[Blue Dome]

Along the Redmond-Fall City Road, about one city block west of the intersection of 196th Ave NE, there is an old white one-story commercial building on the south side of the road. The building has been there for many years. I believe it currently houses an auto repair shop. Years ago, immediately west of that old white building and along the shoulder of the Redmond-Fall City Road, there used to be a lone picnic table with a small official state sign next to it that read something or other “State Park.” Apparently, what looked to be a sliver of land maybe 40 feet long and 20 feet wide was a state park, with the only view being the road 30 feet away. The picnic table and sign were removed some years ago. Does anybody remember the name of the state park or have any information about it? Or perhaps know where to search for information? (Google and the www.parks.wa.gov site were no help.) I thought some of the local historians here might know about it. Thanks.

[greg]

Blue, I think I know what you're talking about, a little sliver of a park in trees on the south side of the highway just west of the turn to Union Hill. I don't think it was ever a state park, but some kind of local park, maybe King County, and it used to have a well and a hand-crank pump -- that worked. I noticed it was gone when I drove by there a few months ago. Back in the day my girlfriend and I used to stop there once in a while and, well, do things our parents wouldn't have approved of. Don't know what kind of park it was or why it was there, but it was a curious little corner of the world.

[Blue Dome]

greg, Yep, that was the park. I could've sworn the sign said it was a state park, but you're probably right, it was likely a county park. It seemed like such a bold little park tucked along the shoulder of the Redmond-Fall City Road. In the years of driving by it I never stopped there, nor did I ever see a car parked or anybody sitting at the picnic table. I didn't know about the working well. Perhaps the previous owner of the very small piece of property bequeathed it for use as a park. Unfortunately, whatever the genesis of the place, the good idea was overcome by suburban sprawl. Sitting there today would be almost like sitting on the shoulder of SR-520.