![]() The warm sun on my back, the cool breeze in my face, the sapphire blue water, the silvery driftwood, and the many hued wildflowers erupting out of the cobbled shore surprised me as I walked Keystone Spit. I did not expect so much color and life to sprout out of the sand and stone underfoot. The stony shore brought forth red rose hips and pink nodding onion, thickets of yellow gumweed and pearly yarrow. Fireweed’s tall purple spires pointed toward the blue sky. Queen Anne’s Lace rimmed the roadside. Though the wild pea and pickle weed was crunchy underfoot, the wildflowers seemed to thrive even after a month long drought. It was a low tide, a negative three, with plenty of beach exposed. I walked to the water’s edge to see the knotted strands of bull kelp with their built-in buoys. The bulbs glistened in the shimmering sun. The ghost of Mount Rainier hovered over the horizon. The long arch of shoreline swept from Driftwood County Park on its eastern end, to Fort Casey State Park on the west, with the Coupeville Ferry tucked in beneath that protective bluff. These waters can be tricky with strong currents that pull boats this way and that. The bulky ferry has to thread the needle between shipping lanes, recreational fishermen, rowdy currents and weather to reach this narrow harbor. Then the run is shut down entirely on mornings such as this when the tide is so low. This is the gateway to Puget Sound’s more protected waterways. But this crossing is the most exposed in the State Ferry System. When the tide began to rise, the ferry was able to return and exchange one load of cars and passengers for another. While they wait for the ferry, some bring binoculars to the side of the road to get a closer look at the cloud of pelicans on Crockett Lake. This is an Important Bird Area closely monitored by members of the Whidbey Audubon Society. White Pelicans began to appear on Whidbey in 2016. They’re often seen at Crockett Lake and Deer Lagoon in the summer months. In winter and spring waterfowl and shorebirds flock here. Eagles are frequently spotted on the tops of telephone poles. Northern Harriers, also called Marsh Hawks, skim over the grasses looking for rodents. Unusual owls and other raptors can cause a stir among birders. Grassy areas are home to sparrows and swallows. Killdeer lay eggs among the gravel. A row of posts across the lake that once held a bridge, now supports a housing complex for purple martins. And the cormorants and gulls share the old fort loading dock and boat launch. A heron made a nest on top of the ferry dock piling that you can see when you’re on the boat. This is a popular spot for people, too. Access to Keystone Spit is easy with parking areas at either end and two driveways that provide entrance to a road that goes down the middle. Cars, trucks, and vans can be seen parked there with the windows open, a good place to watch birds or enjoy the sunny beach and shinning waters. Bring a picnic, walk the dog or stroll the beach for miles. Build driftwood castles. Fish for salmon in the fall. Bring your scuba gear and take a walk at the underwater park by the jetty. Find another world of anemones, urchins, cucumbers, and sea stars. Or find yourself a comfortable log and enjoy a beautiful summer day and all the beauty at the beach. Maribeth For the latest bird sightings and other Whidbey Audubon news click here. PS Walk in the Woods with Maribeth Crandell at South Whidbey State Park. Thursday, Aug. 1st and/or Saturday, Aug. 10th at 9am. Those who arrive by bus will get a prize! Directions: Take Highway 20 to the light in Coupeville and turn south on Main Street. This street turns into Engle Road and leads to the ferry. Or if you’re coming from South Whidbey, take Highway 525 to Race Road and turn west. You may park at Driftwood County Park at the east end of Keystone Spit without a Discover Pass. Or park anywhere else on the spit with a Discover Pass.
By Bus and Bike: Riding bikes around Crockett Lake is an easy loop with a wide shoulder. You may also take the free Island Transit Route 6 bus to the ferry landing on weekdays. Call 360-678-7771 or see the schedule online here. Please wear something bright if you are biking or catching the bus alongside the road. Mobility: There is an old road down the middle of Keystone Spit which offers views and access to a deck with picnic tables. The road is rough but it is flat and more walkable than the cobblestone shore. There are benches and picnic tables at both ends and an ADA restroom at the ferry landing.
