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Tacoma Museum of Glass
Tacoma has an extensive glass art history, especially with Dale Chihuly being a native son. There are glass objects all over downtown, especially Union Station (which was closed today, darn!) It is interesting to see the huge variety of art objects, all made from glass! We did visit the Museum of Glass, a very interesting tour. A visiting artist was making one of his signature glass elephants, with the help of the local crew.
Unfortunately, photography was not permitted in the gallery itself. There were some fascinating works of art, all using glass as the main medium. But photography was permitted in the Hot Zone, where the making of artwork was in progress. So here are some pictures of the Hot Zone, as well as a few others taken in the area.
Union Station - you can see all the Dale Chihuly glasswork in the top windows
Chihuly Bridge of Glass
On the Bridge of Glass
Outside of the Museum Hot Zone
Looking up inside the Museum Hot Zone
The very start of making the elephant head
Forming the head round
Heating the trunk for bending
Heat soaking the head in a working oven
Cleanup of the elephant head
Unfortunately, we did not have time to stay and watch the completion of the entire elephant. That was a 3 hour process. But we learned a lot from what we were able to see.
Chirico Trail and Paragliding
Paragliding is very popular here, partly because there is a natural take-off site on Tiger Mountain, right behind where we are camped. On a sunny weekend, it isn’t unusual to see a dozen or more paragliders, gently gliding down to earth. Because of the terrain, these ‘glides can last up to 3 hours!
There is a hiking trail (Chirico Trail) that leads to the top, so Romola and I decided to hike it and take a look. That was quite a hike! 2 1/2 miles long, and it gained about 1,600ft in altitude. We were a’huffin and a’puffin on the way up! But once there it was a beautiful sight, with Mt. Rainier visible from the South Takeoff Zone.
We were lucky enough to catch one of the top paragliders getting ready to take off, so we talked for a while and snapped some pictures of his start. Beautiful! Then, we had to walk all the way back, not easy with the steep terrain.
After watching this guy take off, and learning that he give instructions and tandem paraglides, we’re thinking maybe we should experience this while we are here. Especially as our quads were burning from the long descent! We’ll see…..
2 1/2 miles of this makes for tired legs
Mount Rainier, from Take-off Zone South....
Romola enjoying lunch, and the view
Looking north. Lake Sammamish and Bellevue are visible.
Todd laying out his flying gear
And there he goes!
Now doesn't that look like fun?
And finally, a soft landing ends the ride.
Boy, that sure looks like fun!
Ah, Seattle!
Of course, the first stop in Seattle had to be Pikes Place Market, as well as Ivar’s Fish ‘n Chips. Since we had decent weather, this is where we went today. We parked down at the waterfront, and walked up to the market. Good way to get our legs in hiking shape!
The Market itself was as we remembered — busy, all kinds of food and artisan items, and crowds. Yes, we did see the flying fish. By the time we left the market we had spent around $100 on fresh fish and produce. Alder smoked salmon, smoked black cod, halibut steaks, fresh lychees, cherries, and more. This will be our first time to try elephant garlic shoots at dinner tonight .. gotta love the variety!
Then we had lunch at Ivar’s and met some locals. To me,the fish ‘n chips is the best anywhere. After lunch, we went to the Uwajimaya Market, an Asian market with goods we’ve never seen (or tasted) before. I’m anxious to try the Kobe Brisket tomorrow, never had of that before, either. In any case, we ended up with a basket full of goodies.
All in all, Seattle is living up to it’s foodie reputation!
The much photographed Market
Fresh fish, anyone?
Dungeness crab cocktail, a big helping, only $9
Aha! My favorite lunch place!
A local joined us for lunch
A fountain near the Seattle aquarium
A rather unusual light fixture
Really fresh seafood at Uwajimaya Market
The first totem pole to be carved in Seattle for 70 years
Portland’s food carts
Portland (OR) is known for their food carts. Here, people have an assigned space and put up a fast food cart. Almost all are ethnic, so you have all kinds of foods… Mexican, Indian, Czech, Thai and so on. We decided to check them out.
We found a “pod” of food carts, parked the car, and had some very good lunch. We found that the food was indeed excellent, and cheap, too! And very popular. At lunch time, people streamed out of their offices (hey, it was a sunny day, too!) and ate on the street.
We left satisfied on learning something new. As we drove away, we found several more pods, in fact, the one we were at is one of the smaller ones! At my estimate, there has to be some 100 carts in Portland, and all vying for the top rating.
