Bucket List

Where would we be without our bucket list? It seems to keep us going during those long work weeks and make our lives more envious on social media. Ten years ago I found out about an abandoned train tunnel that sits below Stevens Pass and it immediately went into my bucket list. The pass is named after John Frank Stevens who was the principal engineer in the construction of the 2.6 mile tunnel. It was abandoned in 1929 due to the curse of multiple avalanches and the disastrous avalanche that struck the town of Wellington in 1910 that resulted in 96 lives lost. The town (later renamed Tye after the nearby river) was abandoned and in time burned down yet many foundations remain as well as the snowshed and tunnel. As nature reclaims both structures through erosion, they stand fragile due to the ample amount of rain and snow in the Cascades. Several years ago the ceiling collapse near the west portal, hence creating a dam and flash floods. The likelihood that the tunnel will reopen is pretty low however this tunnel is 1 of about 10 abandoned train tunnels in eastern Washington and frankly, all tunnels look the same once you get inside. Still, that doesn't stop curiosity to traverse the entire tunnel then again, what kind of example is that for my little one?

Apparently I know someone else who is interested exploring and actually knew about this tunnel. Since it's rare to come across awesome people, we had no choice but to explore the tunnel and snowshed with our good friends from Seattle. We spent Friday night in Seattle and enjoyed a spectacular spring morning drive along Hwy 2 as it crosses the Skykomish and Tye river. The abandoned section of the railroad has been named "Iron Goat Trail" and much effort has been made to preserve and describe all the remnants that have survived the test of time. None of us took the responsibility to splash in the small puddles and creeks along the trail so Ben took it upon himself to put his blue boots to work. It turns out that they work great and we were all envious of his boots. The western portal has a good amount of water rushing out and unfortunately we were unable to reach the eastern portal due the amount of snow on the road... so basically, I owe this tunnel another visit.

Saturday evening was spent at the KOA in Leavenworth and we enjoyed the best (literally) veggie burgers in the western hemisphere. I'm not sure what ingredients were added but I ate until my belt began to hang for its dear life. After switching to some stretchy pants and enjoying more great food, I realized I had problem that needs to be addressed. But that's what these test are for. Anyhow, we had passed an abandoned dam as we made our way to Leavenworth and I was antsy to see it so I got up early on Sunday morning to take pictures. It turns out that the Dam played a major role with the Great Northern Railroad and a large diameter pipeline carried the water under high pressure to a powerhouse down river near Leavenworth therefore providing power to the electrified section of the railroad. The lower half of the pipe that crossed the river still remains and has been turned into a walking trail.

Highway 2 from Stevens Pass to Leavenworth sits on top of the old railroad bed. In the 1920's The Great Northern Railroad bypassed Leavenworth when they shifted the tracks through the Chumstick Valley and therefore beginning the decline of Leavenworth. Other events assisted in the downturn such as the sawmill closing, the Great Depression and World War II. Fortunately, in the 1960's a small group pitched an idea to remodel Leavenworth with a barbarian theme to encourage tourism. Gradually business joined in and turned Leavenworth to the town that we know today. The old depot still sits quietly in Leavenworth and unless you know your history, you won't even notice that it's in plain sight on the main strip.

Before I end this post I have to mention that on Friday evening we made our way to the mall in Auburn. There is a carousel there and somehow Ben wanted to ride on the only chicken surrounded by horses. Not sure why, but I believe that was his favorite part of the entire trip. Bucket List perhaps?

Does anyone even follow this blog?

I have high hopes every evening that I will update my blog but nothing seems more appealing once Ben goes to sleep than to go to bed myself. I suppose I could be the strict parent and tell Ben to go play with his toys while I spend a few moments on the computer but let's face it, he will never be this young ever again. My days with Ben are numbered and although I might be spoiling him by spending my days doing whatever he wants to do... I also much rather play with Hot Wheels alongside than update my blog. This past week Ben has wanted to constantly be by my side and although it wears me down, I recall that not long ago he only wanted Traci. Then again, I'm trying to figure out if there is greater joy than spending time with my son and carrying him on my shoulder... Hmm. Probably not. Actually, adding Traci by my side makes for quite the hilarious good times.

It's wild to think that in less than a month Ben will turn 2 years and the days will begin to get shorter in 18 days. Somehow life has just picked up and each year seems to go faster than the previous one. Wasn't it last night that I held my son for the first time? Where did my son go? Who took my kid and replaced him with this older one? I miss him yet I don't want to let go of the one I have.

Several months ago Ben and I sat in our living room after playing a friendly game of wrestling. As always I kept attention to not stir him too much since he shatters my energy levels. Anyhow, he continued to play with random toys as I sat on the floor with my back on the couch. It was not long before he decided it was time to play with dad once again and a toy gracefully flew from his hand to my forehead. Now he knows throwing toys in the house is against the rules and he knew immediately he was in trouble. I paused for a second as I tried to figure how I would discipline him yet before I said a word, he looked at me and exclaimed, "Catch!" Obviously I did not get the memo that we were playing catch yet at the same time, he did not sent the memo. I was surprised that he was quick to find a way out of trouble at an early age. He reminded me of who I was when I was a kid and honestly, how can punish him? I was not even mad, in fact, I was impressed. It puzzles me that I am so blessed. I have a great son with an incredible and stupendous wife. On top of that, she is really pretty. Why me? Seriously? I want her to have her way and she wants me to have my way. That, if anything, leads to our random disagreements. Then there is Ben who sits on his swing and exclaims, "Daddy! To the moon!"

I suppose I should describe what the pictures are all about. Well, it begins with our return trip from to Sandpoint, ID where Ben was able to acquire some pretty neat toys from his friend Dylan who has outgrown them. Then there is the weekend trip we made to Portland in our Cherokee Chief for the antique auto swap meet. We got to ride a train at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and Ben had plenty of fun playing with a yellow Labrador named 'Cheese.' Lastly, the speeders made their way to Walla Walla for Mother's day weekend and we got to chase them down the tracks as they made their way to Weston in Oregon. That same weekend we got to see 3 hot air balloons land on some random field and lit the whole farm on fire. The valley was engulfed with a whirling vortex of smoke and ashes. At one point the air smelled like sweet onions and freshly picked asparagus. As the fire quickly spread and surrounded our Jeep... wait a second. Does anyone even follow this blog?