Seattle Tough Mudder
The time had finally come for one of our greatest physical challenges to date! And what an awesome time it was. If any of you are long race runners, you know that you need to sign up for an event crazy early if you don’t want to pay a ridiculous amount for registration. We spotted the Seattle Tough Mudder back in April of this year when we found out we were going to be moving out here and thought it would be a fun event to mix up our training schedule. We have had fun completing numerous high intensity interval training sessions this summer and were happy when event day finally arrived! A couple things we would’ve changed to get prepared- work on grip strength and hang on monkey bars. The Seattle Tough Mudder was at the Palmer Coking Coal Company this year in Black Diamond, between Tacoma and Seattle. It apparently is one of a kind mud as the Tough Mudder team mixes mud with the coal on site to create black mud. We enjoyed running the 10-mile route with 20 plus mud obstacles along the way, as well as helping out complete strangers! We signed up for the team building heat as opposed to the competitive race, so it was more about helping everyone out. If we do a Tough Mudder again in the future, it’d be fun to get a group of six or so people and do the competitive version.
Post Seattle Tough Mudder!
Fremont Oktoberfest
After finishing the Tough Mudder, we were ready for some food and beer! We had purchased tickets ahead of time for the Fremont Oktoberfest, so we could kick off the start of autumn right. We met up with Megan’s 2nd cousin, Charlie, and his wife, Hannah there. They closed off several streets in the Fremont area of Seattle and multiple local breweries and German pubs set up beer tents. We each got a mini mug and were able to use tokens to try out several different beers. Some of our favorites included the Wild Ride Nut Crusher Peanut Butter Porter, Snoqualmie Falls Axe Men, and any of the German beers they had available! They also had some food options including giant pretzels with cheese, bratwursts, free McDonald’s chicken nuggets, and delicious grilled cheese sandwiches from The Grilled Cheese Experience food truck.
Fremont Oktoberfest!
Great event with lots of local beers and some good eats!
Our taster mugs!
Might be my favorite food truck I’ve come across – simple yet delicious 🙂
Fremont Oktoberfest!
Great event with lots of local beers and some good eats!
Our taster mugs!
Might be my favorite food truck I’ve come across – simple yet delicious 🙂
High Dive
After enjoying Oktoberfest, we walked a couple blocks over to the High Dive, a well-known Fremont bar with live music. It is a smaller venue, but it made the experience that much better. Charlie’s band, Young-Chhaylee, was the closer for the 4-band show on this Saturday night. We felt pretty cool saying we were with the band and having our names on the guest list. It was fun to watch Charlie groove on the bass and end our night with some tunes!
My 2nd cousin, Charlie, and his band playing at the High Dive!
Bryant Corner Cafe
After sleeping off the activity of the Tough Mudder and all that beer, we woke up very hungry! Not too far from Charlie and Hannah’s apartment is Bryant Corner Cafe in Northeast Seattle. This was a great cafe with lots of brunch options with hefty helpings. You could tell it was a go-to place for the local neighborhood due to the line heading out the front door.
Bryant Corner Cafe
Tasty breakfast spot!
Bryant Corner Cafe
Tasty breakfast spot!
University Village
If you ever need to get some shopping done while near the University of Washington, or if you’re visiting for a football game and need some gear, you can head to the University Village. Located in the heart of campus, it’s a nice, open air mall with several mainstream shops. It should be noted though that this is not a bargain shopping area.
REI Co-op
After checking out University Village, we headed to the downtown Seattle REI which was quite impressive! When walking toward the REI building, it doesn’t look like anything special, but once you walk through the gate, you enter another world! Suddenly you are surrounded by trees, trails, and waterfalls enveloping this massive building. Once you enter the multi-level store, it seems to go on forever with rooms jutting out in every direction. This was definitely the biggest REI we’ve ever been in and they seemed to have a section for any outdoor activity you could think of! After talking with one of the many helpful employees, it sounds like the Garage Sales and Anniversary Sale are when you can find the best deals (and the most people), but this is a fun store to peruse any day.
Seattle REI: one of my favorite stores ever!
Seattle REI: one of my favorite stores ever!
Woodshop BBQ
Adam’s brother, Jeff, is apparently an avid watcher of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and he recommended Woodshop BBQ to us after seeing it on the show. It worked out pretty well as this spot is southeast of the city back toward Tacoma. We stopped here for some tasty brisket, pulled pork mac n’ cheese, and ribs before ending our weekend in Seattle. The best part about this place is their back patio with a giant smoker constantly pumping out a BBQ smell attracting anyone strolling by this joint. They have a variety of meats, but our favorite was the ribs!
Wood Shop BBQ
Recommended to us by Adam’s brother after seeing it on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!
We enjoyed some great meat on the back patio!
This smoker was pumping out smells that make you salivate the entire time!
Wood Shop BBQ
Recommended to us by Adam’s brother after seeing it on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!
We enjoyed some great meat on the back patio!
This smoker was pumping out smells that make you salivate the entire time!