Waterworld

WATER EVERYWHERE:  Last night, this morning, all afternoon and into the evening it rained. Wait, no, that's an understatement. It poured. But even that doesn't capture the blanket of wet pounding down on us. T|he rains were torrential. And still are.

When someone in Western Washington tells you it's raining buckets, that means it's coming down hardcore. It rained 1.89 inches in Seattle from midnight to 3 p.m., Poor Bremerton got twice that.

Too bad the weather was so miserable, as we had a field trip scheduled for today. But go we did, as a reservation was involved.

A few weeks ago I scored a half off Living Social deal for Salish Lodge, in Snoqualmie, Wash, overlooking Snoqualmie Falls. I've wanted to check that place out since I was a fan of "Twin Peaks" back in the early 1990s, when it aired on ABC.  Parts of the haunting series were filmed at Salish Lodge, and points nearby.

When it was established in 1916, the lodge (then Snoqualmie Falls Lodge) was an eight-room inn built as a rest stop for travelers. The facility underwent a major face lift in 1988, right before "Twin Peaks" filming commenced.

We were thrilled that at about 3 p.m. there was a tiny break in the torrential rainfall, so we sprinted for the falls. You could hear them before you could see them, and what a roar they give off. Amazing, turbulent energy, some of which is harnessed by two Puget Sound Energy hydroelectric power plants. Combined, they produce enough electricity to power 16,000 homes.

At the falls, water plunged 268 feet. There is a 65-foot deep pool at its base.  The water flows at a rate ranging from 500 and 1500 cubic feet per second. Today, I'd have to think it was at the upper end of that range, due to mountain runoff and the crazy rain. According to SnoValley Star.com (a news site for Snoqualmie and North Bend), geologists recently discovered that the Falls flow over a 20 million year old extinct volcano.

According to the Snoqualmie Falls Web site, "Snoqualmie" is a Salish (American Indian tribe) word meaning moon. The falls were a spiritual place to the tribe, and the setting of many legends, including one about the beaver (S'Beow) climbing into the sky to fetch trees and fire to bring back down to Earth. The native people who lived in the valley near the falls were known as the people of the moon.


The dramatic falls attract more than 1.5 million visitors a year, making it the state's second most popular tourist attraction.  We certainly plan on coming back on a nicer day. It's only about a 45 minute drive east of Seattle.

I mean, check out this photo (gleaned from Wikipedia and taken by photographer Meher Anand Kasam) of how gorgeous the falls are on a lovely day!

We checked into our room a little after 3. CeeJ and Bee dig the bathtub.

ROOT BEER GOLD:  While driving eastbound on I-90, away from Seattle and toward Snoqualmie, I saw a sign along the highway saying something about XXX Rootbeer. While the family tends to stay away from anyplace with a big XXX sign, we thought we'd live dangerously, hoping it really was about rootbeer. Was it ever!

From the parking lot, it was clear this was no ordinary burger joint. First, the towering rootbeer barrel sign commands your attention. There were dozens of tables out on the patio. On this dreary day it was a drippy Ghost Town, but in my mind's eye, I could see the place packed with families and cruisers. (Apparently they are a hot spot for hot rods and car clubs.)

From the chrome barstools and colorful booths to the memorabilia covering seeming every square inch of ceiling and walls,, the diner has a fun 1950s vibe. The menu also looks like it could have been from a 1950s time capsule (though the prices are in the here and now). They poke fun at themselves that it ain't exactly health food!

While CJ had rootbeer, of course, but Annabelle was entranced by this gizmo, and opted for an Orange Crush.

I had a sip and it took me right back to the 1970s.

To put it mildly, CJ was quite pleased with XXX, but I'll let him elaborate on his blog, 'The Rootbeer Kid."