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Seattle Brewery Guide

Seattle Brewery Guide

Seattle is filled with unique neighborhoods and breweries.  I frequently hear people ask, “What is the best brewery in Seattle?”  To answer that question, I scoured every neighborhood in search of great beer, visiting over 30 breweries in Seattle and the surrounding metro area.  I hope this guide helps you discover Seattle’s great breweries and the tasty local brews they produce. Cheers!

Ballard
Hale’s Ales Brewery & Pub Beer + food
Hale’s, founded in 1983 in an area between Fremont and Ballard, was the first craft brewery in the region to introduce seasonal, cask conditioned, and nitrogen conditioned ales.  Cool building and pub, but perhaps past their prime as I find most of their beers to be average.  Bright spots include their world-class Kölsch and tasty Cream Stout. 4301 Leary Way NW, Seattle

Hilliard’s Beer Beer only (+ food trucks Saturdays)
Hilliard’s Beer is a new brewery in Ballard that opened in October 2011.  This is one of the cooler brewery taprooms I have visited and is home to perhaps the most comfortable bar stool in Seattle.  Hilliard’s is filled with a nice, 5-seat bar, several smaller tables, concrete couches and 2 enormous wood spool tables that each seat 10.  Hilliard’s is currently canning 2 beers, Amber and Saison, in 16 oz. tallboys.  The Amber is very good, although extremely hoppy for the style.  The Saison is a great-looking and tasting brew that is spot-on for the style. They have some additional beers available on tap: Regimental Scottish Blonde, Cast Iron Stout, and Hils Pils.  Visit on a Saturday and you can get some grub from food trucks such as Skillet, Where Ya At Matt and Snout & Co. 1550 NW 49th Street, Seattle

Maritime Pacific Brewing Company Beer + food
Ballard’s Maritime Pacific, founded in 1990, opened the adjoining Jolly Roger Taproom in 1997. Cool taproom with plenty of bar seating.  In the hoppy Pacific NW, Maritime stands out with solid maltier beers including its Flagship Red Alt and Old Seattle Lager.  Make sure to try the Jolly Roger Christmas Ale, if you visit during the winter months, or one of the 3 cask ales on tap. 1111 N.W. Ballard Way, Seattle

Capitol Hill
Elysian Brewing Company Beer + food
If you feel like tasty food and beer in a great brewpub atmosphere, look no further than Elysian. Founded in 1995, The Elysian now boasts 3 locations: the original Capitol Hill brewery, TangleTown near Green Lake, and Elysian Fields, a gigantic venue (the oval bar alone seats 50) near the stadiums. Elysian Fields is far superior to Pyramid for pre or post-game libations. Their year-round beer lineup has no clear superstar, but all are very solid. Elysian is also known for its world-class pumpkin beers and hosts the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival annually in October. 1221 E Pike St, Seattle

Downtown Seattle
Elysian Fields Beer + food
See full listing under Capitol Hill.

Pike Pub and Brewery Beer + food
The Pike Pub and Brewery, founded in 1989, is located near the namesake Pike Place Public Market.  Founder Charles Finkel has created a microbrewery museum on the walls, and the cool, multi-leveled pub is worth visiting just to see the venue.  Beers are solid, but nothing spectacular.  Malt lovers must try the Kilt Lifter or Tandem.  If you like drier, bitter beers, most of their other lineup will surely satisfy. 1415 First Avenue, Seattle

Pyramid Brewery & Alehouse Beer + food
Located right next to Safeco and the Century Link, Pyramid is the most convenient option for a pre- or post-game meal and libations.  Their flagship Hefeweizen, an American wheat ale (no banana or clove flavors here), is refreshing but nothing special.  Perhaps more exciting is their new Ignition Series lineup: Super Snow Cap and Discord Dark IPA are nice options for those looking for something more complex.  Pyramid has also started brewing again at this downtown Seattle location, which should spice up the lineup. 1201 First Avenue South, Seattle

Fremont
Fremont Brewing Beer only
It is hard to believe Fremont just began brewing in 2009.  Located in the self-proclaimed “Center of the Universe”, Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, Fremont Brewing has skyrocketed to the top of the Seattle craft beer scene.  Their Urban Beer Garden consists of a huge picnic table built on beer kegs and cool old school couches with a view of their shiny fermenters.  It’s a great community atmosphere conducive to striking up a conversation with other thirsty revelers, many of whom are drinking a pint and getting a growler to go.  But what really makes the brewery is the beer:  The Interurban IPA is one of the top examples of the style in Seattle, and the Universal Pale and Summer (Solstice) Ale are both crisp, refreshing and very tasty.  Fremont has also mastered darker brews, including the delicious Kentucky Dark Star Imperial Oatmeal Stout and Abominable Winter Ale.  And Fremont can really kick things up at beer festivals with the likes of Kentucky Dark Star Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout and Bourbon Abominable (Bbomb).  You can now find Bourbon Abominable deliciousness in a bottle each winter.   Fremont can do no wrong. 3409 Woodland Park Avenue North, Seattle

Georgetown
Georgetown Brewing Company Samples + Growlers
Georgetown, which moved to a new location in 2010, blends into its namesake industrial neighborhood with a grand entrance made of rusted steel I-beams.  While there is no food or pints here, they will gladly offer you tasters (they’re free!) to help with your growler or keg purchase.  Their sweet retail taproom, which includes a massive bar counter and a glimpse of the brewery, merits a visit. But what really makes Georgetown special is they pump out huge volumes of stellar craft beer kegs to be enjoyed at your local watering hole.  The ubiquitous Manny’s Pale Ale is on tap virtually everywhere in Seattle, but keep an eye out for the equally delicious Lucille IPA and Georgetown Porter.  Donkey Deux Belgian Dubbel and Bob’s Brown Ale are two must-try seasonals. 5200 Denver Ave S., Seattle

Greenwood / Green Lake
Baron Brewing & Pillagers Pub Food + beer
Baron, founded in 2003, specializes in German-style beers, so you might guess their taproom location would feel like a German beer hall or beer garden.  You would be wrong.  Baron’s taproom, Pillagers Pub in Greenwood, features a pirate-themed atmosphere, perhaps to match sister brewery Three Skulls Ales.  Both Baron and Three Skulls Ales are on tap at Pillagers Pub.  Look for Baron’s bacon beer on tap, which tastes like a bacon cheeseburger in a glass.  The crowd at Pillagers is usually sparse, and for good reason: Naked City is across the street. 8551 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle

Elysian TangleTown Beer + food
See full listing under Capitol Hill.

Naked City Brewery & Taphouse Beer + food
Established in 2008 in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle, Naked City began as a tap house and then added their own beers to the mix in 2009.  The end result is 24 incredible taps including Naked City beers and rotating Washington and regional craft beers.  This is a unique place that manages to attract and impress beer geeks and families alike. 8564 Greenwood Ave N., Seattle

SoDo
Epic Ales Beer + food
Founded in 2009, Epic’s Cody Morris brews the most unique beers in Seattle.  It’s possible you will either love or hate his beers, brewed with ingredients such as shitake mushrooms, peppercorns, and epazote.  A visit to the tiny tasting room in SoDo, which currently has 3 bar stools, provides an opportunity to sample 3 rotating beers and chat with the personable Morris.  The space was also recently expanding to house the Gastropod, a beer and food pairing collaboration with chef Travis Kukull.  Gastropod serves up 2 small plates on Saturdays paired with 2 Epic beers (currently on Saturdays 10-2). 3201 1st Ave S., Seattle

Emerald City Beer Company Beer only
Emerald City, located in the Old Rainier Brewery building, was founded in August 2010 by two UW alums. The Beer Lab, which features a nice long wood bar, leather couch and tables, has 6 beers on tap with a focus on American Lagers.  Flagship Dottie Seattle Lager, made from barley and hops grown right here in Washington State, is a solid, malty lager.  Whiskey Lager, Dottie aged for 2 months in Dry Fly whiskey barrels, has a cult following, and for good reason. Regular lineup also includes Betty Black Lager and Ivana Pale Lager (IPL).  The brewery takes a unique marketing approach by using a different pin-up girl on each of their beers, which are hand-drawn by an artist in Baltimore.  Definitely worth a stop on your SoDo brewery tour.  3100 Airport Way S., Seattle

