Deception Pass, I know, is no secret. The views of the Olympics on a clear day can't be beat. I used to hike all over the park but now as age sneaks up behind me---I just passed my 85th birthday--- I keep to the maintained trails in the park, which allow me to enjoy the beach, woods, lake and mountain views.
One of great treasures and attractions of the park that endures is the sea-side gnarled 850-year-old ancient Douglass-Fir. Maybe I like the name and the fact its as old and gnarled as me. I like to imagine what that old tree has seen and lived through...early native children through modern children from all across the globe climbing and playing on its limbs. I love taking my grandchildren to marvel at it---hell, I marvel at it every visit.
My favorite time of year to go with my walking partner is mid-winter. I feel as if the park is all mine. There are usually one or two cars in the parking lot and by the time we leave there are none. Of course the jet pilots will zoom by low, running training courses from the very nearby base but the times and days are fairly regular and we nearly have the schedule figured out to avoid them. I do have to admit the "Sound of Freedom" will deliver a pure jolt of exhilaration and adrenaline as they nearly break the sound barrier overhead but plug your ears when they do.
There are 1.2 miles of ADA hiking, roughly thirty-eight miles of hiking trails, and three miles of bike trails.
http://parks.state.wa.us/497/Deception-Pass
One of great treasures and attractions of the park that endures is the sea-side gnarled 850-year-old ancient Douglass-Fir. Maybe I like the name and the fact its as old and gnarled as me. I like to imagine what that old tree has seen and lived through...early native children through modern children from all across the globe climbing and playing on its limbs. I love taking my grandchildren to marvel at it---hell, I marvel at it every visit.
My favorite time of year to go with my walking partner is mid-winter. I feel as if the park is all mine. There are usually one or two cars in the parking lot and by the time we leave there are none. Of course the jet pilots will zoom by low, running training courses from the very nearby base but the times and days are fairly regular and we nearly have the schedule figured out to avoid them. I do have to admit the "Sound of Freedom" will deliver a pure jolt of exhilaration and adrenaline as they nearly break the sound barrier overhead but plug your ears when they do.
There are 1.2 miles of ADA hiking, roughly thirty-eight miles of hiking trails, and three miles of bike trails.
http://parks.state.wa.us/497/Deception-Pass
Meerkerk Gardens
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April 2017 Kathleen |
If you watch birds enough you’ll realized that they are creatures of habit. Every spring I look for a certain junco to visit my feeder. The bird is easy to spot because it has an unusual white smudge on the left side of its tail feathers. It first appeared four years ago and since then has become a regular.
At Seafarer’s Memorial Park, I always look for black oystercatchers along the shore. They arrive in mid-winter and seem to like that small stretch of beach. I usually see two, sometimes three, but this year their little flock has grown to five. Black oystercatchers are easy to recognize. They have plump, black-brown bodies, pink legs, and a long, orange beak. But it’s the harlequin duck that’s on my must-see list. It also appears near a certain shoreline of Fidalgo Island in the winter. Comment if you know where this brilliantly-painted bird is found? |
March 2017
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