About NealH

Recent posts

• Follow Following 1

  RV Park Near Seattle?

  1 0 There's a place over in Bellevue near Eastgate on the S side of I-90. My wife's uncle stayed there when he came through with his RV a year ago. We did stop by, but I don't recall how "nice" it was. NealH answered in Other - House & Home 6 months ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

• Follow Following 1

  Where is a good place to do some beginner level snowshoeing?

  0 0 As Greg Barnes noted, Paradise is a great place to go. Another good beginner option once there is a decent snowpack is to head out Mountain Loop Highway. The road is gated a mile or so before the Big Four picnic area, so the terrain is nice and flat for beginners, the length is decent, with a nice destination and relatively few people. NealH answered in Regional Trips 7 months ago Answer, comment & read 4 more answers »

• Follow Following 1

  Where to ride a road bike in the mountains?

  0 0 Winthrop to Washington Pass (which is not too far past Rainy Pass) is very scenic and open. Hwy. 542 to the end of the road at Mt. Baker ski area would be a good bet (although this year, I don't believe they are opening the last three miles up to Artist Point due to snow)--still very scenic. Hurricane Ridge over on the Olympic peninsula Mt. Rainier up to either Sunrise or Paradise. Can't really think of much that is a loop (although Paradise could be a bit of a "lollipop" loop) in the distance you are citing. There might be some other good possibilities up in the Winthrop/Okanagan area where the terrain is generally much less treed and more open. NealH answered in Bicycles 9 months ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

• Comment on Fnarf's answer…

  0 0 I'm generally with Fnarf . . . Tap the hood lightly if they actually stop, slap the side panel if they don't. And in both cases, just keep running or walking. I've been nearly run down in the crosswalk by Lake Realty near the Green Lake wading pool so many times, I have it practically down to a science. I fantasize about pedestrians being able to push a button to have spikes pop up out of the road if cars don't stop for the crosswalk (of course that would make it even more dangerous, but whatever . . .) NealH commented 9 months ago

• Follow Following 1

  Where do you sit on the bus and why?

  0 0 I'll generally take the seat closest to the front that is vacant with the following exceptions: (1) Unless I have one of my kids or a bag or bags of groceries, I won't sit in the center facing seats at the very front and (2) If it's dark outside, I always go back far enough to where the overhead lights are on (usually the raised seats at the back of the front half of an articulated bus). That said, I think the best bet for avoiding the worst in the way of smells, infringements, etc. is to simply sit down next to someone who is already there, even if there are plenty of vacant seats available, as you never know who is going to be getting on behind you or the next stop. To my regret, I've often not followed my own advice. NealH answered in Public Transportation 9 months ago Answer, comment & read 14 more answers »

• Follow Following 1

  Downtown, kid-friendly (2.5 yo) and arts-oriented?

  0 0 Soundbridge maybe? 2nd and Union in Benaroya Hall. Not sure if the schedules would match up, but worth checking out perhaps? Olympic Sculpture Park could also be fun. Any number of restaurants on the waterfront could be suitable and fun for a 2.5 year old. NealH answered in Things to do with Your Kids 10 months ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

• Follow Following 1

  Do I really need a will? Would my kids suffer if I don't have one?

  1 0 While the responses below address the advantages to having a will with respect to finances, inheritance, etc., I think for parents with minor children, probably the most important reason to have a will is address custody of the children. If you are a single parent, or even if you are not, there is always the possibility that your children could suddenly be left parentless. Establishing in advance who would retain custody following such an unfortunate circumstance could be of critical importance in making an already difficult transition as smooth as it could be. Without a will, state probate law could place your children with relatives who you would rather not place them with, or such relatives may not really be able or willing to accept the custody of the children. Or maybe you would really prefer that someone other than a relative would take custody. In this case, a will would be an absolute necessity. In addition, you might also want to vest custodial control over finances to someone different than the person who has physical custody. These are not really pleasant things to think about, but it really is in your kids' best interests for you to think about them and to write down exactly what you want to happen should the worst case scenario occur. NealH answered in Other Family & Kids about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

• Comment on Chris's answer…

  0 0 Agree completely. We live in N. Seattle and Mountlake Terrace Pool is the one we usually go to. Our now 4 year old took lessons there when he was 2 and it was a great experience. Timing and other activities are really the only reason we have not continued with lessons there. NealH commented about 1 year ago

• Follow Following 1

  Where can I find some good long hills to run down?

  0 0 Best bet, if you haven't yet considered it would be Golden Gardens. Start at the top of the stairs, run down the road, take the stairs back and repeat. Definitely would be maximizing downhill distance and has the advantage of not being a point to point. If you can do a point to point run, maybe drive to the highest parking area at Cougar Mt (not sure exactly where that it is, but I think on the north side in one of the neighborhoods), and then run from there all the way down through Coal Creek. NealH answered in Playing Sports about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

• Follow Following 1

  What should we do in Maui?

  1 0 As little as possible . . . My best advice is to avoid trying to do too much. Yes, there is a lot to do and see, but if you try to do it all, you'll miss out on the benefit of just relaxing. With that said, my thoughts for activities are as follows: I would recommend a whale watching trip, as February is Humpback season in the sound off of Lahaina--If you've got a good ocean view from your condo, you can probably see them from there too (bring binoculars) but it is definitely cool to see them right next you--haven't done the kayak tour, but being that close in a kayak would be cool, but actually pretty frightening (to me at least). Road to Hana is nice, but is long even for a whole day trip. If you can spring for at least one night in Hana, or thereabouts, I would recommend it, but as a day trip, it is a very long day. I haven't been there myself, but my wife enjoyed hiking in the Haleakala crater, but again, another longish drive. Io valley is definitely a good short trip--not really hiking, but very pretty and very interesting history too. We've stayed up in Kapalua, which has three varied beaches (one good for snorkling, one for surfing, one for boogie boarding) within walking distance, but it's a hike from Kihei and maybe not worth it. We did go to a nice beach at kind of the end of the main road past Wailea which wouldn't be too far from you, but there are lots of nice beaches most everywhere. NealH answered in Long Distance Travel about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

• See all of my 0 Questions , 26 Answers and 6 Comments