Whidbey Island Bike Ride

This week I took a two day bicycle trip, about 70 miles round trip, to the small town of Langley on Whidbey Island north of Seattle. A big part of the rout that I used going north to the ferry that would take me to Whidbey Island was along the reclaimed right-of-way originally used by the Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway from 1910 to 1939.

As chance would have it this is also the week that Seattle's new light-rail system from downtown to the airport will begin service.

You can read more about the Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway at:

Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway

Some of the art along the trail.

On the ferry to Whidbey Island.

The waterfront park in Langley.

I camped overnight at the Island County Fairgrounds in Langley.

Leaving Whidbey Island on the ferry.

Arriving at the Mukilteo ferry dock.

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Sailing

Yesterday I joined my friend Mark and his dad, visiting from Tucson, while they moved Mark's boat. The boat had been on display at last weekend's Wooden Boat Festival - http://www.cwb.org/attend-2009-lake-union-wooden-boat-festival - at the Center for Wooden Boats at the south end of Lake Union.

From the south end of Lake Union we motored up the lake to the Fremont Bridge at the entrance to the Ship Canal, through the Ballard Locks, around West Point to Elliot Bay, and then on to Mark's mooring at the south end of Harbor Island. Though there was lots of wind the tide was against us so we ended up motoring for about and hour to speed things up a bit.

Approaching the Fremont Bridge.


...and under the bridge we go!


Mark in the drivers seat with the Fremont and Aurora Bridges in the background.

Along the ship canal.

Going through the locks.

Sailing at about mid-channel on Puget Sound.

Pointing up.

Mark and his dad.

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Lake Wenatchee Camping

This week I took a three day camping trip to Lake Wenachee on the east side of the Cascades. As you can see the weather was great but the part you can't see is that the mosquitoes were vicious. On Wednesday afternoon I ended up moving to a different campground from where I was camped at the west end of the lake to the east end of the lake.

This was the view from my campsite...

...and here's my campsite.

On Tuesday I took a short hike to nearby Hidden Lake.

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Solstice Parade

My friends Mancil and Jennifer were here over the weekend for the Fremont Solstice Festival streetfair and parade. Great weather, lots of fun, and parade pics below. Nothing in the parade can be motorized and no signs are allowed. As you can see below clothing is optional...

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Vashon Island Bike Ride

Monday morning I left for a three day bicycle trip to Vashon Island which is in the middle of Puget Sound about four miles west of Seattle. I choose to take the water taxi across Elliot Bay making the bike ride to the Vashon Island ferry dock and on to the hostel on the island about twenty miles long from where I live in north Seattle.

The water taxi from downtown to West Seattle, about a fifteen minute ride, leaves downtown Seattle hourly on the half hour. It's kind of like riding the bus-- you just show up at the dock and pay your fare with correct change when you get on. They also take the new ORCA pass which is like a debit card that can be used on all of our regional mass transit carriers: bus, light-rail, water taxi, and state ferries. Unfortunately my pass had a glitch and didn't work right.

Upon arriving in West Seattle on the water taxi I rode along Alki Beach and on around Alki Point heading for the Vashon ferry dock at Fauntleroy. I lucked out and arrived just as they were boarding bikes and other walk-on passengers for the twenty minute trip to Vashon.

From the ferry dock on Vashon Island to the hostel is a six or seven mile mostly up-hill ride-- plus a bit of a detour to the town of Vashon for groceries. Then it was on to the hostel which is a mile and a half from town.

The hostel has a choice of accommodations: private rooms, dorms, tee-pees, camping, and covered wagons.

... I chose a covered wagon.

I always find one of the best parts of staying at a hostel to be the people I meet. Since every everyone is using the same kitchen, dining space, and living room/lounge there are lots of chances to get to know each other.

A young woman named Avril was staying in the other covered wagon at the hostel. She is most recently from Perth, Australia but was born in Ireland. She had been traveling for four months through New Zeland, South and Central America before arriving in the US. It sounded like she planned to travel for at least another six months through North America, Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia.