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![]() "This forest was logged in the 20’s.” Ann Linnea says, and then catches herself. “We ARE in the 20’s! I mean in the 1920’s, a hundred years ago.” Ann points out the huge stumps from the trail. She tells the story as we walk with her at Trillium Community Forest. It has been logged many times since then, and replanted, but the new trees grew too closely together. The canopy blocked out the sun. The lower branches died still clinging to the trees. Nothing grew on the forest floor. This created a fire hazard. Coming from the Smuggler’s Cove entrance, this history was obvious. Ann led us up the hill into an alder forest with foxglove, nettles and salmonberry bushes on each side. She told us alders and nettles are nitrogen fixers that help enrich forest soils. We came to Patrick’s Way, named after a man who died too young. We turned on to the Wild Berry trail and around to a clearing with a plaque on a stone dedicated to another young man. The Swainson’s thrush sang its plaintive song. We hope they've found peace. This quiet meadow would be a good place to look. Ann brought us here to see the contrast between the lush, green, undisturbed forest, and the newly thinned areas along Patrick’s Way. In March, Janicki Logging came in with a feller-buncher, a small logging machine that can weave between the trees and reach out 30 feet to either side. It was used to thin the trees and stack the trunks with minimal disturbance to the forest. Already the forest was recovering. Sunlight streams into the open spaces. Salal and huckleberry fill in the gaps. Ann led this tour as a volunteer for the Whidbey Camano Land Trust who acquired the land in 2010 after an incredible effort to raise over $4 million in less than a year. A logging company had sold it to a development company who planned a dense housing project. But the economy tanked and the developers failed to pay back their loan. The property was battered by logging and mismanagement. But the land trust saw the value in this 654 acre property. It has the headwaters of three watersheds, and just a mile from South Whidbey State Park, it extends a wildlife corridor. It's the largest stretch of undeveloped forest on Whidbey Island. Their fundraising campaign secured over 1,500 contributions from across the country. Since then it's been expanded to 721 acres including a Conservation Easement with Island County. This is truly a community forest, preserving our water and wildlife, and providing quiet places to walk, bike, ride horses and even hunt (in the fall). Get the whole amazing story here. We walked to the Crossroads trail and turned into the woods again. Soon we came upon a tree that had blown over. The roots made a vertical wall. Ann talked about how the trees are connected underground. Scientists have studied the mycorrhizal fungi, little hair-like tendrils that pass nutrients and water from the soil to the tree roots. The tree in turn, feeds the fungi sugars from photosynthesis. This relationship benefits both species. “There’s a whole lot more going on underground than what we can see,” Ann tells us. She should know. Ann wrote a book called The Keepers of the Trees. She donated copies to support the fundraising effort to purchase this property. We came to the Peaceful Firs trail and were grateful for the colored trail signs that match the maps we had.” I used to get lost in here all the time.” I said. Others nodded. The trail climbed up hill back to Patrick’s Way where we soon arrived at a well-placed bench. By then we were ready to take advantage of it. After some water and a few minutes of rest, Ann pointed out the trees in collars around the next bend. These new saplings were planted and collared for their protection. The next generation of trees would add shade and diversity to this community forest. And the forest succession story will continue into the next century and beyond. Maribeth For more about the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, their properties, guided walks, programs, volunteer opportunities and a trail map, click here Directions: There are 3 entrances to Trillium Community Forest. From Greenbank, turn onto Smugglers Cove Road and look for the small sign on the left 1 mile south of South Whidbey State Park. From Freeland, go north on Bush Point Road which turns into Smuggler’s Cove Road and drive 3 miles. Look for the small signs on the right. This is the best entrance for horses (and the best parking for horse trailers). OR take Highway 525 north from Freeland for 3 miles and turn left onto Pacific Dogwood. Or for the ADA access, drive from Freeland north, turn left on Mutiny Bay Road and right on Bounty Loop Road. The parking area is on the right at the bottom of the hill. The ADA loop is about ¼ mile long and connects to other trails in the preserve.