Schooner EXACT Beer only
Founded in 2007, Schooner EXACT has quickly grown from nanobrewery to it’s much larger current operation in SoDo.  The family-friendly tasting room has plenty of seating at the bar, along with a nice outdoor seating area.  Their regular lineup, all very solid, is highlighted by 3-Grid IPA, an excellent choice for Hopheads seeking their citrus hop fix, and King Street Brown, bigger and bolder than your average brown ale.  I anticipate big things from these guys in the future, such as their new barrel-aged sour program.  I’ve had some sour samples straight from the barrel and they are tasting fantastic. 3901 1st Ave South, Seattle

Two Beers Brewing Co. Beer only
SoDo’s Two Beers has the philosophy that life’s a little more honest after two beers.  They have grown considerably and recently doubled the size of their production brewery and tasting room. The tasting room is especially good to hit during nice weather, when tables line the sunny loading dock.  I’m going to be honest here:  My palate finds all of their beers very average.  Cool website though.  Not a destination, but worth a stop if you’re in the area. 4700 Ohio Ave S., Seattle

South Park
Odin Brewing Company Appointment only
Odin Brewing Company’s tagline is “The Most Adventurous Brewery in America”.  They are certainly well on their way, having avoided the typical Pale Ale/IPA/Amber/Stout lineup of a Pac NW brewery.  They even released a “bacon beer”, Smoky Bacon Ale, which made some waves in 2010.  Established in 2009, Odin is a lean operation currently focused on pumping out kegs for distribution to bars and restaurants throughout Washington.  They will still fill growlers, but the tasting room is technically open by appointment only.  Their core lineup of Freya’s Gold Kolsch, Odin’s Gift, an ale brewed with juniper berries, and Odin’s Pearl, a Belgian Witbier, are all quite tasty.  I was blown away by their Thor’s Equinox, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, which was arguably best in show at the Seattle Craft Beer + Food event.  It was complex and a very impressive Belgian-style from a Washington brewery.  Looking forward to more gems from Dan Lee and the Odin team. 9130 15th Pl. S. Suite F, Seattle

University District
Big Time Brewery & Alehouse Beer + food
This University District brewpub has been crafting fine beer and serving tasty food since 1988.  Prime Time Pale Ale (2011 bronze medal winner at GABF) is their best year-round beer, but always some interesting specialty brews on tap.  Do not miss Old Sol Wheatwine in the summertime or Old Wooly Barleywine, released each winter on December 1. 4133 University Way NE, Seattle

West Seattle
Big Al Brewery Beer only
Big Al is located in White Center, in the south end of Seattle just north of Burien.  Beers can be enjoyed in the small tap room or the concrete patio out front, which regularly features bands on stage.  Or head upstairs to play darts and hang out on comfy couches.  Year-round lineup is solid, but middle of the road.  However, Big Al puts out some very interesting seasonal and one-off beers.  LÖWMAN BRÄU, which was on tap throughout West Seattle in summer 2011, was a very tasty and refreshing Kölsch.  I have also really enjoyed Hop Villain Black IPA, Sourlicious, and Ume Goma Supai (Flanders Red).  In the winter, they make a mean barleywine, Ol’ No. 1. 9832 14th Ave SW, Seattle

Elliott Bay Brewing Co. Beer + food
Elliott Bay has locations in West Seattle (since 1997) and Burien (since 2007) and opened a new location in Lake City in 2012. Great atmosphere to chill out at the bar or a dark wood booth.  Fantastic food, especially the burgers, outshines the beer, but still a solid list of taps.  Standouts include B-Town Brown, Demolition Ale and their Coffee Stout on nitro.  Family-friendly. 4720 California Ave SW, Seattle (plus 2 additional locations)

The Eastside
Black Raven Brewing Co. Beer only
The Eastside’s Black Raven, brewing since 2009, has been the rockstar of Washington breweries the last couple years.  Located 15 miles East of Seattle in Redmond, Black Raven has a slightly bizarre location in a suburban office park.  But don’t judge, all is good inside.  Thirsty Redmond office workers and regulars munch on complimentary peanuts and pretzels while relaxing at sturdy wood tables.  Black Raven brews some of the best and most interesting beers in Washington.  Highlights of their year-round lineup include Trickster IPA and Second Sight Strong Scotch Ale.  Their Wisdom Seeker Imperial IPA, occasionally on tap, is phenomenal.  Black Raven also excels at brewing up special treats for their taproom and festivals, so don’t hesitate to try any casks or seasonal taps. 14679 NE 95th ST, Redmond

Issaquah Brewhouse Beer + food
Located in historic downtown Issaquah, the Issaquah Brewhouse opened in 1994 and was acquired by Rogue Ales of Newport, OR in 2000.  The 36 taps feature Issaquah, Rogue, and Guest beers, and you will have no trouble finding something you like.  If you enjoy sweeter Belgians, make sure to try the Menage A Frog (Belgian Tripel) or White Frog (Belgian Wit). Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar and Shakespeare Stout are also extremely good. 35 W. Sunset Way, Issaquah

Mac & Jack’s Brewing Company Samples + Growlers
Redmond’s Mac & Jack’s, brewing since 1993, is purely a draft beer operation, with their retail store offering up kegs, growlers and merchandise.  Not a destination, but certainly a fine place to get your growler filled. When I first moved to Seattle years ago, I considered Mac & Jack’s African Amber a top example of Seattle craft beer.  My palate has since moved on to other things, but Mac & Jack’s remains a draft staple in restaurants and bars throughout Seattle.  I’ve had mixed results with some of their other beers. 17825 NE 65th St., Redmond

Redhook Brewery and Forecasters Pub Beer + food
Redhook, which celebrated its 33th birthday in 2014, moved to Woodinville in 1994, having outgrown previous locations in Ballard and Fremont.  Beer geeks may turn up their nose at Craft Brewers Alliance-owned Redhook, but they still offer the best deal in town: daily tours for $1; and that includes 5 tasters!  They also offer casino-night private events in the upstairs banquet rooms, which make for kickass corporate outings.   The Forecasters Pub, a large, lodge-like setting, is perfect for having a pint.  The beers may not be inspiring, but all are solid and have a wide appeal.  Best beers are their flagship ESB and Long Hammer IPA, a 44 IBU IPA on training-wheels. 14300 NE 145th Street, Woodinville

Snoqualmie Brewery & Taproom Beer + food
Heading East for skiing, hiking or wine country?  Or just looking for some good beer?  The new and improved Snoqualmie Brewery & Taproom is worth a visit.  The 2011 expansion added a mezzanine level and doubled the seating capacity.  The Steam Train Porter is best in class.  Black Frog Stout (on nitro) and Wildcat IPA also deserve your attention. 8032 Falls Ave, Snoqualmie

Kitsap Peninsula
Silver City Brewery Beer + food
Located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Silverdale, Silver City Brewery was established as a brewpub in 1996.  You can either drive around the water via Tacoma or take your car on the Bainbridge ferry and continue driving to Silverdale (which conveniently takes you through the brewery mecca of Poulsbo on your way).  Both ways take about an hour and a quarter from Seattle.  Located next to a mall, Silver City Flagship Restaurant is more of a gathering place for elderly folks and families than beer geek central.  The food is very good, so the old people may be onto something.  They do some fantastic big malty beers such as Copper Mountain Bock, Ridgetop Red and the must-have Fat Scotch Ale.  Silver City really brings their A-game to festivals with gems such as Fat Woody Bourbon Oak Aged Scotch Ale, Whoop Pass Double IPA, Le Fat and Punk Rauchen.  You can now taste beers and avoid the old people by heading to the newly-opened taproom in Bremerton. 2799 NW Myhre Road, Silverdale

