Alki, Alki, Alki....

Day 1 hike: Overcast. (See the Space Needle, just
to the left of the ridge in the middle?)

"So, Ryan, where have you been hiking since getting home to Seattle," I hear you thinking.

That's a good question, and the answer is Alki, Alki, Alki. I no longer have a car readily at my disposal like I did at my mom's house, and even if I did, the nicer hiking trails are considerably further away to get to. So I've been walking Alki a lot.

The route is called the Alki Trail, and it has absolutely fantastic views of the Olympic Mountains and downtown Seattle. But you won't get your boots muddy on this trail. It's paved the entire route, and popular with those on inline skates and bicycles, tourists, and those just hanging around to pick up a tan. On nice weekends, the place can be so packed it feels claustrophobic. So I have something of a love/hate relationship with this trail. I love the views, but I hate the crowds. But it's really the easiest place for me to walk when I'm itching to get out and walk. I sometimes wait until late at night long after people have gone home, or on cold, wet winter days when people stay home.

It's a hike I've probably done hundreds of times over the years, and most of the time, it's completely uneventful, and for each of the three days I got back into Seattle, I hiked this trail. And every single time, it was pretty uneventful. But I'll share the photos I took along the way anyhow. =)

One of the more colorful houses along Alki.

An oil rig, in Elliot Bay? Not really.... That thing with the big dome on top is some sort of
oil rig, but according to news reports I read, it was re-purposed for use by the military
(thus that radar dome thing now on top), and it was sent to Seattle for maintenance for
a few months before it'll go back out to sea somewhere.

Day 2: I hiked at night. And what a beautiful night it was! However, I did forget to bring
a tripod, so none of my pictures turned out well. Even with a tripod, the ferry boat
in the front would have been blurry since it was moving, but I took a picture of the ferry
boat anyhow for two reasons: One, they're really cool, and two, they're lit up so
bright, I think they look like floating prison ships. =)

Day 3 (yesterday): Back to hiking in daylight, and this time it was one of the absolute
worst times to hike Alki. The sidewalks and beach were crowded with people--lots of
people. Much dodging between people, leashed animals, bikes, and vollyball
tournaments. And it was hot. I normally avoid this time of day for all of these reasons,
but found myself eating dinner with Amanda, her sister, and her sister's friend
at Pegasus Pizza on Alki, and since I was already down there.... I figured I may as well
talk the talk and do the walk! =)

What do you see when you look at this photo?  I see a bunch of people,
walking under a large bird, completely oblivious to the dangers of
doing so. While you can't see it in this photo, there are a lot of "splat marks"
under each of those light posts. I've never seen anyone get hit by the
birds, I'm sure it has happened. I'm also careful never to walk under these
birds. I look up and watch out for them!

The sun, reflected in the choppy waters of Elliot Bay.