Coast to coast: Page 2

Space Needle, Seattle, WA

Kyle and I decided to take a weekend trip to Seattle while I was visiting. Our first day in town, we checked out the Pike's Place market and saw all the great-looking produce, fish, etc., for sale there. After the market we found the Rock Bottom Brewery and had a few Hefeweizens. The brewery was located beneath a skyscraper that was small at the bottom and tapered out for a while before shooting up into the sky. It looked like it was going to fall on us at any minute.

Shipyard near Seattle, WA

After the beer, we walked up to Capitol Hill and checked out a few shops, had another beer and checked out what Seattle had to offer. We found a park that was completely filled with artificial grass. I don't mean astroturf, it was actual pieces of rubber formed to look like grass. It even had little rubber pieces of dirt mixed in! We finished the day off with a fondue dinner, a martini and a great cup of ice cream from this place in the University district.

Main Stage at Seattle HempFest, Seattle, WA

While in Seattle, we picked up a copy of the Stranger and found out it was the Seattle HempFest weekend! So, Sunday was pretty much dedicated to the festival. Pictured above is the main stage, where lots of bands and speakers were saying the word "weed" a lot. I thought this was about hemp, what gives man? Oh yeah, we started Sunday out with an awesome eggs benedict at the Crocodile Cafe!

Crazy hippie bus at Seattle HempFest, Seattle, WA

At the HempFest we saw a lot of crazy stuff, like this bus that says stop arresting the ill. We also saw people skinny-dipping in the Peuget Sound and lots of people smoking pot. The police didn't seem to care, unless people were being stupid or obvious about it.

Leaving the HempFest, Seattle, WA

When it came time to leave the HempFest and head back to Portland, the way was blocked by a really long train. By the time we were allowed to pass, hundreds of people were lined up on the sidewalk. The people took over the road, and there was no room for cars to pass. Power to the People!

Hike to Crescent Beach, OR

Before leaving Whitefish, my co-worker Gail said to visit Cannon Beach, a town in Oregon. It was located inside Echola State Park. When I got to the park, they said to visit the beach within driving distance, but I decided to take a 1.5 mile hike down to Crescent Beach. Whereas the other beach was crowded, there was nobody at Crescent. The hike went through a really dense, wet forest, which continued all the way down to the beach. It was very beautiful.

Crescent Beach, OR

The day was foggy and cold, and when I first put my feet in the water I was shocked at how cold it was. I spent a few hours at the beach, walking around seeing what I could find. I found two complete sand dollars, one of which I brought with me on the trip. When I got back to Portland, Melissa was back in town, and we all went out to dinner. I can say there are lots of good places to eat in Portland - it's a cool place.