Wednesday
After setting up our MH in Issaquah, we headed into Seattle to get in a little sightseeing. We forgot how bad the traffic can be here and to add to it all, there appeared to be a tremendous amount of roadwork going on. We finally made it to the wharf (traveling via SR 520 over Lake Washington on the Governor Albert D. Rossellini Bridge, the longest floating bridge in the world at 7,710 feet! We were “guided” through the campus of the University of Washington (thanks GPS!). We turned off the GPS guidance as it led us in circles downtown. We parked near Pier 67 and walked along the wharf to Ivar’s Acres of Clams on Pier 54 for a late lunch and, or course we fed the gulls. Aggressive little buggers! Ivar’s has been in business at this locations since 1938.
We then had to visit “Ye Olde Curiosity Shop”, also on Pier 54 to let Jason see the infamous “Shrunken Heads”. We went under the Monorail, through Pioneer Square, the Amtrak station, Chinatown and by the twin stadiums on our way back to Issaquah. We tried to visit the Klondike National Historical Park but due to road construction and closures, we were unable to find parking near the venue. All this was in rush hour traffic. We returned to Issaquah WITHOUT GPS guidance and crossed Lake Washington through Mercer Island on I-90 via the Lacy V. Murrow Memorial floating bridge, the second longest floating bridge on earth at 6,620 feet!
Thursday
In the morning, we left Seattle, headed for the Port of Bremerton on the MV Kaleetan, a “Superclass” ferry in the Washington State Ferry System, capable of holding 144 vehicles and 1,868 passengers. It was supposed to be a ‘Three Hour Tour” and relatively uneventful. Actually, we had planned to go over to Bremerton, spend some time and head back to Seattle. We discussed what time to put in the parking lot, and we opted for the 3-10 hour fare. This was not to be the case. Remember Gilligan anyone?
This is the view leaving Seattle in the morning.
Jason is standing on the bow of the ferry, kinda like the Titanic movie . . with Cathy staying in the relative warmth of the second deck observation area. That is her in the third window from the right.
This view is approaching the terminal in Bremerton. We were told by a local resident that the tide was at its lowest point in the past decade, a -3.7 (whatever that means), well below the dock. It is expected to be about the same tomorrow. There were a lot of boats stuck in the silt around the docks, Notice the water is below the bumpers and the roadway is just kind of hanging there. This ramp is adjacent to the Bremerton Naval Shipyard.
As soon as we got off the ferry, this black and white came screaming past us, lights and siren blazing. It turned and blocked the entrance to the terminal. We heard additional sirens and saw many marked and unmarked police arriving from all directions. We even had a helicopter hovering above us. The ferry backed out of dock even before unloading all of its passengers and parked in the bay. We were pushed back two blocks from the terminal building. We heard a lot of stories and the one that was probably the closest to reality was that they found a “suspicious” box thrown over the fence at the Naval Base, and two more boxes thrown in the water. The base was on lockdown and the transportation terminal was closed. We were stranded.
We sat at this courtyard between the transportation terminal and the Hampton Inn. Jason had fun with the fountain, which had a pretty neat water display. It changed constantly.
Eventually, we decided to walk a little, and headed down to the part of the wharf that was still open. We saw jellyfish, some large and a whole bunch of dime-sized jellyfish. We saw crabs, both small and large, anemones of all types, mussels, fish (type unknown) and big, black diving birds that went down and came up somewhere else.
Jason befriended a local fisherman who gave him a snack. We kept an eye on our ferry, which at this time as parked offshore in the bay but it moved back out into the sound, and finally it docked at another port. We heard later that the entire waterway at Bremerton was closed.
We went to the Kitsap Transit main office, which was very close to the fountain and got the necessary information to get back to Seattle. They were extremely nice, and gave us two “Get to Know Us” day passes so we would not have to pay for any of the extra transportation. We took the #11 (Crosstown Limited) to the East Bremerton Transportation Center, then the #17 (Silverdale East) to the Silverdale Transit Center, then the #32 to the North Viking Transit Center in Poulsbo, then the #90 to the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal. Pretty simple!
