Due to icy conditions that left only a few areas with open water, this pair of Hooded Mergansers had the pond to themselves Tuesday morning. Continued warming will mean more thaw, more neighbors.

February 16th, 2021

Snowy park trails

Snow on trail leading from the Highway 20 parking lot of Deception Pass State Park to Little North Beach below, North Whidbey Island.

February 16th, 2021

Anacortes restaurants say “Come on down!”

With the governor’s partial lifting of COVID-19 restrictions late last week, local restaurants are excited to invite the community to “come on down” to enjoy indoor dining. Restaurants are still restricted to just 25 percent guest capacity, but they and other businesses operating under months-long restrictions against inside customers are pleased to open their doors […]

February 2nd, 2021

Parks tackle wind damage: January 12

Cleanup work continues in area parks in the wake of a mid-January windstorm that featured prolonged wind gusts. Trail walkers and park visitors have seen dramatic evidence of the storm, ranging from piles of driftwood to downed trees and blocked trails. Included here are photographs from the Guemes Channel Trail in Anacortes; Rosario Beach, south […]

February 1st, 2021

Power vs. precision

During the course of my Monday hike at Deception Pass State Park I gathered a number of photos of damage from a recent windstorm that featured extraordinary high powered gusts. Many trees in the park, some quite large, were scraped, broken and uprooted. With downed trees on my mind, my eye was drawn to exposed […]

January 31st, 2021