The Ballard Locks: A Family Outing!

We often feel very busy and use our free time to just relax at home, but this past week was full of fun outings. Elijah loves going for our frequent walks, but he especially loves seeing new and different scenery when he can. On Thursday, we strolled around the beautiful Ballard Locks and the botanical gardens. We saw boats go from the ship canal to the Puget Sound via the locks and we saw salmon do the same via the salmon ladders! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Here's a little information I got from a website to better explain the locks. "The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks located in Ballard provide a link for boats between the saltwater of the Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal connecting to Lake Union and Lake Washington. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, often called the Ballard Locks, link salty Puget Sound with the fresh waters of Salmon Bay, Lake Union, Portage Bay and Lake Washington.

Both tourists and locals enjoy watching the parade of sailboats, motorboats, tugs, barges and yachts passing through. Pass a sunny day watching boats of all shapes and sizes come into the locks, and the water level is adjusted to allow their safe passage to the lake or sound.

Stop by the fish ladder, built to allow salmon to pass between fresh and salt water. Glass panels make it possible to view the fish as they navigate their way through the ladder, adjusting to different levels of salt each step of the way. Occasionally, a clever sea lion will hang out, waiting for his next meal. For the historically-minded among you, the locks' official name is, "Hiram M. Chittenden Locks," and was built in 1911 so that coal and timber could be easily transported by boat." Taken from http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/tour/locks.htm