Sound Brewery Beer only
Take your car on the 30-minute ferry to Bainbridge and continue another 20 minutes by car to Sound Brewery, one of 4 breweries that have sprung up in Poulsbo during 2011.  The taproom area includes 3 round cherry-wood tables and some additional seating at a long bar on the side.  When I visited on a Tuesday, the tasting room was a bit of a sideshow for the workers, who were busy with their brewing duties, but the service was fine.  I love what Sound is doing because they are making completely different beers than most other Washington breweries.  Sound sets itself apart by making some big, 9-10% Belgian-inspired beers.  Be on the lookout for stellar Sound brews on tap such as Monk’s Indiscretion, Dubbel Entendre and Humulo Nimbus.  I’m fully expecting these guys to skyrocket to the top of the local beer scene very soon, if they’re not already there. 650 NW Bovela Ln, Suite #3, Poulsbo

North Seattle
American Brewing Co. Beer only
American, located 17 miles north of Seattle in Edmonds, just opened in 2011.  I wasn’t sure what I was getting into walking into their unassuming entrance in the rear of the building, but the inside was a pleasant surprise with a nice big L-shaped bar with sports on 2 large flat screens.  There is no kitchen, but snacks are available for purchase or you can order in a Garlic Jim’s pizza.  Breakaway IPA, Caboose Oatmeal Stout and Ed’s Red are all very solid beers. With longtime brewer Skip Madsen at the helm, I’m looking forward to trying more beer from these guys. 180 West Dayton Street, Edmonds

Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro Beer + food
Located 90-miles north of Seattle in Bellingham, Boundary Bay is well outside the Seattle metro, but is worth a visit.  Boundary Bay, in business since 1995, operates a 17 barrel brewery in a restored historic 1922 warehouse in downtown Bellingham, across from the Saturday Farmers Market.  Multiple rooms are filled with mismatched wood tables and chairs and there is often some live music being playing.  Great service and extremely good food.  Their IPA and Imperial IPA are top-notch, but you also can’t miss with their Scotch Ale, Old Bounder Barley Wine or Dry Stout. 1107 Railroad Avenue, Bellingham

Diamond Knot Brewery & Alehouse Beer + food
Diamond Knot’s Flagship location, located near the waterfront in Mukilteo, has a bit of a scary external appearance, but don’t be afraid.  The nautical-themed interior has high ceilings, plenty of character and is filled with over a dozen red barstools, several tables and peanut shells on the floor.  Sure, there are several beer styles on tap, but you must go for the IPA and the kicked-up Industrial IPA, their specialties. 621A Front Street, Mukilteo (plus 3 additional locations I know of)

Foggy Noggin Brewing Beer only (+ an occasional food truck)
Jim Jamison has been serving up Foggy Noggin beers out of his garage in Bothell since 2010, and now has a loyal following of Fog Noggers who love their Fn beer.  The nanobrewery is in a residential neighborhood, but it’s a spacious lot and there are plenty of tables and chairs in the driveway to relax.  Foggy Noggin’s cool because, in addition to being an incredibly small operation, they are doing something different than every other brewery in the Pac NW.  Fn specializes in English style ales that are produced on a very small ½ barrel system.  Their flagship beer, Bit O’Beaver, at 3.4% ABV is the ultimate session beer.  You may recall Bit O’Beaver making an impressive run to the WA Beer March Madness Final Four in 2012.  You’ll always find Bit O’Beaver on tap here, along with Christmas Duck, a nice porter, and rotating seasonals such as Diablo del Sol and Kastrated Dawg.  Be on the lookout for the delicious Anniversary English Old Ale, released annually in March. 22329 53rd Ave SE, Bothell

Scuttlebutt Brewing Company Beer + food
Scuttlebutt’s new location, opened near the Everett marina in April 2011, is bright and modern with plenty of booths and a large outdoor seating area.  Not sure why, but taster tray was pulled off menu, although bartenders will give you a free 2oz taster.  If you like sweeter beers, you will be pleased with their nice Tripel 7, Belgian Winter and Porter. 1205 Craftsman Way, Everett

South
Airways Brewing Company Food + beer
The next time your wife sends you to IKEA, make a 5 minute detour South to Airways Brewing.  Airways was founded in Kent in 2010 and recently added a second location, Airways Brewing Beer & Bistro in downtown Kent.  Their standard lineup includes T-Tail Blonde Ale, Jet City ESB, First Class IPA, Starliner Stout, and Sky Hag Imperial IPA.  Of the 3 I’ve tried, the ESB and First Class are very good and the Sky Hag is phenomenal, perhaps one of the better Imperial IPAs in the state.  The newer Beer & Bistro also boasts 8-10 interesting guest taps from other Washington breweries.  I would consider their standard lineup a bit too standard for a new brewery, but looking forward to trying some special beers from these guys in the future. 6644 S 196th St., Kent

Fish Brewing Company Beer + food
Located 60 miles south of Seattle in Olympia, Fish is a lively brewpub filled with plenty of locals.  The “Fishbowl” is a bit dated, but comfortable.  Standard lineup can be a bit light on flavor, but seasonals such as Mudshark Porter, Starfish Imperial Red, Winterfish and 10 Squared Barleywine are pretty good.  Overall, an average brewpub. 515 Jefferson Street SE, Olympia

Harmon Brewing Co. Beer + food
Located next to the University of Washington Tacoma campus, Harmon’s wait staff and clientele are on the younger side.  Due to the university location, parking is hit and miss.  The low-lit brewpub is filled with exposed brick, numerous wood tables and a long 15-seat bar.  Great atmosphere and a nice place to have  a beer.  The Puget Sound Porter is roasty, chocolatey and very good.  The Brown’s Point ESB and Point Defiance IPA are also quite solid. 1938 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma

Trade Route Brewing Company
I first became acquainted with Trade Route at the Washington Brewers Festival in 2008 when they were known as Laughing Buddha Brewery.  They changed their name in response to a trademark dispute and also moved the brewery from Seattle to Pacific, WA in 2009.  The taproom is located off of 167 south of Auburn in an industrial area filled with parked semi trucks.  It’s pretty nice inside, with a large L-shaped bar and a few flat screen TV’s filled with sports.  Their original beers were Asian-inspired, but they seem to be all over the board now, with a lineup that includes an IPA and a rauchbier.  The Ginger Pale Ale, one of their original flagship beers, is their best and goes perfectly with spicy pad thai.  Their Mango Weizen is a perfect in summer if you like fruit beers.  The rest of their lineup is pretty average, including Hoppy Bitch IPA, which doesn’t quite live up to the great name. 1091 Valentine Ave, Pacific

Vote no on the $930 Million dollar Levy in November

Seattle Levy Vote No

LIONS (transportation levy) TIGERS (Tunnel flooperoo), & BEARS (Seawall) – OH MY
Your tax dollars are heading right for the RABBIT HOLE(Taxpayer sinkhole)

The very reason to vote NO for the transportation levy is the city/county/state etc have no idea what they are going to spend it on. That is just to large an amount to ask for with all the problems they are having with the money they have been given to build a tunnel and a seawall. When they passed the car tab fee raise they admitted afterwards they didn’t know whether to buy new buses or shorten time between trips etc. In other words we gave a huge chunk to “kids to go to toys R us” and decide what THEY WANT to spend it on. Not fair to taxpayers to pay for ten years on a $930 million dollar levy and we won’t even know as they spend it where its going. They are still doling out favors from the Bridging the Gap we have been paying on for years. Right in my neighborhood they just handed out $1.3 million to start a festival street in Georgetown. So they have had plenty of money and don’t know what to do with it. Make them split the $930 million up into different levy’s. How much for streets, how much for bridges, etc. Their record of the Tunnel and Seawall should be enough to make you know they can’t handle taxpayers money wisely if they are not held accountable for anything. The City Council and the Mayor have lied to us and to each other and that should weigh in too.

