Hi from the Alki

Hi! I remember traveling to Washington when I was young. Swam/floated a stream, saw salmon swim by fast. Took a hike and walked in a glacier tunnel. All the plants are HUGE there. Like the autumn olives were the size and grapes, here they are tiny.

 

And we have Mount Rainier, visible like 9 days a year

 

I was born in Seattle. Lived in west Seattle right near Alki. Have to say tho I do not miss it one bit. Too busy for this guy.

 

It is not the Seattle that you were born in. I wouldn't blame you for not missing it. It has exploded into a super expensive and super congested city, pretty much like its twin San Francisco. I live here because tech jobs pay well here But eventually I will have to leave.

 

I went to Washington for a week a while back… Mount Ranier was visible the whole time I was there. Its supposed to be beautiful, but honestly it kinda creeped me out for some reason. It’s like it was always watching. Foreboding…. Threatening…. Never thought a mountain would provoke that reaction from me.

 

Yeah, it is too close and it is a Volcano

 

I think maybe it was because it was often visible, but filtered by a fair bit of haze. It was there, but kinda not there. Gives me the willies

 

Not sure if Rainier will ever erupt, but her sister did erupt, I think in the 80's.

 

Nearby where I live now are Mt. Shasta, Mt. Lassen, The Three Sisters, and Crater Lake. All active volcanoes. Lassen is the most active. My class took a hike up to the caldera of it when I was a kid. Mud pots bubbling and burbling, vents steaming like crazy, all of it. When Crater Lake blows, I'll never know. It'll all be over in an instant.

Other than Crater lake, about 17 miles north of me, Mt. Shasta is the most visible. I keep an eye on it. If the snow cap is ever gone suddenly, it's time to start worrying.

During several of annual vacations to Hawaii, my folk took me to see the craters of a number of the volcanoes. Especially the active ones on the big island. Pretty impressive, to me. Lava bubbling and spewing up into the air, flows all over, all of it. Scary, really scary. Made certain we took NOTHING away. Didn't want to really anger Pele.

Have fun, all!
Pat☺

 

I love Mount Shasta, been there only once though.

 

It's a beautiful mountain. Perfect volcano shape, almost always has a pretty good snowcap. But it IS still active. If you watch the earthquakes around it, you can see when there's lava moving around in, and under it.
Something I keep an eye on

Pat☺

 

Are there any off roading trails around Mount Shasta?

 

Looks killer.. Never been, but looks so pristine.

 

I believe there are some. I did 99% of my off roading in the area around Yuma, Az. I WALKED the Shasta area, over 45 years ago, and I'm sure things have changed a bit since then!
Something to watch out for on Shasta: The weather can go from beautiful, clear, nice day, to undrivable, total white-out conditions inside an hour. If you get caught on one of the forest service roads when it happens, you may well be camping there for a week or two. Make sure you tell someone EXACTLY where you're going, preferably with a map for reference. Make sure you have food and other supplies for a week or two. It happens every couple of years around here, including Shasta.
Usually, it has a good outcome. USUALLY.
Heck, every year the highway get's closed for a few days when a good storm moves through. Only get stuck for a few days, since CalTrans starts clearing things ASAP, obviously. Hardest part is clearing away the big rigs that either thought they could make it before the storm, or were ordered to by their higher-ups. They don't usually make it

Now, YUMA, you can off-road 365 days a year. If you can survive the cartels. It's gotten much, much worse since I left.

Have fun, all!
Pat☺

 

Thank you Pat

 

You guys bring up a lot of good memories. I lived many years in the Eugene-Springfield area, also spent some time in Bend and Newport. I rode dirt bike on the Florence dunes (absolutely awesome experience) and the high desert of Oregon. Pat I'm also familiar with the dunes around you (Glamis) and the algodones dunes which, at the time, you could ride directly into Mexico with only and occasional border marker to advise you were entering a different country - probably can't do that anymore...