Pike Place Market, Snoqualmie Falls, and Alpental Ski Area

After a wonderful first day exploring the Seattle area we decided to venture out a little further than the Seattle proper for our next full day in Washington.  Our first stop was to settle a score at Pike Place Market!  The last time we were in Seattle we went to the market on a Saturday - the most crowded day to visit and we didn't get to try Piroshky Piroshky!  So, this time we decided to go as early as possible on a Sunday morning.

View from observation deck at Pike Place Market




Pike Place Market is Seattle’s public market and one of the country’s oldest farmers markets. The market encompasses nine acres from Pike St. north to Virginia St. and from 1st Ave west to Western Ave. The Market’s historic arcade, winding alleys, stairways and lower levels offer a multisensory experience of sights, sounds, tastes, aromas and textures.  Like we mentioned above, our first stop was for breakfast at Piroshky Piroshky where we noshed on cranberry and apple rolls and poppy seed piroshkies while strolling through the market.  We didn't get to enjoy coffee at Seattle's first Starbucks due to the long line out the door so, you know there will be a 3rd visit back to the market to settle that score!  Once the crowds started to gather in the market we decided to cruise on to Snoqualmie Falls.

The gum wall/alley

Pink Door Restaurant

In case you don't know which restroom to use, just check the floor


Snoqualmie Falls is a 268-foot waterfall in the northwest United States, located east of Seattle on the Snoqualmie River between Snoqualmie and Fall City, Washington.  If the falls and the Salish Lodge and Spa look familiar it is because they were both featured in the tv series, Twin Peaks!  









After leaving the Snoqualmie area we followed the Snoqualmie River to Denny Creek Campground hoping to hike to Franklin Falls.  The Denny Creek Campground is located on the Snoqualmie River and is one of the oldest Forest Service campgrounds in the forest.  In this area you can walk to nearby Wagon Road Trail, Franklin Falls Trail and Denny Creek Trail, which enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Unfortunately, the trail to Franklin Falls was still closed for the season. We explored the area for a little while before heading up to the Alpental Ski Resort.





Alpental is synonymous with skiing in the Pacific Northwest. Its deep-rooted history and legendary terrain make the mountain a bucket list item for skiers and riders. The area provides some of the steepest and deepest runs in the region. Snow still covered the area in late May and the low lying clouds made the area appear magical.  A few people were hiking up the mountain in the snow and it was fascinating to watch them disappear as they gained higher elevation.  












Exhausted from our day of exploring we headed back to our home base, Embassy Suites, in Lynnwood, Washington. Our next on our itinerary.. North Cascades National Park!




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Ballard, Washington

Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the  Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
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Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park .  The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas.  The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east.  Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the  Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.  
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Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,