Washington Park

We left a day early for a long weekend on Whidbey Island, for our niece's wedding. Time for exploring, and geocaching, and photography. Our favorite route to the Deception Pass bridge, the gateway to Whidbey, takes us across Fir Island in the middle of the Skagit Flats. with (usually) a detour to the small town of La Conner. I love this drive, past farms and farmhouses and barns, and in winter, thousands of snow geese and swans.



There's a back way out of La Conner that takes you over the natural waterway that separates Fidalgo from the mainland, then along Skagit Bay, the part of Puget Sound that runs east of Whidbey Island. There are beaches to walk, and beautiful views from this road.

Once on Fidalgo, you can explore Anacortes, or hop a ferry to the San Juan Islands, or take the 5-minute ferry crossing to Guemes Island (something we've never done, but plan to do this summer). Guemes is one of a handful of small islands just north of Whidbey Island; just east of but not part of the San Juans.

Or you can drive to the very western tip of Fidalgo, and go hiking in Washington Park. A lot of people choose to ignore the trails and walk on the narrow, windy road instead. Not a great idea, in my opinion. It is not fun to come around a steep, blind corner and encounter people and their dogs, spread out across the one-lane road. Just saying.

We were short on time today, so found parking above the nearly bare hillside on the south side of the park, overlooking Burrows Island (yep, more islands). We had several trails to choose from, and decided to take the shortest (and steepest) path. We made our way (carefully) down a rocky trail, following a woman who sat down right at the edge of the dropoff, and pulled out a sketch pad and watercolor paints. DW stopped for a photo, so I did the same. Look closely, and you'll see the faint rocky path that switchbacks down the hill. And in the distance, you can see Lopez Island, part of the San Juans.



It's a steep trail, a bit scary in places, but the reward was good: this beautiful rocky shoreline and crystal clear water to photograph. We were still about 30 feet above the actual rock shelf, but that was close enough for me.

In the city...

Lunch with a Hawaiian theme, a table in the sun, and a killer view of Seattle. Yum!

A cold day at sea...

My day required jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt, fleece pullover, down sweater, canvas barn coat with down liner, two pairs of wool socks, boots, gloves, a fleece scarf wrapped around my neck, and a fleece hat pulled low over my ears.

Our friend, Larry, just had the engine rebuilt on his cruiser, and invited us out for a shake-down cruise on Puget Sound. On this foggy and cold day, it was tough to stay warm once we got out on the water... glad I brought along the fleece and nylon lap robe from the MX-5.

It figures today would be one of the coldest days this month; the low temperatures plus the fog made it a bone-chilling afternoon. It didn't stop people from being out on the water though; for once, it wasn't raining. We've had our share... halfway into the month, we've already had 6 inches of rain (much more where I live, closer to the foothills).

I've been very into reflections lately; the calm water behind the breakwater gave a beautiful painterly look to these reflections of boats and birds.

There was a lot of ship traffic today, like this container ship outside Commencement Bay, waiting for a tug escort. We watched until both tugs were in place to nudge the ship into dock, then headed back to the marina.

Depots and sunsets...

Last leg home today. Or it was supposed to be. But on our way east we stumbled across a tautogram trail of geocaches, and since I was working to finish a challenge that required them, once we started finding them, we couldn't stop. We'd been engrossed for a couple of hours (or more) when we found the most amazing-looking antique shop, out in the middle of nowhere. And it was closed. DW suggested we just go back to Long Beach; we were only 30 or so miles away. And check out the antique shop in the morning. So we booked a motel, and a table at our favorite restaurant, and turned back to the beach in time to catch the third sunset in as many days.

The reflection on the wet sand was beautiful.

A black Lab made a beeline for the group of seagulls on the beach, just as I turned my lens toward them. He barked, they scattered. He didn't seem to mind, though. Just ran back to his owner.

The tide was washing up on the beach, changing the pattern in the reflections as the clouds deepened to indigo blue.

In fall and winter, Wednesday at The Depot is burger night. From a slip of paper on each table, you design your own gourmet burger. Beef, buffalo, oyster, or portabello mushroom. Then toppings: choices of several cheeses, and fresh veggies, clam chowder or fries. It's a relaxed, friendly place all the time, but this was even more so. More like a neighborhood hang-out. And the burgers were excellent.

Tomorrow, we'll head home for sure.

Silhouettes...

Daylight lingered, changing from blue to violet to indigo, punctuated with streaks of pink and rose. As the sky deepened into rust and gold, the sea stacks became silhouettes.

At the beach...

Breakfast in Seaside, then we walked the public path along the dunes.

