Reflections on Seattle

After nearly a week in Seattle visiting my son,  I'm back on the road again.  It was not a "tourist" style week, with much work to do trying to keep pace with the progress everyone else is making back home starting up The Bindu Institute.  I spent time while my son was at work roaming a small part of Seattle, the South Lake Union area; and a bit wider part of the city when he was off work.  I didn't have a single bad meal while in Seattle, but one of my favorite places was The Veggie Grill, a Vegetarian/Vegan restaurant just a few blocks from my son's apartment.  The "All Hail Kale" salad was just awesome!  So I had a good bit of time to myself, and I developed some favorite places, and started forming some habits, like going to Vivace for coffee nearly every day.  It's interesting how, even over the course of a single week, we humans tend start to develop patterns.

         Views of office my son works in, Seattle, WA

Seattle is bicycle, vegan, walking, dog, and pedestrian friendly.  And it's not like people are making extra efforts to give bikers and walkers the right of way; it's so generally part of the lifestyle that it appears to be just what's normal there.  I have been in quite a number of large metropolitan cities (New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas...) but I have never seen the numbers of people with dogs!  They are everywhere and every breed.  The city has cleanup bags placed around town, and I never did see any evidence of owners not cleaning up after their pets.  I'm wondering how a whole metropolitan city, and indeed most of the state, developed such a welcoming and progressive attitude; and why we can't have that happen everywhere!

Seattle is surrounded by great landscape.  An hour and a half north and we were in relatively short driving range of Mount Baker, though you could see the picturesque snow capped peak as soon as the tall buildings of Seattle were behind.  An hour and a half east, and the Cascades begin to demand one's attention, with the Columbia River running through; with a breathtaking drive through Snoqualmie Pass and Snoqualmie Falls within visiting distance.  I didn't make it to Mount Baker or Snoqualmie Falls; the priority was spending time with my son now that he lives the distance of a continent away.

The drive today was pleasant as well, through the Yakima Valley in Washington during the trip.  There were vineyards all along the area, and signs for local wineries.  I even passed an exit to "DeadMan Pass!" 

    Exit 228 - Deadman Pass ----- Rest Area

It was a pleasant day for the drive, and with an early start, I made it to LaGrande, Oregon today.

Travel Log - Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Departed from Seattle, WA at 8:10 AM

Arrived in LaGrande, OR at 3:50 PM

339 miles