Woodland Park Zoo January 2015

Crystal Springs on Martin Luther King Day

Adventure ideas

Yost Park Trails has a rope swing somewhere (Laura B) http://www.edmondswa.gov/services/education/discovery-programs/yost-park.html

Tolt River Natural Area near Remlinger http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/natural-lands/ecological/tolt-river.aspx

Griffin Creek Park Natural Area
http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/natural-lands/ecological/griffin-creek-plan.aspx

Bubble tower: http://happyhooligans.ca/bubble-blowing-activity-building-bubble-towers/

Snow Lake in the summer https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/snow-lake-1?searchterm=snow+lake

Kangaroo farm in Arlington: http://www.outbackkangaroofarm.com/Kangaroo-Farm-Gallery-Arlington-WA.html

Boulder Cave: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/boulder-cave

Kelcema Lake: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/kelcema-lake
Kelcema Lake: Driving 5 minutes west of the Big Four picnic area I turned right onto Deer Creek Road (Forest Service road 4052) and followed it for 4.2 miles to the Kelcema Lake trailhead parking area on the left. Deer Creek Road is very rocky so drive with care. The trail is very muddy and there is water running down the trail right now. It was tolerable as the hike is very short (.5 miles to the lake). The lake is pretty. There are campsites and a toilet at the lake. There was only one person at the lake when I visited. Arriving back at my car, a young family was packing the kids up to head down the trail.

Coal Creek Falls:
http://your.kingcounty.gov/ftp/gis/web/vmc/recreation/bct_cougarmtn_brochure.pdf
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/coal-creek-falls

Kubota Gardens http://www.kubotagarden.org/
Iron Horse Tunnel

Chinook Bend Natural Area near Carnation

This afternoon, Jake and I planned on meeting up with someone in Carnation.  When the meet up time changed from 4:30 to 5:30 en route to Carnation, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to explore a King County park I'd recently learned about: the Chinook Bend Natural Area.

While there are no "official" trails on this 59 acre property, there are some wide, flat, easy-to-navigate paths that have been worn down by frequent visitors. It's only a 5 minute walk from the parking lot to the Snoqualmie River and would be easily accessible with an off-road stroller.  However, the trail is short enough that this could be a fun "hike" for a 1 or 2 year-old!  The path to the river is wide enough that even a triple-wide stroller would have no problem.  There is also a little sani-can type of facility in the parking lot, which can be handy with kids. 

In addition to being kid-friendly, this park is also dog-friendly, too!  While the Snoqualmie River would be too fast for real swimming for 2 legged or 4 legged family members near flood times, the river is much more lazy in the summer and the paths are mainly grass and dirt (with some rocky and muddy patches along the way), which would be great for soft, padded paws.  We must have seen a dozen happy dogs on leashes during our hour there.

If you're looking for an easy little walk in a park, this is a great change of scenery from some of the more popular areas around.

Here are some pics I took around sunset:

 

Here are some pictures showing the path between the parking lot and the river.  Within about a minute, you'll even see a little beaver dam, which is pretty fun for kids.  Past the beaver dam, you'll see a statue by artist Betsy Damon.  You can listen to her talk about her artwork here: http://www.4culture.org/2011/08/chinook-bend-field-day/.

Path from the parking lot:

Small beaver dam:

Path in grassy field in middle of the park.  It was a little muddy, so I'd recommend boots, especially for kids.

Getting there:
*There isn't an official address for the Chinook Bend Nature Area.  The closest intersection for GPS is 310 Ave NE & NE Carnation Farm Road, Carnation, WA 98014: http://binged.it/15JX8xV.
*For folks coming from Duvall or Carnation, go to 203 and head West on Carnation Farm Road.  After you cross a little bridge over a stream, you will cross a green, arched bridge over the Snoqualmie River.  The parking lot is the first parking lot on the right.
*For folks coming from Redmond, try plugging in the intersection 310 Ave NE & NE Carnation Farm Road, Carnation, WA 98014 into a GPS. When you see the Snoqualmie River start inching onto a GPS screen, keep your eyes open for a  blue "Chinook Bend Nature Area" sign and parking lot on the left side of the street.  If you cross the green, arched bridge over the Snoqualmie, you've gone too far.  Turn around & look for the 1st parking lot just West of the Snoqualmie.

Related links:
King County official info: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/natural-lands/ecological/chinook-bend.aspx
Information about artwork on site: http://www.4culture.org/2011/08/chinook-bend-field-day/
King County Parks blog: https://kingcountyparks.wordpress.com/tag/chinook-bend/
Parcel info: http://info.kingcounty.gov/Assessor/eRealProperty/Dashboard.aspx?ParcelNbr=0925079008

pot, potty, poop

Me: See, p.o.t. spells pot, like a flower pot.
Jake: p.o.t... like potty? Can you spell potty?
Me: *sigh* p.o.t.t.y.
Jake: p, p, p, poop! Can you show me how to spell poop?
With a 4 year-old boy, even a spelling lesson with flowers results in an excited drawing of poop.

Chicken Parmesean Meatloaf

One of my favorite recipes for our family is this Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf recipe from Weelicious:
http://weelicious.com/2013/02/20/chicken-parmesan-meatloaf/. 

In addition to being a healthy meal that everyone in our family loves, it's a great meal to cook on the weekend & have waiting for you in the fridge.

This is also a recipe where Jake loves to help stir the mixture & fill the muffin tins.

 Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1  garlic clove, minced (tip: buy pre-minced garlic in the refrigerated produce section)
1  small onion, diced
1 large egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup  grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup  marinara sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients to thoroughly combine.
3. Pack greased mini muffin cups with the mixture. Fill to the top as they will shrink a bit during cooking.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. If cooking a double batch, check after 20 minutes but continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes as necessary.
Note: For a full size meatloaf, press mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

Mincing garlic and the onion can take some time.  One tip is to buy pre-minced garlic.  The refrigerated shelves in the produce section usually have some great ready-to-go tubes.  We always have garlic, ginger, and cilantro in our refrigerator.

