we could see the mountain again.
After we ate and headed back, the clouds returned!
Clouds Came Back...EEEEEEVVVVIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The place we ate at is a trip. The place is a hole in the wall, with rickety chairs and a strange menu. On a small raised platform, they have an old TV with a VCR next to stacks of bottled sugary juice-like sodas. On the TV, they rotate between cheesy 80s music videos, and videos in Spanish and maybe Japanese?
I love quirky places like that.
Oh, and here's the bottom of the Hill O' Death.
Pictures don't do it justice.
Behold, the Hill O' Death!!!