Playing in the Pacific Northwest: Quality time with family, zombies, and 15-foot trolls

I was more than halfway through my adult gap year and I hadn't seen my brother Paul and his family yet. Unacceptable! So in October of 2023 I turned my car west and headed to Issaquah, Washington, where I knew adventure was waiting for me.

How did I know that adventure would be waiting for me? Because Paul has always led the way to fun in our family.

I am the youngest of four; two boys and two girls. We lived on 20 acres of rolling hills in the driftless area of western Wisconsin, with plenty of trees to climb and a trout stream meandering through. My earliest memories include biking, fishing, canoeing, tobogganing, kick the can, ice skating, swimming and other outdoor fun.

L-R: Tim, Paul, Susan, Tara, Jenny, Fred

While all my siblings are adventurous, as kids Paul was the one most likely to push the envelope. And always with a gleam in his eye. He was the kind of kid to build a ramp to jump his dirt bike into the lake; to lead us all to create a swirling vortex in the neighbor's circular, above-ground pool; and to roll down hills balanced upright inside of giant inner tubes.

(In case you're not familiar with this form of insanity, here is a visual from the internet.)

So I knew a sojourn to see Paul would never be boring.

I pulled up to their house on a Saturday at 10am, and by 2pm Paul and I were hiking Poo Poo Point and and taking a selfie with Mount Rainier in the background...

By 4:30 we were watching zombies take over downtown Issaquah... including my niece, Dixie, and scores of other zombies. Around 200 people zombie-walked down 5 city blocks then danced the Thriller dance at City Hall.

Check out this short video about the 2023 Issaquah Zombie Walk.

On Sunday we watched my nephew Murray and his friends win a basketball tournament …

…and then visited Jakob Two Trees - a 15-foot troll created by recycle artist Thomas Dambo.

These are all over the world! www.Trollmap.com

But by far our most adventurous activity took place on Monday, when Paul and I went for a 20 mile bike ride in the Cascade Mountains. We rode the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail from the Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel to the Cedar Falls Trailhead. We took two cars: leaving one at our stopping point at the Cedar Falls Trailhead parking lot, then driving together to the parking area at the Hyak Trailhead.

The first part of our ride was through a 2.3 mile tunnel under Snoqualmie Pass. The tunnel is cold and damp and has no lights. Luckily, I had a headlamp in my gear. Ever the industrious Eagle Scout, Paul created a practical and fashion-forward lighting solution.

The beauty of this ride is that it's all downhill. You only have to hold on tight and control your descent speed so you don't lose control on the gravel trail, and you are treated to stunning views of gorgeous mountains and valleys. We stopped often to take in the views from trestle bridges and to pose for silly jumping photos.

The opening to the 2.3 mile tunnel under Snoqualmie Pass.

Jenny Rule sitting on a mountain bike, giving a thumbs up near 2.3 mile tunnel under Snoqualmie Pass

A trestle bridge in the Cascade Mountains.

A view from a trestle bridge in the Cascade Mountains.

Paul Brightbill and Jenny Rule pose on their bikes on a trestle bridge in the Cascade Mountains.

A bike path across a trestle bridge in the Cascade Mountains.

Paul Brightbill take a leap in the air on a trestle bridge.

Jenny Rule takes a leap in the air on a trestle bridge.

A view of a mountain biker on a trail near Cedar Falls Trailhead, Cascade Mountains.

After our bike ride, we weren't quite tired enough, so we took a quick hike to see Snoqualmie Falls....

...and then took home a wildberry pie to enjoy after a family dinnner.

Soon it was time to let Paul, Cindy, Dixie and Murray get back to their regular lives, while I headed for nearby Olympic National Park.

Issaquah Brightbills - thanks for the quality time with family, zombies, and 15-foot trolls... let's do this again soon!

Sojourn on!