 

As I started chopping the onion, Jake asked if it would make me cry, why it makes me cry sometimes, why he wasn't crying, what onions smell like (really, you had to ask?), and if he could take a bite.  I told him that when we cut onions, we break open their little cells, allowing stuff to mix together that isn't mixed when the onion is whole.  Sometimes, that stuff gets into the air & irritates eyes.  He kept asking more questions & I really just wanted to finish chopping so I asked him to go upstairs & get the new microscope he just received from Christmas.

 

I gave him a little wedge of onion, a center circle bit, and a thin slice of skin.  I remember looking at onion cells as one of our first projects with a microscope with Mr. Tougaw during 9th grade biology at Mercer Island High School.  He was such a great teacher!

 

We didn't have any iodine for staining, but Jake had fun examining the bits while I finished chopping.

 

Once I finished chopping, Jake helped me measure some of the ingredients & stir.

 

After he helped spoon the mixture into the muffin tins, I baked the double batch for 25 minutes.  So yummy!

Keechelus Lake & Iron Horse Trail Excursion

Today Jake & I took another little adventure to Snoqualmie Pass.  We decided to go past the sledding hill & check out the scene.  When we came to the Keechelus Lake Boat Launch & Picnic Area, we decided to get out and explore.  This is one of multiple trailheads for the Iron Horse Trail, also known as the Keechelus Lake Trail and the John Wayne Trail: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/keechelus-lake-john-wayne

After getting on the trail, we headed to the left, towards the boat ramp.  From the trailhead I thought I could actually see the Hyak Sledding Hill off in the distance to the NW, although I wasn't sure.  I decided to check out the boat ramp first since that was something new.  

As the flat and easy trail went east, we saw frequent views of Keechelus Lake between us and I-90, which we could hear the entire time.  We also periodically actually saw I-90 itself. 

Along the way we saw lots of people.  Most folks we encountered were families of cross-country skiers that included kids of all ages, although we saw some other folks out hiking, too.  Jake thought the skis looked pretty interesting.  Even though it didn't feel like a complete escape with the freeway noise and all of the people, it was easy, beautiful, and fun.







As we continued towards the boat launch area, we walked by some frozen waterfalls, which Jake loved.  We stopped here for several minutes on the way out & back to examine.

 

 

Although there weren't great sledding hills around, some dedicated sledders (off in the distance below) brought their sleds to the slope between the Iron Horse Trail and the boat launch on the lake.  There were large rocks that prevented them from going into the water, but it was an icy and rocky route. 

As we rounded the corner ahead, we saw a gate across the road  Hikers were welcome to continue, but we decided to take a left and walk down to the boat launch.  The boat launch, jutting into Keechelus Lake:

After making it to the boat launch and back, we had some energy and daylight so we decided to go check out the sledding hill.  When pulling the sled, it wasn't really any extra work to pull Jake too so he got a comfy little ride for the easy 5 to 10 minute walk between the boat launch parking lot & the sledding parking lot. 

When we got there, the official hill was closed due to not enough snow.  Some dedicated folks were sledding on a side field, but the hill was little, steep, rocky, and coated in ice.  Jake made one run before deciding he didn't want to go again.  I pulled him back to the car while he sang the entire way.

BEFORE GOING
1. I'm not totally certain about pass requirements.  It is on National Forest Land and there was a sign at the entrance of the parking lot saying that a National Forest Recreation permit would be required beyond that point.  However, it wasn't totally clear to me if it meant beyond the parking lot or if it included the parking lot.  It makes sense that it would require a Recreation permit, though.  $5 e-pass permits can be purchased here & printed out at home: http://www.discovernw.org/store_national-forest-recreation-epass-national-forests-in-washington-and-oregon-only_20281.html.
2. Check out the official site: http://www.recreation.gov/camping/evergreen-mountain-lookout/r/recreationalAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&facilityId=235360 for official info (although there isn't much) and the WTA page at http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/seasonal-hikes/hikes/keechelus-lake-john-wayne.  The field reports are at the bottom of the page and you can sort by most recent.  Note that this trail has many entrances.  Some trip reports talk about starting at the Hyak Sledding Hill, some talk about starting at Gold Creek, and other start points are also mentioned.  The Sledding Hill & Gold Creek require Sno-Park passes, but if you park in the boat launch lot, you shouldn't need a Sno Park pass.
3. Pack cold weather gear, snacks, and TP.  There is a sani-can type of facility, which is handy when hiking with kids.  However, like so many others, it was out of TP. 

GETTING THERE
1. From I-90, take Hyak exit 54.
2. At the end of the off-ramp (from Seattle) turn RIGHT.
3. Take a very immediate LEFT, following the brown sign to Keechelus Trailhead.
4. At the end of the road, take a RIGHT, following the brown sign to the Keechelus Trailhead.
5. Note the brown Hyak Sledding Hill in about a block but continue straight.
6. In about a minute or two the parking lot will be on the RIGHT.

 

7. From the parking lot, head SE/left to the boat launch

or NW/right to the Hyak Sledding Hill.



 

 

MORE INFO

Recreation.gov website: http://www.recreation.gov/camping/evergreen-mountain-lookout/r/recreationalAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&facilityId=235360

WTA: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/keechelus-lake-john-wayne & http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/iron-horse

Iron Horse State Park: http://www.parks.wa.gov/521/Iron-Horse

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Horse_State_Park

 Hyak Sledding Hill info: http://www.parks.wa.gov/alertcenter.aspx?aid=hyak-sledding-hill-closed--374