I don't know about you, but I'm a fan of dam overlooks. They're a nice way to safely view a marvel…read moreof civil and structural engineering, but from a safe distance. And this dam overlook is no exception. With sweeping views up and down the Columbia River, a trail, interpretive signage, a display of ancient hieroglyphs and even a ginormous dam turbine there is literally something for every dam visitor. With plenty of dam parking, a large dam restroom facility and several lovely places for a dam picnic the Wells overlook is more than just an interesting dam stop - it doubles as a rest area and a place to stretch the ol' legs while driving through the Okanagan.

Wells Dam is an impressive presence in Douglas County in Washington and tourists as well as locals…read moreuse the Wells Reservoir for fishing, hiking, boating and camping. This review is for the recreation area just off SR 20 as I desperately needed a place to use the bathroom after a very long drive. The Wells Dam serves a source of hydroelectric energy and can pass a flood of over 8,800,000 gallons of water per second! It is also an important project that ensures the safe passage of migrating Salmon and Steelhead through the dams and has a fish ladder that allows them to get to the other side. It also allows scientists to catch some for studying (and maybe eating as well). The Wells Dam project also dedicates its time to hatching/breeding a variety of fish such as land-locked Chinook, White Sturgeon, Trout and Kokanee. It was deserted when we got there on a weekday around noon and there was a nice parking lot, a clean bathroom (hooray!), donated doggie bags for scooping your dog's poop, an impressive view of the dam and the surroundings and lots of signage. A lot of money and thought went into this rest stop for tourists and/or locals frequenting the area. It would be a nice place for a picnic under their pavilions for a quick lunch, a bathroom break in clean non-porta potty toilet, a photo op and a bit of history to help fill your afternoon with memories.

Berlin Wall Marker [Seattle WA]…read more Headed down Troll Avenue and right around the corner from the Fremont Troll is a chunk of concrete... but not just a chunk of concrete but a piece of history. Located under the Aurora Bridge (aka WA-99) and next to Cafe Turko is a priceless narrow piece of wall from the Berlin Wall. There is an inscription next to the slab of wall. It was placed there to commemorate the role of Boeing/Seattle in the 1948 Berlin Airlift... but wait, wasn't the Berlin Wall built in 1961? The piece arrived in Fremont in 2001. Review #3619

Went to see the Troll under the bridge and walked down toward the water and discovered this piece…read moreof history before I got to the water. It is the largest piece of the wall I have seen.

My son and daughter-in-law had a beautiful wedding at this place. From all that I heard and saw…read morethey were very accommodating and the place was as beautiful. The other parties who were hired for flowers, catering, and music all thought that the place was first rate. It was a memorable and beautiful time.

Unique venue with parking adjacent to the actual venue building (as a woman, definitely would NOT…read morefeel safe walking alone at night from the venue to the parking garage). The interior is high ceilings within open rafters (cedar, I think) reminded me of the inside of a large ski lodge. The coolest part is downstairs - - the classic car collection is very cool. We enjoyed taking pictures standing in front of all the cars. Attended a wedding and reception here. We enjoyed the upstairs and downstairs, but unfortunately it's not ADA friendly, so none of the elderly guests were able to go downstairs where are the classic cars are displayed. Beautiful hardwood floors were great for the dance floor and the reception/dinner. The catering was not good :( but possibly they use an outside vendor(s) for the food?

