August 4th, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
Karen Sykes of the Seattle P I calls Bandera Mountain one of the most popular hikes in the region.
In early July it is one of the few snow-free trails in the Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest.Karen writes about Bandera here.
The hike can lead you to Mason Lake.
Take Interstate 90 east and get off at Exit 45 (Road No. 9030). At the stop sign, turn left, go under the freeway to Forest Service Road No. 9030. Drive about a half-mile to a road junction and continue straight about three miles on Road No. 9031 to trailhead parking and facilities, elevation about 2,300 feet. Allow about an hour drive time from Seattle. A Northwest Forest Pass is required.
Some photos from Flickr to entice you: by grliepixie
August 1st, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
It could be you….. come back next week. I want a home in Snoqualmie Pass, I know you do too.
Tags: free+home
August 1st, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
They can help you, so be sure and come by and check them out by following this link to the Snoqualmie Pass Traffic Cams. See what I mean?
Oh, its 9:20PM, big help eh?
On many of our blogs our real estate agents post links to the local DOT cameras in the right side bar. http://IssaquahUndressed.com/ as an example.
June 26th, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
Karen Sykes writes special to the Seattle P I. As I said, it’s summertime and the hiking is popular at Snoqualmie Pass.
from Karen’s article: Four of us squeezed into Bob’s car and headed over Snoqualmie Pass in November-like weather. It felt like winter when we stopped at the Cle Elum ranger station for an update on the Jungle Creek Road….
…….there is hope for hikers tired of the snow. Most of the snow should be gone within a couple of weeks of good weather, at least in the Teanaway. Then experienced hikers with route-finding skills can study the map for loops, obscure summits and one-way hikes with a car shuttle; there are options aplenty.
click here for the P I website and the article on “Hiking In The Teanway With Summer Weather”.
Getting there — From Seattle drive east on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass to Exit 85, east of Cle Elum. Cross over the freeway overpass and turn right onto state Route 970 (north). Continue about five miles and turn left onto Teanaway River Road and continue until the pavement ends (about 13 miles) at 29 Pines Campground. Turn left just beyond the campground on Road 9701 (Jungle Creek Road) and continue to the Way Creek trailhead at 3,600 feet (no facilities). If the slump before the Jungle Creek trailhead concerns you, park beside the road and continue on foot to the trailhead. From the slump it is about a half-mile to the Jungle Creek trailhead (3,000 feet) and 2 miles to the Way Creek trailhead at 3,600 feet (there is 600 feet of elevation gain between the trailheads).
June 25th, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
With only a few days to go this month 1 home has closed. The home was a Chalet Architecture, 3 bedroom and 2 bath. The listing price was $515,000 and it sold for $450,000. The home had been listed for sale in the MLS for a combined 561 days. It was on Guye Peak ln, built in 2000. It has 1977 square feet.
It was the typical Snoqualmie Pass structure with 2 levels above the Garage and entry area. It had great mountain views as it sat high on the street.
It was in walking distance to skiing or hiking the mountain.
Currently there are no homes in pending or contingent sold status.
There are 21 homes listed for sale and 5 condominiums. The two most expensive are listed at $2,100,000 and $1,620,000.
The lower priced of the two is 5167 square feet 5 bedroom 6 baths. The listing agent describes it as artfully designed and built green by an outstanding builder. It was built in 2005. An elegant custom home.
Take these two out of the mix and the average price is $631,372. The low price is $345,000. It has only been on the market 8 days.
homes+sold, homes+for+sale, snoqualmie+pass, realtor
June 25th, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
How about scenery? Sure. How about a 100 mile race? Sure. You name it, you got it.
How about a 100 mile relay race? Sure. Snoqualmie pass has it all.
About 15 athletes from Sammamish are scheduled to compete Sunday morning in one of the fastest-growing athletic events in Washington.
The Mountains to Sound Relay is a 3-year-old race that combines biking, running and rowing into a 100-mile jaunt. The event is part of the annual Greenway Days festival. Learn more by clicking to the Sammamish Review.
It will begin at Snoqualmie Pass at 8 a.m. June 25th and end at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle later that day.
From Snoqualmie Pass, the mountain bikes go to Rattlesnake Lake.
From there, road bikes travel through North Bend and Fall City, just north of Sammamish, through Marymoor Park and finally to Redmond.
The rowing portion begins with a paddle through Sammamish Slough, before the marathon gets the hand-off in Kenmore.
The final six miles are from Gas Works Park in Seattle to Golden Gardens Park. The winners typically finish the race in about six hours.
photo courtesy of Flickr and p1ggyw1g.
