New Year rainfall let up on Sunday, January 3, a development that drew enthusiastic crowds to Deception Pass State Park: both Fidalgo and Whidbey sides. On this trip I ventured onto a trail that runs adjacent to the beach from the park amphitheater to the bridges. I have walked the same trail from the east […]
Kukutali, which in the native Swinomish Tribal language means “place of cattail mats,” is a wonderful near-island managed in partnership between the tribe and state parks. Walk a narrow band of land to this place of beach and forest. Beautiful trees tower above on the forest trail, with many madrona trees growing both in forest […]
I (and many others) spent part of my Thanksgiving Eve in the Bowman Bay neighborhood. That included a beach walk on Lottie Bay, with sightings of many ducks and a harbor seal. Beaches are littered with “sea debris” from recent winds, combined with high tide. It was nice to see a few families out with […]
Evidence of this week’s stormy weather was plentiful at Bowman Bay beaches and trails, from massive driftwood collections and downed tree branches to seaweed, kelp and rocks swept up to adjacent wetlands.
A splash of color on a gray Fall day. House finches at the edge of a Fidalgo Island beach.
It was exciting last Saturday to see so many Northwesterners outside enjoying the natural attributes of this amazing corner of the state. I saw kayakers, paddleboarders, horseback riders, hikers, boaters and beach walkers. They were young, old … families and friends. I saw cameras, cellphones and binoculars, all being utilized to add images to memory […]
What a spectacular morning in the wake of a week of smoke-saturated skies due to wildfires. When I looked out the window Saturday morning to discover the smoke was gone, I headed for Deception Pass State Park. I wasn’t alone. These young women from Renton were fishing for salmon from Little North Beach. I also […]
A river otter paddles at a leisurely pace, moving parallel to the beach on its way to rocks beneath Deception Pass Bridge.
I’ve been watching apples ripen on a shoreline tree, often wondering if and when other walkers will begin to pick them. This morning I got an education when I discovered these apples are on the crow’s menu. I saw at least a dozen crows in the tree and on the beach a few yards away, […]
My morning started at West Beach on the Whidbey side of Deception Pass. I then headed to North Beach, and then crossed the bridge to Bowman Bay and Lighthouse Point on Fidalgo Island. I’m guessing sunshine and a desire to be temporarily free of COVID-19 “incarceration” prompted people to head for the outdoors with boats, […]
Wetland area just across the road from the beach on South March’s Point Road.
I encountered two groups of divers Saturday at Rosario Beach. I thought the first diver I spotted was a seal, and in fact he and two others were later joined by a curious seal. Pacific Northwest waters are renowned among divers. Lots of color, both plant life and underwater creatures.