Seattle & Vicinity

This is the lower facade of the Pioneer Building in downtown Seattle.  It's part of Pioneer Square, a designated historic district that was on the cusp of being torn down at the end of the 1960s.  The district has distinctive Romanesque architectural features, notice all the round edges in the windows.  If you ever have a chance when you're in Seattle, the 1.5 Underground Tour of Seattle around Pioneer Square is well worth your time because it explains how downtown Seattle was built, and literally filled in and up during the turn of the 20th century.

Another great side trip if you plan to come out to the Pacific Northwest is to take one of the Washington State Ferries out to one of the many islands in Puget Sound.  I stayed with family friends Mike and Darden out on Bainbridge Island - thanks so much for a great time! 

Seattle has two harbors, one is salt water right along the downtown.  This is where you get on the ferry to the islands and the Port of Seattle for the large container ships are located.  To the northeast of downtown there is Lake Washington which is home to many recreation vessels/marinas.  Also, many fishing businesses for the northwest have base operations and shipyards in Lake Washington.  Above is the locks that are operated by the Army Corp. of Engineers.  They're open to the public during the daylight hours and they're great to watch the comings and goings of the recreation and commercial boats.  There is also a salmon run along the western side of the canal setup.  There are specially designed window below grade where you can watch the salmon swim up the fish ladder and into the lake!

The view from Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park.  The park, almost two hours drive from Seattle, has something for everyone including temperate rain forests full of pine and beautiful mountain vistas.  If you just have a short visit, drive up Hurricane Ridge Road to the visitor center and enjoy the view looking east and south across the high elevations and small glaciers.