June 24th, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
Renewable Energy Center
25901 Vantage Highway
Ellensburg, WA 98926
509.964.7810
The Wild Horse Wind Farm provides approximately 230 megawatts (MW) of affordable, pollution-free electricity to the Northwest, which is equal to the annual energy requirements of 69,000 homes.
The turbines are placed on the high open ridge tops of Whiskey Dick Mountain, which was chosen for its energetic wind resource, remote location, and access to nearby power transmission lines. The towers are 221 feet tall, and the diameter of each rotor is 264 feet, larger than the wingspan of a Boeing 747. The turbines can begin producing electricity with wind speeds as low as 9 mph and reach full production at 31 mph. They shut down at sustained wind speeds of 56 mph.
The Wind farm is located 15 miles west of Ellensburg, WA.
Here is a cool Flickr Slide Show on the Wild Horse Wind Farm
and another by Steve Bisig
Some Questions and answers from the Puget Sound Energy Site:
How many wind turbines will be built?
Wild Horse will consist of approximately 130 wind turbines. The final number of turbines and
rated output will be finalized during the public permitting process.
How big are the wind turbines?
The wind turbines will be approximately 350 feet tall from base to tip.
How much land will be impacted by the Wild Horse Project?
The project’s footprint is approximately 165 acres spread across the 8,600-acre site.
You can visit the wind farm as part of the Greeway Days Challenge. Do it.
Tags: wild+horse, wind+farms, ellensburg
June 24th, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
The mountains to Sound Greenway is a 1.4 million acre scenic recreation corridor along I-90 between Seattle and Central Washington.
This weekend, June 28 and 29 they celebrate Greeway Days. Take the Greenway Challenge: visit 5 or 10 Challenge sites. Take photo proof of your visit. Submit your photos for a chance to win great prizes:
The prize list.
(Visit 5 Sites)
- K2 Snowboard with Bindings
- Roslyn Wagon Ride for up to 12 people
- $300 ExOfficio Adventure Travel Clothing Voucher for use at REI - donated by ExOfficio
- Family Hicking Package valued at $200 from REI
- One Night Stay plus Breakfast at the historic Iron Horse Bed and Breakfast
- 4 Seattle Storm Tickets from the Seattle Storm
- 2 Mariners Tickets from HomeStreet Bank
- 2 pairs of K2 In-Line Skates
- 10 Mid-Week Day Passes from The Summit at Snoqualmie
Greenway Challenge Prizes
(Visit 10 Sites)
- K2 Skis with Bindings
- Adventure Travel Package - $300 ExOfficio Adventure Travel Clothing Voucher for use at REI plus a piece of REI Travel Luggage
- Westcomb iMirage Jacket from eVent Waterproof Fabrics
- 1 BIG S Unlimited Season Pass from The Summit at Snoqualmie
- Group Climbing Event at the REI Pinnacle Climbing Wall for up to 15 people
- One Night Stay in a Tree House at TreeHouse Point
- 2 Mariners Tickets from HomeStreet Bank
- Tour the Hydro-Facility at Snoqualmie Falls from PSE
- 3 pairs of K2 In-Line Skates
Click here for the Greenway site for more information.
and click here for information on how to register for the Greeway Challenge.
Previous article on Greenway
June 24th, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
Across America, many interstate highways are the province of strip malls, billboards and spreading urban development. But people in the Pacific Northwest wanted a different future for the road over Snoqualmie Pass.
In 1990, local citizens created a plan for the Mountains to Sound Greenway to keep an accessible landscape of forests, wildlife habitat and open spaces as breathing room for people, and a place of incomparable beauty, history and outdoor recreation for their children and grandchildren.
Today, the Greenway stretches along 100 miles of Interstate 90 in Washington State from the waterfront in Seattle to the edge of desert grasslands in Central Washington. Click here for the complete website information.And Click here for an article from the Seattle P I Blog reminding us of the Greenway Days festival this weekend where there are 25 hikes, bike rides, a cowboy rendezvous, car show, historic tours, and many other events in over 10 communities.
Tags: greenway, days, snoqualmie, pass
June 24th, 2008
Posted by Larry Cragun
So are you on the fence on getting out of town today? How is the traffic in Snoqualmie Pass? OK, I will save you the trouble of going to the conditions and weather report. I will bring you the morning views from the traffic web cams.
Just be assured, now is the time to head to the hills.
Conditions & Weather: updated: 7:20 AM, Jun 24, 2008
This is the most current info available and is promptly updated when conditions change. So check the web site and web cams just before you leave. Trust me, the weather is great.
Eastbound, one half mile west of the summit and westbound, one and a half miles west of the summit, motorists should expect one lane closed for rock slope stabilization.
Pretty great views and scenery wouldn’t you say?
