Iron Goat, 2026

  

 

 

 

 

Sign at the Iron Goat trailhead

 

It has been a couple of years since we hiked the Iron Goat Trail.  It is one of our favorites for flowers and getting our legs used to extending the distance.  There are two trails, the upper trail and the lower trail.  It is an interpretive trail with signs along the way explaining the history of the old railroad.  While it is possible to make a loop, we most often do an out and back on the lower trail.  At this time of the year, we know there will be some flowers in special places along the lower route. 

The lower level provides a gentle rise in elevation and a round-trip distance of 5.5 miles.  This trail was designed as an ADA (Americans with Disability Act) trail that allowed for baby strollers and wheelchairs.  The trail surface has been mostly packed earth with a layer of gravel.  It is really not suitable as an ADA trail currently as there has been significant water and slide damage recently in several places.  

 

 

When we started out the trail condition looked like this …

 

 

Snowshed wall

 

Part of the trail runs beside the old snowshed that was built to protect the railroad line.  

 

   

There are the remains of old railroad tunnels built in 1916.

 

One of the first indications that something was different this year…

 

  

And then this, the trail disappears, the stream has been redirected onto the old trail …

 

 

Downed logs

 

 

And this, a huge pile of downed logs from wind, water and slides sometime during the winter.  Note this is the exact same place where an avalanche of snow and ice piled up a few years ago.

 

 

  

A miracle, the small wooden bridge survived with only minor damage.

 

We managed, with some care, to edge our way around the slide and water damage to continue on to the Martin Creek Trailhead, our normal turn around place.

 

It had rained earlier in the morning and most of the plants were still still wet.  In addition to the ones pictured we also saw a few bedraggled Salmon Berry blossoms and some almost finished trillium.  There were probably more Fairy Bells than we have seen before on this trail and tons of Bleeding Heart as well.  We saw evidence of a few more Chocolate Lilies but only one plant was okay to photograph.

 

 Aven

 

Bane Berry

 

Bleeding Heart

 

Carpet Bugleweed aka Ajuga

 

Calypso Orchids

 

 

 Chocolate Lilies, almost done blooming

 

 

 Elder Berry

 

Fairy Bells

 

For-Get-Me-Not

 

Fringe Cup

 

Mertensia

 

 

Red Columbine

 

Spotted Coral Root

 

Star Flower

 

 

 Starry Solomon Seal

 

Thimble Berry

 

 

 Trillium

 

Count for the day:

 

7 people, no dogs

RT 5.5 miles

400 ft elevation gain

Forest Service Pass required

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 764

 

 

 

 

 

 Interior of the Church of Notre-Dame de Saint-Melaine, Rennes, France

 

 

This is an unused Vintage postcard produced by Neurdein featuring a black & white photograph of the interior of the Our Lady of Saint Melaine Catholic church located in Rennes, France.  The divided back card has the typical greenish color on the reverse that is common in French cards of the late 1800s or early 1900s. 

 

The title is printed on the bottom margin and the Neurdin logo, large P hot. and ND in the center, is at the bottom right corner.  Neurdin is also identified at the left margin on the reverse.  Neurdin was a family publishing company founded by Jean César Adolphe Neurdein (1806-1867) and succeeded by his sons, Etienne (1832-1918) and Atonin (1846-1914).  They primarily took pictures of buildings, historical places, castles, expositions, and cemeteries and published many of their photographs on postcards. 

 

Before the current church was built there was an abbey that dated back to the 6^th century.  The church is named for Melaine, a monk who became abbot of a small monastery and later Bishop of Rennes in the 6^th century.  He was popular among the people and several miracles are attributed to him.  After his death, Melaine was quickly revered as a saint and is today the principal patron saint of the Diocese of Rennes.  He is buried in the Abbey Church of Notre-Dame de Saint Melaine, Rennes, France.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rennes

https://religiana.com/church-notre-dame-de-saint-melaine-rennes

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 763

 

 

 

 

 

Old State House, Boston, Massachusetts, ca 1950s

 

This is an unused souvenir postcard featuring the Old State House in Boston, Massachusetts.  The card has the identifier P926 at the top margin on the reverse.  At the upper left corner is a blurb:  “The Old State House at Washington and State Streets where John Hancock was inaugurated fist governor of Massachusetts and in front of which the Boston Massacre took place is now the home of the Bostonian society.  It is labeled as a Gift-O-Rama card with Plasstichrome by Colourpicture Publishers, Inc., Boston 15, Mass, U.S.A”  Note:  the 15.  This helps to date the card to before postal zip codes were introduced in 1963.  Souvenir Corp. of America, Boston, Mass. Is printed along the left margin on the reverse. 

Old State House was built in 1713 as a replacement for Boston’s First Town House built in 1658.  It was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798 and is one of the oldest existing public buildings in the United States.  A fire damaged the interior in 1747 and was rebuilt the following year using the 1713 plans.  The exterior brick walls survived the fire but a gable roof replaced the gambrel roof and the polygonal cupola was replaced by a central tower.  Other significant modifications were made between 1750 and 1830. 

