Bothell (near Seattle), WA - Aug. 20 - Sep. 1, 2008

We left Roy, WA on Wednesday morning and traveled about 70 miles north to Lake Pleasant RV Resort in Bothell east of Seattle.  Although our site was rather narrow, we were pleased with Lake Pleasant and its location near the Sammamish River and Burke Gilman Bicycle Trails.  We would recommend it to RVers visiting the Seattle area.

Bothell is an attractive town on the banks of the Sammamish River.  Like many other towns in area, the ever-growing Seattle metropolis has overtaken it.  However, it maintains a small town character and country-like ambiance in spite of the heavy traffic on its main roads.  Bothell even features a few working farms, which may explain the numerous 'free range' chickens inhabiting the town's parks and bike trails.

We came to this area to explore Seattle and visit with our friend Sharon who lives about 10 miles south in Redmond.  On our first night in town we got together with Sharon for dinner.  Later during our stay Susan and Sharon visited the Seattle Art Museum for a special exhibit entitled "Inspiring Impressionists".  They also got together for a day of shopping and lunch in Bellevue - it was a great 'girl fix'.

Bill and Susan's first excursion was to downtown Seattle to play tourist, and more importantly, to continue our quest for sourdough French bread.  The first stop was in the Waterfront district where we had heard rumors of a sourdough bakery.  Score!  One loaf of bread was quickly purchased and we were off to enjoy the sights and sounds of Pike's Place Market.  After lunch we moved on to Pioneer Square where we planned to do the Underground Tour. 

We had an hour before our tour so we dodged the panhandlers and crazies in Pioneer Square and found our way to Elliott Bay Book Company, a must for any visit to the area.  On Sharon's recommendation, we also visited Waterfall Garden Park, an enclosed tropical garden with an impressive waterfall.  The park is only ½ block in size so one could easily miss this little gem.

After the Underground Tour we wandered back down to the Waterfront to purchase another loaf of bread - yes, that's right, we (read Bill) had already consumed a healthy portion of the original loaf.  After getting another fix, we were off to the eclectic Fremont District on the north shore of Lake Union.

Originally a 19th Century lumber town, Fremont District has evolved into a funky community of artists, galleries, bookstores and coffee houses.  It describes itself as the 'Fearsome and Frolicsome Fiefdom of Fremont' and unabashedly proclaims itself the 'Center of the Universe'.  The district boasts its very own troll that dwells under the Aurora Bridge, a Cold War era rocket, and a 16-foot tall bronze statue of Vladimir Illyich Lenin. 

Although Fremont has a statue of Lenin, it doesn't mean the residents are unrepentant communists (as far as we know).  Apparently, Lewis Carpenter, a Washingtonian, discovered the statue in Slovakia, face down in the mud (an apparent victim of the Soviet Union's disintegration).  Carpenter appreciated the artistry so much that he purchased Comrade Lenin and shipped him to the USA.   The 7-ton statue eventually found a home on 36th Street in the Fremont district.  One can assume that the statue is rather controversial - especially among Eastern Europeans.

As mentioned, two bicycle trails converge in Bothell and we made good use of them.  One a sunny morning we biked the Burke-Gilman Trail along the west shore of Lake Washington to Magnuson Park, a former Naval installation.  One area of the park has numerous submarine fins protruding from a grassy field.  It was interesting to watch folks fly kites and play Frisbee among the submerged submarines.

We had hoped to do more biking on Seattle numerous paths and some kayaking among the houseboats in Lake Union, but the gray, drippy skies deterred us.  The locals were as disappointed with the weather as we were.  They complained that 'Augtober' (October weather in August) was following the 'Junuary' (January weather in June) weather pattern. 

Due to the weather, we were inclined to move further north to Mt. Vernon, which is reported to be a bit sunnier. Clearly, we are wimpy sun-seekers, not hardy Washingtonians.