After a two and a half hour flight from Denver, I arrived in Seattle at about 11 am. I hurried to the rental counter to get my car and, because Trey wouldn't be in for another three hours, decided to head up to Snoqualmie Pass and Hyak Lodge to go ahead and check in. I always have nervous energy when I first arrive in a city that I have never been to before, and the first few minutes of the drive into my uncharted territory keeps my mind working and my senses at full throttle. I found my way to I90, and easy fifteen minutes from SeaTac, and was headed East toward the Mountains and the rest of the country.

It was a beautiful drive through the winding valleys along I90 up to Hyak. I was absolutely amazed at how lush, and thick the forests were. Much different than the drier and shorter forests in Colorado that I am used to.

Only an hour from Seattle is Hyak Lodge, just over the crest of Snoqualmie Pass. It is in a great setting, and a perfect place to lay your head. If you do go, don't expect anything spectacular. This is a small, European-style lodge, with common showers, and a central meeting area for the guests. However, myself and Trey were the only ones in the entire place while we were there. This is a great place to sleep, and served as a perfect location for us...right in the middle of the state. It was only an hour and a half from the Gorge, and an hour from Seattle...great spot.

I took my time on the way back to Seattle, driving through some smaller towns and getting off of the interstate for a bit. I timed it just about right, and met Trey just as he got to Baggage Claim. We hopped into the Camry and headed for downtown, to the E.M.P. (Experience Music Project).

This is located right at the base of the Space Needle, in downtown. It was really interesting to see the ports along the banks of the Sound in Seattle. I had seen this around Houston before, but never very close. It was pretty impressive.

So...we made to the EMP and after shelling out $20, we were in. But that place is amazing. So much to look at, and so many different kinds of American music are represented. It was originally developed as a museum to house Jimi Hendrix memorabilia but turned into much more. Some highlights from the EMP were the giant guitar tower, and original, hand writen, lyric sheets from Jimi Hendrix, and Nirvana...just to name two. They actually had on display the original written lyrics for Vodoo Child which Jimi wrote on a piece of notebook paper. That is pretty neat to see.

We tried our drum playing skills out, rapped to Funk Master Flex, and enjoyed some more of the museum before we got a little hungry. We really didn't want to spend all of our time in the city so we decided to head out to the ocean. Trey had never seen the Pacific, and I only saw it when I was very young and can't remember anything about it. Our hunger subsided and our quest for the ocean took over as we headed out of town.

Just a few miles North of Olympia, our belly began calling out for a meal. We opted for the healthy way out and each ordered a Sourdough Jack, "with extra fat please." But it was so good, and quieted our growling guts long enough to make it to the shoreline.

Once we got to the water, we had some time to kill before sunset, so we tried out our Japanese hunting skills. Nothing was killed, except for some time, and the only harm that was done was to the floorboards of the Camry. A quick shake of the mats, and the problem was solved.

The sunset was unreal. Plus, it had been so long before I had been to any ocean, so it was a feast for the senses on both counts. After watching the sun dip beneath the horizon, we started the three hour drive back to the lodge. We did get distracted, however, and tried our luck at a casino. We both lost a little bit, but had fun doing it, so we didn't mind. Back on the road, we listened to a little bit of music, tried not to fall asleep (which we were successful), and before too long we were back at Hyak, excited about the upcoming shows!

Day 2