Granddaddy trail

Yesterday we took a day to lie low. Bill has been going non-stop with barely a nap for two solid weeks and all of you who know him know that is something completely unheard of. So he was pretty tired and welcomed the opportunity to just tour the inside of his eyelids. So I did a little of what I like to do - walking and thrift shopping. Hey. I scored a pair of $120 Not Your Daughter's Jeans for $1.79. Thank you, Seattle! I followed up with a visit to Magnuson Park along Lake Washington and enjoyed a brief stroll along the Burke-Gilman Trail. Originally begun in 1978 with the first 12 miles of trail on the (as Bill likes to say) "earthly remains" of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, the Burke-Gilman Trail is certainly one of the grand-daddies of the rail-trail movement.

Dinner at Duke's Seafood & Chowder in nearby Green Lake was delicious - for the first time, I was really tempted to photograph my food but it just couldn't capture the flavor. Blackened salmon over pumpkin ravioli with some pine nuts and creamy cheese sauce. So many flavors you would have thought would go to war with each other. They did not!

​Today dawned another blue and gold beauty so we decided the only thing to do was complete the Perfect Vacation Trifecta - get in a bike ride to go with the train ride and boat ride. Luckily for us - and thousands of other people - the Outdoors for All Foundation has a cycle center at Magnuson Park where we were able to rent a handcycle for Bill and a TerraTrike tadpole for me. We didn't go far but we enjoyed the beautiful paved sunny surface immensely. 

While we knew we would have to get home and get things cleaned and packed up, we couldn't resist the opportunity to spent a little while along the lakefront at the Magnuson Cafe & Brewery. I sipped a snappy little pilsner, munched on some of the best french fries I've had in a long time, and a big ol' black bean burger; Bill enjoyed some rosemary tomato soup and a BLT. Before we left, we crashed the party of the lovely trio of Elizabeth, Hope, and Viveca and shared a lot of laughs. I could move to Seattle and go hiking with them; although they are quite intrepid, scrambling over rocks and climbing fire towers. I might be too old, ladies, but the photographs of the Fremont Lookout Trail at Mount Rainier looked gorgeous. We were so close on Sunday!

Tomorrow we'll head downtown for the next leg of travel. Maybe we'll actually make it to Pike Place Market? But, NO, not up that Space Needle. We catch the Empire Builder at 4:30 PM and will arrive at Izaak Walton Inn Thursday morning. We'll be there for two nights and then it's back on the Builder for the closing of our circle into Chicago. Sobbing all the way. 

There is no cell service at the Izaak Walton; wifi will probably be sketchy. So we will observe radio silence for a while. Depending on my state of mind, I may post again before we return home next Monday. No guarantees!

Thanks for reading,
​Pam