ARCHIVES

Tag: Kerry Park

  • Part 1, Sightseeing in Seattle

    Part 1, Sightseeing in Seattle

    It’s Friday, and we’re off for vacation to celebrate Alice’s birthday! Dad and Mom went up earlier to do some Seattle touring and shopping while the rest of us worked. After a really busy week, we all meet up. It is going to be an escape of sorts—that’s what the cruise line advertises, anyways.

    The chilly air sunk its teeth early Saturday morning. Along with that, there’s the smell of ocean. The first stop, Pike Place Market, wakes us up even more, with the cacophony of sellers, buyers, musicians, and hordes of tourists like us, and the wafting breeze of more ocean and fish. We skip the long millipede line at the original Starbucks, choosing instead to have breakfast at Lowell’s. Our parents then hop over for a snack at Ivar’s Fish Bar, reliving some sentimental moment decades ago. Andy and I tour the Seattle Art Museum.

    Chinatown exudes a different type of smell—one that is common to all the Chinatowns I’ve been to. Ripe. The artistically presented Wing Luke Museum interprets the Asian immigrant experience. The exhibit that would become my favorite sits in a small alley and catches my eye: thirty-nine (39) questions for WHITE PEOPLE.

    Andy drags me along for a Segway tour, and it turns out to be fantastic. After a wobbly training session, we zip along the waterfront, up to Seattle Center, and loop back through Pike Place.

    We take a relaxing afternoon driving and sampling tour. One slice of chocolate mocha cheesecake at Bakery Noveau weighs us all down. The arboretum is peaceful, but the Japanese garden is closed for some private moon viewing event. For dinner, we immerse ourselves in New Orleans gourmet at the Toulouse Petit Kitchen & Lounge. After overeating, the stroll to Seattle Center jumpstarts the digestion, and we end or tour in Queen Anne’s. From Kerry Park, the city lights up under the rising moon.

    After breakfast in the Armory, the whimsical creations of Chihuly Garden and Glass capture our imagination. My favorite areas are the Glasshouse and the Garden, where fragile shapes bloom and bud like resident plants. Here, under the towering Space Needle, we have our parting shots of Seattle before heading to the cruise terminal.

    *  *  *  *  *

  • Rainier’s Northern Loop Trail

    Rainier’s Northern Loop Trail

    I arrived in Seattle. The first part of the trip will be a backpacking excursion along the Northern Loop Trail of Mount Rainier National Park before joining the Western Orthopaedic Association.

    Sunday morning, Brad and I drove to White River Ranger Station to pick up our permits after having breakfast at IHOP. We then parked in the backpackers’ lot in Sunrise. The hike up to Frozen Lake seemed more strenuous than usual, but the views of the surrounding valleys were spectacular. As part of the plan, we took a spur trail to the Fremont Lookout to visualize the terrain. Having hiked through fields of wildflowers, we camped at Berkeley Park Camp the first night.

    The next day, we hiked through the expanse of Grand Park before descending to the West Fork. The crossing was easier than expected. Mosquitoes greeted us as we climbed the next section to James Camp. There, we decided that we had to move on to Yellowstone Cliffs Camp, which was a good decision. Yellowstone Cliffs Camp was situated at the foot of sheer rock faces, next to a stream, and covered with some snow patches. We were the only campers there that night. Brad brought dark chocolate cheesecake to mark this middle night of the trip.

    On Tuesday, we hiked down to the Carbon River, then up along an exposed trail along the Carbon Glacier. After a scenic meadow, we climbed a small ridge and descended to Mystic Lake and the camp just beyond.

    The hike out on the following day gave us the opportunity to climb up to the saddle next to Skyscraper Mountain. From there, we had an amazing vantage point, seeing the Fremont Lookout, Yellowstone Cliffs, and Mystic Lake. We hiked out under refreshing light and, at times, heavy rain, which helped wash away sweat and trail dirt. Soon, we reached the car and drove into a Seattle drowned in record heat.

    I unwound at Kerry Park, taking in the panorama of the city getting ready for another evening.