The path of jets into SeaTac from the north takes them right over Boeing Field. Sometimes, when you are watching something on one path, something going into the other field gets in your field of view. Either that or a British Airways Boeing 747-400 decided to sneak up on a Cessna. Knowing some guys who fly for them, I wouldn’t rule it out.
As the locks at Ballard transfer the water, they manage to catch a lot of salmon at the same time. It was very common while we were there to see the salmon leap out of the water. Some would leap out and crash back into the water on their sides while others would leap upright and nose back in to the water like a dolphin. Catching this on the camera was a touch trickier. I have a lot of shots of splashes as the salmon has just reentered the water. I did get some on video though so you know I am not totally making this up!
Two small boats came through the locks while we were there. One was just over 50m in length while the other was much smaller and just under 50m in length. Both of these boats looked like they might be quite comfortable. They were also both flagged in the Caribbean. A quick Google search on each showed that they were available for charter. Both seemed to have plenty of people on board but they looked like they might have been the crew rather than the guests as they seemed all business as they handled these tiny boats through the lock. If I decide to get a boat at some point, I might be tempted by either of these. I do prefer one over the other but I suppose I could make do with the less preferable one if the price were right.
The houseboats aren’t the only thing along the shore of Lake Union. It is still definitely a working waterway and this is reflected by the yards along the edge of the lake servicing the boats. Floating dry docks and regular moorings are filled with boats of all sorts. Some look like they are retired from their original role while others seem to be in for maintenance before heading back into use. I’m not sure how busy the yards are compared to their peak and whether the neighbors are trying to ease them out but they do seem to be needed based on the number of them and the number of boats!
Seattle is certainly a hilly city. This does mean you can find yourself in locations with a pretty cool view of other parts of the city including the lakes. I was up above Lake Union and got a great view of some of the lakeside features on the opposite shore. Houseboats are arrayed along the shoreline and, unlike some houseboats I remember from my childhood, these look rather nice. They are still a compact space but they look in good shape and they clearly have quite a nice view out of the front door. I wonder what they are like to live in. Do they get very damp or are they not a problem to control I wonder? Anyone know anybody who lives in one?
Hiram M Chittenden was not only the man in charge of creating the Ballard Locks, he also was ahead of his time in understanding some of the ecological impact of what he was doing. The importance of the fish to the region and the disruption that the salmon would experience led him to the creation of a fish ladder. There is still one there now although it appears to be of slightly more modern construction.
There are ramps alongside parts of the ladder so you can look down and see the fish as they work their way up the steps. You can also look down and see a lot of them swimming around in the approach to the ladder itself. Meanwhile, there is a viewing gallery that has windows into the side of part of the ladder where you can watch the fish either resting in the quieter flows or forcing their way up to the next level. There were signs telling us which types of fish there might be but I have to admit they all looked alike to me.
The subject of this post ended up getting some coverage but, when I saw it, I didn’t know about the interest surrounding it. I was at BFI awaiting the departure of another aircraft when a turboprop took off over me. I had the camera to hand so grabbed some shots of what I realized was an Airbus CN235. Painted in a dark gray scheme, it looked a little odd. A closer look at the shots showed it had a few lumps and bumps suggestive of an array of antennae. I figured it was just passing through en route to somewhere more interesting.
However, that wasn’t the case. It had been spotted flying some patterns over the city. I had seen some odd flight paths on Flightaware being flown by a plane called Spud21. I loved the name! it was flying orbits over the city but I couldn’t see anything else about it. However, when I saw the plane crop up in the media, the article identified that it was the owner of the Spud21 callsign.
I don’t know what the purpose of the flights was. It is suggested that the aircraft is owned by the US military but whether it is for their use or is in support of an overseas operator, whether these flights were for testing purposes or were checking out the residents I don’t know. I do know that it was something a little out of the ordinary though.
I learned something new about boat traffic while at the locks in Ballard. There is a clear rule structure about which types of boats get precedence when traversing the locks. Priority goes to government boats and emergency services. Then scheduled commercial boats followed by unscheduled commercial boats before you start to get to the pleasure craft that make up a big chunk of the traffic. One of the boats had tried to enter the lock and they got a loud verbal warning that they had jumped the traffic lights and that a commercial craft was going ahead of them.
After hearing this, I chatted with one of the lock staff and he explained the way in which things are prioritized. The boat that first demonstrated this was a fishing vessel that went through the smaller lock and was a pretty snug fit (although the crew didn’t seem to even pause when running it in to the lock). The other commercial vessel that came in was substantially larger. It was directed to the main lock while the smaller traffic continued to use the smaller one. Seeing such large vessels come through and the change in perspective from when they were below you as they entered to being so much higher when they left was quite impressive.
The F-22 Raptor that displayed at Seafair took off from Boeing Field away from us. It kept things nice and low building up speed before pulling hard to the vertical. Impressive but a long way away from us. Unfortunately, the pilot then elected to land on the opposite runway. All of this was away from us. The only upside was that, when he ran in to break, he ended up breaking right over the top of us. A brief window to get some shots and rather close in for the longer lens I was using but, all things considered, it was a good consolation prize.
A few kayakers were out while we were in Ballard. One group appeared to be either a club or a training course. Most of them were in identical looking kayaks while they seemed to be escorted by a pair of kayakers in more professional looking rigs. They did not go into the lock but came to check it out before heading back in the opposite direction.
Another pair came from the direction of Lake Union and were heading towards Puget Sound. They did take a ride through the lock. Since they did not have ropes to tie off during the lowering of the water, they hung on to one of the other boats as the water level was lowered before paddling out of the lock and on their way. I imagine being at the bottom of the lock in a kayak is quite intimidating but they seemed like seasoned users.