Prior to being the 9/11 Spirit of America Memorial, this site was dedicated to war Veterans from…read moreCashmere. Now their memorial section is pushed off to the side and the vast majority of the memorial is dedicated to the terrorist attacks that occurred on the 11th of September 2001 in the United States of America. Considering the war veterans from Cashmere include veterans from wars such as World War I and World War II, to me the memorial came across as pushing the 11th of September attacks as more significant than either world war. Does Al Qaeda really transcend World War I and World War II in importance? Does the Taliban? I would have appreciated more memorial space for the veterans with ties to Cashmere. One thing this memorial did not address was the discrimination Muslims experienced following the attacks, this was completely omitted from the memorial. For full transparency I describe my religion as the following: if one were to assign my daily activities as of recent to certain religions, one might describe my religion as proportionally two parts Roman Catholic and one part Islamic. My best friend in middle school (2004-2006 time span) was a Muslim, her parents were Muslims and my parents were Christians. So for me, the terrorist attacks led to social tensions based on religion, both with this friend and others, because of how our families interacted following the attacks. I guess this is a long-winded way of saying this memorial seemed a bit one-sided in its coverage of the 11th of September terrorist attacks and their lasting societal effects. I decided to visit this memorial in part because of my experience the day of and the days following the attacks. One of my friends in elementary school (I was 9 years old when the 11th of September attacks happened) had family in the vicinity of the attack sites on 11 September 2001. Earlier in the year I had experienced terror when the Nisqually Earthquake hit Seattle in February 2001 (I was 8 years old then) and a building collapsed and my mom, my sister, and I were unsure if my dad had died, be it from the collapse or something else earthquake-related. This came out in the classroom day of the earthquake because my mom and sister were trying to keep me updated. Fast forward to the 11th of September 2001 attacks and my friend was experiencing the terror of not knowing if her family member was alive following the attacks. Most of the people in our class had heard about the attacks on the news, I had spent the morning getting ready for school and taking pictures of our pet cats and was oblivious until I learned about them from my friend in class. We ended up bonding that day and the following days as I listened to her and sympathized with the fear accompanying the uncertainty of not knowing whether a family member is alive or not. Later in our friendship I even attended her bat mitzvah (a Jewish coming of age ritual), not long after she moved away. Sometimes friendships develop in the most unusual of circumstances and ours was fostered by our experiences handling fear. So I came to this memorial on Sunday the 5th of September 2021 to see what the tie between the 11th of September terrorist attacks and Cashmere was. Turns out the tie was not a human one. The City of Cashmere was entrusted with being stewards of a piece of one of the two tower buildings and a stone from the crash site of Flight 93. On the surface it comes across as a bit of a random selection, choosing Cashmere for this considering the lack of human connection. I would have appreciated more transparency in the memorial about how the decision was made.

Pretty cool that they have 9/11 spirit memorial park all the way in Cashmere, WA. It is clean and…read morehave large parking lot. Good place to chill. This park is good for kids because it has large fields for kids to run around and you can access to the river too.

Just a few miles east of Longmire is this beautiful waterfall in Mount Rainier National Park…read more Christine Falls is a 60-foot waterfall that plunges underneath a historic arched bridge. There is a small pullout on either side of the bridge. I missed the pullout the first time I drove to Christine Falls. So keep an eye out for it because it comes up quick as you turn the corner. There is also no sidewalk to walk on when walking to the short path to the falls. Be careful of passing cars. You get a nice view of the falls once you get to the overlook. Christine Falls is named for Christine Van Trump. She is the daughter of Philemon Beecher Van Trump. He and his partner are credited with the first ascent of Mount Rainier in 1870.

Sorry to add a photo that's practically a carbon copy of 50 others on this Yelp pg, but what can we…read moredo? It's a beautiful waterfall. With the bridge perched above the waterfall like an upper eyelid, the view is a scaled-down version of Multnomah Falls, OR. Don't get me wrong, both are exquisite sights for sure. Parking was easy (~15 spots). The hike was short but slippery at times due to the moist weather. A good rest stop on the way to the legendary Mt Rainier (14k ft elevation). No amenities like restrooms or drinking water.

Best FREE Clean Drinking Water for everyone. This place kept me hydrated and well for years. A BIG…read moreABUNDANCE BLESSINGS for all people. Some travel from others states just to fill up. Hope more people take advantage of this amazing resource. Please be mindful and only bring a few containers. The most efficient time to come is at night, or ironically during the afternoon during workdays since most people are away. Set your intentions for The Universe to bring you a clear path with no line. It somehow works almost every time. Although I don't like to support Walmart in general, they have the cheapest containers for under 15 bucks for 5 Gallon Jugs right up the road. Otherwise, Fred Meyer is an option. Or come prepared with glass containers in advance if you can since that is much healthier. I love to pray and meditate upon healing for humanity here and play sacred sounds for the upliftment of all of us as one. A miracle spot where you can meet like-minded people that are all about wellness.

