But you did not come to this blog to read the Swift County Police Log.\u00a0 You came to experience a wonderful trip to Seattle, so let\u2019s go through at least part of Monday before we wear out.<\/p>\n
Monday<\/span><\/p>\n Monday morning, Will mentioned a couple of times how we just had the Ballard Locks to see today so it would be a shorter day and maybe we wanted to add another Seattle tourist site to the day\u2019s agenda.\u00a0 He did not need to concern himself on that score.<\/p>\n The day started with breakfast at the Voorhees\u2019 home; gluten free pancakes with blueberries, bacon, and boiled eggs.\u00a0 The pancakes were delicious.\u00a0 One would certainly never know they were gluten free or any different from other pancakes we\u2019ve eaten.\u00a0 We also had frothed milk in our French pressed coffee!<\/p>\n We got on the bus for Ballard, about 2-3 miles northwest of Fremont.\u00a0 We got off the bus and walked a ways to the locks, but got to see some of the Ballard streets and shops.\u00a0 The bike path goes all the way up to Ballard too. \u00a0This day was the only day of our visit that it showered and drizzled all day.\u00a0 I can\u2019t even say \u201crained\u201d because there was never a good raining like in MN \u2013no thunder or lightening.\u00a0 Occasionally the drizzle would turn to showering for a few minutes.<\/p>\n Actually it is the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..& GARDENS!\u00a0 Did someone say \u201cgardens\u201d?<\/p>\n The trees, flowers, and plants were absolutely magnificent!\u00a0 I saw plants and flowers we have in MN, but the iris blossoms were so big and vibrantly colored.\u00a0 The leaves on the ivy vines were so much larger than what I\u2019ve seen in MN.\u00a0 I do not know if the cooler, damp Seattle weather or better seed stock or using fertilizer or what accounts for that.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Will and Eldon investigating a plant.<\/p>\n Look at the size of those leaves and the leaves seemed to be WATERPROOF!\u00a0 The rain droplets just beaded up on the leaves.\u00a0 The droplets rolled to the center of the leaf, on down the stem, and into the ground to the roots.<\/p>\n Joni and Will took a closer look at these flowering trees.<\/p>\n Each of those blossoms is made up of about 10 clusters of flowers.\u00a0 Each cluster had five petals.\u00a0 In each of the clusters, four petals were exactly the same, but the fifth petal was the same color with something different on it.\u00a0 The red ones the kids are looking at had four red petals and one red petal with five red dots on it.\u00a0 The white flowering trees had clusters of four all white petals and one white petal with a yellow stripe down the middle.\u00a0 Each and every time!\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it amazing the awesome things nature does??<\/p>\n We walked on down to the locks.\u00a0 They were just collecting some big boats into a lock to lower them down.<\/p>\n They got the boats in and tied up.\u00a0 Once they started opening the doors, the water would churn and rush out of the lock.\u00a0 The birds, in their attempt to pick up yummy fish, do not know that they can be easily swept up by the force of the water and drowned.\u00a0 So the lock people started spraying water from both sides in front of the closed lock doors to scare away the birds.\u00a0 There were about 4-12\u2019 lengths of 3\u201d galvanized pipe attached together on each side of the closed lock doors.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The pipe had holes down the sides that provided the water spray.\u00a0 They opened the lock doors, the water went rushing out, and the doors were almost completely open back to the walls.<\/p>\n Then it happened!\u00a0 The accident!\u00a0 Two lengths of the pipe fell off the wall and down in between the opening door and the wall.\u00a0 Naturally, the door could not open completely against the wall.\u00a0 Well people, it was just like Pam and the ambulance.\u00a0 The accident happens and those with emergency preparedness training spring into action without standing around asking, \u201cWhat do you think we should do now?\u201d\u00a0 The next thing I saw was William high-stepping it back across the metal catwalk to the other side of the lock.\u00a0 He got the attention of one of the guys directing the ships.\u00a0 Will explained the situation to which the workguy responded, \u201cOh crap!\u201d\u00a0 The workguy went over there, got on the radio and summoned 2-3 other guys over.\u00a0\u00a0 After some discussion, one of the guys got down between the door and wall and managed to snag one length of pipe with a rope.\u00a0 They pulled that one out of there.\u00a0 Pretty soon a DNR Park ranger arrived.\u00a0 We could tell who he was by his hat and hunter green uniform.\u00a0 No doubt, he had the primary responsibility for the wellbeing of the birds.<\/p>\n Had I not been so stunned by the matter, I would have stepped over with a few words of caution like, \u201cWill you guys please be careful!\u201d\u00a0 But not to worry.\u00a0\u00a0 Each and every workman is in harness with a rope attached.\u00a0 The other end of the rope is attached with a metal hook to a strong metal railing that runs the length of the locks.\u00a0 They can walk back and forth along the lock in their attached harnesses.\u00a0 This is the safety procedure so, if a guy falls off the ledge, he will only smash himself against the wall.\u00a0 His body will be easy to find.\u00a0 It will be at the end of the rope.\u00a0 At least his body would not be dragged into the rushing currents, swept downstream out into the ocean, and eaten by a pack of CA sea lions.<\/p>\n I thought it was just unfortunate that we did not have our Joe of Conroy Well Drilling along.\u00a0 He certainly has had lots of experience getting dropped pipes out of a hole and he would not need 4 other guys \u201chelping\u201d.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t our brother, John, or our dad invent a tool specifically designed to snag dropped pipe or pumps?\u00a0 Other well drillers always came over to borrow that thing.\u00a0 Why hasn\u2019t John sold that idea to the DNR and lock people all over the world?\u00a0 Then he could go down in history right alongside that trucker with the standardized container idea.\u00a0 Of course, our John and his antics will go down in history anyway, but it would be nice to have him down in history for something good.<\/p>\n We did not wait around to see how they were going to solve the problem.\u00a0 I think some of the workpeople were going back to tell the big ships to get out of the lock, since the door was open far enough for them to get out.\u00a0 And they were starting to line up boats in the other lock to lift them up.\u00a0 I wish I had taken more pictures of the commotion.<\/p>\n Someone had the bright idea that we should go over to view the fish ladder.\u00a0 Oh, there was nothing wrong with the idea, but they failed to mention that it involved walking across the open catwalk about 3\u2019 in front of the raging dam. The other three acted like this was perfectly normal.\u00a0 They stopped in the middle to look at the special round things put up in the Spring to help the little salmon fingerlings survive and not get eaten by birds.\u00a0 They stopped off and on to hang over the edge and look straight down.\u00a0 I, on the other hand, made a beeline directly down the center of the catwalk telling myself, \u201cput one foot forward, put the other foot forward, put the other foot forward\u201d until I hit the cement on the other side.\u00a0\u00a0 I must say it was well worth it though.<\/p>\n We went into a building that had windows so we could see under the dam.\u00a0 We saw the fish making their way up the \u201cladder\u201d.\u00a0 I saw two big fish and lots of little fish like minnows.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if they were salmon, but I think the salmon run was just beginning. The ladder is really a cement stairway designed to help the fish swim upstream against the current to spawn.<\/p>\n We made our way back over the catwalk, walked along the lock and over to the visitor\u2019s center.\u00a0 As we walked along, we saw these two trying to hold a tree limb up.<\/p>\n![\"01\"](\"http:\/\/www.maryjoandwill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/013.png\")
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