I took Island Transit to Coupeville to get some photos for the Census committee. It’s one of the hats I’ve been wearing lately. As we passed the Elementary School, I thought about how they benefit from the Census by getting federal funds for Head Start, school lunches and special education. I got off the bus at the hospital, another agency that benefits. The bus pulled away and I realized that transit is also supported by Census numbers. As I walked north on Main Street I passed the Fire Station, the Boys and Girls Club, the Food Bank, the Road Shop, more beneficiaries of an accurate Census count. I crossed the street to ask if Sunshine Drip would help promote the Census and took a photo of them with a banner. Next door is the County Elections office and a ballot drop box. The Census also determines how many seats we have in Congress. I had some time so I walked the Kreuger Trail around town. On NE First Street I passed the Island County Human Services offices. Their programs assist the homeless, victims of domestic abuse, disabled, veterans and seniors. Billions of federal dollars are allocated based on our Census data. The closer we get to a complete count, the more everyone will benefit. It takes 10 minutes to answer 10 questions. We only get one chance every 10 years to get this right. Now is our chance. https://2020census.gov/ As I reached the corner of NE 1st and Wilkes I took my Census hat off and put on my Hike of the Week hat. This hike is about as close to home as you can get for a lot of people. As I passed the colorful condos, I noticed hearts in one window. With more people taking neighborhood walks due to the pandemic, people are putting signs, hearts and rainbows in their windows to cheer up passersby. It worked for me. Around the bend a deer grazed next to a kiosk that marks the short cut through the woods to Broadway. I stayed on Wilkes as the path dropped down passing homes and yards. Hyacinth and roses hung over a weathered fence. I inhaled their perfume. Then, stepping around the No Parking sign, I went along the edge of the village green where deer grazed peacefully. The library is closed, but still welcoming with outdoor benches and encouraging signs in the windows. Turning west I crossed the town parking lot and headed for Kreuger Street. A narrow trail led between a cattail marsh full of Red Winged Blackbirds and a pond where a Mallard swam out from behind yellow iris. I skirted the pond and walked between homes up 7th Avenue. A block later I turned left on Broadway. As I passed mailboxes and picket fences I saw more deer. The yards gave way to woods as I came to a bench where the short cut from Wilkes Street meets this trail. A buck crossed the road and entered the woods as I approached the church. The path winds between trees in front of the church, and then turns east crossing a wide open lawn between a little wetland and a community garden. The trail then enters the woods where I heard a cheery bell as a bike rider passed me “on the left”. The trail emerged from the woods and I followed the sidewalk on Birch Street toward the art school and back to the hospital. When I worked in Coupeville, I took this trail almost daily on my lunch break. As I boarded the bus to go home, I saw another professional on a “power walk” taking the same loop. This is not a wilderness hike. It’s a daily meditation, a place to walk the dog, push the baby stroller, go for a jog. It’s a short cut to school, a quick walk at lunch or a place for someone visiting the hospital to take a much needed break from a crisis situation. We all need these places in our lives. Thank goodness we have them. Bus Directions:
Bring a face mask for the bus. Take fare free Island Transit Route 1 bus to North Main Street in Coupeville. Disembark at the hospital and start your walk across the street by going down NE First Street. Turn right on Wilkes and follow this description in a counter clockwise loop. Driving directions: Take Highway 20 to North Main Street in Coupeville. Turn left at 8th Street and park in the parking lot next to the library. Start your walk by going west across the green (opposite of the library). You'll see a trail that leads around a pond on Kreuger Street. Turn right on 7th and left on Broadway. Follow this description in a counter clockwise loop.
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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
April 2024
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