I hadn’t seen Rick and Carla for almost a year. It was good to hear they’d docked at the Oak Harbor marina. I took the bus up to meet them for lunch on Pioneer Way. Afterward we walked back to the boat and I got a tour. Rick’s handiwork was clever and seamless. Every available space was used for storage or custom crafted for optimum comfort in close quarters. They lived on their 40 foot boat each summer sailing between islands but would soon be heading back to their home in Montana. We walked back into town with our shopping bags but parted ways at the mermaid as I headed for the Waterfront Trail. Crossing the street at the bus station I passed the fishing dock and followed the boardwalk. The tide was coming in and gulls called overhead. Across from the playground two young pups were in training. They were getting socialized and I was happy to play my part. Passing the broad plaza I thought about the recent events that had been staged there. The Oak Harbor Music Festival and Hydroplane Races had drawn huge crowds, but it was quiet now. After Labor Day the water was turned off at the mock shipwreck, but the playscape would still be fun to climb on. It was a warm weekday afternoon but school had started and the swimming lagoon was empty. A cyclist sped across the park in just moments. A woman walked her large dog on the beach. Teenagers passed me on the sidewalk talking. Two young men relaxed on the lawn. A woman pushed a baby stroller. A man shot hoops at the basketball court. A child sped by on a scooter. His little legs pushing hard as mother called. All was well on the waterfront. I crossed Beeksma Drive into Freund Marsh. Rosehips and berries adorned the native shrubs. Bird song filled the air. I was ambushed by Bushtits as they swung into a berry bush. Dog walkers passed with their bag of poop at arms length. A jogger ran by as I stopped to read an interpretive sign. Such a bright, warm, afternoon for mid September. How many more would we have like this before the seasons changed? I have walked this park many times, in many seasons. When the Freund Marsh trail opened I helped pull together the resources to create the interpretive panels and met the Freund family at the dedication. The Oak Harbor Parks Department planted snags, native trees and shrubs to attract wildlife, and it works. Whidbey Audubon leads bird watching trips here. I led the High School Ecology Club in a successful pick-up-the-poop campaign. And a few years ago the Windjammer section of the park went through a major renovation that made it a great place for large gatherings, festivals, and family fun days. Of all the towns on Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor has made their waterfront more accessible than any other. I led a group of blind people on this trail to find birds. I’ve walked with a friend in a wheelchair. It’s a wonderful place for the very young or old, the most fit, or those with mobility challenges, and you can easily get there by bus, bike, boot or boat. As I left the park to catch my bus at Walmart, I felt grateful and amazed that such a treasure exists here open to all of us in any season. Maribeth Directions: Take Highway 20 to Oak Harbor and turn onto Beeksma Drive to park between Windjammer Park and Freund Marsh. Or take Pioneer Way and turn on to Bayshore Drive and park across from Harbor Station. Enter at Flintstone Park on the Waterfront.
By Bus or Bike: Take Routes 1, 3, 411, 6, 9, or 10 to Harbor Station and cross the street. Island Transit provides free bus service 7 days a week. For a schedule click here. Two bikes fit on the bus bike rack. Please wear something bright when biking by the road. There is often heavy traffic on roads in Oak Harbor. Mobility: The waterfront trail between Flintstone Park, Windjammer Park and Freund Marsh is easy to walk or roll. Trails are wide and almost flat with either boardwalk, pavement or hard gravel surfaces.
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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
May 2024
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