I am a fan of alliteration and today was a whizzing 290 mile Washington wandering.
After giving up our one lime to the USA border agent (no citrus regardless of its origin), we headed into the Evergreen State.
Chuckanut Drive is the best street name we've seen in awhile.
Here is our tour of Seattle. There's the Space Needle, kids.
This building had us both ask, "What the heck?" For those who don't know, it is the landmark Lake Union Steam Plant building, constructed from 1914 to 1921 by Seattle City Light. This historic place houses ZymoGenetics, Inc. And what the heck is that? ZymoGenetics, Inc is one of the oldest biotechnology/ pharmaceutical companies in the USA (1981), based in Seattle. The company is involved in the development of therapeutic proteins. Cool stuff from the freeway!
Up here, in the Pacific Northwest, these guys are everywhere in late summer. The crazily tangled, dense vines grow at a mad pace on any abandoned patch of land, also making concerted efforts to take over yards, parks, even buildings. The plant itself — the Himalayan blackberry — was introduced optimistically, back in the day, by the otherwise sensible Luther Burbank. Turns out it’s invasive, reproducing through multiple and nefarious means: The canes sprout and arch, spawning “daughter canes” just by touching the ground, while roots send out “adventitious shoots,” also known as suckers. Gardening books use euphemisms like prodigious and extremely vigorous. A cane can grow more than 20 feet in a year. It was frustrating to drive at 60 MPH and not get to pick some, thankfully our campground had these nefarious balls of yum.
Home for tonight is at Paradise Point State Park, Located 15 miles north of Vancouver and just east of I-5, this 88 acre woodland park is the ideal option for us who need a night of rest as we travel the Interstate, fighting traffic we haven't seen for weeks.
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2 comments:
You had me at "nefarious balls of yum". I've noticed that you've entered warmth again. I'm seeing arms and ankles again. Is Steve back in his "infraditi"?
Welcome back!
Nice picture of the Lake Union Steam Plant (ZymoGenetics). Tom worked there for several years before they decommissioned the plant. City Light was keeping the plant ready to work in case of need, i.e. when the weather would get very cold, and the demand for electricity would climb. Souvenirs...
Odile and Tom
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