Scott and Sue Family

We spent a day in Seattle and got the flavor of the city.  We began by trying to figure out where to park without paying an arm and leg to visit Pike Place Market.  This place is pretty cool.  It’s one of the oldest continuously operating farmers markets.   There are lots of people selling their wares, everything from honey to fish to fruit to magnets to handmade arts and crafts.  Basically everything and anything.  There are lots of samples to be had, and lots of things to see.  The main part seems to be the street level, but there are lower levels as well. The lower levels seemed quite a bit more tame and subdued, but the top level was where the action was.  We never saw any of the fishmongers throwing fish, which is too bad, because I hear that is quite a sight.  Sue bought a peach and some Rainier cherries for a snack later, and a couple of other souvenirs.  We also saw plenty of street performers playing guitar, viola, and saxophone. [Read more…] about Seattle

After spending a couple days visiting Scott’s grandfather and aunt & uncle, we took off for the Seattle area.  We had several choices for routes, but  decided to drive Highway 20 through North Cascades National Park.  There are over 300 glaciers in this park.  The roads were recently opened from the winter snows and the scenery was beautiful, with the cool air, pine forest smell, and beautiful views.

On the way up the mountains, we went through a nice town called Winthrop.  It’s built like an old-time Western town, with boardwalks, period-style buildings, and lots of fun shops.  It was a good place to get out for a few minutes, stretch our legs, and explore a bit.  Plus I got some handcrafted earrings! [Read more…] about North Cascades

The first day of our trip was spent driving with small stops to stretch our legs.  We spent the night in Missoula, Montana, then headed across the Idaho panhandle.

Last year, I read a book called “The Big Burn” by Timothy Egan that had been recommended by my friend, Karen.  Since I love to visit historic places that relate to books I’ve read, I had the area around Wallace, Idaho on my list.  “The Big Burn” tells all about the huge wildfires of 1910 that popped up all around the west with the worst area centered in eastern Washington, the Idaho panhandle, and western Montana.  Smoke from these fires was seen as far away as New York, and ships 500 miles out in the Pacific couldn’t navigate by the stars at night because they were blotted
out by the smoke.   [Read more…] about Pulaski Tunnel & the Big Burn of 1910