Any Ags there. Moving there in about 1 month.

YUP! Welcome!

I'll be moving there in September as well!

I will be there in about 3 or 4 weeks for a visit before I head back to DFW. May be looking for suggestions on "don't miss" things for visitors.

• Take a locks cruise.

http://www.argosycruises.com/publiccruises/locks.cfm

• Eat lunch or have drinks on the deck at Ray's Boathouse.
• Go to the top of the Space Needle.
• Shop for local produce and international gourmet items at Pike Place Market, then have a picnic somewhere on the shore near Olympic Sculpture Park.
• Take the Underground Tour

These are a few off of the top of my head... I'll add more when I think of them. HTH

[This message has been edited by Pierce County Ag (edited 8/3/2010 2:46p).]

Aww, your're probably gonna miss the hot, dry (at this time of year) southern Palouse country.

He'll get the same effect driving back down the Texas Panhandle.

The Palouse:


Texas Panhandle:

Think I will wait a while on the Panhandle. Pretty hot there still. It looks like we will be at the Calvinwood Lodge, near Port Orchard, for the month of September. I guess we will be staying on the grounds and checking prople in and out that have it reserved for events.

Free site for RV for a month while we explore the area. We went to the Seattle Worlds Fair when I was a kid. That was a lot of WOW for a little kid from rural north texas. We took the kids to the NW about 15 years ago. Did the Space Needle, but the market was closed by the time we got there.

Thanks for the ideas. It looks like we can do the tour and hit the market in one day. Any idea how difficult it is to get from Port Orchard to Seattle? Definitely keep coming with ideas. It looks like we will have lots of time to explore.

From Port Orchard, there are two ways: drive around the Sound (1.5 hr) or take the ferry from Bremerton (35 - 50min). I like taking the ferry. Actually, I'd even take the ferry from Bainbridge Island before driving...

Other Attractions:

Walk Alki Beach in West Seattle and stop somewhere for lunch.

Tour the Burke Museum

Tour the Seattle Museum of History and Industry

Tour the Museum of Flight

Tour the Woodland Park Zoo

Go to a Farmer's Market (Ballard, Fremont, etc.); they are held all over the city and sometimes have a few interesting things. Some are more for art and others for produce, so it depends on what you're interested in.

Build a fire on the beach at Golden Gardens and watch the sunset. (note: keep walking down the beach to get away from the crowds.)

There's Point Defiance Park, the Tacoma Museum of Glass, and the Washington State History Museum if you find yourself down in Tacoma.

Need road trip ideas?

If you'd like restaurant recommendations, I can do that as well. Just need to know what you are looking for...

Not so much on restaurants. We are old and have to watch what we eat. Day trips would be great. I definitely want to see the rain forest again and make a trip to Vancover and Victoria.

Pacific Rim Park on Vancouver Island (BC) is supposed to have the best temperate rainforest in the northwest.

If you like easy walks, the Carbon River corner of Mt. Rainier National Park is temperate rainforest and the "trail" is a 2-lane dirt road that was used until 2006. There are picnic tables a couple of miles in near the river. The road is still in good shape until the washed out portion.

The best way to Vancouver is by Amtrak train. It's on my list - haven't done it yet. The train follows the shoreline all the way to Vancouver, but I think you have to get on a bus to cross the border... It's sonething like $90 round trip.

Speaking of the peninsula, I was out in Port Townsend and Fort Flagler State Park yesterday (a few pics to follow when I get them). I'd recommend the trip...

Road Trips:

(Whidbey/Deception – Anacortes) Take the ferry to Whidbey Island. Drive north to Hwy 20. Take 20 north, stopping at Ebby's Landing for a walk on the beach and stopping at Deception Pass to take photos. The sandy beach and turquiose waters at Deception Pass State Park are popular. If you are here on a weekday, I'd skip Ebbey's Landing and stop at the park. Continue on Hwy 20, through Anacortes, to I-5 and drive back to Seattle.

