Rally Review – Emerald City

Marathon Coach Club’s fall gathering, the “Emerald City” rally, was held September 10-16, 2023, at Lake Pleasant RV Park, near Seattle in Bothell, Washington. Twenty-nine Marathon coaches and their owners were in attendance, including two “first-timer” couples.

The festivities began Monday evening with a private dinner cruise aboard Waterway Cruises’ 105-foot yacht, the “Emerald Star.” While cruising and sightseeing on Lakes Washington and Union, attendees enjoyed a delicious three-course meal, with background music provided by the talented Mike Faast Trio.

On Tuesday morning, the group toured the Museum of Pop Culture (formerly the “Experience Music Project”) at the Seattle Center. This is an interactive museum that contains a variety of unique and well-done exhibits covering science fiction, fantasy, magic, horror, television and film, as well as original pop music offerings. Have you ever seen so many guitars in one place?

After a tasty lunch at Cutters Crabhouse on Elliott Bay, attendees had some time to relax before going to T-Mobile Park for a professional baseball game. From the group’s comfortable suites, they watched the Seattle Mariners defeat the Los Angeles Angels in a well-played game, while enjoying ballpark food—popcorn, peanuts, burgers and hot dogs with all the fixins, baked beans, cookies and brownies.

Attendees got to choose between two activities Wednesday: a visit to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, or a walking food tour in Pike Place Market. The exhibits at the Klondike Gold Rush detail the history of the Alaskan Gold Rush and the impact of those few years on Seattle. After the steamship Portland docked in Seattle in July 1897, carrying 68 prospectors and “a ton of gold,” hopeful prospectors on their way to the Yukon flooded Seattle. City merchants quickly adapted to provision the stampede of gold-seekers, with the population of the small port city doubling in just a few years.

No trip to Seattle is complete without a trip to Pike Place Market, the oldest farmer’s market in the country, famous for its “flying fish.” On the walking food tour, “Show Me Seattle” guides shared interesting stories and historical facts as this group of attendees wandered through multiple levels of the market and sampled food from various vendors, such as clam chowder, smoked salmon, Beecher’s mac and cheese and Italian gelato. After the tour, there was time to shop the craft booths and the flowers and produce stands. (The Gold Rush museum group also got to experience the market—their bus brought them here to eat and shop after their activity.)

The Club’s Fall 2023 General Business Meeting was held Wednesday evening before another sumptuous dinner, this time in the private “Loft” at Russell’s Restaurant in Bothell. What a meal!

Thursday morning began with a visit to the Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center. Next on the agenda was a tour of the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, founded by Microsoft’s Paul Allen, now owned by Steuart Walton, a Walmart heir. The collection here is unusual in that the planes are maintained and flown on special occasions. The tanks are also maintained and are in ready-to-drive condition.

“Keep Clam” was the motto of Ivar Haglund, an iconic character who founded several well-known Seattle seafood restaurants. After visiting Thursday’s two attractions, attendees enjoyed  lunch on Puget Sound at Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing, where the clam chowder was delicious. The final activity of the day was a Marathon “TechTalk” session back at the Park.

Attendees returned to the Seattle Center Friday for the rally’s grand finale. The group first visited Chihuly Garden and Glass, an amazing collection of primarily glass art created by founder Dale Chihuly. The pieces on display here were breathtaking, colorful creations. Said Chihuly, “I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in some way that they’ve never experienced.” Another attraction at the museum was a glass-blowing demonstration out of a retrofitted Airstream trailer, which showed a small bit of the talent that’s required to create something out of glass.

An elevator ride up the Space Needle brought everyone to the farewell social and dinner. After another fantastic meal, attendees visited the two observation decks, where they took in expansive views of Seattle, Lake Union and Puget Sound. Because visibility was good, Mount Ranier and the Olympic Mountains could be seen off in the distance.

Club members had great fun in Seattle and are now eager for the next event, the “Solar Eclipse” rally, taking place April 5-11, 2024, in Fredericksburg, Texas. Lots of fun activities, good food and comraderie are in the works for this one. The Rally Committee and Club Officers look forward to celebrating this astronomical event with a full contingent of Marathon Club members!