By Bike or Bus: The free Island Transit Route 1 bus can stop at the Smuggler’s Cove entrance. Smuggler’s Cove Road has a wide shoulder for cyclists with less traffic. Please wear something bright when catching the bus or riding a bike along the road. Two bikes fit on a bus bike rack. For a bus schedule call 360-678-7771 or click here. Mobility: The Bounty Loop entrance has a ¼ mile ADA loop trail that connects to other forest trails. The Pacific Dogwood entrance starts with a road walk and continues on Patrick’s Way which is a dirt road. There are hills on both. Side trails are more narrow, steeper and have roots, rocks and sometimes wet places. Maybe I’m just getting old. I used to love setting off fireworks on the Fourth, watching them blow up in explosions of noise and showers of sparks. I raised my kids on bottle rockets and Roman candles. But now I’m in bed long before the celebrations end, which wasn’t until well after one a.m. this year. Sleep eluded us under the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air. And Murphy – poor Murphy, so scared of the noise he couldn’t poop when he should, and then pooped when he shouldn’t. Why do we celebrate a declaration of independence by re-creating the horrors of war, the terrors of death and destruction? Because boys like noise? Humans create noise everywhere we go, it seems. As our territories enlarge and our clatters and clamors grow louder, the still, small voices of our neighboring creatures shrink and retreat as they lose their homeland. The next day, with warm sunshine brightening our outlook, we celebrated our freedom in a different way, in pursuit of peace and quiet, the sounds of silence. Dozens of folks walked and rode bikes onto the Guemes Ferry with us. Kath, Murphy, and I walked west along the beach at low tide, finding dozens of jellyfish stranded at the wrack line. Murphy tasted one – briefly! The day was warm. It was quiet. It was peaceful. Oh the joy of this beach -- sweet-talking wavelets beside us, gravel crunching under our feet, barnacles closing their doors as their rocks dried out. Other folks here celebrated in their own way. A woman poked her nose around the rocks at the low-tide line, looking for agates not found higher up. Two couples from Guemes Island soaked up the sun higher on the beach. Others passed us with kids in kid-carriers and friendly dogs wagging their tails. Up ahead, a woman stood in place for a long time, looking down. She was looking for Wishing Rocks, rocks with a band of a different color around them. I asked why, and she said wistfully it reminded her of her late dad, who loved doing that. Farther up the beach we found her husband bent over looking for agates. He showed us one of his beautiful treasures, the sunlight shimmering through with a translucent glow. At the north end of Kelly’s Point Preserve, Murph rested in the shade of a sand cave, Kath giving him water and treats. We listened to swallows zooming around us feasting on summer bugs, to ravens croaking their stories of the old ways, and to a Swainson’s singing of hope for the future. What do these creatures think of our explosions and outrageous noises? How do we come into the peace of wild things amid a culture of shock and awe? Places like this show us the stark difference. The tide was rising as we turned back. Stars of sunlight sparkled in the waves. Boats carved white wakes in the deep blue seas. The bluff cascaded sand and rocks down upon us, reminding us that Yellow Bluff is alive too, in its own way. At the trailhead, we chose to walk back to the ferry via South Beach Road which has a lot of shade this time of day. Murph was grateful. The ferry was full, carrying many of the people who had crossed over with us nearly three hours earlier. A wounded veteran also joined us, with life-changing injuries from a long-ago war. And so we come full circle. We remember and honor the sacrifices many have made to give us the freedom to enjoy days like this in places like this. And we also hold these truths to be self-evident, that our very lives are intertwined with the life and health of our planet. We celebrate life, liberties, and pursuits of happiness for all creatures. That is worth celebrating! Quietly. jack For a 2:51 minute video of this experience, go to: youtu.be/D51ZEbpuKmc Directions: take your bike on the Skagit 410 bus or walk or drive to the Guemes Ferry Terminal at 6th Street and I Avenue in Anacortes. Take the ferry to Guemes Island. Walk the beach westward to Kelly's Point, or follow South Shore Drive west to the parking lot where South Shore Drive becomes West Shore Drive. Respect private property, of course.
