Tag Archives: abandoned

Cross Kirkland Connector

I was out on the bike doing a short trip to Bellevue to a) get some miles in and b) buy some new cycling gloves.  On the way back, I decided to take a different route and try out the Cross Kirkland Connector.  This is a bike and walking trail across Kirkland that uses an old rail route.  This is part of a network of trails which, when finished will take you from the Skagit county line, through Snohomish, down to Woodinville, on to Kirkland and then via Bellevue to Renton.  It will be a while before it is all open, though.

I have ridden on the connector once when we lived in Juanita.  It isn’t paved so is a little dusty but it is a good surface in the most part.  There is construction underway at one end where a bridge will soon take the trail across a larger road.  It feels remarkably secluded given that it is through some densely populated areas.  One part of the trail has what seems to be a railway halt.  There is a shelter and some old track and signals to show the heritage of what the line once was.  The right of way would be ideal for reintroducing passenger service but I think the objections to that would be strenuous from the trail’s users, even if tracks and trails could coexist.  I doubt it will happen in my lifetime!

Abandoned Weyerhaeuser Headquarters

When we visited the Pacific Bonsai Museum, the parking lot was by a large office building that seemed pretty strange.  It was settled in a valley between two ridges with multiple levels with much greenery attached.  I was curious about it when we arrived and decided to look further when we came back.  It appeared that you could almost see through the building on some levels.  When we got closer, it was clear that the building wasn’t in use – at least on the level we were.

When we got home, Nancy did a little more research on it.  It used to be the headquarters of the Weyerhaeuser company.  It was considered quite a cutting edge place when it was built but the company has moved downtown and I am not sure whether anyone is using it now.  It does appear to be maintained and there are security patrols but not much seems to be going on.  We debated whether it would be a nice place to work or a bit far from stuff and isolated.