Bellingham Museum Visit

The Smithsonian Magazine offered a free museum day on the 24th of September.  I did a search on the museums in western Washington.  One of the selections was the Bellingham Railway Museum.  How could the son and grandson of B&O Railroad engineers that grew up in the great railroad town of Brunswick Maryland pass this up?  With this is was time for a short road trip to Bellingham which happens to be one of my favorite towns in Washington state.

While heading to Bellingham I did a Google search to find out what other museums might be in the area.  Wow, another museum in my area of interest, The Spark Museum of Electrical Invention.  How appropriate for a retired electrical engineer and nerd.  So the plan is set.

It's now Saturday the 24th.  First stop is my favorite coffee shop to meet my friend Edd Trettel for great conversation, fabulous coffee and an amazing pastry.  The Vienna Coffee Company in Lynnwood Washington and my favorite drink, The Einspanner, a drink made with Julius Meinl Mokka, Kolschitzky Black Kaffee, Vanilla, frothed Creme, topped with Whipped Creme. (Served with a side of Châtillon Soude).  I'm hoping some day to have the same drink in Vienna Austria (I can dream can't I?).

Time to hit the road.  Looks like a typical Pacific Northwest fall day, cool and cloudy.  Bellingham is about an hour north and the traffic isn't too bad.

The clouds are hugging and hiding the mountains.

It's just 11 am, the opening time for the Spark Museum.  Parking space is easy to find but paying is a challenge.  There is a phone number to call to pay.  I give the number for the lot and the space, no problem, but each time it asks for my credit card number it comes back and asks for the number again before I can enter the entire number.  Frustration sets in after the fifth try.  Well, at least they give a second method, a web site.  I try that and success.   I'm good for the next 24 hours.

I purchase my ticket for entrance into the Spark Museum.  I am informed they have a MegaZapper Electrical Show at 2:30.  I decide to pass through the museum exhibits, visit the Railway Museum, have lunch and come back to the Zapper show at 2:30

The Bellingham Railway Museum is just around the block so I'm off to explore their exhibits.

The museum has two working layouts, a G scale layout as you enter the museum and a Lionel layout which brings back memories of my childhood. 

These photos are along the line of the G scale layout:

 

 

 

As this is the Pacific Northwest, there was a portion of the layout that was dedicated to the logging industry.  Here are a few pictures from that scene:

Note the bears climbing the tree.

Then there is the Lionel layout, for the child in all of us.  How lucky we were to have such wonderful toys.  My Grandparents Myers, gave me my first Lionel set for my first Christmas.  For as far back as I can remember there was always a train garden under our Christmas tree.  It was a practice I followed most of my adult life.  So here is the layout at the museum:

My tummy is beginning to speak to me.  I saw a great looking café on my way to the museum.  I think I'll check it out.

Wall art along the way.  It appears to be etched and painted or died metal.

I love the architecture of this theater.

Robotic welcome at this coffee shop.  It must be good, it appears to be full.

The Mount Baker Downtown Café, my point of interest.

As I sit down I saw this wonderful plate in front of a young lady at the next table, I ask and am told it's the original eggs benedict.  It is as yummy as it looks.  A great choice.

From here it's back to the Spark Museum.  I will create a separate blog for that museum. It is amazing and will be of interest to anyone with an interest in electricity or technology.

Thanks for checking in.