Pictures at Cedar River Watershed Education Center

Near North Bend at Rattlesnake Lake.




Where's Rattlesnake Lake?

It's up a long hill outside of North Bend, WA. The center is run by Seattle Public Utilities. On the edge of a big watershed for Seattle's drinking water.

Why are the drums at the center?

Drums under downspouts to demonstrate water dripping off the roof over a long period of time. Less apt to flood. It was still gradually dripping on the sunny day I was there. Sounded like a "hippie drumming circle." That's what I thought it was.

Good idea, but how much will it add to the cost of construction?

How much land do all these catch basins take? Land is getting expensive.

Seems like a lot of trouble to slow the runoff from buildings. Why not just eliminate the parking lot? Impervious surfaces of pavement are terrible for runoff. Make people use alternative transit. Sure it's a change, but putting in all these roof gardens can be costly as well.

I hear that around 40% of the space in Los Angeles is devoted to pavement for parking and driving.

There is pavement that lets water soak into the ground below, rather than rush off.

There happens to be some of that pavement in my neighborhood. At the Whatcom Educational Credit Union.

Just ran out to take some images. Nice having a digital camera.



They've got the money.

I doubt this would work for heavily used thoroughfares and freeways. It would get beat up under traffic.

For parking lots? OK.

No problem for bicycle parking, of course. That's what I ride.

Autumn rainstorm after my trip. View of truck out my window.

Palm Trees Above Arctic Circle

Yes, the Earth has seen other periods of global warming. Still, we should worry about this "human effected" period of global warming. We weren't there to worry about the other periods.

The main reason why we should worry about this one is the fact that we are here to be affected by it.

The Earth survived it's other periods of global warming, but we weren't there to worry about it.

Back then there were no ski resorts lacking snow. There was no Columbia River hydroelectric plants worrying about lack of water from a low snow pack. There was no stock market to drop on talk of crop failures, property damage and coastal flooding.

We weren't there to worry.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound?

We are here now, with our fragile economic needs. That's why we should worry.

In the past, there were significant periods of global warming that the Earth survived. The Earth is always changing, but our economy rides Earth like she's a good horse. When Earth starts changing, she's like a bucking bronco. We don't want to slap her because we don't want her bucking while we're riding. We're slapping her with our carbon emissions.

We are riding during the short period of evolution that we are here.

Millions of years ago, Earth saw huge lava flows pour out onto the surface. Many of these flows released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere leading to significant global warming. I recently heard a radio interview with some geologist about this topic. They described palm trees growing above the arctic circle.

Here in the Bellingham area, there are fossils of palm leaf in Chuckanut sandstone. Evidence of warmer eras in the past.

Much of the eastern part of this state is covered with lava flows. Flows that created the Columbia Plateau, often called the Columbia Basalt. Many of these flows crept out during the so called Miocene Era, millions of years ago.

Layers of basalt rock are visible in this coulee near Grand Coulee Dam and the Banks Reservoir. Seen on my 2005 bike tour.

We weren't around to worry the global warming back then and the Earth survived just fine. Maybe plants and animals suffered, but I am not hearing their cries.

The main reason why we need to worry about climate change now, is the fact that we are here. Our stock market doesn't want to take too big of a hit. Our economy is a fragile rider, so we hope that Earth remains a steady horse, at least for this moment in geological history.

I-90 leading to Snoqualmie Pass down there in the valley

Seen on my 2005 trip from Iron Horse Bike Trail.

Today's news says pass is closed again. Another rock slide. This time just east of the pass. They don't know when highway will be reopened.

Last summer, during my trip, a rock slide closed west bound lanes just west of the pass. 3 people died when rocks crushed their car. I had no idea what had happened until I stopped in a store along US 97 which connects I-90 to US 2. Wondered why there was so much traffic headed north on 97 as I was going south. Turns out they were diverting I-90 traffic to Stevens Pass (US 2).

Except for seeing streams of traffic detouring over 97, my trip was not effected. I took the Iron Horse Trail across Snoqualmie Pass anyway, so I wasn't planning to take I-90.

That was September. Now it's happened again, only no one killed, luckily. Rock slide east of Snoqualmie Pass has closed freeway in both directions. I just hear about it on the radio.

Yes they do need to put money into maintaining highways. Hope Initiative 912 fails. It would cut gas taxes for our transportation system.

Of course I could be smug and say it doesn't matter. The Iron Horse Bike Trail is still available. Actually, I think that closes for winter.

While I don't drive or use gasoline, I do drink plenty of chocolate milk. Much of the hay that fuels our local dairy farms is trucked over the mountains from eastern Washington. Hay trucks use I-90.

It's all part of the interconnected web of our economy.


Approaching light at west end of 2 mile long Snoqualmie Tunnel. It's a part of the Iron Horse Bike Trail east of North Bend, Washington.

The world's largest lava lamp

Guess where they plan to put it.

Soap Lake, Washington.

This is one of many tidbits I learned on my 2005 bicycle tour around in the Pacific Northwest. I think the idea to set this up has faded by now. Update 2025.

Like going back in time when there was more elbow room

I am on another bike trip. Just visited Wallowa Lake in North East Oregon. The Wallowa Mountains are obscure to most of the world, but quite impressive.

Out here there is plenty of space for the traditional American "family" lifestyle with big yards and ranch style homes. Not very many people. Folks drive trucks and there still isn't much traffic. They can get by with it here. In the big cities, such as in Western Washington state, space is so limited things have to change. Out here in Northeast Oregon, change is not as necessary. As people keep driving in crowded Western Washington, the traffic gets bad. Here in Enterprise, Oregon, there isn't much traffic because there aren't many people.

Lots of land for the number of people.

More elbow room allows for the more traditional American way of life. I see lots of horses.

Still, I like living in the city as I am a non traditional person. Enterprise is a nice place to visit, but wouldn't want to live here.

A few days ago I walked into a "supermarket" in Elgin, OR. that reminded me of my childhood. Low ceiling, no neon, plain shelves with canned goods. Not fancy. Like a throwback to the early 1960s before supermarkets became like Disney Lands.

I am on the road

Traveling by bicycle, as usual for my summer vacation.

Posts may be farther apart. Look forward to more updates when I get back.

As gas prices keep going up, I don't have to worry. Bicycle is a great way to go. Seeing parts of the great Pacific Northwest. Not just whizzing by everything. It's a great way to savor my vacation.