Fish, Boats and Water

The theme for today:  Fish, Boats and Water.  Grandpa has been wanting to have some good fish and chips so today we drove over to Alki Point and ate at Spuds.  They have some of the best fried fish in the area.  They don't skimp on the cod and it isn't dripping with grease like some.  After lunch we hung out on the beach and listened to the water lap up on the shore.  It was really relaxing and it made me sleepy.  We had fun watching boats go in and out of the sound.  We also watched people put kayaks in the water and paddle around.  

It was a pretty and sunny day.  We were able to see Mount Rainier as we drove over the West Seattle bridge back towards Seattle.  It was still a little hazy, but this was the first view of the mountain that we have had since they have been here.  

Our next stop was the Ballard Locks also known as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks.  This is where boats can move between the salt water of Puget Sound and the fresh water of Lake Washington.  The locks also have a fish ladder where salmon come to spawn.  We arrived at the viewing room just in time to hear the park ranger give a talk on the Coho Salmon that are spawning this time of year.  We saw some big 30 pound fish swimming against the current in the viewing windows and we saw little salmon (called smolt) being pushed back out of the ladders so they can live to grow big and return again in a few years.  

The last thing we did before we left was watch boats come into the locks and travel from the sound to the lake.  The boats drive into the locks, the gates close and water floods into the locks.  This makes the boats rise to the level of the lake.  Then the gate on the lake side of the locks opens and the boats drive away.  Given the size of the locks and the amount of water that goes in and out, this all happens surprisingly quick.  It was another fun day playing tourist with Grandma and Grandpa.