I have always wondered how they water the hanging plants in these towns. We found out. Jason stood under the dripping arrangements to get cooled off. It was about 70 degrees, which is HOT for this area. This is the emergency transit stop for the system and where we waited for about 30 minutes for our bus. Kitsap Transit had employees on site directing/helping those who were trying to get back to Seattle.
After waiting in line for about a half hour, we boarded the ferry at Bainbridge Island for the return trip to Seattle. The ferry system had waived all charges for the return to Seattle. Luckily it was headed to the same terminal as the Bremerton Ferry. This is close to where we had parked.
Here is a view of sunset over Puget Sound. So much for our “Three Hour Tour”! We were glad we opted for the ten hours of parking. Premonition?
Friday
In the morning, we headed for the Hirim M. Chittenden Locks, locally known as the Ballard Locks.
We saw this train crossing the trestle just below the locks.
This is the fish ladder. You have to cross the large lock, the smaller lock and the dam to reach this structure. There is a glassed- in viewing section downstairs but the salmon were not spawning yet.
This is the smaller of the two locks. We watched it cycle twice, processing four boats from the Sound up into Lake Washington.
Jason found this anchor hoist and he enjoyed climbing on it.
After leaving Ballard, we headed back to Issaquah but ended up in Fall City, just outside of Snoqualmie near the Snoqualmie Pass on I-90. There is a pedestrian walkway to help us get over the roadway. There is a blind curve below and it used to be a game of “frogger” just to cross from the parking area.
The falls were running well due to recent rains. We have seen them at a trickle in the past. There is a hidden hydroelectric plant built under the falls, you can see the outlet in the bottom right of this photo.
We went in to Snoqualamie to meet Father Chuck, the Catholic priest that convinced me to go to church when we lived in Maple Valley, years ago. He is now retired and has traveled extensively throughout the world, mostly to places tourists never reach; including multiple African nations, Antarctica, many of the smaller islands in the South Pacific, has climbed mountains including Kilimanjaro (one of the Seven Summits) and Kala Patar (near Everest), various peaks and treks in Nepal, Tibet, China, Pakistan, Peru, the Amazon, Africa, and has approached and camped near K2, Aconcagua in Argentina (one of the Seven Summits) and all of the tallest mountains in Mexico. We talked late into the evening, until he had to “put the camels to bed”.
We walked a couple of blocks to a local restaurant,Brunello Ristorante Italiano for dinner. Jason enjoyed the very large meatballs!
We stopped at a park near Fr. Chuck’s home for a few photos.
Saturday
In the morning we finally made it to Pikes Market. We arrived at about 8:30 and actually found parking as it was not completely opened until 9 or 10 in the morning.
Some examples of the flowers, fish, fruits and vegetables available from local farmers.
Jason with the famous bronze Piggy Bank statue just outside of the “Flying Fish” market.
And of course, the flying fish! You should be able to make out the salmon in mid-air flight and the one-handed catch!
We managed to visit a couple of bakeries and Jason helped Cathy pick out some deserts. This was perfect for first thing in the morning! We found a place on the upper deck with a view of the wharf and sound. Jason made quick work of his pick, something with chocolate!
We passed through this small corner park on our way to Seattle Center, site of the 1962 World’s Fair. This is a statue of Seattle, Chief of the Suquimish, a “friend of the whites” for whom the city was named.
Walking under the towering Space Needle on our way to the “transportation of the future” (in 1962 that is), the Monorail.
Jason enjoyed the outbound ride, a distance of about a mile, from Seattle Center to Westlake Center, a downtown mall. My family stood in line for hours to catch a ride on this in 1962 (and to get to the top of the Space Needle). The Monorail celebrated its 55th anniversary in 2017. Damn, I remember it like it was yesterday! It was built by ALWEG Rapid Transit Company of West Germany , the same ALWEG that builds the Disney monorail systems. We rode the “Blue Train” which is the older (by a few days) of the two trains. It made its maiden test run on March 3, 1962.
The train approaching the downtown station for the return trip. Jason got up front for the return.
We will be heading out in the (very) early morning to avoid traffic, with a planned destination on the Columbia River in Oregon.
Travelling with the Schinglers 
My grandson Devin lives in Issaquah. He is out of the Marines and is studying to be a doctor at a college nearby.
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