(North Cascades – Methow Valley – Leavenworth) Or, if you have 2+ days: continue on Hwy 20 east of I-5 through North Cascades National Park (DEFINITELY worth it - allow lots of time). You can stop and tour the Diablo Dam... From the park, continue on Hwy 20 to Mazama and take the dirt road up to Harts Pass (6,800'). The view from the pass is AMAZING. There are signs at the lookout that label all of the North Cascades peaks. After Harts Pass, continue on Hwy 20 to Winthrop (can camp at Pearrygin Lake - good swimmin' hole). Winthrop is a neat, Old West style town (kinda touristy). Keep going east through Winthrop toward Hwy 97 and follow the Columbia River back to Hwy 2, then west toward Seattle.

(Snoqualmie Pass – Leavenworth – Stevens Pass) I-90 to Cle Elum, 97 north to Hwy 2, stop in Leavenworth. Hwy 2 west over Stevens Pass, back to Seattle. There's a shortcut in Monroe that get's you back to town faster, but I don't have my map in front of me.

Mt. St. Helens Take a road trip to Mt. St. Helens Johnston Ridge Observatory – impressive view!

Mt. Rainier Take Hwy 410/123 to the Stevens Canyon entrance of Mount Rainier National Park and drive the park road (stopping at Paradise) to Longmire, then back to Seattle.

Olympic N.P. – Hurricane Ridge/Obstruction Drive to Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park and take the dirt road to Obstruction Point – amazing views!

Neah Bay Drive out to Neah Bay – the most northwesterly point in the Lower 48. Take a side trip to Shi Shi Beach – you’ll thank me later. (see below)

Mt. Baker You can take 542 out to Mt. Baker, but there’s not much sightseeing along the way until you get to the lookout at the end of the road, but what a view! You could do this as a side trip on the way to/from Canada, though…

Some of my other favorite stretches of highway are heading west through Chinook Pass and heading west toward Mt. Rainier from White Pass. You could make a loop of these two passes and take a drive through Tieton country…

Just some ideas off the top of my head…




[This message has been edited by Pierce County Ag (edited 8/13/2010 4:26p).]

Thanks PCA. Some great ideas. I looked at hosting the campground at Lake Ozette, but that did not work out. I also was fascintaed with the North Cascades NP. I love the mountains. We may swing that way on the way up from OR. Lots of these places came up when we first considered spending the summer in the NW. You have given me a priority list of which sites to take in case we run out of time.

I really appreciate this since they all look perfect in the Chamber of Commerce brochures!

Just saw the meteor shower with my wife last Thursday on the Olympic peninsula. I recommend camping out on 2nd beach. There are thousands of starfish and tons of rocks to climb on.


[This message has been edited by Aggie.in.Seattle (edited 8/17/2010 12:43p).]

Update to Rainier roadtrip recommendation:

Enter the park at Longmire and drive through to Stevens Canyon. Then take Hwy 123 north to Hwy 410 and then up to Chinook Pass. Drive Hwy 410 back to Seattle via 410, 167, 405, and 5.

I drove over Chinook Pass this weekend, headed out and back from rock climbing at Royal Columns. I forgot how AMAZING the view was from Chinook Pass: Rainier, the Goat Rocks, etc. There's a lookout and trails on Chinook Pass that were constructed by the CCC, so plenty of history and a neat spot to take photos!

[This message has been edited by Pierce County Ag (edited 8/23/2010 2:45p).]

I appreciate the tips. We are in Yakima, on the way to Sequim for few days. Keeping an eye on the weather to prioritize our agenda. Looks kinda crappy the rest of the week. May poke around Seattle until the weather gets better.

Nice. I lived in Port Angeles when I was a kid. Sequim is in the Olympic rainshadow, so the weather tends to be better than most places on the peninsula.

I read about the rain shadow. We left Yakima and it was 79 degrees and wind gusting to 39mph. At the top of Snoqualmie Pass, it was 48 degrees. It started raining on the way up the pass, and rained off and on all the way to Discovery Bay, and it quit. Has not rained a drop in Sequim since we arrived. Any place with a John Wayne Marina is my kinda place!