A completely unrelated story brought up my reason to write this article. The headline said, “School districts attorney to retire”. He wants to spend more time with his family. In the fine print it tells how he has been on administrative leave since February because of undisclosed reasons and was on leave when he gave notice he was retiring. His name is Ron English. It said investigation is closed. I.e. he has been on paid leave but when time to face the music he retired. He will have a clean record and can just more on to another job, and all is forgotten. Same thing with Lois Lerner at the IRS. When you are caught red handed just retire. The reason this jogged my memory is about the ex Governor Gregoire when she was pushing the Hi Way 99 Tunnel. The public didn’t want it. they wanted a surface street, but the governor raved and ranted about how she had studied the contract and the taxpayers never have to pay for any cost over runs, or any problems along the way. She stressed over and over that is was an iron clad deal. Almost like cross my heart and hope to die promise lol but she knew it was a lie but she would be long gone and not accountable or have to do any explaining at all.

Now on to the tunnel. It was forced on the taxpayers. As of June the state has paid $1.04 billion (with a B) of its $1.35 billion tunnel contract which included the price of the machine. Berth’s price new was $80 million. For all of that money what do we have? Bertha sitting in her grave a/k/a knows as the tunnel. This broken down machine has traveled 1,083 feet of its 9,270 foot path. Insurer’s are now saying Bertha’s design was inadequate from the start. They are refusing to pay $143 million to repair an $80 million dollar machine. Its like spending $20,000 to fix a $10,000 new car. We would go for the lemon law and get rid of the lemon for sure.

Oh well, not to worry. If Voters are stupid enough to pass the $930 million levy in Nov. the Mayor can just piddle it away trying to get the work at the tunnel going again. Lawmakers approved $2 Billion tunnel project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct that they said would fall down almost immediately but that was several years ago and the tunnel has made it even worse and the also forgot to give much thought to buses. Now they realize with the money almost gone the tunnel design will actually hinder buses. When they try to exit to downtown Seattle they will have to weave across two lanes of general traffic. The Mayor will have some experts look at it(we pay them high fees). The viaduct is sinking, streets are sinking, water pipes are bursting. Those are just the things we have found about accidentally with some good reporters work. The stuff we are not hearing about is far worse I am sure. This is the only chance to get Bertha out of the tunnel(if that is even possible now), because if she gets moving she will be under historic buildings and no place to build another repair pit if she breaks down again. This has been a total sinkhole for tax dollars. No one person is accountable. They will start to sue each other and it will cost millions in legal fees, fines and penalties. Don’t be fooled as to who pays for all of that, WE THE TAXPAYERS. No lawmaker, worker or expert will have to pay a dime. If they do find someone they can sort of blame he/she will retire to spend more time with their family and get a pension or bonus for the hard work they have given.

Now to the Seawall. Seattle Times headlines were, “Mayor said the $71 million in cost overruns can be covered with unallocated source of funds”. Where were those funds sitting when he asked for the amount for the seawall?. He asked the taxpayers for $71 million more than he needed. We have been paying higher property tax for him to stuff under his mattress or put in his piggy bank. NOW IS THE TIME FOR TAXPAYERS TO ASK HOW MANY MORE MILLIONS ARE SITTING IN UNALLOCATED FUNDS before we pass any more levy’s. Of course Murrey calls this unfortunate and is going to hire experts to look into what his other experts must have missed. Are you getting the pattern here? Clowns running the circus, monkeys running the zoo?

Voters approved a $290 million bond measure. As of today the cost is $410 million. They have not even started on half of the seawalls length. Mayor Murray knew of this back in June but did not bother to tell the City Council or public.

Do not pass the levy no matter how much you are for transportation or tunnels or seawalls until someone (God only knows who) gives us a clue as to where our levy money is going. That is way too much to let clowns like we have just blow it away on cost overruns, a tunnel that will probably never be finished, a sea wall that may never be finished. Make them break it down where the money they want is going to be spent. make it in millions not billions. There is no way they have a real plan for that much money.
LLL

Lilly Marek: Great Depression and the Barter System

President Franklin D Roosevelt great depression

Once upon time a long time ago a little girl was born in the little town of Victor Montana. Population 250 (some people said the census bureau that came through must have included the dogs too, lol).  This is not meant to be my life’s story, but since I was born in 1923 right before what they called the “great depression” and grew up during the depression I thought you might enjoy how people got by with absolutely no money, no refrigeration and still managed to live.  Remember this is through the eyes of a little girl. It looked entirely different to my parents who had to wonder how they were going to feed 12 kids (I had 11 brothers and sisters).  it is not meant to be the story of my life at all, just how I saw it. My first memory is wanting to go to school. I was all alone with my parents since I was the baby. I started school in 1928 and before I was 5 years old. Here goes. We were the Marek family.

We had a huge ranch. We were self supporting in raising all the food for the humans and for the animals. Had large hay fields,  put up hay for all the animals. Field of oats, field of wheat. My father took a wagon load of oats to a mill to be made into oatmeal for us to eat. He had a huge grainery to put oats in bins to be fed to the animals. He took several loads of grain to the mill to be made into flour and stored the rest for chicken feet etc. We had a huge orchard and a huge garden. The cash crop was from the dairy cattle. All of us had to milk cows. We had what was called a separator. You poured the milk into this huge container on top, turned a crank (by hand of course) and it separated the cream from the skim milk. Mama kept back what cream or whole milk we needed for the day for making cottage cheese or cream for butter etc. The cream can was set in a little ditch that ran through the yard right from the mountains. It was ice cold. The Creamery man came daily to pick up the cream. I have no idea what or how he paid but that was the only money coming in except for steers my father sold in the fall. My mother canned everything from the garden and we had what was called a cellar. You filled it with apples, carrots, squash and other things to last all winter. We also had what was called the ice house. In the winter you sawed large squares of ice from a shallow pond and filled this building with ice. When we butchered or shot a deer etc it was hung in the ice house. Of course it was not cold enough to keep meat more than a few days so this is how that was handled. I didn’t know why so may neighbors came to our house on butchering days. One would take a side, one a hind quarter for example. No money exchanged hands but when that neighbor butchered my dad would get a hind quarter from the guy that got one from him etc. They all staggered the butchering so we had fresh meat almost all the time. Of course we had chicken for fresh meat and lots of trout all year round. Everyone helped everyone.  The person who got meat and had no animals to butcher traded so many days work to my father. When it was haying time lots of neighbors came to work for us. No money changed hands so that took care of the fresh meat for him as well as help for us.   A man came through with a thrashing machine to separate the oats and grain from the fodder. Not sure how he got paid but the neighbors who got meat and other farm produce from us came to help too.  I think some of them got some grain for their chickens or ducks, not sure about that. It was the only way any of us could have survived. My Dad needed help, and they needed food.  We could not use up a whole steer or pig before it spoiled. I didn’t think of us as being that poor, even though we had no running water, no electricity, and no car. Actually, looking back as a grown up and understanding how people actually starved to death I was a very lucky child. I had good food, a warm place to sleep, and a goodnight kiss from both parents. I am thankful I was born then. The only car I saw was the mailman on the road once a day. If someone died or some other news he left a note in our box. We had no newspaper, no TV or radio. And we had a big school bus that picked us up and brought us home.

Other people in “town” traded their talents for what they needed. I will just include one family. Other families had different talents and service they bartered to survive. I will talk about the Olson family Johanna and Ole.  He was a chimney builder. I don’t know how they managed to live in Victor. We had tin stove pipes going out through a hole in our roof, and he built us a chimney of bricks. It sure cut down on the fire danger and we could have a hotter fire. He got credit somehow for meat, veggies and eggs. I remember my mother telling Mrs. Olson she still had a months worth of eggs coming. Not sure how many eggs that was but the Olson’s had 12 children also. As a personal note here, two of the Olson boys married two of the Marek girls.

Back then we had a lot of hungry men come through who were really REALLY hungry and tired. Now they would be called homeless, back then they were called hobo’s. They wanted a meal and a place in the barn to sleep to rest up so they could travel on looking for work. They offered to split wood, or do anything. My mother never refused them. She made them a big plate of food and always packed them a lunch when they were rested enough to move on. We never made them do anything. Mother would say a prayer for them and always said “but for the grace of God” this could be my son.

Things begin to slowly change. At school they gave us a cup of hot chocolate in the afternoon and sometimes a little box of cream of wheat we could take home. Dad complained and said where are they getting the money to pay for that? He had trouble getting enough cash to buy us kids all a tablet and pencils.

