Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A Drive in the Countryside


Yesterday we took a little drive. 
We headed towards Issaquah, WA, ( pronounced Iss'-a-kwa ) tucked into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. 

To get there we passed through some pretty farmland. 

Here we go......


We crossed the White River, so named from the white glacial silt coming down from Mt. Rainier. It is not flowing very high yet, but in a few weeks when the snow starts to melt, this will be a raging river. 


As you can see, the skies were very moody. You can see the snow field on the mountains in the background. 


The fields are very dry and brown. You can see some teasel growing in this field. The Mountains are a lovely purple against the colorless landscape. 


In this photo you can see an ancient barn settling into the landscape, surrounded by very tall Douglas Fir trees and nearly covered by blackberries. 


This barn looks like it is a well used roost, judging by the white streaks left behind! These are seagulls - many miles from salt water! There are plenty of slugs to eat in the surrounding fields, though! 


Need hay? 


As we leave the farmland behind, and travel along the base of the foothills, we come into a logging area replanted with small trees. 

Logging is a big industry here in Washington State, although it has been hit hard by the housing recession and many are out of work. 


After driving for over an hour through a narrow river valley, we come into signs of life once more. Issaquah is an old logging town that has been reinvented into a posh little enclave of high end shops and housing for tech workers from Microsoft and other high tech companies in Redmond, which is close by. 


This old Gas Station has been reinvented into a feed store and tourist destination. 


I have not come through town when it is open, but one of these days, I will get a chance to go inside. 


Even the car wash is fancy! This is a Brown Bear car wash with it's ferocious looking mascot. 


He has two companions to keep him company! 


We leave Issaquah and drive alongside Lake Sammamish. (pronounced Sa-Mam'-ish, named after the Sammamish Indian tribe).

The whole lake is surrounded by beautiful lakeside homes. 


At the far end, there is a walking trail. They are working on expanding this trail and we saw workers doing just that as we drove by. 

I made a mental note to come back this summer and walk the trail. 


Soon we arrive at our destination - to check on this handsome fellow while my son is out of town. 

He was very happy to see us and we stayed and played with him a while. 


This is the view out the window. Can you see the Space Needle rising above the tree line? 

It was a lovely drive, but now we must make the long journey back home as the sun begins to set. 

I hope you enjoyed taking this country drive with me! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. 

xoxo

Linking to: http://bluffareadaily.blogspot.com/2013/02/watery-wednesday.html

Linking to: http://www.theviewfromrighthere.com/blog/?p=9512



Rurality Blog Hop

42 comments:

  1. nice of you to check on the sweet kitty. :) love the area. those mountains - don't know if i'd ever get used to seeing them. :)

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Theresa. Yes, the mountains are in my blood. Just like the beautiful Texas countryside is in yours. We just have to live where we love. xoxo

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  2. Oh how I enjoyed it! I always like to see new places but will have to wait to get back to exploring until all 3 can handle the road trips! I love the pictures of the farms and that lake in town is sparkling with beauty! Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

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    1. Oh, I do know that feeling, Nicole. Taking little ones on long road trips is not for the faint of heart. For so many years we were not able to travel far. Glad to take you along! xoxo

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  3. Dearest Karen,
    Like Theresa started out; my first thought too was about how sweet of you to check on that lovely kitten! That's you, and meanwhile taking such great photos for an informative blog post. Hats off to you. Loved your expression of the skies being very moody. We often would say the skies look very pregnant with water...
    Hugs to you,
    Mariette

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    1. Dear Mariette, thank you - we do consider our pets part of the family, don't we? They bring such happiness.... I love that you have pregnant skies - the rain does bring new growth this time of year! Love when you visit, Mariette. xoxo

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  4. Wow - what a fantastic ride. I love the old barns that are being devoured by the blackberry vines - I guess there must be years of fertilizer around to speed their growth - though heaven knows, they don't need any speeding along.

    I could hardly believe that they can see the Space Needle from all the way out there - I had to go and look at maps to figure out where they were - that is amazing.

    I wonder why the second cutting of hay is more expensive.Thanks for taking us on your wonderful ride.

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    1. Dear JoAnn, I never thought about all the fertilizer! So true! I know, isn't it amazing to see the space needle from there? It is actually Kirkland, along Lake Washington. We went from Issaquah to Redmond to Kirkland. I have no idea why the second cutting is more. Maybe it is greener? Food for thought....Thanks for coming along! xoxo

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  5. Oh Beatrice you are a very special Mom to take that long drive for the cute little kitty, I would have done the same thing for my girls.
    This is a beautiful drive I am certain I would be making it often, there is something about those gorgeous mountains and cute little towns that surround that calls my name. Beautiful photos it reminds me of British Columbia. Thank you for sharing. B

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    1. Hi Buttons, yes we do what we can for our families, don't we? If we can't depend on each other, who can we depend on, I always say. The lay of the land is very much like British Columbia and we share the same mountain ranges and climate. Only a 5 hour drive from here. Thanks for stopping by, Buttons! xoxo

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  6. I love country side places :) sometimes those places calm my heart. And you're so adorable take them go around.