My precise, carefully planned agenda went to hades when my kids and grandkids found out how close to Forks we were. There went a half a day taking photos of strangers' houses, a half-torn down school and various signs about vampires and werewolves. Geez....what a boon to Forks! Did make it to Cape Flattery....that was too cool. Went on a whale watching tour today and the wife was overjoyed. Saw plenty of whales. Going to Victoria tomorrow and do part of the big tour. May go overnight later in September.

Enjoy Victoria. We used to sail from Port Angeles to Victoria and moor the boat at the Empress Hotel. Can't do that anymore...

I've always wanted to go to Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. That would be an awesome place to overnight. I believe there's a park lodge...

The 5 Spot in Queen Anne has awesome food and they change their "theme" quarterly.

Thanks for all the good info guys. We are on our way back to Texas. Did Cape Flattery, underground Seattle, Pike Market, locks tour, a loop around the peninsula, toured the Turner Joy, saw Forks twice(thanks to the SO and grandkids), and several other neat things. Missed so much. Lots of things I wanted to see. Once we moved to Port Orchard, Victoria became a logistical nightmare. Two hours driving, an hour on the ferry, and the same amount of time back. Should have gone when we were in Sequim.

I also wanted to see Mt St Helens and Hurricane Ridge, but the weather sucked in September. Hard to schedule. When we did the locks tour, the tour guide was ecstatic because you could see the bottom half of Ranier. She said they never see Rainier on the tour.

Thanks again, and I hope to get back up there soon. Beautiful place and when the weather was nice, the views were spectacular.

Glad you had a good trip! Hopefully, next time you will get to see more of the mountains.

September 2010 was the wettest September in 100 years! Normally, it's the driest month of the year... If you come back again, I guarantee the weather will be better. The La Nina is persisting into winter, so it looks like I'll need to have chains/shovel at the ready.

Have a safe trip back to Texas!

Great suggestions PCA. I have lived here about 4 years, and am always looking for new things to do.


Excited about a nasty winter. Bought my skipass and I'm ready to go...

Get ready, it's gonna snow in the mountains this weekend...

I find myself playing tour guide a lot, so post if you want more ideas. Also, you can post on the Outdoor Board if you need recommendations for hikes, camping, etc.

Have a good weekend!

Are there any good sports bars in Seattle to watch the Aggie game on Saturday? I'll be in town.

What part of town? The Western Washington A&M Club usually goes to Jillians (South Lake Union - Downtown).

I'm staying in the downtown area. I'll try to make it to Jillians. Thanks!

I will be at Jillian's for the A&M/OU game this Saturday. This is also the OU alumni club's game watching site so it should be quite the environment.

FYI

quote:

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Howdy Ags,


I've just been approached by the local OU alumni group, who also watch their games at Jillian's, about doing a joint watch party for the game this Saturday. We've done a joint event with the OU group before, and it was a pretty positive experience.


If you can make it down to Jillian's on Saturday, I really urge you to come. Let's show OU that we know how to support our team.


Gig 'em,


Kevin Gifford '03
President, WWTAMC

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Jillian's must've been ROCKIN'!

Hey Washington Ags,

if you any of you have a smartphone, you should download the WSDOT app.

I just found it this weekend, but its pretty damn sleek.

Live notices for ferry and border waits. Pass conditions and cams. Traffic alerts on google maps with links to traffic cams.

Access to their blog and twitter feed.

Anyways just passing along the info, I have been commuting to Federal Way a bit for work lately, and this is a nice litte app.

NICE!

Oh and PCA, you might dig the SkiReport.com app.

I have been using it to check the conditions and cams daily at Crystal, Baker, Stevens, Whistler, etc. Its pretty good for checking all the snow reports and forecasts at once....

25 degrees, freezing rain, spun-out busses and trucks everywhere...5.5 hours to get home...and that WSDOT app said I-5 northbound was clear.................