Preppers

BEFORE THE BLANKET: Thursday, a good portion of our day was spent prepping for the weekend. It wasn't exactly like packing for a vacation or a party, though. Rather, it was laying in supplies and readying the homestead for a predicted foot of snow. 

One of the first things we did was move firewood from the Back Forty to our back porch. We decided stacking wood on a sled and then dragging it across the frozen yard and snow covered patio was our best bet. 

We also scraped lots of ice off stairs and our patio, and unearthed a cold one in the process. Annabelle said it wasn't entirely frozen solid - she could see a little movement and bubbles inside.

We also had a few more supplies to procure, such as birdseed, since we wouldn't want our feathered friends to go hungry during the snowstorm. We made the Very Poor Choice of going to Wal-Mart for said supplies. Public Service Announcement: You do not ever, under any circumstances, want to go to Wal-Mart the day before a snowpocalypse. It was a freaking circus, with empty shelves and meat cases and Christmas Eve-length check out lines. All we could do was grin and bear it. 

The good news is, we're about as ready as we can be. We're about to find out just how much snow we're going to get. Stay tuned. ... 

Black and White

FLAKEY: We've been meaning to mention, since Sunday night, the MPA campus has been covered in a blanket of snow.  The depth reached about 6.5 inches here at its peak (Monday morning). Since then, we've had sub-freezing temperatures, but daytime sun has helped it melt a little bit. 

At first the dogs weren't having any of it, but they quickly got with the program.

The snow is pretty and all, but I'm kind of over it. ... But apparently it's not over us. The latest weather models are downright daunting. Cliff Mass, arguably the leading forecaster in the region, says we could have up to two feet of the white stuff by next Wednesday. Snow's supposed to start falling Friday night, and then the storms come one after another. Mass' quotes include "a veritable snow machine,” "unbelievable," "snow apocalypse,” “one of the greatest snow events in decades," and a "huge snow dump.”  Time will tell if Mass and the weather models are right.

Earlier on Sunday, before the snow came, I was admiring our first blooming crocus of the year.  It's crushed under the blanket of white, now.

OF IMPORT: Since it's Black History Month, today we focused on a figure from the past who deserves to be remembered. We discovered him by doing a search for "Black History Month" on BrainPOP and one of the two dozen or so 'hits' that returned was a video about Bass Reeves. None of us had ever heard of him, so that's the video we chose to watch.

It was so interesting! I'll have the kids tell you more about it. CJ is up first. ... 

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Bass Reeves was a prolific deputy U.S. marshal. Reeves was known for reportedly having arrested over three thousand different felons on the run from the law, as well as for being the first African-American deputy marshal west of the Mississippi. Reeves was born in 1838 as a slave of former Arkansas state legislator William Steele Reeves, but eventually escaped slavery during the American Civil War. After fleeing into the Indian Territory, today Oklahoma, Reeves slowly became familiar with the area's Native American nations, languages, and cultures, which aided in his selection as a deputy marshal by James F. Fagan in 1875. Reeves was known for his wits, more so than his marksmanship capabilities (which he also possessed.) Despite his long career as a deputy marshal (and, during the last years of his life, a police officer,) Reeves was never wounded by a felon. While Reeves is little-known today, Reeves is believed by many to be the basis for the fictional character of the Lone Ranger.

The Western History Collections at the University of Oklahoma Library have a copy of this image of Reeves in their holdings.

An imposing figure, he stood 6-foot 2-inches, which was half a foot taller than most men in his day and age. 

Annabelle has this to share about Reeves. ...

Bass Reeves was an oft-forgotten U.S. Marshal who captured over 3,000 criminals during his 3 decade career. He was one of the first ever African-American U.S. Marshals, and was assigned to the Oklahoma and Arkansas area due to his experience with the languages and customs that he had learned during his time as a runaway slave. He formed a legendary reputation for his resourcefulness and dedication to his cause, going so far as to use disguises and trickery to nab crooks.

Despite never learning how to read, he had a stellar memory; he had an associate read each warrant to him before he went out, and he never brought back an incorrect arrest. Some even say he was never shot by a criminal, and that all the bullets just barely missed him.

He quickly became somewhat of a legend. He may even be the inspiration for the character of the Lone Ranger, down to the white horse and "calling card" being a silver object. Sadly, he was forced to retire as a Marshal when Oklahoma became a state, causing it to fall under the Jim Crowe laws. He spent his last few years as a police officer before dying in 1910.