 

The Boston Massacre in 1770 was a confrontation between American colonists and nine British soldiers.  A crowd of an undetermined number, perhaps 50 to 200, began verbally harassing, swinging clubs and throwing stones and snowballs at the soldiers, who eventually fired upon the crowd.  Five colonists were killed as a result.  Several American Patriots, including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, described it as “a massacre.”  It is a landmark on Boston’s Freedom Trail.  It is the place where the Declaration of Independence was read to the people of Boston.  These events were part of what started the American Revolution movement.  When a proposal was made in 1881 to move the Old State House, “brick by brick” to Chicago, Illinois, the non-profit Bostonian Society was organized primarily to prevent the building from being moved.  In 2020 the Society merged with the Old South Association in Boston to form Revolutionary Spaces.  Today the building also includes a museum. 

 

The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and a Boston Landmark in 1994.  Over the years there have many necessary restorations and repairs.   

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_State_House_(Boston)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bostonian_Society

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Massacre

 

Humpback Creek Falls, 2026

 

 

 

 Sign at the trailhead

 

The same day we visited Franklin Falls we also went to Humpback Creek Falls.  These falls are seen from the bridge on the Annette Lake trail.  There is a large parking area at the trail head and an older small outhouse that did not have toilet paper the day we were there.  I think most hikers are prepared for lack of TP and carry some just in case.  We always have TP, hand sanitizer, plenty of water, bug repellent, and wear packs with other essentials. 

 

 

 

Junction sign for the Asahel Curtis Nature trail and Annette Lake

 

It is a short, ½ mile RT, steep up, with lots of rocks and roots, to the Annette Lake bridge but the view was spectacular.  All the way to Annette Lake would be about an 8 mile RT hike.

 

 

 Humpback Creek Falls 

 

 

 

 

Count for the day:

 

8 people, 1 dog

1/2 mile RT 

Forest Service Pass required 

 

 

Franklin Falls, 2026

 

 

 

Sign at the trailhead parking lot

We were here two years ago.  That day it had been raining, was cloudy, with mud on the trail and slippery rocks.  We saw 11 people and 3 dogs.  Franklin Falls is an extremely popular trail especially when there is the promise of a lot of water rushing down the falls.  The trail is steep.  I did not count, but there are perhaps hundreds of steps.  The surface of the trail is packed dirt and gravel with some rocks and roots.  This time the weather was mostly sunny with scattered clouds.  The temperature was low 50s F.  Gusty winds made the wind chill about 45 F.  A comfortable temperature for going uphill.   

 

This time we counted 50 people and 1 dog.  That includes a couple of families with infants and/or young children.  This can be an in and out hike on the main trail, or a loop by taking the Wagon Road back to the trail head about 2.4 miles RT.  The large double outhouse at the main parking lot was open.  The designated handicapped parking lot below also has an outhouse but one side was still closed for the winter. 

 

 South Fork Snoqualmie river

 

The main trail follows beside the South Fork Snoqualmie River.  The pleasant sound of rushing water together with peek-a-boo views continue all the way.  There are many rapids and clear pools to admire as you go along.  A viewing platform of the lower or little Franklin Falls is found before reaching the main falls.  

 

 Lower or Little Franklin Falls 

 

 

 

 A sample of the steps and part of one of the new bridges

 

   

After all the stairs up to that point it was nice to stop and enjoy Little Franklin Falls before continuing on up the rest of the way.  After cresting the hill the trail leads down to the main falls. The way down to the small beach at the foot of the falls has rock steps that can be wet and slippery.  There is one very narrow section where it is difficult to see if someone is coming up from below and just barely enough room for others to pass by.  Once down at the beach, flowing water has to be crossed on rocks and/or a log to get up close to the falls.  

 

 

Getting closer...

 

 

Franklin Falls

 

      

This area was logged and is a second growth forest which means most of the current trees are a similar size and there are lots of nurse logs or stumps that have newer trees growing on them.  Every once a and while we find a big old growth tree or an interesting one. 

 

 

Big old growth tree with fancy roots

 

 

 Junction sign

 

We elected to take the Wagon Road trail back to the parking area.  No steps(!) but a lot more downed trees on Wagon Road trail than were on the main trail.  Also, a couple of places to go under, around, or over.  All along the entire loop there were trillium blooming.  

 

 Going under a downed tree...

 

 

 

 and around another one 

 

 

 Trail crews have been busy putting in new foot bridges over marshy areas or running water since the last time we were here. 

 

A small variety of wildflowers were in bloom.

 

 

 Skunk Cabbage

 

 

Salmon berry

 

 

 Yellow Stream Violet

 

 

 Trillium

 

 

 Marsh Marigold

 

 

 Bleeding Heart

 

 

 Count for the day:

 

50 people, includes babies and young children, 1 dog

2.4 miles approximately RT

400 ft elevation gain

Forest Service Pass required