Ballard Locks

Because of a corrupted SD Card, I only have pictures of Ballard Locks. These pictures capture Barney, Wendy, and myself exploring the docks. Without an expert on hand we struggled to understand the complex of locks and the rising and lowering of water and ships. In truth, the system is identical to the Mira Flores locks in Panama, only in miniature. Doors open and enclose a ship. The water lowers or rises, and the ship exits. These locks were built simultaneously with those in Panama. The first ship to traverse the locks were in 1916, just two years after the Panama Canal was completed.

Then there came a flawlessly dressed man in a dark suit. He kept a watchful eye on ship operations while talking into a cell phone. The curiosity got the best of Barney and he started chatting with the gentleman. Turns out that his son is a hand on board one of the ships passing through the locks. I talked to the mother. The ship will be out for several months until it makes its quota of tuna. A film crew is also on board and we'll be able to watch the adventure on Deadliest Catch. That explains the woman being interviewed in front of a film camera. She's the girlfriend of the captain of the ship.

We’ve had a long run of good weather up here. The memory is fading. It’s looking a lot like fall in the northwest. We’ve had days of rain and satellite images reveal a mass of cloud stretching out far across the Pacific Ocean. The size of the cloud form is staggering. As it comes over head you can see breaks and visibility underneath it is clear to the horizon. An occasional rain has come down both soft and hard.

About a week ago we had two days of steady light rain. The days we went sightseeing were mostly clear. Our first full day out started with a visit to Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Here, fish, produce, flowers, and many other things are sold. Gum is stuck to walls and street musicians entertain. Wander its corridors and discover countless small shops. There’s also views of the port area and a park. We bought cheese, bread, and ordered coffee at the first Starbucks.

From there we crossed the bridge to West Seattle and Alki Beach and looked back upon Seattle’s broad skyline. Alki Beach was deserted as was most of West Seattle. When locals talk of going to the beach, they probably mean Alki. It turned out to be several hundred yards of white sand with driftwood benches and fire pits. Waves roll in but are very small. What may be a bustling surf community in the summer is a quiet place in the fall.


By the way, the locks are part of a canal that links Lake Washington with the Puget Sound. A draw bridge can also be seen in the background. A few days later I was back in this area and watched trains travel across the bridge in both directions. The Ballard Locks are one of the most visited places in Seattle. Compared to Mira Flores, its quaint and you can walk around both locks while they're in full operation. Our job is to stay out of the way. You can walk over the doors when they close. An alarm sounds when they are about to open. I found out that you can cross over to the other side by walking on the locks and continuing to the fish ladder that allows salmon to spawn up stream.