There were fewer hobo’s coming through.

We little kids could work for neighbors so we could earn a few pennies. Labor then was 50 cents or a dollar a day but mostly piece work. We got to keep the money we earned and could either save it or if we spent it but it had to be on clothes. One of the Olson boys that married my sister started what they call a truck garden. Rows and rows of onions, radishes for example. I got a job weeding rows of veggies, then when they were big enough to harvest we did what they called (bunching them) you pulled ten radishes and put a rubber band around them. We did the same with onions. He had a pick up truck then and took them to stores. That was his cash crop. Another man had a huge strawberry patch and us little kids picked his berries for so much a box. Our goal was to pick enough to earn 50 cents a day. He had cash to buy other stuff he needed.

It worked great. We kids had jobs and they made a living. One year my brother in law didn’t plow his field. He said someone from the government offered him more money not to plant that he could earn from planting. Made no sense to hard workers but it was called the Conservation Resource Program. He didn’t have to work but all the little neighbor kids lost their jobs. Didn’t seem very good to me. Not many hobo’s came anymore. On the school bus we could see men standing all along the road leaning on a shovel, doing absolutely nothing. We learned this was due to the Workers Progress Administration or WPA. This was in 1932 and 1933. It was the start of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s, New Deal. To me and lots of others it seemed like a bad deal. We talked to the men leaning on their shovels when we would wait for the school bus. They got boxes of what was called “commodities”. These boxes had coffee (we could hardly afford to buy it) big cans of beef similar to these nice cans we buy at Costco now. Little cans of deviled ham, and cans that were like spam but not called spam. In fact most cans had no labels. We would trade the men with the commodities of our fresh stuff and fresh meat for their little canned stuff which was like a candy treat to us little kids who had never had any “store bought stuff”. By 1932 most banks were closing and people lost all their savings.

The Olsons and the Mareks all could play an instrument of some kind so together they built a dance hall, called Pine Ridge.  I even got to play the piano in the band part of the time. People paid $1.00 a couple to dance on Saturday night. The band got paid whatever was taken in at the door and one night I earned $5.00. Then the truck gardener Olson started to build wooden toys because hints of war was starting and there was no metal for toys. I then got a job painting toys for him. One of the other Olson boys that married a sister of mine had the thrashing machine. So if you are ambitions and not lazy you found a way to make it.

Just when you think things can’t get any worse, they do. My Mother died. I was 13. Dad was almost blind and us girls got jobs with neighbors cooking and cleaning their houses etc and staying with our married sisters or brothers occasionally. I did manage to finish high school (only one in my family to do that). By 1940 5 million farmers were on subsidies.

Franklin D Roosevelt won the election from Hoover in 1932 and was trying to get his New Deal going. By the next election in 1936 he won his second term by the biggest landslide of any president and his New Deal was off and running. It was the start of the government intrusion into how we run our lives. This story is not about politics. You decide if it was better or worse.

Just two other things need mentioning here. Health Care, and Criminal Justice.

1.  We had no healthcare,  My mother had no pre natal care. No babies were delivered by a doctor or nurse, No babies had a doctor exam or shots of any kind. (yep we all got the mumps, measles, and whooping cough and survived. My mother had 12 babies, everyone lived, not a one had attention deficit or any health problems of any kind. No one died young, and that sure is a better record that what we have today with all the doctor visits and shots.  You form your own opinion. We had no dental care either. According to rules and regulations today I.e. don’t drink coffee (my first solid food was homemade bread soaked in coffee). Raw milk, fried food at every meal. Now eggs are supposed to be so unhealthy (I ate several a day). Everything was fried in lard. Why did all 12 kids grow up so healthy. 12 out of 12 is mighty good score. I will be 92 in three months. I live alone, take  care of my self, have none of the old age afflictions except hearing and eyesight which comes with old age no matter what you do or eat. Still eating my eggs, fried food, drinking coffee all day. Still have my long and short term memory (I think). I should be dead or sick according to the best medical advice. Took boiled eggs in a little lard bucket (lunch bucket) to school to sit in the hot class room, but no one died from that. WHY?

2.  The only crime we had was cattle rustlers occasionally. You shot to kill anyone you saw trying to round up your cattle. If a new man moved on to a ranch that had been abandoned and all of a sudden had a herd of cattle, the ranchers paid him a homcoming visit to see if his heard had THEIR BAND on them. They knew they hadn’t sold him any. Our Marek brand was Lazy Heart, Half Circle, J.  If you saw your cattle there, you had a right to shoot him. There was no sheriff to come and arrest him or you. It was completely obvious what happened. He did not get a free lawyer and a long trial and appeal. It was overwith. The best part of that system was NO REPEAT OFFENDERS.

I will end this by saying I hope you have found it interesting and you make your own opinions about life then and now. If all of a sudden our power grid is sabotaged and you have no water or food, I hope you can work together to help one another. I can’t even picture it and glad I won’t be around. The mind set these days seems to be try not to have to work at all (you are rewarded with a welfare check, free healthcare, and a house) and without government to provide you with those things – I hope you have a plan B. But if you are smart if you loot a grcery store instead of taking three big TV’s (you won’t have power to use them) you take canned goods to tide you over. My guess is someone will burn the store down and ruin even the good food. Hope I am wrong. Good luck out there. REMEMBER, the government has nothing to give you. It has to take it from a wage earner to give people a welfare check, affordable health care, and a affordable house. The word “affordable” should be determined by the person getting it. If you don’t want to work YOU CANT AFFORD ANYTHING.  People filling that welfare cart are getting fed up and if the cart tips over empty, do you have a plan? Your parents are the only one who were ever responsible for your housing and health until you were grown and it’s up to you now to figure it out. It worked for the Olsons and Mareks.

Sharia Faith and Laws

Seattle's Mayor Ed Murray

I have tried to steer away from writing about religion or homosexuality in my previous writing’s. I believe each person has a right to believe how they want. But all of a sudden I am forced to mix the two because of our openly gay Mayor Ed Murray really slid off the tracks coming with the idea that Muslims can use Sharia law in Seattle while the rest of us must follow the rules and regulations America has in place. I will get the subject of gays right off the table to start. This has nothing to do with MY view on gays or gay marriage in this article, but how can an openly gay Mayor even feel safe talking to these so called peaceful Muslims who are taught to hate him. They are taught that they should kill anyone who does not accept Islam. Islam says homosexuals must be executed. They throw gays off buildings. These guys he is pandering too would not hesitate to blow themselves and him up if they decide they can’t control him.

NOW: The point of this article is about the Mayor even considering letting the Muslims use any part of Sharia for contracts or anything else. Let them go worship how they want, who they want, spread out their rug and pray, no problem. To think the mayor would even listen to a Muslim tell him he is against paying interest. My story really spreads now. I think everyone hates to pay interest, and look at the foreclosures because people paid interest for years and never got the principle down at all and lost their homes when the prices fell. They could not even sell them. Now, the Muslims say they want to buy homes but don’t want to pay any interest. It’s against their belief. Well I say go home where your Sharia law is in place. We are under American law here. Even Muslims with high paying jobs want interest free homes. Well why don’t you get all of Seattle together and say, “lets have a showing of hands of how many would like to buy a house, interest free”. Geez shoulders would be jerked out of place hands would go up. This is beyond crazy. You cannot give a special break to a Muslim because it’s against his or her faith. I can completely understand how he/she doesn’t believe in paying interest. Then the thing to do is rent until you save enough to pay cash.

I want to add in a personal note here. My Fathers parents were from Bohemia. My Father and Mother were both born in America but my Dad really drummed in into all of us kids. Never, never buy something that you can’t pay cash for. That was over 90 years ago. The only credit card I have ever had was an Arco gas card. My husband and I saved and saved while we were renting and bought a little fixer upper FOR CASH. Paid $2500 for it. We owned that little house at 306 Lucille street. We fixed it up really nice after work and traded up and got this old fixer up (I wont put my address here) in Georgetown with a little cash added. I am still living here, I have never paid interest or a house payment in my lifetime. So if I can do it the Muslims can do it. I have never gone into a furniture store and bought a thing on credit. I had to charge something at Sears one time in order to have them deliver it or something, but paid it right off.

