Needle in the Sky

I was leaving an IMAX show of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and had a great view of the Space Needle. I love the color of the sky in this photo. And seeing my first IMAX movie (aside from those exploring the oceans, etc. IMAX films) was a lot of fun as well.

Fremont Solstice Parade

I enjoyed the Fremont Solstice Parade for a second year this year. With horrendous parking around Fremont and Wallingford, we arrived after the start of the parade. I was disappointed that we missed the famous naked bicyclists' ride at the beginning of the parade. To our surprise however, we stumbled upon the entire cadre of nude bicyclists gathered on the large hill in Gasworks Park and mingled amongst the crowd at the end of the parade route. Quite a different atmosphere than a usual Saturday afternoon.

The rest of the parade was enjoyable as usual with fun, festive, funky, and just plain weird floats and people of all shapes and sizes (including a flying spaghetti monster float with a slew of pirates). I snapped just a single photo this year - our view of the parade route. The wolverine costume was pretty funny.

Lake Serene

I hiked Lake Serene on Sunday, June 14. The weather turned out to be a little discouraging since the trail and lake were almost completely socked in by thick fog. We couldn't see any more than 100 feet of the lake from our lunch spot. Nonetheless, Bridal Veil Falls along the trail was a highlight. A side trail allows you to climb right next to the waterfall and cool off with the spray from the falls. The trail itself climbs very gradually for the first mile and half; it gains most of its elevation in the final two miles which were two of the tougher miles I have hiked thus far. I would definitely like to return to Lake Serene for views of Mount Index and the lake itself.

Area: Index, Stevens Pass
Distance: 7.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 2000 feet
High Point: 2521 feet

Boston Bound

It's official, I finally booked plane tickets to visit my best buddy who currently lives in Boston. It took me two years to get around to it, but Boston, here I come! I can't wait to spend some quality time with my friend and see the great city of Boston!

Seattle Summer

The Seattle Times posted their Seattle summer guide last week, which includes all the local area events for May through September. I've already picked out some must-dos and am all aflutter thinking of Seattle summer and the incredible amount of activities available in the Emerald City. Though I'm trying a little to suppress my Type A planning tendencies, it's nice to know your options! I mean, how could I miss naked bicyclists at the Fremont Solstice Parade? It would be a true outrage.

Check it out: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/travel/summerguide.html

Little Si

A few Fridays ago I headed out to North Bend (a mere 45 minutes from Seattle) to hike Little Si, Mount Si's smaller cousin. The hike was relatively easy, though still a reasonable workout with nice views of North Bend and Mount Si at the top. I also saw rock climbers along the way, which was neat. Here are a few photos.

Snapshot of the trail.Rock climbers below Little Si.

A view of North Bend from Little Si.View of Mount Si from Little Si. The top of Si was shrouded in clouds, so I was happy I opted for Little Si.

Oyster Dome

I know, I know, I haven't posted for an entire month! Between work, weekend activities, a Vegas trip, major life decisions, and plain ole laziness, I just haven't been in the mood. My apologies to all of you who still check regularly... I will be better!
Anyway, back to the title of the post. Oyster Dome. Yesterday, I hiked Oyster Dome in the Chuckanut Mountains (cool name, eh?) just south of Bellingham by Lake Samish. I have been eager to hike Oyster Dome for some time since it is usually clear of snow year-round and instead of the usual Cascade range hike, you get sweeping views of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. Ergo, sunny Saturday... Oyster Dome... with ulterior motives to also visit the Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham for some Northwest goodness in the form of microbrew.
Oyster Dome is approximately 6.8 miles round trip with an elevation gain of around 2,000 feet. So it's easier than Mount Si but not a walk in the park. There were parts of the trails that were, how do I say, steep. And I forgot my hiking boots to boot so I was operating with no tread, mud, and a genetic penchant for clumsiness. However, with only a few trips and slips, we made it to Oyster Dome for a great view of the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound. Some high overcast made Olympic Mountain views limited, but nonetheless, it was impressive and worth the climb.
Below the Oyster Dome itself, there are a series of bat caves (for the winged mammal, not the bat mobile). We stopped for a short peak into these, though the entrances were small and cramped so we opted not to go spelunking this time. After tromping our way back down the trail, we set off north on Chuckanut Drive with Boundary Bay on the brain.

For a Seattle girl, I do so enjoy Bellingham. It has a much more relaxed vibe, with younger, easier going folks and wide, empty streets. Boundary Bay was fun with lots of great beer, good food, and some ridiculously spicy Thai vinagrette salad dressing for a ginormous small house salad. It was a good end to a good hike and great day. Once there is a bit more snowmelt, I'll be back up north for camping at Baker Lake and hopefully rafting on the Nooksack River.

My First Mariner's Game of the Season

I went to my first Mariner's game of the season last night, and what a game it was. Griffey is back and scored his 400th home run as a Mariner. Late in the game Ichiro hit a grand slam to help bring the Mariner's to a final score of 11 to 3 over the Anaheim Angels. Not to mention it was a beautiful spring day in the Emerald City. I will add a photo or two to this post in a few days.
And speaking of Anaheim... I will be off soon enjoying the California sun (for the first time since I graduated in 2007) at Disneyland. Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder, here I come!

Second Beach Camping

A couple weekends ago I camped on the beach at Second Beach near La Push on the Washington coast. The weather was amazing and Second Beach spectacular. I explored tide pools, marveled at offshore sea stacks, saw gray whales at First Beach, enjoyed the sunshine, sat by the campfire roasting hot dogs, saw a shooting star, and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean just 15 paces away from my tent. On the way home, we stopped at Lake Crescent to look at a little slice of temperate rain forest. It was a great weekend, and despite having sand just about everywhere, camping on the beach is probably one of the coolest things I have done. Here are some photos...

Wallace Falls Hike

On Saturday morning, I woke up reasonably early to hike Wallace Falls in Gold Bar, Washington, on Highway 2. It was raining lightly as I drove out the trail head, but I was prepared with my hat, rain coat, and waterproof boots and happy the rain meant the trail wouldn't be crowded.

I hiked about five miles round trip, seeing lower, middle, and upper Wallace Falls. There is about 1,300-feet of elevation gain to the upper falls, so the hike is not terribly strenuous. But I will say that when the trail goes up, it is steep. This also means there are nice flat spots to catch your breath though as well.
The hike was great, with views almost the entire way. Hiking by myself, I set a fast pace and ran back down the trail to keep my heart rate up. Wallace Falls drops 265-feet within the state park, a height comparable to Snoqualmie Falls. It was very impressive to see and I really enjoyed the hike. The rain gave a very Northwesty feel to the hike as well. Wallace Falls is definitely a must-see for all you locals!