Mobility: the ferry approach ramps are sloped. The roadways are paved and mostly flat or gently sloped, with minimal traffic. The beach is sandy, rocky, and gravelly, and not passable at the highest of tides. ![]() Flags were flying all the way down the beach at Double Bluff for the fourth of July. The tide was low. The sun was out and the sand was warm. You can’t get much better than this for a summer holiday. Remember when we used to say summer comes on July 5th? Not anymore. Cars were parked along the side of the road. As we got out of the car we heard a marsh wren in the wetlands. Lee put Piper on a leash and we walked to the park entrance. With poop bags in hand, we headed for the beach. Once Piper had relieved herself and Lee had made a quick trip back to the trash bins, we were off. We passed the big chair and the wind sock and Piper declared her independence. This is where the off leash dog park begins. She pranced to the water’s edge getting her paws wet in the pools, laying down in the mud, cooling off her fur coat. She found sticks and smelled logs. It was doggie paradise. And there were plenty of pooches to play with. Big dogs, little dogs, fancy dogs and mutts met up, circled and sniffed. Some raced around. Others swam after a ball or a stick. A few trotted at the heels of their people looking for a treat. People built log huts, erected tents, wore sunhats, carried umbrellas. Everyone wanted to get their feet wet, poke around in the mud, explore tide pools, soak up the sun. Kids brought their buckets and dug up their treasures. Grandparents watched from their folding chairs. Refreshments erupted from coolers and picnic baskets. Swallows circled overhead. Herons flew from one fishing spot to the next. Eagles soared over the bluff. Sparrows ducked into the wild rose bushes. Silver driftwood framed the vibrant pink and green shrubs. We walked to the bend hoping to see the Olympics, but they were playing hide and seek with the clouds. A large rock, a glacial erratic, marked the corner. We studied it looking for fossils. Another rock sheltered a tide pool full of hermit crabs, shellfish and barnacles. Lee pointed out anemones and pipe fish. Piper just waded in among them. We found sea stars and moon snails. “It’s alive!” Lee cried, pointing out a glob of a snail sitting on the sand, mostly out of its shell. It was a long way from the water, so Lee gingerly picked it up resting it on a hammock of sea weed and walked it to a wet spot. Then she covered it with the seaweed to keep it from drying out in the hot sun. There it will wait for the next tide, still hours away. In the distance we could see boats (maybe whale watching boats) stopped for what seemed like a long time. I looked with binoculars, but still couldn’t see if there were whales around them. It’s that time of year. Resident orcas would be seeking salmon, while the transients would go after baby seals left while their parents are fishing. Or minke whales that are more solitary and feeding on herring balls, along with the gulls. So much life in these waters, and so much on the shore. But at low tide, there is room for people and dogs, sea stars and moon snails, herons and whales, all sharing the same sun, sand, and Puget Sound. Piper was disappointed to turn for home. In protest, she strolled into the muckiest pool she could find and came out muddy and smelling to high heaven. Fortunately, there’s a dog washing station at the park gate. The flags flew in the breeze as she gave up her freedom and succumbed to the leash once more. Maribeth Directions: Take Hwy 525 1 mile south of Freeland to Double Bluff Road, then turn south and the beach park is about 2 miles at the end of the road. Watch for pedestrians along the road.
By Bus and Bike: Take the fare free island Transit Route 1 bus to Double Bluff Road and bike south to the park. Two bikes fit on a bus bike rack. Wear bright clothes when riding a bike on the road. Mobility: There are picnic tables and restrooms at the park entrance. The beach has driftwood logs between the water and the parking and picnic tables. |
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Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
July 2024
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