Seattle – Snoqualmie Falls

Sunday, July 20th we set off to see Snoqualmie Falls and, just a bit south of the falls, the Northwest Railway Museum in the town proper of Snoqualmie. The drive from home base to the falls was 34 miles and took less than three-quarters of an hour. 

Snoqualmie Falls have a 270 foot drop and are a major tourist attraction of Seattle.

The 34-mile journey from home base (A) to Snoqualmie Falls (B) and the Northwest Railway Museum (C)
was complicated just bit at the end when the two cars' GPSs took us
to two different locations for the same input destination.

John's car and Frank's car had competing GPSs that yielded different locations for the same input destination. But with cell phone technology we managed to find each other at the parking lot at the upper end of the falls. Frank found a parking spot. Finding a second parking space when John arrived however, was more of a challenge. John let off his passengers and the plan was for him to wait in his car until a spot opened up, then park and catch up with the five of us. We looked at the displays at the top of the falls and took some photos and wondered why it was taking John so long to find a place to park. We soon learned what had happened. 

Margaret & Joe pose on the observation deck for a picture with the backdrop of the falls.

John was supposed to catch up with the rest of us at the top of the falls but instead took the trail down to the base. Once we figured out what had happened, John waited for us about midway down the trail and we continued to the base of the falls as an intact group of six. You can take the trail down, too, vicariously, in only 3½ minutes, by using this YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EGNvSlsMME.  A bit over two thirds of the way down, at time marker 2:34 into the video you will see the ribs of the pipes that I posed in. 

"Let me out!" Frank took this photo of me leaning back and joking around.
If you look closely through the cylinder, you will see
John & Sue and Joe & Margaret a bit ahead of us on the trail down

We all made it down to the bottom of the trail and to the observation deck at the base of the falls.

Since the designated photographer is rarely in the photos, here is proof that I was at both the top and the bottom.
I guess my smile is repeatable because I look the same both places. See? No sweater in the bottom shot.
That is proof that I was not photoshopped into the picture on the right! 

We teased John that the reason we could not find him was that he was down at the bottom with someone else other than Sue. The proof was in the graffiti... !

John is covering up any evidence of a possible indiscretion at the base of the falls.

Walking down was all well and good, but hiking back up was another story. John heroically volunteered to climb back up the trail and bring one car down to the lower parking lot. Sue accompanied him. They are in the best physical shape of the six of us. As we waited in the lower parking lot, I captured a cell phone picture and texted the photo showing the route between the two parking lots to Sue since John was driving. There was just one minor problem. Sue stayed at the top since the car could only seat five and John was rescuing four of us. He found us though, drove us back to the other car at the top, and "all's well that ends well". We did however, joke about and liken our situation to that of the fox, the chicken, and the grain in the classic logic puzzle.

The mountain route between the two parking lots was not at all obvious.

The next adventure of the day was to visit the Northwest Railway Museum and feed Frank's insatiable appetite for anything railroad. We drove south to the depot/museum where we'd planned to depart for a short steam train ride to the base of the falls.

The train depot for the Northwest Railway is architecturally interesting and doubles as a museum.

We pulled up to the depot and the place was a mob scene. As it turned out, it was Day Out with Thomas on Sunday, July 20th. The facade of Thomas the Tank Engine had been placed on the front of the locomotive, the place was packed with families with kids, and all the train ticket prices were elevated because they included special Thomas booths and attractions for the kids.

Thomas the Tank engine "pulled" the train full of kids and their parents.

Initially we were disappointed. But Frank pointed out that all this activity was encouraging as it was a movement that fostered appreciation of the railroads with future generations. We did not buy tickets to the attraction and accompanying train ride. The train ride would have been short, only about one mile out and one mile back, and noisy. And also, due to John's unscheduled downhill leadership, we had been to the base of the falls anyway, just with a different vantage point. Instead, we walked a couple blocks and had lunch at the Snoqualmie Brewery and Tap Room.

From the falls to the Northwest Railway Museum was just 1.1 miles. The excursion train paralleled the road on the opposite side of the Snoqualmie River from where we took the trail down.

Although the Thomas activities precluding investigating around the museum, the road paralleling the track had a large collection of rolling stock, almost as far as the eye could see. We walked along this line of railcars, Frank pointing out unique features. When we reached where John's car was parked, John & Sue and Joe & Margaret peeled off and headed back to home base. Frank & I stayed on because there was more Frank wanted to explore.

This line of railcars stretched far along the road.
Many of the un-refurbished specimens were historically unique.

Frank & I continued along the line of cars that stretched out along the roadway. Then after a bit, as the Thomas activities were winding down we returned to the depot and spoke to the gate keepers. They let us wander in for free and see inside the museum/gift shop and examine the locomotive parked outside.

We were able to see one of the locomotives up close.

We also wander a bit about the town of Snoqualmie itself. There was an old fashioned hardware store, well-worn wooden floors and all. I found the street crosswalks interesting. I took a picture of this inlaid pattern as inspiration for a quilt.

Once a quilter, always a quilter. This would make an intriguing pattern for a quilt block.

It had been a very full active day and Frank and I headed back toward home base. On the way we stopped at the grocery store and bought a couple of frozen lasagnas and some loaves of fresh french bread. We worked on finishing a bottle of white wine we'd purchased at Mt Rainier.

The wine's name fit the day's activities.

While dinner was in the oven, John & Sue and Joe & Margaret and Frank & I played a few games of Suspend. What a difference it was playing with these technically bent college friends. Their approach was to build every structure symmetrically and balanced and not even close to collapsing. It is really much more fun to add your piece precariously thereby sabotaging the structure to fall apart for the next guy! I'd brought other games besides this one. Lesson learned. Another evening – another game.

We played this game just a bit Sunday night.

What was left of the time after dinner was spent in transportation and parking garage optimization. Heads were bent over electronic gadgets looking at websites, planning whether to drive or take public transport, learning where to get a CityPASS, and determining where to park the least expensively in Downtown Seattle to see it all.

Space Needle!   Aquarium!   EMP Museum!
Argosy Cruise!   Museum of Flight!
All for ONE LOW PRICE!!!