North Lake Union
Posted April 21st, 2008 in [hide]
Enveloped in the middle of Seattle, Lake Union looks like a bladder being fed by over thin channels. With a clear view of the Space Needle and downtown from most points on the lake,
the Center for Wooden Boats along the south shore, pedestrian foot bridges and green belt, and Gas Works Park to the north, it fits in nicely with its surroundings in the Emerald City.
To the west is Ballard, the locks, even a boat elevator; this leads to Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. To the East is Lake Washington, via the choppy Montlake Cut. Both ways out of Lake Union are to the north, like ventricles feeding into a heart … see the map below. Both of these channels sit under working draw bridges, opening throughout the day to let travelers through the waterways below. Most of the larger industrial ships don’t make it this far, though; these head to the famous unsecured Port of Seattle, between Elliot Bay and the West Seattle Bridge.
The entire lake has an unusual character; a mix between a park and an industrial zone. Lining the shore to the north are tug boat operations, small repair companies, and fleets of moored fishing ships, as seen in these photos. Lake Union is Seattle’s favorite air strip for sea planes … every time I’ve been kayaking, one lands or takes off within a hundred yards.
How adventuresome! The first one looks like you could easily be out to sea somewhere on the ocean. It looks cold!
hi forrest
Were you in the kayak taking those photos? I’d be scared stiff that my camera equipment would get wet!
I’ve been more than a little nervous about it…! Not so much about the camera getting wet ( I’ve used it in rain and snow storms ) but that it won’t float. While it’s not in use, it’s in a plastic bag, air filled, and tied to the hull of the boat. The trouble comes when I take it out to actually use the thing. I can’t tie the shoulder strap to anything, without breaking the seal on the bag. Worse, the kayak tends to drift, and wake can kick up pretty quickly. I’d make a point to stop myself firmly, and - knock on wood - things have worked out so far.
It’s a little counter-intuitive, but I’m about as worried to loose the paddle as the camera. Mainly because that seems more likely. Without the paddle, I think I’d have to abandon ship and swim to shore. I really need to get some more rope and make sure neither is possible.
Very nice, man. I like these. Funny to see land scape pictures with no land!
Very dramatic!
I imagine that you felt kind of small compared to those ships in your kayak there… very nicely done, as usual!
Thanks, Emil! And you’re right … it does make a person feel pretty small to be sitting with the water almost at waist-level, and see these things towering overhead, sometimes 20 meters.
A couple of weeks ago I passed a catamaran hull - two boats “stuck together” with a top, to be more stable - and went under. Again, this makes you feel pretty tiny, to be able to paddle underneath part of another boat. But, in the shadow, the sunlight radiates up through part of the water. It’s very incredible to see.
I’m hoping to bring more bird photos online, but still getting over the nervousness of taking the camera that close to the water. Even in a bag, waves splashing around the kayak, pushing the boat around … it makes me nervous!
Camera + Water = Your Braver Than Me!
These boats look very, very old.
Speaking of brave and mixing electronics with water, somebody on Lake Union flipped out of a kayak I’ve been in, with my 5D and 300/4 IS lens. The boat always scared me, enough to regret being in it, let alone bringing my camera. I’m planning to write a post for photographers in small boats down the line; it can be nerve wracking at first, but that passes once you figure out where the risk is, and how to mitigate it. The kayak is a lot of fun, and it lets you get up close to wildlife that would otherwise be pretty difficult to approach.