Seattle (Part 4)
Sunday 03/12/17
Sunday's plan was quite simple and it was to milk every last second we could before flying out of Washington at 9:30 PM. By the late morning, we packed all our bags, checked out of the house we were staying in, and started the drive out to Snoqualmie Falls. But what's a good day in the great PNW without a cup of coffee? So before we actually started the drive to the falls, we stopped at Slate's Coffee Roasters to get our fix. Except for me, I got hot chocolate instead. Don't judge me.
The drive to the falls from Slate's was about a half-hour long and getting to the actual falls was more of a stroll than a hike. Honestly though, as much as I love hiking, I was completely fine with not doing anything crazy because of the 8-mile snow hike from the day before. With all the rain that was falling in Washington, the falls were roaring louder than I imagined. Most of the pictures that I saw of the waterfall weren't too crazy, but going there was a completely different story. We stayed at the viewpoint for a while before driving down a little more to go see the base of the falls. I was told that there was a way to actually go to the bottom of the waterfall, but I decided not to hop any fences this time around. Wasn't much a view from the lower viewpoint, so I'll throw a photo below of what it looked like from the top. Also, for some reason, the falls reminded me a lot of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park, but I digress.
After visiting Snoqualmie, the five of us began our drive to our last destination at Rattlesnake Lake. Along the way, we realized that the only food we had in our system was a few cups of coffee. So, we stopped by a small diner about 10 minutes out from the lake and ordered food before continuing our drive. I forget the name of the place, but the food was alright and I just enjoyed one of the last meals we were having in Washington. The cool thing about the diner though was the golf course right behind it. The course had incredible views of the surrounding mountains which were glazed over by low-hanging clouds. I remember saying I would retire somewhere close to that area if I lived in Washington.
Before long, we finally arrived at Rattlesnake Lake in King County. Having only seen this place in photos until then, it was really cool finally being able to see it in person. It was a quiet and peaceful afternoon out on Rattlesnake. A local told us that the lake gets extremely busy during the summer time so it was nice to have some serenity. We spent the next few hours exploring the area, skipping rocks, playing games, and walking around the lake. There was a tree stump protruding out from the surface of the water that I decided to walk to. I didn't realize how cold the water was, but it was well worth the pain and numb toes. I stood there for a good while admiring what was my last scenic view of the Pacific Northwest before heading back down to Los Angeles. For me, spending the afternoon here with my friends was probably the best way to end our 4 day trip to the Pacific Northwest.
We wrapped up our time in Rattlesnake Lake and headed back to the city by around 6:30 PM. The five of us made plans to visit the REI headquarters and also meet with one of our friends for coffee. First of all, if you know me, you'll know that REI is my favorite store ever. It's one of those places that I feel like I need to walk out with at least one thing whenever I go, but I didn't this time around. The headquarters had an indoor communal fireplace, two stories, indoor rock climbing, outdoor fitness track, outdoor waterfall, and every possible outdoor brand you could possibly think of. In three words, it was perfect. But with time dwindling before our flight, we left the store and met with our friend who actually moved to Seattle last year. The talks were great and, in short, it left me thinking whether or not I would ever move out of Los Angeles. But that's a talk for another day.
Ultimately, our time in Washington ended with that meet with our friend. What followed after was the return of our rental car and making our way to the airport to board our flight home. Funny thing is, we were running late and ended up having our names called over the intercom. It was the first time anything like that happened to us, but at least this trip was memorable from start to finish! With that said, I'm going to end this last blog of Washington with a few very short words. They're more of a reminder to myself, but maybe it'll speak to you in one way or another.
1) Enjoy life because all that's really guaranteed is right now.
2) Take risks (smartly) because mediocrity isn't really fun and usually doesn't end well.
3) Love others because there's not enough of it. Really, there isn't.
4) Be passionate because passion breeds motivation.
5) Aspire to inspire because life is so much bigger than just you and me.
Stay stoked and have a great day! Thanks for reading!