A view from across the street
Cajun food
This Czech cart is one of the top rated
Decisions, decisions...
Maybe some Thai food?
Gourmet cooking, on a small scale
We ate at this one because it had high reviews
So we had Pad Thai and Tom Kah soup, total $11 for lunch for both of us. It was some of the best Pad Thai I’ve had, but I’m gonna have to go back for the Polish sausage….
Angel’s Rest, Columbia Gorge
The weather has been so bad the last month we haven’t hiked much. So with finally a nice day we drove the 30 miles to get to the Angel’s Rest trail. It’s amazing how quickly you can get out of shape! Now the Angel’s Rest hike is 2.3 miles long, but it’s all uphill — all of it. It climbs some 1,500 feet in that distance. Sore quads by the time we got to the top!
Along the way, there wer waterfalls (there are always waterfalls here!) but no scenic pictures, as the vegetation is in full bloom and much of the falls are obscured. But the wildflowers were great! Once at the top the views are spectacular. Not much mountain view, but a lot of the Gorge itself. A great hike!
And don’t believe that since it is all downhill on the way back it’s all easy. By the time we got back to the car we truly felt we deserved a microbrew and pizza, which is conveniently located just down the road from our RV.
Starting point for several hiking trails
Better watch your step!
One of the few waterfalls wich were visible
Purple flowers
Hey! A wild rose!
A purple iris
1 1/2 miles in, and the destination is in view
Posing at the top
The view we came for
Coming down wasn't all easy, either
Portland, city of roses
Portland is known as “Rose City”, and they have a very beautiful rose garden open to the public. We had a rare sunny day so Romola and I went for a visit.
The spring weather has been very bad, and rose growth is behind schedule. Also, there is some damage to the more delicate petals. Nevertheless, there were enough roses for me to fully utilize my new digital camera. I managed to select some, shown in the album below.
Note also the image which shows some of downtown and Mt. Hood in the background. Beautiful place, Portland.
Ape Cave, Mount St. Helens
When Mount St. Helens was formed, some lava flow would cool, and leave a crust. Eventually, the inside lava would run out, leaving a long tube. This is how the Ape Caves at Mount St. Helens was formed. It is now the longest lava tube in the USA at almost 3 miles long. Most of this is hike-able and makes for a very different experience.
Today we hiked the lower cave, about 3/4 mile each way. It is cold, a constant 42 degrees. And wet, with dripping water everywhere. And it is VERY dark! But is a popular hike, and we met a lot of people, moving like ghosts in the dark.
The way into the cave
A side tube, about 3 feet in diameter
A look at some of the unusual ceiling configuration
Somehow, a big rock wedged into the ceiling
The cave narrows in some areas
On the way out a strange picture
Flooding of the Columbia River
The heavy snowfall, big rainfalls, and late warm weather have caused significant flooding along the Columbia River. Currently, it is about a foot above flood stage, and rising. Here are two pictures I took of the same sign, one last week, one today.
The water flow today is 2,000,000 cu.ft. a second, almost unimaginable.
I took this picture 5/24. Note the "No Parking" sign.
And here on 6/1, one week later.
Memorial Day Gun Salute
Fort Vancouver has a gun and cannon salute to Memorial Day, using vintage rifles, pistols, and a cannon. I took some pictures to show some of the people we work with, and of the firing itself. High speed photos showed some interesting things not usually visible.
Picture taken just as Luda pulls the trigger
You can just see the smoke from the flash pan
Firing, just after the bullet leaves the rifle
Mike firing his revolver. Note the smoke blowing back as well as forward.
Jeff gives a pull on the firing cord....
Cannon firing. Note the primer material blowing upwards from the firing hole.
Aaron, our fearless leader
Cassie, during her presentation
Jeff and Luda, at ease
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Thanks to a tip from a friend (thanks, Gaynelle) we visited the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland, OR. Although it was rainy, the beauty of the garden in general, and the rhododendrons in particular, was spectacular.
The more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and companion plants in the garden have all been donated by volunteers and interested individuals, or purchased with specially donated funds. Beginning in early spring and continuing into summer, they provide a magnificent display of color, giving visitors the opportunity to view many varieties rarely seen in the Pacific Northwest.
Glad I took my camera. Some pictures below, all pictures (and colors) are as photographed. No artificial colors or Photoshop stuff here.
Laninga's Travel Blog 