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    1. Dear Delvalina, yes, the country side does calm the heart! Thanks for coming along! xoxo

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  7. Looks like it was a very nice drive with so much to see. I love driving the countryside and looking at old barns and for some reason I love to see freshly tilled fields. Soon....

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    1. Dear Cindy, Oh, freshly tilled fields are a wonderful sight and hopefully soon, yes! Thank you for visiting today. xoxo

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  8. I love that old gas station!!! I've never seen anything like that. And those fields are so serene. Nothing quite like a countryside drive is there?

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    1. Hi Keith, isn't that gas station great? I love the 'shells' on top of the pumps. I do love a country drive. It takes longer, but worth the extra time just to enjoy the scenery. Thanks for stopping by today! xoxo

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  9. I certainly did enjoy the ride - such beautiful scenery. And that's one lucky cat! <3

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    1. Thanks for coming along on the drive, Stacy. And guess what? The cat's name is Lucky! xoxo

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  10. Wow! These photo's gave me chills! Love the river, the barns, the gas station, the Space Needle peeking out...All of it! I used to go visit relatives every year in Redmond WA. We would go camp on the San Juan Islands and go on whale watching trips. I saw whales from my campsite and out of the boat. It was always such fun. I love Washington

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    1. Hi Jori, Oh, I'm so glad this brought back happy memories for you! What a nice vacation you must have had, camping on the Islands and watching the whales! We do love our Orcas! Thanks for visiting and sharing your sweet memories! xoxo

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  11. The drive was beautiful even with dark skies. Your pictures are lovely to look at - I felt like I was right there with you as your described each photo. Thank you for sharing. And what a cute cat :)

    Have a blessed day, my friend!

    Hugs,
    Stephanie

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    1. Thank you, Stephanie for driving along with us! And thank you for your blessings today! xoxo

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  12. Thanks for taking us along on your drive! The sky and mountain photos are beautiful. I loved the farm country and the barns too. So nice of you to check on the sweet kitty.
    I have been to Washington once and loved it!

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    1. Thank you, Barb for coming along and for your sweet comments. Hope you get to come to Washington again! xoxo

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  13. What a lovely drive! The mountains make for a beautiful backdrop in your photos. And I love the one of the river - water is always so calming!

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    1. Thanks, Tammy - I do love the sound of rivers- sometimes we can hear the one at the base of our little mountain on still nights. It sounds like little voices talking. Thanks for coming along! xoxo

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  14. I really loved the drive through the countryside with you.. Beautiful photos.. That little cat looked so pleased to see you.. Thank you for sharing... Hugs May x x x

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    1. Thanks for visiting, May! Yes, 'Lucky' was very happy to see us! xoxo

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  15. What beautiful scenery! Lots to see on that drive! Enjoy the week. Jo

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  16. I have always wanted to travel through the Pacific Northwest and now I know I must. Gorgeous scenery and photographs. I am your newest follower.

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  17. Thank you so much for the tour. I've traveled through Washington a couple of times and its beauty never ceases to amaze me. I love that old gas station turned into a feed store, and I'm happy to see they left the pumps behind.

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  18. Nice series of photos...I'm kind of fond of the bear shots♫ Here's my Rurality effort: http://lore-eleven.blogspot.com/2013/02/tic-tac-toe-skyscapes.html

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  19. What a wonderful, beautiful tour of your area!

    Thanks for visiting and commenting on my Rurality image.

    ~Lindy

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  20. I feel like I just went on a little vacation, thanks! Michelle

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  21. Lovely shots of this country drive! You live in one of my favorite areas of the country

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  22. Thanks for the driving toure...what a beautiful area. Great photos

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  23. Thanks for the tour. Great photos!

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  24. Beautiful scenery & wonderful virtual tour! Thanks so much for sharing

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  25. I enjoyed taking this country drive with you! Washington state is one of my favorite places to visit. So much happening there. Great photos.

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  26. I love seeing your views of our neck of the woods... Thank you for joining in 'Rurality Blog Hop #3' Hope to see you next Wednesday for #4...

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  27. I thoroughly enjoyed this road trip - so many beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

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  28. Beautiful views! I've never been to Washington State as an adult (was one of the Seafair Ball angels back in 1956 when my Dad was stationed there though.) Loved seeing this beautiful countryside.

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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