Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Queen Anne's Kerry Park, Marshall Park, and More

We learned during our Seattle Center Walking Tour that one of the best views in the city was up on Queen Anne Hill at Kerry Park.

The Park has a downstairs as well where there is a small ball field and a playground.

Great view of West Seattle and Alki Beach also.

We are several miles away to get this complete view of the Port of Seattle.

The West most waterway is the Duwamish river and lots of barge and small ship traffic head on up past the Port.

This Sculpture at the park gives everyone a chance at some creative photogrophy

Something like this

Culled twenty pictures to choose this one with Mount Rainer Visible. 


Walk two more blocks South and get to another view at Marshall Point

Elliot Bay Marina...Count the Mast! http://www.elliottbaymarina.net/ The cruise ships are gone for the year, if they were here they would be blocking this shot since they dock just above all the work boats you see in the foreground. 

Looks Like a nice Club House for the Marina, Have to go check it out, Stay tuned.

These PNW Marinas have Serious breakwaters I am sure that is probably 12' tall. 

Nice Nordhaven

I am Learning the names of the peakes of the Olympics, Ellinor on the left and Washington Peak on the right.

Very well known as the "Brothers Peaks"

Constance on the left and Warrior on the right.

Jupiter

and Townsend Peak in the middle

Russell, my Son in Law found this Panorama for me on the net. The very bottom is the Western half of the Olympics as seen from Seattle and the very top could be pasted to it since it is the Eastern Half of the ridge. The ones in the Middle are mostly the Cascades but the fact is all of these Mountains are visible from some point in Seattle on a clear day. 

You can see some grain Elevators in the foreground. The ship anchored off is waiting it's turn at the dock to load up. The dock can only handle one ship at a time and it takes about 5-6 days to load one of the 225 Meter long ships up with grain. Sometimes there are 3-4 ships anchored off waiting to get in to the dock. I wonder how the crew of those ships keep themselves occupied while at anchor for weeks just waiting?

This cool sidewalk goes around the top of Queen Anne Hill giving the pedestrian great views as you walk around the top circumference of the hill. 

This is why Sailors do not stay in one place for long.

Short cut to the top of Queen Anne, couldn't resist.

I think this is some type of NW sparrow or maybe a Pipit?

Hey is is a bit cool but Sunny and very clear, that is why we came up here to experience the view today.

I see these guys fishing the same spot every single day. I saw that boat on the left pull into Bell Harbor Marina and realized they were providing fish for Anthony's one of the better known Seafood restaurants here.

Maybe I can volunteer one day to learn and maybe get some free Salmon?

On the way back down to our starting point we discovered this garden, more birding...This might be a Junco, that is our best guess.

I was intrigued by the twisted bark on this evergreen

There must be a story with this tree

You have to visit to know why?


Queen Anne's  Kerry Park, Marshall Park, and More

We were waiting for just the right Clear day to drive up the short distance up Queen Anne Hill to Kerry Park where we heard there was a great lookout point to see the City. We got up there around 10am and they were right excellent views all around the city and the entire South Puget Sound, Olympics, and more. the only times we had been to Queen Anne was to pick up some great Sandwiches from Homegrown http://www.eathomegrown.com/ our Son in Law's and Daughters favorite sandwich spot. The sun has a strange angle this far North and at this time of year. It was clear that if we wanted pics of the Downtown area it would be best to be up here around 3 or 4 in the afternoon to get the sun behind the shots. We took what we could thinking we could always come back some afternoon and try again. I took a loo Westward and noticed some people down at the end of the street and more clear blue sky so we walked a couple of blocks to find Marshall Park another great spot facing Westward. Besides the better view of the Olympics I liked the view of Elliot Bay Marina. Every summer on Thursday evenings the Bay is filled with boats participating in a late afternoon race and most of these sailboats come out of this marina. I plan to get down there soon to check it out, definitely one of the more popular Seattle Marina. The
Slip rates are comparative to the better marina's on the Florida West Coast.
We walked on around to find a sidewalk around the edge of the top of Queen Anne Hill through the neighborhood so we continued our exploration through this very cool neighborhood with old an some new homes, all with interesting architecture. We came up on a sidewalk that led up the the next street above us near the very top of the Hill so we climbed the steps and a few birds were in the underbrush so the Admiral got into her Birding ways the remainder of the adventure. More cool homes on the top and then on the way back down to where we started we found a cool public garden which was pretty neat but I am sure is much better to see in the summer.
After we got back to our Baby Drew duties we reported to our daughter our findings and they wanted to go up and take drew for a stroll so we were happy to have the chance to go back and get some pics with the sun in a better angle. Drew loved it up there!

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