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the 6th Avenue Hotel. I walked down to the waterfront and strolled by the river. Seattle is a relatively clean, well
organized city with a real downtown. I had dinner at a restaurant/bar on 2nd Avenue. People here are very open
and friendly. I checked out a bar/pool hall after dinner. The crowd was a little young for me.
Thursday, July 8: I went to Pike Plaza Public Market. This is one of the better and larger public markets to
which I have ever been. It is located by the river. So, I can assume it started out as a fish market and evolved
from there. Today, there are a variety of arts and crafts, flowers, fish, etc. I had lunch here, walked around
downtown a little more, then caught a shuttle bus to the Seattle Center. This development has much to do for
everyone, including a Children’s Museum, a science center, a large fountain, the famous Space Needle, a music
Hall of Fame, etc. I went up in the Space Needle to the viewing platform, where I got an incredible view of the
city and surrounding area below. I could see the U. of Washington campus, Redmond – where Microsoft
headquarters is located, the San Juan Islands, the Puget Sound, etc. From there I went to the Experience Music
Project – a very impressive building architecturally. I didn’t see the entire exhibit, because I knew that I would be
going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. But, I did sit down at one of their complimentary
interactive computers and learned more about Bob Dylan, one of my favorite artists. I took the shuttle back and
had dinner at the Mall eatery – fast service, inexpensive, and get to people watch.
Friday, July 9: Day of R&R
Saturday, July 10: Checked out of my hotel. I drove to the Chittenden Locks to watch the Salmon swim
upstream to lay their eggs. Once there, I was very impressed with the way the Army Corps of Engineers
designed a “Fish Ladder” to allow the salmon to swim upriver even with a full lock system and damn in place.
These locks allow all commercial and recreational boat traffic to flow from Lake Washington and the other lakes
to the Puget Sound and on to the Pacific Ocean. The Spillway Damn incorporated into the lock system is used to
regulate the water level of the upstream lakes. The “Fish Ladder” is next to the damn. The “Fish Ladder” was
improved in 1976 to be more effective in attracting and helping the salmon move upstream. As part of the
improvement, viewing windows were added, allowing people to watch this important and very interesting portion
of the life cycle of a key fish to the human diet, salmon. I, also, got to see boats moving through the locks, the
associated gardens adjacent to the locks and a small orchestra playing classical music outdoors in the park.
From here I headed north to Canada with the intention of seeing Vancouver and Banff National Park, before
heading back into the states at the Montana border. I had trouble at the border, because I didn’t have my
Passport, I was alone with long hair, and when asked if I was carrying any type of weapon, I mentioned that I
was carrying Pepper Spray for personal protection. They went through all of my personal belongings in my car in
excruciating detail (they found my night stick, which didn’t help the situation). They treated me like a common
criminal. I felt violated both because of them looking through my personal belongings and the way they
interrogated me. For this reason and because I was getting tired of being on the road alone, especially in a foreign
country, I decided to go back to the states, even though I was cleared to enter Canada. I spent the night in
Seattle.
Sunday, July 11: Time to start back east. I got my oil changed in preparation for the trip. I stopped at a
Starbuck’s in downtown Seattle to check my e-mails. I believe Seattle is where Starbuck’s started. They have a
huge Starbuck’s; stand alone with a contemporary design, right in the heart of the city. This part of the city had a
real comfortable and hip feel to it.
I got on Rt. 90 and started east. I stopped in Spokane for gas and to grab some dinner. Spokane has a
good size park in its downtown. The park has a river running through it, a carousel, a small train with regular tires
to take you through the park, a Japanese Garden, a clock tower, etc. I ate outside at an Irish Bar/Restaurant next
to the park. Spokane is a pleasant, low key, small city with a small town feel. I ended up spending the night at a
Best Western in Wallace, Idaho, right next to Rt. 90.