Loving Seattle and environs

but watch out for volcanoes ...

The volcanic 14,411-foot Mount Rainer, the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States, and an active stratovolcano, dominates the Seattle skyline when viewed from the north. At far left is T-Mobile Park, home of the MLB’s Seattle Mariners. This photo was taken by yours truly from atop the Great Wheel.

We returned on Tuesday from a several-days trip to the Seattle area to see our daughter. It was our second trip to that region and we enjoyed it just as much as we did last year at this time.

We totally lucked out in terms of weather. The end of October typically spells the beginning of the rainy season for the Pacific Northwest, but as you can see from these images, aside from some morning fog, we had nothing but bright sunshine all day long. But it was chilly. Lows at night around 35F with highs only 45-55. Thankfully, there was little wind.

Here are some photos. See you next week:

The Seattle Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) was a treat. As you might guess, the “industry” part of the museum is dominated by Boeing, though there are substantial nods to other important economic drivers, ranging from the traditional timber and fishing industries to innovative modern corporations such as Starbucks, Amazon and Microsoft. -TC

I call it the Starbucks on Steroids. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Pike Street, nine blocks way from the company’s original store at Pike Place, not only has a vast selection of coffee beverages, but you can watch master roasters at work on the factory floor. You can even ask them questions about the products they manufacture. -TC

Seattle cuts an impressive skyline. This view is to the north from the aforementioned Great Wheel. I believe that is Bainbridge Island at far left. -TC

This view of the skyline is from the southeast at the Kennydale Beach Park on Lake Washington near our rental in Renton. -TC

The charming daughter poses for a photo during a walk/hike we took along a section of the “Eastrail,” a walking and biking path connecting Renton and Bellevue. We strayed from the Eastrail after discovering the May Creek Trail, which is where this photo was taken. She fell in love with this little spot.

The view east from the Kennydale Beach Park. At right is the southern tip of Mercer Island, and just to the left, the highest peaks of the Olympic Mountains. I love Lake George in the Adirondacks, but I’ve now decided my dream home should be on Mercer.