Since we are in a park near a major metropolitan area, it seems to us that there is no really interesting sights to go see other than city stuff. Peggy and I have lived in many cities and have found them all remarkably similar; they are good places to shop and wages are good but the traffic is terrible and everything costs a lot so we generally just stay out. We have found we prefer the benefits of the rural areas – great terrain, flora and fauna, quiet nights (unless the park is near a freeway or railway) and rare traffic problems.
Today we took a spin up the road to nearby North Bend, WA, passing by Snoqualmie Falls, a gorgeous but tourist-infected attraction in the town of Snoqualmie. There was no available nearby parking or any within a quarter mile. Peg’s sister owns a rental house outside North Bend and we drove by for no particular reason. The house is still there and looked very house-like. Right near North Bend is the imposing, craggy mountain called Mount Si, probably named after the sound all the motorists make while trapped on the single-lane, signal-challenged commute home. Due to the unique operation of the town’s traffic lights and the ponderously overloaded streets, it takes a considerable amount of time to traverse North Bend, even when it ain’t rush hour. It is probably a great place to visit but make someone else provide transportation.
Peggy and I also stopped at a drive-in called Taco Time. We both used to eat in the now-defunct Taco Time down in Coos Bay, OR, back in the dark ages and felt compelled to eat some almost Mexican-like food at the North Bend store. They serve Tater-Tots under the name of “Mexi-fries” despite them not being Mexican nor fries. Their chicken burritos are very tasty but remarkably needle-like for the $3.69 cost, plus tax. It is kind of like getting a toothpick in a paper wrapper. Down in the southwest, this same item would be called a taquito or a rolled taco.
We also took a drive over to a Trader Joe’s in a local town called Issaquah which is Indian for rich white yuppies. Range Rovers, Porsches, Audi station wagons and Mercedes Benz coupes clog the local roads which all have roundabouts at their intersections. We chose to get to T. Joe’s at 7:30 and have never been in one of their stores at a better time. We were almost alone while shopping for our loot.
The weather is still lousy – lots of rain, some wind and temperatures in the low 50s. We are crossing our fingers hoping for less mud in the next few days. Although the rain is a nuisance for us, it certainly has not hurt the local vegetation. The plants here are all bright green and appear to be open for business. The hardwood tree trunks are covered with thick mosses and lichens. The brush is so happy that it is also impenetrable once anyone leaves a cleared area. They need no signs admonishing folks to stay on the trail.
There’s a few pix if you click here