This, That and the Other - Or I have no clue what to name this post

So, before I leave the Seattle area in my blog, I had some odds and ends to share with you.

This is a little burger stand near the campground in Snoqualmie. It is called Small Fryes. It is known for its burgers and shakes.



But that particular day, I happened to have a taste for a hot dog. I looked at what else was on the menu and was so happy to see that they had "Chicago" hot dogs! I sure do miss them. Usually they are Vienna Beef hot dogs. My mouth started watering just thinking about them. There were a bunch of young men working in the kitchen. One of them was working the order window.

"Can I help you?" He asked pleasantly.

"Yes, I'd like a hot dog, fr.."

"We don't have any hot dogs," he interrupted me.

"WHAT?" I nearly screeched. "You DON'T have ANY hot dogs?"

"Well, we really don't have any BUNS. I could cut up a hot dog into four pieces and put it on a hamburger bun if you want."

Ugh. Doesn't that sound delicious? What is a hot dog without a bun? It's just a wiener without a home.

I put my head down on the counter and pretended to cry. Jim is used to my theatrics. He just stepped up next to me and placed his order. I had to resolve to eat a hamburger. It was good, but not when you have a taste for something else, you know?

This is the inside of Small Fryes.



I love this sign on the side of the building.



We had to drive into the main part of Snoqualmie to the laundromat. I saw many interesting things. Like this monkey tree for instance. Have you ever seen one? This is only the second one I have seen in my life. The first one was at our friends, Vicki and Pat's house. They had one growing on their lot. This is a very odd tree. From a distance it looks like a regular fir tree.



But here is a close up of the branches. They are very sharp and hurt you.


photo courtesy of Wikipedia


This tree was growing next to this house that happened to be for sale. I'd classify this as a "fixer-upper", wouldn't you?



These are what I call "mystery cattle". I've searched the net but can not find out what kind these are. Anybody out there know?



Right across the road from the mystery cows was this sign.



And this little house went with it.



I did a little research and found out that the "All Dogs Go to Heaven" offers cremation services for your deceased pets. She is working with the city on getting a pet cemetery on those five acres.

The pet spa offers a therapy pool for your pet, and various classes you can take from making your own dog food to communicating with your pet. I found it all very interesting. If you want to read more about it, click here.

How many of you remember the TV show Twin Peaks? It debuted in 1990 (can it really be 20 years ago?!) I didn't watch it myself, although I'm tempted now to rent the DVD's and watch them. It was a quirky show and had their own cult followers. Well, many of the outside shots were filmed right in Snoqualmie.

In the pilot, this big old log is shown. The log is still showcased on Main Street.



This is Snoqualmie Falls, which are 268 feet high.





The outside of the lodge (Salish Lodge) at the top of the falls was used in the series, too.

This is the Snoqualmie Train Depot. Tourists can take a 10 mile, 75 minute scenic ride from the depot, to North Bend and back all the way to the top of the falls, for as little as $10 or less. This will definitely be on my list for the next time we visit the area.



This is Woodman's Restaurant that is located behind the depot.


We ate dinner there one night for Jeff's birthday. It was all-you-could-eat rib night so of course, that's what Jim, Jeff, and I ordered. Carol ordered an eggplant dish, granddaughter Lauren had plain mac/cheese, and grandson Colin? Well, he was the smartest of the group. He ordered dungeness crab mac/cheese. You heard me. Okay. So the ribs were fine. Really. But, I asked Colin if he would give Grandma a spoonful of his dish for me to taste. I gave him my boo-boo lip and everything.

"Sure!"

He handed me a spoonful. I brought the succulent crab and noodles to my lips, opened my mouth, and died and went to heaven. OH.MY.GOODNESS. I am NEVER eating regular mac/cheese again. I searched for a recipe for Dungeness Mac/Cheese. There are a few available. Salty's has one. We have eaten at this restaurant. It's a pretty famous one in Seattle so I'd think the recipe has to be a good one. Click here if you are interested.

I've told you before how the Seattleites don't seem to mind the rain. They golfed in the rain a lot. One day we came home from some errands, it was still raining and I saw this scene. Look closely. See anything funny?



The umbrella is not over the GOLFER, but the GOLF CLUBS. Makes sense I guess!

Our time in Seattle had come to an end. We had such a good time with Jeff, Carol and the kids, and Jim's brother, Mark, and his wife, Chris, who is a wonderful, wonderful cook, and our beautiful niece Chloe.

It was overcast when we pulled out Sunday morning. The clouds just hung close to the mountaintops.



These yellow flowers growing on bushes are everywhere in the area - they are not forsythia, either. They remind me of gorse bushes found in Ireland. I just read that they are also in North America. Could they be in Washington? I like this photo because of the blue and yellow - my two favorite colors!



Doesn't this look so desolate? Reminds me of that song, "Miles from Nowhere".



The weather cleared up and big white fluffy clouds appeared. I just had to take a picture of the sky.



Because it reminded me so much of Georgia O'Keeffe's, "Sky Above Clouds IV".



We stopped for a couple of nights in Idaho, rested up, and hit the road again. We did NOT stay here, though. Thought it would cost too much.



Wednesday morning we entered into Montana. The weather wasn't too good. More clouds hanging low in the mountains.



Not too far into the trip this happened.



Look familiar? Yeah. This is the SECOND one since we left Arizona. What is up with THAT? This time it was the rear wheel on the right side of the trailer. Cause a little damage to the trailer again!

When we stopped for lunch we found out that, coincidentally, the tire company that we bought the tires at had a shop nearby. So afterward we hightailed it over there and they gave us a new tire.

We stopped in a teeny, tiny town called Garrison in Montana, where the only thing here IS the campground. It has been cold and windy. Going down to 29 fun loving degrees tonight and they are expecting snow showers. Yippee!

We leave in the morning. And not a minute too soon!

Note: If you look up the word "rambling" in the dictionary, you will find this post. Sorry - I do tend to go on and on.