We ambled down the coast, enjoying the views and looking for antique stores. And ocean views. Just before sundown, Haystack Rock drew us like a magnet, and we found a path that led down to the beach. People and dogs were everywhere, enjoying the last rays of sunlight after a perfectly beautiful day.

Desert to beach...

Working our way home, after breakfast at my favorite place in Bend, McKay Cottage. We arrived before they opened, so were the only ones there for a while. It gave me time to enjoy the beauty of the architecture without distractions. Craftsman style is my favorite. I love the simple, clean lines, the beautiful millwork, and the built-in cabinetry.

On our way to the ocean, we went hiking in search of a very old geocache, in the hills east of Salem, above the Molalla River. And we drove high up in the coast range of Oregon, until we reached the top of Hembre Ridge. There was once a fire lookout there, but all that remains are the foundation piers, and a stone slab where the entrance steps once were. Mac & I posed with the old cache here, placed in November 2000, the first year of geocaching.

I knew we wouldn't make it to Cannon Beach before sundown, so we found beach access just north of Tillamook and sat on the drift logs and watched the sunset. There was a man with his golden retriever walking on the sand, and a man with his dSLR and long lens, waiting like we were. The beach grass made a beautiful frame for the setting sun.

In the near dusk, I didn't see the bug crawling out on the end of a blade of grass, but the camera saw.

We drove the rest of the way to Cannon Beach just at dark, and dropped our bags at the Ebola Creek Inn, and went to find dinner. Bill's Tavern was recommended, and the food and beer were very good... especially after a day of driving.

Against the wind...

I spotted this beautiful yacht out past Deception Island at the western end of the passage, while we were walking across the Deception Pass bridge.

You can just see the tall mast of the sailboat, to the right of the small island.

By the time we'd walked under the far end of the bridge, and were walking back on the other side, the boat was halfway through. I stood there and watched as the boat braved the current and eddies, making quick work of the hazards, and coming safely out the other side.

I felt like cheering as I watched it pass safely around Strawberry Island.

Isn't the water the most beautiful color? 

The hills above...

We didn't intend to take this walk, but somehow the alarm got set for 5:00 am instead of 6:00 am. And since Ireland has only about 7 hours of darkness in June, there was already plenty of light. So we went for it. This beautiful hill, right above town. We climbed up through the outskirts of town, to a dirt road, then a dirt track through sheep meadows. The higher we went, the better the views, until we could see beyond Dingle Bay to the deep blue Atlantic ocean beyond.

 

And then we came back to breakfast.

Old Town...

Over the past few years, one of our friends has restored two gorgeous Old Town canoes. They have wood frames and are covered in canvas. He just bought another one to restore as a retirement project. The new one is short, and they're tough to find in that size. The wood is in perfect condition, it just needs replacement cane seats and exterior paint. And maybe a fresh coat of varnish.

When we visited last weekend, Jim had pulled all the canoes out on the porch of their lakeside home, getting ready for a canoe club rally next weekend. I think they look perfect there, and was glad of the chance to see them up close, and take photographs.

I think they're works of art, don't you?

Snorkeling junkie | Puako Beach

I wish we'd found this place sooner... it was the best snorkeling experience so far.

The beach, actually a long reef that stretches from shore out toward the surf, was amazing. They say the best snorkeling is between the breakers and the outer edge of the reef, but the waves were a bit rough today, which made us nervous. So we swam back inside the reef.

We were here early, and had the place to ourselves for an hour or more. Which was good for us, beginners as we are. About the time we'd gotten comfortable swimming in shallow water, over rocks (and sea urchins), and figured out how to get from pool to pool, others arrived to share the waters. And that actually made the snorkeling better. As swimmers moved from pool to pool, the fish got more active. So we saw many more types of fish, even floated with a huge school of orange-striped silver fish for a while.

We split up and swam separately, and each of us had the thrill of swimming around a rock to come face to face with a turtle. We kept our distance, backed off when a turtle approached, and it was the experience of a lifetime. When we came in for a break, we were amazed to find we'd been in the water for three hours.

Later in the day, after our friends played golf, we brought them back here to snorkel. They weren't as comfortable snorkeling in shallow water, but when I showed them my favorite pool, and there was a turtle there, it made up for it.

The water wasn't as clear this afternoon, and the fish weren't as abundant, but seeing so many turtles napping on the rocks more than made up for it. Dave counted 14 in all, with 7 on this one rock.

We were also treated to a show put on by the humpback whales near the end of the afternoon. There were so many whales close to shore this afternoon, and we saw multiple whales breach. I've never seen a whale come completely out of the water before, slamming down and sending twin walls of water into the air. It was amazing to see, and I wish I had photographs.

I also wish we had time to come back once more, before we leave.