There are a number of documentaries about this man. They include many in-depth depictions of his exploits and life, including some of his most famous techniques for tricking criminals. Many pieces of Western-genre media incorrectly depict settlements as being homogeneous and predominantly white, but the more the truth about African-American heroes like Bass Reeves is spread, the closer we get to showing the truth.

DIY: Yesterday afternoon, the kids each installed a couple of IKEA blinds in their bedroom windows. We have a nice, private backyard, but in wintertime when the deciduous trees lose their leaves, we can somewhat see a house out of Annabelle's window, so it made sense to put some blinds up. 

We read the instructions (mostly) before beginning, and installation went (mostly) OK.

The kids each had a hand in the work in their own rooms, so they have some sense of ownership and accomplishment regarding the project.

First and Last

MOMENTOUS MORNING: More often than not, Saturday mornings around MPA are pretty low key affairs. However, this past Saturday was certainly an exception to that rule. We were in the car by 7:15, northbound, to mark a historic day in the city of Seattle. We were going to take part in an 8K run/walk event marking the end of the road for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Elevated and running along the city's western waterfront, I have equated this stretch of highway with Seattle as long as I've been alive. It affords some of the more expansive and impressive views in the city, including Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountain Range. 

We took one last stroll down memory lane Saturday morning.

We headed to Seattle Center, where the event was staging.  Pre-event freebies included grilled cheese sandwiches. Mmmmm.

The first part of our morning wasn't much fun. We had been assigned spots in 'corral' 10. We dutifully reported 20 minutes before our 'start' time, as directed in event instructions. However, our corral's start was an hour late. Altogether, That meant 90 minutes of standing there, in the cold and mist. Meanwhile, watching dozens/hundred of people with corral numbers higher than ours walk ahead of us and cut the line. In short, "organizers" did a terrible job of corralling the corrals.

Finally, however, we were allowed to approach the tunnel ...

And then, we made our way on in. ...

Once in the tube, we saw these huge green graphics over and over. 

These exit graphics line the tunnel, telling you how far you have to go to run for your life/the exit. We could tell the exits are all 650 feet apart.

Overhead were directional signs. I had to stop and take a photo of this one. T-Mobile Park instead of Safeco Field?  ... That's going to take some getting used to.

Along the two-mile tunnel walk, posters gave us a frame of reference, letting us know where we were under the city.

They also served up a history lesson. We didn't stop to read them all. I settled for taking photos instead, so that we could read up on it later.

The sign below let us know we were had 'bottomed out,' so to speak.

Eventually, we made our way to the point where it all started, south of downtown. We had reached the  'launch pit' where huge boring machine "Bertha" got its start.

Despite there being big ol' turbines and a high tech environmental processing unit in the tunnel, we found it rather dusty during our walk. I'll definitely be keeping our windows rolled up when we drive through it in the future.

We walked and walked, and walked some more. Eventually, we could feel the air getting fresher, and we could see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Here we are coming out of the tunnel. ...

And here was the scene on the south end of the tunnel. (Those yellow tubes sticking up are part of the environmental system.)

The tunnel was scheduled to open the Monday following our event. On Saturday, workers were still putting finishing touches on the project. 

Our 'race' route had us loop through streets in the city's Sodo and Pioneer Square neighborhoods. In doing so, we saw portions of the Viaduct had already been demolished.

Rebar juts out where a highway once stood.

Eventually, we reached Seneca Street. An on-ramp there was our path to the Viaduct portion of the walk.

Walking west on Seneca, we glimpsed Seattle buildings old and new. The vintage building was sporting a scar and some steel 'stitches.'

We entered the Viaduct north of Port of Seattle operations. 

The port's huge cargo lifts loom over the kids' shoulders. The equipment looks kind of like orange brotnosaurs. 

It was cool getting to see the structure of the Viaduct up close. I've traveled the road so many times, but almost always in heavy traffic and/or at freeway speed, which doesn't allow for a lot of close looks.

Of course, we stopped to check out the city's pretty waterfront. It would have been super if it were sunny out, but we were happy that it wasn't raining, so we can't complain. (And the very next day, the skies dumped several inches of snow!)

We all remarked about how we haven't visited the waterfront in so long. The reason we've kept away is that area, too, has been under construction for a couple of years now. However, those projects are wrapping soon, and so I'm sure we'll be down there in short order.