I also met a couple, Mike and Clair with their dogs Buddy and Tuesday, who are on a three month bicycle trip down the west coast while pulling their dogs behind them on trailers. You can read more about them at: http://www.buddymike.com/

On Tuesday I took a ride to Dockton Park which is on Maury Island which is actually now connected to Vashon Island thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers. On the way I passed the Tramp Harbor Athletic Club-- shown above.

Pictured above, and taken from the road on the man-made isthmus between the islands, is Quartemaster Harbor which lies between Vashon and Maury Islands.

On Wednesday morning I headed for the Vashon ferry and retraced my rout back to Seattle and arrived back home in the middle of the afternoon feeling like I'd accomplished something-- though not sure quite what.

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Fremont Summer Solstice Street Fair and Parade

Every year in my neighborhood on the weekend closest to the summer solstice, Saturday June 20th this year, we have a street fair and a Solstice Parade. Here's a video of the parade from two years ago.

And you can learn more at: http://www.fremontfair.org/
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Discovery Park Hike

Today I took a hike at Seattle's Discovery Park with my friend Anya. As you can see the wild flowers, and the fire boat in the distance, are in full bloom.

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HeavyHex Cafe's vindaloo for two

Vindaloo for two.

I've never made this from a recipe before and just use the "little-of-this, little-of that" method so everything here is an approximation.

Start cooking 1/2 cup (uncooked) red cargo rice or brown rice.

Saute the following in 2 tblspn olive oil +/-, with 1 tsp sesame oil +/- until the chicken and potatoes are cooked:
1/2 lb chicken (or lamb, or pork, or firm tofu) cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup onion cut into chunks
1/3 cup carrots cut into match sticks
2 potatoes cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 or 2 cloves diced fresh garlic
2 tsp diced fresh ginger
1 tblsp rice vinegar  +/- to taste

After the chicken and potatoes are cooked through add:
2 tsp +/- Soy sauce
1 tsp +/- curry
Cayenne pepper or hot sauce to taste

Add about a 1/3 cup of water and let everything heat up to a slow boil while stirring.
Dissolve 1 tsp corn starch in 1/3 cup cold water and slowly stir into the slowly bubbling mixture

Wait for the sauce to thicken then stir in:
1/4 cup green onion
1/2 cup shredded cabbage

Serve over cooked rice.

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I've been working on the railroad...

Entrance to the UW light-rail underground station.

In the mid-'90s the Seattle area voted to build a light-rail mass transit system. The first phase running from downtown to the airport will begin operation sometime this year. The next segment will run from downtown to the University of Washington campus. The University of Washington link is currently in the design phase-- which I have been part of this winter. More specifically I'm working on the underground station that will be built next to Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus.

You can find a summary of the UW Station design at:
UW light rail station design

The underground station, which is nearly eighty feet deep, is built using a braced slurry wall process to dig the hole. To build a slurry wall a series of 4'x12' shafts are dug into the ground around the full perimeter of the station-- about 70ft by 400ft. As each hole is being excavated, with a mechanical excavator, it is filled with a slurry of bentonite clay and water to keep the hole from collapsing. After reaching it's full depth, nearly 100 ft in this case, the hole is filled with concrete from the bottom up through a tremie pipe. As the hole fills with concrete the slurry mixture is pumped out and saved for reuse. When the hole is full of concrete a cage of steel reinforcing is dropped in.

When the slurry walls are in place around the full perimeter of the station the dirt in the center can start to be excavated. As the dirt is excavated a series of braces, each about 65ft long and weighing nearly 30 tons, are installed to support the slurry walls. My part has been to design the temporary bracing system that will support the two walls during excavation and prior to placement of the permanent concrete floors.

You can see a section through the station here:
UW station section view

Find out more about slurry walls at:
Wikipedia article on slurry walls

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