Back in the mountains!!!!!

After about 6 weeks of not being in the mountains I was itching to get back out there. I drove to Snoqualmie Pass off I-90 and followed a forest road for several miles until I found myself at Windy Pass, which today lived up to it's name. The skies were clear as I started on the trail. Within 200 yards the trail heads into the forest and flanks an un-named peak. Just under a mile on the trail I encountered snow which would stick with me for most of the day.

Not long after I found a creek flowing pretty good with some ice on a few branches nearby.

I made my way up to the saddle in about an hour and set my sights on Abiel Peak.

With the snow the going was a bit slower as the "trail" got steeper. With a comfortable pace I arrived at the tree covered summit of Abiel and got a few sporatic views of the area.
I then headed down and headed to Abiel's neighbor, Silver Peak.

Once on the summit I found two hikers eating some lunch. We chatted for a bit before being joined by 4 others and three dogs. Luckily for me within about 20 minutes everybody left and I had the summit all to myself.

I enjoyed the solitude for about 30 minutes. This time allowed me to soak in the views and think about how much I enjoy my life and those who are a part of it.
I headed back down the rocky trail as I bid farewell to Silver Peak, promising my annual return next year.
The early snowfall made for excellent contrast against the sky, leaves and greenery as I followed the trail into the forest.

What a wonderful day to spend in the mountains!!!!!
Full set of pictures are here:

Wonderful last couple of days

The last few days for me have been wonderful. On Saturday Cathy returned from her vacation to South Africa and on Sunday we went out on our second date. I picked her up and we went to a corn maze in Redmond. Neither of us had ever been through one, but I thought it would be fun. We had a great time and learned a bit about farming and had some good laughs at the African Pygmy Goats that were chatting up a storm.
For dinner we went to the Athina Grill in Lower Queen Anne. They serve Greek food and we both tried things we hadn't had before. Needless to say I'm going to stick with the Gyro from now on. After dinner we went to Fishermen's Terminal and walked around the docks looking at the boats and talking. With a slight chill in the air I offered my jacket to her and she accepted. It is so peaceful on the docks at night and being able to share that with her was wonderful. Following the docks we headed to Golden Gardens where we sat on a log near the beach and just enjoyed spending time together. Finally the increasing chill chased us away and the beach was left to the water and sleeping ducks.
I didn't want to keep her out to late since she was to return to work after being gone for a few weeks and she would surely have a busy day. We agreed to get together on Wed evening after I get finished working.
Today, Monday, I drove back to Seattle to take some more pictures and to see the clouds roll into the city. I made a short stop at Alki Beach to see how big the waves were with the breeze being about 10 mph. The waves were small so I headed north to Discovery Park. The park includes Fort Lawton, an old military base from years ago. Some buildings are still used my them today. Part of the park overlooks Puget Sound from high up on a bluff. Cool clouds were rolling in and the occasional droplet of rain fell.

My last stop for the day was at the Ballard Locks where I ended up getting a nice view of the sky and more clouds as the sun set.

Park hopping, Seattle style 10-14-08

Lately I've been putting most of my extra money into paying off my debts, so that leaves my hiking and photography to areas closer to home. Lucky for me Seattle has a lot of great parks scattered throughout the neighborhoods. My account at Flickr has 9 new sets of pictures that I took of the parks on Tuesday http://www.flickr.com/bkraai

Here is a short overview of where I went.

To start the day off I headed to West Seattle and made my way to Lincoln Park. Located next to the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal, this park covers a large chunk of land and a lot of shoreline on Puget Sound.

From there I went to Fauntleroy Park up on the hill. The park also includes a creek of the same name. It's a heavily wooded park with a few trail winding through.
Onward to Me-Kwa-Mooks Park which was the location for the Duwamish Tribe back when Seattle was first settled by the white man. Areas of the park were saved from developement by the local residents who fought to make the park bigger and protect this historic area. Across the street is Emma Schmitz Viewpoint Park. This park is several hundred yards long but rather skinny as it follows the road along the shoreline.
After that I went to Lowman Beach Park a few miles away. A small park that includes a rocky beach and a tennis court and more great views of the sound.
Back up the hill to Schmitz Preserve Park. This park was designed by the Olmstead Brothers who in addition to designing a lot of other Seattle parks, designed Central Park in NYC. A large park with heavy timber and creeks, this one covers several hundred acres of prime real estate.
Putting the views of the Sound behind me I headed a bit eastward and headed up to Hamilton Viewpoint. From here views to the east including the Seattle skyline, Cascade Mountain Range and of course the Space Needle. The Port of Seattle and the steamships are prominant in these views also. Heading a few miles down the road to Belvedere Park was my last stop in West Seattle. More of the same views from Hamilton Viewpoint but including more of the northern part of Seattle.

On to Queen Anne Hill and the familiar view of Seattle with the Space Needle front and center and the occasional view of Mt Rainier in the distance. The mountain was in view albiet hazy with only the upper 6000 feet in sight, the lower portion was hidden by clouds.
With the sun dipping lower in the sky I headed to Golden Gardens to hopefully get a few decent shots of the sky lit up after sunset. I was rewarded with some wonderful coloring on the clouds as I arrived.

With the sun long gone the full moon started to light up the sky so I had a great idea for a moon shot. I drove to Fishermen's Terminal and got a few shots of the moon high above the Ballard Bridge. Finishing off this wonderful day at the terminal was just what I needed. I walked the docks for about an hour looking at the large fishing vessels that were home. Most of the crab boats are up in Alaska for the King Crab season, but there were still a lot of Tuna boats home and of course hundreds of Salmon boats.
Once again I'm reminded of how lucky I am to live in a city that has so much to offer and will keep me very busy with everything that there is to see.

Fall arrives in the Northwest

Well fall has arrived and it came in like a lion. Strong winds, rain and chilly temps got here in time for October. Despite the weather and a thin budget, I was still able to get out with my camera and enjoy the scenery around the Seattle area.

On Monday with light rain falling I headed to Coal Creek in Bellevue in hopes of seeing Coal Creek Falls. I never did find the falls though, but a better map could have helped.... I was able to get a few decent shots of the creek though.


On Tuesday the skies were more friendly and I headed to Alki Beach and Kerry Park. Alki is in West Seattle and offers great views of Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. There were some decent waves crashing on the rocks and I tried to capture them the best I could on "film".

From there I headed up to Queen Anne Hill located north of downtown Seattle and found myself at Kerry Park, a favorite spot for photos of the city which sometimes offers views including Mt Rainier. Today the mountain was not in view but views did include the Space Needle, Elliott Bay and the full city skyline. I consider myself very fortunate to live in such a beautiful city which has so much to offer.

More pictures of Coal Creek can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkraai/sets/72157607808114324/
More pictures of Alki and Kerry park can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkraai/sets/72157607831974876/