The close look at the elevated freeway revealed the structure is, indeed, in a state of disrepair. 

In parts, the highway was crumbling. We picked up a couple of chunks for posterity.

There were some farewell messages from buildings just feet away from the Viaduct. My, how their view is about to change!

Some people had the foresight to bring chalk along. They left it near various pillars and posts. The kids took the opportunity to leave a parting message. 

Our 'parade' had an audience when we reached Pike Place Market.

Speaking of parades, as our event was winding down, activity for the city's farewell party was underway.  We saw a number of intriguing art objects, including this huge sculpture of a bird.

Looking closely at it, we suspect that it was articulated. We wish we could have seen it 'in flight.'

These colorful goats were ready for some fun.

And art cars were queuing up for one last trip down the historic highway.

Our favorite was Barbie's Dream Hearse, lol!

As we were approaching the end of our road, a patch of blue sky beckoned in the distance. 

It took us a minute to realize where we were standing was the former north AND southbound lanes, with the concrete divider removed. 

Following are CJ's reflections on the event ...

From 1953 to early 2019, the Alaskan Way Viaduct was used by countless Seattleites (as well as people travelling through Seattle) to get through part of Washington State's Route 99. Over the years, the Viaduct was determined to be susceptible to collapse from an earthquake after similar structures in other cities met that wobbly fate, thus necessitating a replacement. In 2013, "Bertha," a tunnel boring machine, began digging through the area intended for the tunnel. While it (fortunately) didn't take the 31 years I calculated to to finish digging, the digging was not without delay. Eventually, in 2017, Bertha finished digging, and the tunnel opened to the public on February 4, 2019. 

However, two days before the official opening of the tunnel, there was an 8K event, for people to walk through the tunnel, and then on the viaduct. I, along with my family, was among those who walked the 8K. 

Unfortunately, the event, with the starting point at Seattle Center, was poorly organized. We did not get to walk until over an hour after we were supposed to, while the people in the corrals in front of us also waited. Eventually, we got to go, and made our way from Seattle Center to the tunnel. The tunnel stunk (in the literal sense) for some reason, but the walk was relaxing and enjoyable. Afterwards, after a brief section in downtown, we got to walk on the Viaduct for one last time. During the walk, I left a chalk signature on one of the trusses, and we picked up some pieces of concrete as keepsakes. 

Overall, the walk make an otherwise dreary (in terms of weather, *not in terms of things we did that day*) day more enjoyable and fun. That, and we got our daily exercise.

And here's what Annabelle had to say about it all. ... 

On February 2nd, Groundhog Day, the WSDOT and their sponsors held a large-scale event to say "goodbye" to the Viaduct. The Viaduct has connected the stadiums to Downtown for years, but has been officially closed as of January 11th. The event we attended was the "Tunnel to Viaduct 8k", where participants ran or walked through the brand new SR 99 tunnel, around some of the streets in the stadium district, and up onto the now-defunct Viaduct for one last hurrah. The event started in the Seattle Center, just south of the Armory building. Sadly, the event was completely unorganized and though participants had been separated into "corrals", many people seemed to be skipping ahead and creating too much traffic for volunteers to handle. We started our walk over an hour late, supposedly due to scheduling issues.  

The walk itself wasn't bad, however. As we started through the tunnel, the runners were quickly seperated from those walking at a slower pace. There was no crowding, and what seemed to be a minimal amount of injuries (though we did see one or two people being driven back after having fallen on the pavement). The tunnel was very dusty, to the point I had to use my extra jersey as a dust mask to avoid breathing sand. 

Once we got up onto the viaduct proper, we noticed there were sticks of chalk placed near some of the supports for people to write a final message on the Viaduct. These included everything from standard "[Name] was here" tags to puns about the Viaduct. At the very end, there was a temporary placement of a metal art installation that never got attached to the Viaduct proper. We assumed that it would be placed elsewhere, but there were no volunteers or signs explaining it, so it's mostly guesswork as to what the large metal bird was for. 

All in all, the start of the event was extremely frustrating and cold. The walk itself was fine, though a bit tiring. The whole experience was significantly diminished by the wait time at the start. While the Viaduct has been closed for good, demolition is still underway. The new SR 99 Tunnel is open for a small toll, providing the same cross-city highway that its predecessor did.