Fidalgo Island Crossings

The other day I took my first hike out to Hoypus Point in Deception Pass State Park.  I wanted to get my bearings for the upcoming First Day Hike for 2016 .  As I mentioned, I had never explored this section of the park.  Since then, the skies have cleared and the temperatures have dropped.  With a day off work and and perfect weather, I decided to return to Hoypus and explore a little more territory. I arrived about 8:30 a.m.  The temperature was 30° F (-1° C) with clear skies and a rising sun.  How different the Deception Pass Bridge looks today with the morning sun just starting to hit it. Today, I planned to explore the CCC Crossing Trail which would take me deeper into the Hoypus forest.  From the Cornet Bay Road Trail I took the first right and found a gently rising slope into the woods.  I noticed the trails had been freshly groomed, no doubt by the guys from SWITMO .  Is this an indication it will be part of the itinerary f...

I hate wet feet.  Whatever I am doing, wet feet ruin the experience.  There are a couple of places I don't hike right now because I know I will end up with wet feet.  These include Telegraph Slough near Anacortes and the West 90/Samish Flats site near Samish Island.  The latter is one of the best birding sites in the area. I have been shopping for waterproof hiking boots, but I am having trouble finding what I want.  I am looking for something comfortable, not exorbitantly priced and that will fit my weird feet.  I have high insteps and they are not the same length.  I like sneakers because they quickly adapt to my feet.  They work great on dry ground, but if there's any wetness around, I end up miserable.  I have also had trouble finding shoes that didn't end up hurting. I have learned a lot reading the review sites for hiking boots.  As is often the case, however, they seem to be all over the place with recommendations.  ...

First Day Hikes have become an annual tradition in Washington state parks.  For 2016, I counted twenty-eight hikes planned throughout the state.  The hike at Deception Pass State Park this year will be out to Hoypus Point.  For me this will be Terra Incognita .  This is a section of the park I have not yet explored.  I am really looking forward to the hike on New Year's Day with knowledgeable guides. I don't know the exact route we'll be taking, but I believe we will set off that-a-way.  To preview the hike and get my bearings, I ventured out the Cornet Bay Road trail to the end of Hoypus Point. The route I hiked began as a paved road.  Where the road ended, a wide, comfortable trail continued out to the end of Hoypus.  For the entire course, there was not a single hill to climb.  It was easy hiking on level ground the entire way.  Even with the torrential rains we have been experiencing, there was only one small section ...

We just finished a solid week of windstorms and record rainfall.  Seattle received its normal December rainfall in the first eleven days of the month.  We were under high wind warnings almost every day during the week.  Then last Friday, the weather gods relented and gave us a really nice day with sunny skies and moderate temperatures.  I had been itching to get outside, so I headed over to West Beach in Deception Pass State Park .  My first stop was " Fraggle Rock " at the north end of the parking lot.  As I expected, a parcel of Black Oystercatchers had gathered to preen and take a snooze. At the opposite end of the rock, these gulls had segregated themselves to the cool kids' table.  They were also here to rest and preen their feathers.  These appear to be Glaucous-winged x Western Gull hybrids, but I could be wrong.  Gulls are hard. A short path leads over to the Amphitheater on the Deception Pass shore.  From the trai...

History can be either great or small, important and earth shaking or insignificant.  I have regarded my own personal history to be unremarkable.  I had some boxes in my basement that my grandmother had packed up maybe thirty-five or forty years ago.  I had never taken the time to look through them until a few weeks ago.  I was amazed to find some rather wonderful family photos.  I have always enjoyed looking at vintage photos so I was tickled to death to find these.  I took them downtown to be framed and just got them back.  Keep in mind, these are photos of photos, so the quality presented here is a bit rough. Above is my paternal grandmother Louise Wenning .  Her maiden name was Geiger .  The young girl is my Aunt Irene Wenning .  The two boys are twins, my Uncle Herman on the left and my father Henry Wenning on the right.  He was born in 1915, so this photo must have been taken around 1920.  If you want to know what I...