My Father always said if someone holds a mortgage or note you can lose what you have anytime. I never forgot it. Of course we never had anything that others might call nice and I got most everything I have at “junk stores” and half price sales. Let the Muslims do what I did. I am living proof you can own a house and not pay interest. BUT YOU SHOULD NOT DO WHAT THE MAYOR IS CONSIDERING. I hope there is such an outcry of working whites with high mortgages the Mayor will get the message. He can’t even think it’s fair, or legal but wants to pander to the Muslims and maybe get a few extra votes. Does Sharia law let them vote. If they are going by their Muslim religion about interest I do not believe it allows woman to vote. So mayor Murray look into that. You can’t pick and choose what part of the law you will let them use and my advice would be not to go on any roof parties with your partner and a bunch of Muslims and make them mad, because according to their religion they can just toss you over, no problem. Do you agree that part of their faith is good, or just give them an interest free mortgage.

Back to 90 years ago. My Father homesteaded. Started with a log cabin and did a lot of add-on’s. No mortgage payments. He made most of our furniture and our mattresses were filled with fresh clean straw every fall after the grain was thrashed and taken to town to be made into flour. There was 12 of us little kids and we little girls got to pick out the flower sack they would put the flour in and Mama would make our dresses with that. ( I will write an article next week on how we managed during the depression) Electricity finally came through but Dad could not afford to hook up and was afraid to sign up for anything. So all my years at home were without running water inside, no electricity, no phone and we cooked and heated with wood, from our own forest. Now Dad religiously preached to us about hard work, never go in debt, and I have followed it to this day. Worked from the time I was 13 until I was 70. But I see now he was against paying Utility Bills. I didn’t catch on that it was like a religion with him and I went astray. I have been paying for lights, water, gas, and garbage pick up for 70 years at this same address. The price goes up every year. Since I know now it is against MY religion I want to start a little church with its own laws. I am going to call it the Bohemian Fairness Church. One thing it’s against is having to pay any utilities. The City owes us water to drink, lights to light our home and I would be willing to heat with wood but they keep having burn bans so had to put in natural gas. I want to form a group who are also against paying Utilities. If Muslims can write their law we Americans can sure as heck make our law that it’s against “our religion to pay utilities”. We wont cause the Mayor any harm. He can be gay and I want him to know that his other really really stupid rule of transgender toilets was in place in my days. Yes Mr/Mrs/Ms whatever Mayor we had a transgender bathroom. It was a free standing wood building. It was made of wood and had a cute crescent moon over the door. There was so many of us (6 girls and 6 boys) no way could we go one at a time so it had 4 nice holes cut in a bench over a pit. 4 of us girls could potty at the same time. Then the boys. NEVER did we go in the same time. But it still was for both boys and girls. Mayor should be proud of me for that.

I hope there is a huge out cry against the Mayor pandering to the Muslims. They either follow every one of our laws, rules and regulations like the rest of us do or they get deported. We don’t follow their religion and I don’t even want to hear about it. I hope this article gets some attention and they contact the Mayor as to what they think of the Sharia law that they can buy a house here and not pay any interest. We don’t (or shouldn’t) change our way of life. Just like I will always put out a Nativity set. If it bothers them I say is look the other way or go the hell home. You came here, we didn’t drag you here. You are free to leave, the sooner the better.

Lilly Marek

Seattle Council Letter About Big Bertha

Seattle Council should use El Chapo's team to dig tunnel

Dear City of Seattle Councilmembers,

Looks like Big Bertha news hit the paper again. This morning they admitted that the water main replacement is tied to damage from the tunnel project. Awhile back they were saying it had nothing to do with it but it brought to mind how that project is looked to people outside of Seattle. I am cutting and pasting a suggestion that was Emailed to me because I don’t want to change the wording one bit. I could not improve on it and want you to read it.

“Big Bertha has turned out to less than dependable and not big enough for the job. City should contact the tunnel diggers that broke the Mexican drug dealer out of jail. Let them know that Seattle is a sanctuary city and they will be able to do what ever they want on their free time and take advantage of lots of free programs. They used an old beat up motorcycle to transport miles of dirt and the city could offer them a brand new motorcycle to use that would be pennies on the dollar compared to Big Bertha. Once they complete the tunnel they could keep the motorcycle free and clear and sell Marijuana full time without having to worry about breaking the law as it is legal here. The additional rapes, assaults and murders they would commit would hardly be noticeable in Seattle. The crimes might even be beneficial in the long run as they could be used as proof we need more tax increases to combat the crime we are inviting.—– Original Message —– ”

The Mexican tunnel crew is getting to sound better all the time because the Big Bertha project does not want to give up and will keep going until all the taxpayer funds have ran out and we still wont have a tunnel.

A couple Emails later from this same out of town person added a few more tweaks to the above. He said the Mexicans could guarantee accuracy to come up right under any toilet along the way. They can guarantee that there will be no interruptions or interference with traffic and only the few bribed officials will even know its going on until they come out of the end of the tunnel. They will need section 8 rental houses along the way to expedite dirt removal and digging. and after work pot parties. The city will be happy to hear that because they want to punish property owners in Seattle because we bitch a about wanting to control our own property. We want to screen our tenants, rent to who we feel is desirable. We don’t want rent control. I’m sure you and out Mayor would love to see landlords punished somehow. there was a picture of a lot of showing of hands who want rent control. My suggestion is “why not take a showing of hands of how many who would like to live in their houses without paying any rent at all: You would get even more raised hands. cant cure stupid.

This is how stupid we look to people outside our city who have no dog in the fight at all.

LL

SWUN Math – Company Overview

Student Struggling With Math

SWUN Math is a award winning education program focused on increasing mathematically student learning. Located in California and founded in 2011 by Si Swun. Their goal is to enhance the learning of all students. They work directly with schools and districts to make sure this mission is achieved. They provide training, guides, assessments, and regular meetings for their partners. They provide K-8 Common Core curriculum.

Mr. Si Swun struggled with math himself growing up. While learning the English language and being immigrant, he faced a lot challenges. Later he returned to the classroom and over came the challenges he faced growing up. He wanted to develop a math curriculum so others wouldn’t have to face all the challenges he did. In the late 1990s, Si Swun became a teacher and the rest is history. Si created a program to faced the many challenges he had to overcome (accents, language, ethnicity, to name a few). The program have been widely accepted in the state of California. Mr. Swun has been featured on the Colleague Alumni Magazine at Pepperdine.

Swun Math is very active and are “in this for the long haul”. Their passion is real and comes from a man who clearly understands the difficulties students are facing in the World today.

Quick Overview:
Company Name: SWUN Math LLC
Founder: Si Swun
Employees: 11-55
Headquarters: Cypress, California
Address: 10073 Valley View St #116, Cypress, CA 90630
Phone:  (714) 600-1130
Hours of Operation: 8AM-5PM (closed Saturday & Sunday)

Districts Using Their Curriculum:

Learning Materials / Resources:
Swun Math YouTube.com
App via iTunes
Books via Amazon.com

Popular News about SWUN Math:
Helping Students With Math – SWUN Math | Emerald City Journal
In the classroom: Students adjust to less-rigid lessons
Core Strength – Colleague Alumni Magazine

Popular Videos:

The Hiking Trail to Fragrance Lake

Hiking Fragrance Lake from Seattle, WA

My cousin Damon is the go-to guy when it comes to finding good trails. Most of the time we plan two to three-day backpacking trips, but when doesn’t allow I can always call on him for a day hike that is worth my while. Fragrance Lake is no exception. Located in Larrabee State Park near Bellingham, Washington, this 5.5 mile loop provides excellent views of Samish Bay in a fresh, woodsy setting.

If you are not familiar with the Bellingham area the best way to find the trail is by going straight to the main entrance of Larabee park. The trailhead is directly across the street on Chuckanut Drive. A Discover Pass is required to park at any of the spaces in the park, so plan accordingly.

