Spring Vacacay Outing #2: Snoqualmie Area Driving Tour

Today's outing was a driving tour of Snoqualmie Falls, Preston/Fall City, North Bend, Rattlesnake Lake, and Snoqualmie Pass.  We intended to get into the city, take the ferry, etc., but decided this morning that we didn't want to adhere to *any* schedule, even that imposed by a boat.  Also, we decided not to hike today, for two reasons.

1. We got a later start than we intended, and it was already getting warm by the time we got out and about.
2. We were still recovering a little from yesterday's activities.

Proof of needing extra recovery.

With that said, on with the show!

Snoqualmie Falls

The first stop was Snoqualmie Falls.  For those of you that have never heard a large waterfall, I'll give this very inadequate description.  Imagine the rumble of thunder still at a good distance.  Now filter that sound down a little, so that it appears audibly translucent.  Play that sound in an infinite loop, and you'll get a sense of what a large waterfall sounds like.

Wait a second, I actually captured a little of this on video!

The falls were fantastic and definitely worth visiting.

Preston/Fall City

We decided to take a scenic route down through Preston/Fall City on our way toward North Bend.  It's a neat little town full of roads canopied by solid green.  The light that manages to get through is reflected off of bright foliage, resulting in a soft yellow-green glow.  Eventually you break out of those seemingly unending tunnels of green into a wide open view of Mount Si.  Moving from that closed-in feeling to an open sky dominated by a solid wall of forested mountain was quite breath-taking.

Unfortunately, getting good pictures of this effect is really difficult, especially in a moving vehicle.  You'll just have to take me at my word about how awesome this was.  :-)

Three Forks Natural Area

The next stop was Three Forks Natural Area.  It was a random stop we picked because it looked like there was a small walkable trail there.  It turns out it's also a dog park, and a pretty magnificent one at that, being backed by Mount Si.

Dogs frolicked the day away here!

We pulled over a couple more times on the way to North Bend, because pretty nature!

I'm pretty sure living here doesn't suck.

Rattlesnake Lake

We stopped by Rattlesnake Lake to check out the area.  There is actually a nice hike here, and we may still do it, but as previously mentioned, it was not in the cards for today.  However, the recreational area around the lake is worth visiting all by itself.

More lake and mountain than will fit in the picture!

Snoqualmie Pass

Our final stop (not counting eating) was at Snoqualmie Pass.  Our intention was to get a picture at the Twin Peaks sign, but we drove around the supposed sign location and couldn't find it.  Inevitably, it was probably ten more yards in one direction or the other that we didn't go.  Oh well!  The drive to and back from the pass was worth the price of admission.

Last one to the slopes is a rotten skier!

North Bend

On our way back to the cottage (ok, it's not really a cottage, but we are staying at a cool little house on Lake Sammamish), we stopped for a late lunch at the North Bend Bar and Grill.  When we vacacay, we try to dodge chainy places, opting for local establishments to try to get a feel for the area's cuisine.  This place fit that bill nicely.  We recommend it to anyone that happens to be in the area and feels even the tiniest bit peckish.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's exciting episode, where our intrepid adventurers wander to Lake Serene!