Kammeyer Korner: Seattle in the Sun

We headed north towards Seattle last night in the pouring rain with our bikes on the back, wondering if we would be riding our bikes as planned or seeing Seattle by foot in the rain beneath an umbrella. We only had half our group because, sadly, Chuck, Robin, Pennie and David could not make it. We thought of them often and wish they were here.

When we arrived, Mom had soup ready for us and then in the morning she had breakfast on the table at 0900. I tried to tell her she didn't need to do this, however my words were futile. I have to admit that her cooking has been much appreciated.

We left after breakfast at 1000 and headed for Lake Forest Park and the beginning of the Burke-Gillman Trail, where we started our ride. The trail is a 'Rails to Trails' that is an old abandoned railway corridor that dates back to 1885. We rode along the shoreline starting at the north end of Lake Washington through lush greenery and past some very interesting (and expensive) homes.

We arrived at Gas Works Park and the skies were sunny and warm. The view of Seattle across Lake Union was beautiful as we watched the float planes overhead on their way to the San Juan Islands and saw kayakers and other boats before us.

Gas Works park contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US. The plant operated from 1906 to 1956, and was bought by the City of Seattle for park purposes in 1962. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in January of 2013.

The last time James and I rode the bikes to Gas Works Park was in 1982 and Aaron was in a seat on the back of James's bike. We had fun then and I wish we had visited the park by bike more.

By now we had rode 15 miles and our sitters were sore as we continued another three miles to the Hiram Chittenden Locks, another favorite place of ours.

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, built in 1911 and often nicknamed the Ballard Locks, provides a link for boats between the salt water of Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal, which connects eastward to Lake Union and Lake Washington.

We watched boats as they entered the locks and the water would rise up or fall allowing the boats easier access to either Lake Union or Lake Washington. We walked over to the fish ladders and saw a record number of salmon as they worked their way along the ladder. We were horrified as a fish got stuck in the netting that he was suppose to go under, but he jumped up into the net instead. We were relieved when after wiggling and flopping he finally fell through the net.

From there we walked over to the gardens for lunch and then got onto our bikes for the 18 miles ride home. The ride back was just as beautiful, but our faces were sunburned and our sitters were VERY sore!

Mom had fresh rolls and cinnamon rolls for us when we got back home. The rest of the evening we had a hard time staying awake. Tomorrow we are taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island.