Bicyclists vs. cancer: Obliteride route likely to include West Seattle
If everything goes according to plan, a major new bicycling event in this area will include West Seattle on its route. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is planning its first-ever fundraising bicycle ride, 
called Obliteride, coming up in August. Obliteride organizers e-mailed WSB to let us know about some points of West Seattle interest, including the route possibility – too soon to say for certain because they are still working on permits. One of the main point people for the ride is a West Seattleite – Mark Grantor, senior events manager; his background and interest in the cause are detailed in a story on the Obliteride site. They’re planning four routes – 25, 50, 100 miles on August 10th, 180 miles with an overnight stop in Tacoma, August 10-11. There’s an entry fee plus a fundraising commitment. Details and registration links are here. If you’re not ready to ride but would like to help, they’re also enlisting an army of volunteers.
Police investigation under the West Seattle Bridge
If you noticed the police and fire response under the bridge, west of the marina: They’re investigating the discovery of a body. Police at the scene told us they’re looking into whether it’s linked to a vehicle found and towed off the bridge early this morning – possibly a case of suicide. After getting a reader report about this investigation with a mention about a car abandoned on the bridge, we went over to ask if it had anything to do with the Walking on Logs vehicle, but police said the vehicle in question was found on the high rise.
(As we note whenever reporting confirmed or possible suicides, they are an epidemic, five times the homicide rate, and shouldn’t be ignored. There **is** help available: Crisis Clinic has online resources and a 24-hour hotline, 206-461-3222.)
West Seattle scene: Parking on slope, by Walking On Logs
Two people have e-mailed us wondering how this vehicle managed to wind up on the slope along the Fauntleroy Way end of the West Seattle Bridge, just north of Walking On Logs. Nothing obvious on the police/fire logs – so we don’t know; do you? We went over for a look and a photo; no damage visible so far as we could see.
SIDE NOTE: Noticed while there that the sculptures themselves are sporting new red and blue garb to promote Camp Fire candy sales:
According to the regional Camp Fire council, you’ll see Camp Fire youth out and about selling candy starting Friday.
4:41 PM NOTE: The vehicle is still there, as is another one parked in the pullout by it (facing the correct direction) with its emergency flasher lights going. That car was parked there when we first went by at noon but, though it appeared unoccupied, we didn’t pay much attention – till noticing just now that it’s still there.
6:45 PM: Mystery solved. See Andrew’s comment; also, we received this note from another reader:
I was leaving WS at approximately 9.30 this morning and saw the silver Toyota – traveling westbound – hit the central reservation pretty hard (rear end bucked up in the air, thought for a moment it might actually bounce over). Saw other westbound vehicles braking in my rear view mirror – embarrassed now but didn’t feel in a position to stop and call it in safely, and by the time I got to work had already forgotten about it.
There is nothing on the fire 911 log, so apparently – as Andrew’s comment suggests – the driver didn’t need attention from medics. The SUV was gone by 6:45 pm tonight (we passed the area again heading outbound on the bridge).
Update: Police investigate stabbing, one man hurt
2:47 AM: Police are investigating a stabbing in the Delridge/22nd SW area (map) right now. According to radio traffic between medics and Harborview Medical Center, the victim is a 27-year-old man described as having a “single stab wound to the left flank.” He is being taken to HMC; no other details so far.
3:28 AM UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams says officers “are currently attempting to gather information as to exactly what occurred” – so far they know that the victim himself called 911 to report that he had been stabbed by someone he didn’t know, but didn’t make the call until about 15 minutes after it happened. They found him near Delridge and Graham. Early information from medics, Lt. Williams says, is that the stab wound was not life-threatening.
11:13 AM UPDATE: A few more details this morning via SPD Blotter – but what happened remains a mystery. (For the commenter who asked, police clarify the wound location as “lower left back.”)
What West Seattle’s frosty weather has in common with Mars
If you look closely, you’ll see another dimension to our frosty, foggy weather. Jason Gift Enevoldsen shares his photo, and this explanation:
A result of the recent slow freezes in WS this week, thin ice crystals (needle ice) lift up small rocks, dirt, and plants in unusual arrangements. It has been fascinating looking for these miniature landscapes and watching how they change from day to day.
And in a larger context, Jason adds:
My wife, Alice (alicesastroinfo.com), and I disagree about whether this should be properly called frost heave, needle ice, or soil creep. But in any case, she found that there’s evidence for a similar process (soil being moved by ice formation and thaw) on Mars:
(NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
The origin of this feature is not known for certain, but it resembles Arctic features on Earth called pingos. A pingo develops when ice lifts part of the ground, making a giant frost heave. This image, about 4 km wide, is part of image P15_007033_1915_XI_11N045W taken by the Context Imager (CTX) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The orbiter’s website, by the way, is showing even more wintry imagery right now.
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