We began our journey around noon. Knowing this was not going to take all day, we figured there was no reason to hurry out. That’s the great thing about day hikes, you may not be able to truly escape civilization as you would on a backpacking trip, but at least you don’t have to do as much planning.

The trail to Fragrance Lake has an elevation gain of 950 feet, so be prepared for a bit of a climb. The good news is the climb is somewhat gradual, so you’ll be winded, but experienced hikers won’t find it terribly grueling.

It didn’t take long to discover that this trail was dog friendly. This is not uncommon in Bellingham as the city pays particular attention to its parks. From bike trails to campsites, Bellingham is full of options.

When we reached the main viewpoint, we were pleasantly surprised to see the San Juan Islands. Depending on one’s preferences this may in fact be the highlight of the hike. The viewpoint has enough space that hikers often pack a lunch just to eat and enjoy the view.

For those who seek solitude, the lake itself isn’t too far from the viewpoint. When you arrive you will note the lake is very quiet considering its relative distance from the city. In fact, one would never even guess that a city is nearby. The water is very calm, with plenty of space to explore around it. We saw several people throwing sticks in the lake for their dogs to retrieve them. If you want to get away from other hikers, the lake is large enough that there is bound to be a private spot somewhere along the shoreline.

Much to our surprise, it just happened that the one day we chose to hike up to Fragrance Lake was the exact day of Bellingham’s Ski to Sea Race. This relay race requires teams of skiers, mountain bikers, runners, and kayakers to race from Mt. Baker all the way into the Bay. From our vantage point we could actually see some of the Kayakers rowing into the finish line. It was quite a day!

Author: Nic Poe

Enchanted Valley: The Best Trail in the Pacific Northwest

Hiking Enchanted Valley Pacific Northwest

“Are there bears?” I asked my cousin Damon.

“I’ve been there two times and I’ve never seen a bear.” he replied, laughing. I had been on several hikes with Damon before, but never overnight. This would be my first overnight backpacking trip and we were heading on a three-day excursion into Enchanted Valley, an unbelievably picturesque destination in the Olympic National Park.

Enchanted Valley is home to the Enchanted Valley Chalet, a magnificent log cabin built in 1930 that rests along the edge of the Quinault River. The trail to Enchanted Valley is 26 miles with an elevation gain of 1700 feet, so it’s not impossible to complete in a shorter trip, but we really wanted to take our time and enjoy ourselves, so we made a weekend out of it.

The drive along Highway 101 is beautiful. From the town of Hoquiam, Washington, it’s takes about an hour and a half to get to the trailhead. You’ll want to turn east onto South Shore Road and go about 13.5 miles, then go right at the junction at Quinault River Bridge. After the junction, you will continue down a lonely stretch of road for about six miles until you reach the trailhead. This last portion of the trip may seem like the wrong way, just because there really aren’t any signs or mileposts, but as long as you go right at the junction you will know you are heading on the right path. If you hike pretty often you probably already know this, but remember your cellphone will likely not work at this point, or at any point within the National Park.

Hiking Enchanted Valley Seattle

Being that it was my first overnight backpacking experience, I was a little nervous as to whether or not I had packed enough food. Luckily Damon was a pretty experienced hiker, so he provided me with a list of what I should bring. All together, I packed about six Mountain House meals for both breakfast and dinner, along with several granola and energy bars for snacks along the way. Peanut Butter tubes are great for a cheap on-the-go alternative as well. Of course, the most important thing to pack on a long hike is water, and in our case that meant packing our Camelbaks and water filtration systems. For this trip, we brought along our Platypus water filter system. This trail runs along the river, so filtering water is not too much of a hassle.

One of the first things I noticed as we made our way from the trailhead was the incredible height and width of the old growth trees. Perhaps even more incredible than the trees was the behavior of the animals. Mice, chipmunks, and even deer weren’t even the least bit afraid of people. On the first night of our hike a deer came within about seven feet from me and didn’t even jump when I got up. I was able to snap a close photo of it. It’s amazing to consider how much human behavior dictates the behavior of animals.

By day two I was already starting to get used to being in the forest. In fact, I was really enjoying it. We rarely came across other people, and when we did, they were usually extremely friendly. The calm of the forest was such a welcome change from the constant buzz of traffic and activity in the city. On the trail, the only sound I could hear was the sound of the Quinault River. I was getting used to seeing deer and other small animals along the trail, but as we neared the seventh mile of our thirteen mile pathway we came upon a small herd of elk. As if the herd of elk wasn’t enough, rounding a corner I encountered a sight that is as fresh in my mind as if it had happened yesterday. There, in the trail, a mere twenty yards ahead of me, a large black bear glanced my way as it meandered down toward the river, stopping me in my tracks.

“Bear.” I whispered to my hiking mates. Just as soon as it glanced our way it simply continued on its path. The bear undoubtedly knew we were there, but it had no interest in us whatsoever. This feeling was not mutual. Damon had seen bears before, so the first thought he had was to break out the camera and snap a picture. On the other hand, my heart was racing, and I simply wanted to get as far away from it as possible. Fortunately Damon was able to snap this one photo, but we never saw it again. That night I barely slept. Although I knew there was absolutely no rational reason to fear the bear, my fight or flight instincts had kicked in and my adrenaline was still pumping well into the night. I couldn’t believe the awesome size and strength of this creature. As black bears go, it was probably only average size, roughly 300-400 pounds, but even an average bear makes for a large animal. I’d seen one from my car before, but seeing one up close when there is no barrier between yourself and the bear can be quite an experience.

Bear At Enchanted Valley National Park

We planned our trip so that the first day we only had to travel about 6.5 miles, then days two would take us an additional 6.5, so that the final day we would travel back the entire 13 miles. It’s not that it’s impossible to travel the 13 miles in one day, in fact one of the young park rangers did so regularly. We just wanted to take our time and enjoy the experience and we certainly did. By the end of day two we had reached Enchanted Valley, and I must say the Enchanted Valley Chalet was quite a sight. As you will see in the photo, it’s hard to imagine a better place to have a cabin. It’s used by the Park Rangers, so you aren’t really able to go inside, but if a Ranger is nearby I am sure they would let you have a look. We spent the majority of our time in the Valley just enjoying the view of the mountains and the river. Our 13 mile trek home the next day wasn’t too bad, considering we were on our way back we just took less stops and everything went fine. If someone were to ask me what the best hike in the Pacific Northwest is I would definitely say this is the one. It’s not the most challenging, but it’s certainly the most rewarding.

Author: Nic Poe

Nic Poe lives in Longview, Washington where he teaches English. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Writing from Marylhurst University. His short story The Batros, appeared in the November 2011 issue of Beyond Centauri.
Connect: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Nicholas-Poe.

Perry Rogers: How the Internet Has Changed Public Relations

Perry Rogers PR Partners Firm

The nature of marketing is changing. Not only is it getting more complex, but the growth is happening at an alarming rate. Identifying the nature of each marketing job is nearly impossible, and journalists and Internet experts are as involved as marketing as public relations. I have worked in PR for my entire life, and people approach Perry Rogers and PR Partners because we have managed to stay on top of the newest trends.

About Perry Rogers:
Serves as the President of PR Partners (Started in 2008). Graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in Accounting as well as attended the University of Arizona where he successfully completed his law degree. Mr. Perry Rogers is a board member of one of the most popular theme parks in the country, Six Flags. He knows business very well and he has several ventures which continue to be a success. One of those includes being a co-founder of Meadows Bank. He also has held an interest in PURE Nightclub which is located in Caesars Palace Las Vegas. [Full Resume for Perry Rogers]

His company, PR Partners, focuses on managing the careers, PR, and legacies, of the highest valued sports professionals. They offer a variety of services including endorsement management, NBA contract negotiations, media packets, TV, Radio, Print & Web exposure . A few of their clients include Kyrie Irving, Harrison Barnes, Todd Wilbur, George Whitfield Jr., and Shaquille O’Neal. His company has proven to be successful in their client’s careers and even beyond. One of the biggest benefits of his firm is not only his personal experience but to their contacts which can provide tremendous opportunities not only for sports professionals but actors as well.

