The folks at REI yesterday sent out a press release about their Seattle flaghsip serving as the backdrop for a portion of Monday's episode of "The Bachelor."

It seems that the store was selected for a private "one-on-one date" to showcase the outdoor recreation interests of Jason Mesnick, the show's bachelor. Mesnick, a single dad from Kirkland, visited the Puget Sound area with the five remaining women for Monday's episode.

The date features the couple climbing the store's 65-foot pinnacle, one of the world's tallest indoor climbing structures, and enjoying "private time" in front of the two-story rock fireplace, the press release said. Something tells me the store won't be packed with Gore-Tex clad shoppers when Mesnick and the special lady sit down in front of the fireplace. Who knew REI would be a hot spot for romance?

The episode is scheduled to on at 8 p.m. PST.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission late Thursday announced it was closing tunnels 46 through 50 on the Iron Horse State Park-John Wayne Pioneer Trail. There is no timetable for making repairs to allow the tunnels to reopen.

Here is the rest of the news release:

Washington State Parks hired the engineering firm, Kleinfelder, Inc., to conduct a safety review of falling debris hazards in the tunnels. The firm determined that tunnels 46 through 50 all contain segments that have moderate, high or very high hazard ratings. For the safety of recreational users, the Commission has decided to close these tunnels until further notice. There is no estimated reopening date, although the agency is exploring options for repair.

The closed tunnels run from Snoqualmie Pass to Kittitas, and include Boylston Tunnel No. 46, east of Kittitas; Picnic Area Tunnel No. 47, west of Thorpe; Easton Tunnel No. 48; Whittier Tunnel No. 49, west of Easton; and Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel No. 50.

The report from Kleinfelder contains options for short-term action steps to reduce areas with high or very high hazard ratings to a moderate rating. The report also estimates costs to bring all tunnels to a low hazard rating at $9 million. Funds for repairs have been included in agency budget requests for the 2009-2011 biennium.

Iron Horse State Park is a 1,612-acre park that was once part of the path of the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul-Pacific Railroad. More than 100 miles of trail extends from Cedar Falls to the Columbia River. High trestles provide spectacular views of the valley below.