Arrived at 9:00 PM on a weeknight and there were only 2 people waiting to get water. Had 20…read moreGallons to fill, so it was actually good timing and filled up the 5-gallon jugs rather quickly. Once the last jug was done, there were 4 other people who were waiting to get their water bottles/jugs filled. Parking was fine, although there is a huge pothole in the middle of the lot.

The best bathroom in Lynnwood! I love this park because of its historical buildings, old trolley…read moreand chicken statues. The park is green with tons of trees and several little picnic tables. The Wickers store houses the Lynnwood Visitors Center, as well as a little museum. But, the best part of this park is the bathrooms! They are so clean and well-equipped. When I walked into the women's, I was greeted by the smell of fresh cedar. Instead of smelling like a backwoods outhouse, it smelled like a fresh cedar forest! This park is a really well-kept secret, because it's a bit off the beaten path, but it's an awesome place to have a picnic and take in some history - oh yeah, and if you have to pee the facilities are extra nice!

Great park. A few tables to enjoy a nice lunch. Small but cozy. Bathrooms are behind the visitors…read morecenter building. The staff is so amazing and they volunteer to be amazing. Great history about the trolley. You can spend about two hours here. Right off the freeway. Very clean. Amazing landscaping. Parking available. Not too busy.

Here is something new. A courthouse with huge colorful Chihuly glass art decoration hanging from…read morethe ceiling right in the middle. How cool is that! First of all, the ancient building itself is quite a masterpiece. I love the big Rome style round roof with beautiful decorations. The rustic red brick and green sculptures reminds you of those old ages. Its old name 'UNION STATION' is still painted at one side of the building reminding people of its old glorious days. The first thing draw your eyes is the huge glass art piece hanging from the ceiling in the center. You can always a Chihuly piece from others by its distinctive beautiful colors and Medusa hair shape. Usually you expected to see one in fancy mall, hotel or museum, but not in a federal court house. You got to admit it sure added some color to this place. And at the second floor there is another Chihuly art piece, lots of color as well, and kind of like herd of tadpoles swimming in a pond. Downstairs is the cafeteria, restroom and some historical exhibitions. The soda machine here is quite cheap, only 50 cents for a can. Over the window you can see the glass museum cross the highway. Please note that bring your Id when visiting the place, because the guard will check it. It's a federal courthouse after all.

Nice piece of history, revamped into the courthouse. Staff was great and let me explore.read more

The main thing I wanted to see on our Seattle trip was Jimi Hendrix gravesite and memorial. This…read moregoes back to my love of jimi and his music. In 1975 I did an English term paper on him so I've been a fan for a long time. It is very nicely done and the up keep was great. You can see it when you enter. It was like a hallowed place for me and suggest checking it out if you are a fan and in the area.

A master of his craft, gone too soon…read more.......... When I told my friend I wanted to visit Bruce Lee, my friend - Cory Y, also told me about the Jimi Hendrix Memorial. I guess I was a bit too young to understand and know about the popular bands in the 60's & 70's, but I have heard this name - "Jimi Hendrix" many times, and especially about his performance of the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock in 1969. As I got older, luckily there's YouTube, and it's just like I was able to go back in time as I got to watch, and see Jimi Hendrix in action. One of my personal favorite performances I saw of Jimi is this performance of Voodoo Child, check out this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFfnlYbFEiE I also dug this song - All Along The Watchtower https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVLqFQ5QT7Y If you're a music buff, visiting Jimi Hendrix is a must if you're ever in Renton, WA.. The mausoleum where Jimi Hendrix is buried is definitely a sight to see! The Jimi Hendrix memorial features an array of murals & his quotes, as well as a Fender Stratocaster guitar which was his preferred guitar of choice. Gone too soon at a young age of 27, he will be forever remembered by his rare musical talent, and he was one of the greatest guitarist in the 20th century.