You can read much more about him and his company on his LinkedIn below:
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/perry-rogers/98/b73/a79

The Changing Climate

How has my job changed? Well, today I do not just wriggle brands into the public eye using journalists. I need to influence people online using social medial. I market content to improve public image. My company deals with sports professionals as much as newspapers/media. Regardless of how much the field changes, there are two overriding principles I believe will always hold true:

1) Trust matters. If a person does not believe in my client’s brand, the client’s business suffers. Whether he or she fears the ability to perform a service or deliver a quality product on schedule, trust guides purchasing decisions.

2) The message must reach as many people as possible. It does not matter how great your message is or how trustworthy the brand appears. If nobody knows about a company, they cannot use their services.

Improving Reach

Speaking very broadly, the internet has divided reach into a two-pronged campaign for every client we take on:

1) Journalists. PR experts have historically relied on journalists to convey their message. Press releases and articles are written by or on behalf of clients, and they need to be published somewhere. Journalists are a trusted source of material. Reading the newspaper used to be a daily or weekly occurrence. The hard-working father reading the newspaper with his morning coffee was a stereotype for a reason.

However, a journalist’s reach is limited by what medium he or she uses to reach the public. There is a stark difference between publishing in a local paper versus The Washington Post.

2) Online. Influencing customers online and establishing trust is perhaps more dynamic than using traditional print and TV media, but the basic principles are the same. Customers have to be aware of the brand, the company’s message, and its content. Content quality and customer interaction are much more important. Social media determines how effective a company is at interacting with and responding to customer’s criticisms and concerns.

Both of these outlets for improving reach are important, and each company needs to use them differently. A company selling software specifically to younger audiences will rely more heavily on internet marketing, while an established, respected corporation will likely use both more evenly.

Other companies strive to let their customers do their work for them. Not directly, of course, but there are a lot of industry bloggers carving out their online niches and customer bases by simply reporting on certain fields. The best PR firms know how to influence those bloggers, either directly or indirectly, by personalizing their reach and pitching marketing campaigns directly to those bloggers.

This is a great approach because the public more implicitly trusts bloggers than they do direct advertisements. Ads are created by a company, and thus they are biased. Bloggers and internet personalities are seen as a kind of defense: a public phalanx set to weed out potentially misleading material and promote what is best for the consumer.

Changes Due to Social Media

Social media is turning PR into the dynamic, challenging field it has become today. The question we often get is, “How do you use social media to control public image of my company?” This is a valid question because simple mistakes now go viral and can cost thousands, if not millions, of dollars in damage in a matter of hours.

Let us think back to the Encarta Encyclopedia. This was seen as one of the best, most powerful informational tools of its time. Developed by Microsoft, it appeared on the surface to have every possible advantage. After all, Microsoft is a Forbes 100 company with a near-infinite budget, and it had cornered the encyclopedia publishing market. This was not just due to marketing; Encarta was a great product that offered better information for a lower price.

Then Wikipedia came along, and in less than a decade, the Encarta giant was dead. In another ten years, few people will remember the name. Wikipedia was created for far less money and written by the public. Experts from all over the World have donated millions of hours writing billions of words.

Social media operates much in the same way. PR firms no longer write the entirety of their own content – the public does it for them. What companies need in a quality PR firm these days is the ability to guide that content and ensure the information spreading around supplements your brand and improves your overall image.

Dr. Robi Ludwig: Getting Married? Here is What to Expect, Statistically

First Time Married by Dr. Robi Ludwig

Disney movies seem to have the whole “romance equals marriage” thing figured out. What Disney movies fail to include in their happy-go-lucky outlook is that marriage, at times, can be work. Watching Prince Charming kiss Snow White to wakefulness may make you question the romance in your own marriage, but it helps to remind yourself that the romances Disney portrays are often dated, idealistic notions of love. And, as it turns out, they are only really documenting early stages. Psychologists have studied the marriage track and concluded that most married couples go through many stages, stages that most couples will hit in their marriage. Sometimes, these require more dedication and care.

Married couples can attest even happy marriages require work. Vows merge one life to another and suddenly personal gain must give way toward a common goal. Your partner has equal share of your burdens, and you of theirs. As spouses spend more time together, they tend to go through several, predictable stages. These stages occur as your personal identity gives up control, even in small amounts, and embraces the nature of a true union.

Why the Stages of Marriage Complicate Unions

Couples go through five major stages of personal development. These stages are ones of exciting, confusing growth. They are challenging for two reasons:

1. Each partner progresses through these stages at differing speeds. You may be stuck at stage three while your spouse has already ascended to stage five. This difference leads to misunderstandings, as one spouse may wonder why their partner is still stuck on petty control issues he or she has long surpassed.

2. Most people are unaware these stages exist. People tend to have a basic understanding of the stages of grief. Depression and anger are expected. The stages of marriage are every bit as natural as grief, though more tied to ego. When ego comes into play, tricky variables, like admitting fault and making compromises, seemingly evolve into impossible feats.

The good news for all married couples is when you finally find light at the other end of the tunnel, the major storms of your life are out of the way. These couples experience the full benefits of love and affection promised by matrimony.

The Five Stages of Marriage

1.) The first stage is the best-loved. This is when your body chemistry launches itself into overdrive, akin to an adolescent holding hands for the first time. This stage represents the kind of mortar love songs are about. Even the mention of a name spurs the heart into a quickened pitter-patter.

Your life seems inexplicably tied to theirs, the deep burning desire of passion increasing your positive attitude toward the other person, personal energy, sensitivity, and sexuality. This stage is common in fresh love, but often heightened during the first year or two of marriage, starting with the honeymoon.

2.) At some point a fight breaks out that spurs one partner’s doubt about the union. This stage breaks the mirror, so to speak. You realize flaws in your partner for the first time, but it is accompanied by a nagging, negative voice that says “can I live with this for the rest of my life?” Will you divorce because your partner never washes the dishes after you make dinner? The mantra here is: old habits die hard.

Stage two is the hardest to stomach, because the differential between the incredible passion of stage one and feelings of personal betrayal in stage two are so large. The newness is gone and is replaced by familiarity.

Another challenge is by the third or fourth year of marriage, the situations with impossible answers surface. Should we have kids? Do we pack up and move across the country for that incredible career opportunity? It is unfortunate that as partners begin to distrust the capabilities of their partner these questions must be addressed.

3.) In stage three usually both partners have entrenched themselves. The trenches do not have to be a stark, dividing line between tired arguments. They can manifest through habits, lifestyles, even chore procedures. At this stage both couples think his or her opinion is the best one. Relationships that lack communication struggle with this stage. During this stage, a couple may frequently tell couples’ therapists that they have tried everything but the gap will never be bridged. To pass stage three, couples must invest their time and energy to meet in the middle. The fifth year is cited as the statistically most challenging for married couples. Most are in stage three during that year.

4.) Stage four is the point where couples stop trying to change one another. They recognize the habits that will die hard, or never disappear, and resign themselves to making the best of the situation. Some may struggle, seeking advice from friends, family members, and therapists on how to live with the aspects of the marriage that are displeasing. Fights still happen, but they lack the same oomph from the early days. After years of traveling uphill, couples are finally about to stroll down the other side of the mountain, to the sunny meadows.

5.) Statistically speaking, nearly half of marriages fail. Many more couples stay together out of habit, living their lives without speaking much with one another. Maybe divorce is too expensive, or perhaps they have been together too long to make the change. Whatever the numbers are, a good number of couples never reach the last stage.

Here couples honestly appreciate the life they’ve lived together. Shared memories burn brighter, and both partners feel secure in their roles. The things that seemed so important before have been reduced to petty grievances, barely worth noticing.

As a final note by Dr. Robi Ludwig, I would like to state that communication is what drives all successful marriages. Stages 2-4 are impossible to surpass without talking through problems. Nobody ever said marriage was easy, but for some reason most first-timers assume it is.

If you found this article interesting or want to learn more about Dr. Robi Ludwig check out her article about Killer Spouses and biography history.  We cover everything about her in that article and it’s a good read.

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