Decades ago my mom told my dad to make a left turn while driving at Washington Park, and then we met a car coming the opposite direction. We were going down a one-way road the wrong way! What I remember is my dad being surprised and then laughing out loud as he backed up, while my mom said “Whoops…” and giggled and smiled mischievously. Ordinary moments. They happen every minute of every day. They brush past us like a whisper in the wind, like the movement of a shadow, here and then gone. I walked down that same roadway this week, the wrong way of course. Again I heard the sound of my father’s laughter, and the look of my mom giggling and smiling. As I continued, a family stood around a campfire and cooked dinner. Down at the water, kids played at the beach, moms watching nearby. I thought back to times with my kids at the beach, times long past now. And I know you can picture time with your kids or grandkids or nieces or nephews or neighbors or anyone you’ve played with at the beach. Ordinary moments. What I would give to re-live those moments, just for a moment. A man sailed in from the channel, tied up his boat, and his sweetie gave him a welcome-back kiss. I walked down the loop road, and a couple of women sat on a bench looking out to sea. A ferry cruised by in the distance. I asked if I could take a picture of their backsides and the ferry. They laughed. Now I see why it sounds funny. I walked on to the meadow, where a mom and dad were encouraging their kids to jump off a rock at the same time, so they could photograph them in mid-air. They tried a couple times. Others sat at tables having a picnic, or sat on the grass just soaking in sunshine instead of rain for a change. Around the corner, a woman sat on a bench and fed a junco and chickadee that were happy for a handout. A family played on the rocks at the water’s edge, the mom cautioning the kids to be careful, the dad leading them on to further exploits. Fewer people walk farther. The sun made piano key shadows on the roadway. A man marched down the hill getting his exercise before nightfall. A hiker came out of the woods where the road turns uphill and back east. I took his trail west, hiking to the western tip of Washington Park, the western end of all of Fidalgo Island. Grasses grew out of the rock, bending in the breeze. Trails from travelers past led the way for future travelers like me. I wandered off-trail a while, off route, off key, off the grid, and I could have been off anywhere with juniper trees and rocks and grass and sunshine, in the Rockies or a B-grade western. I was just a mile from Skyline houses. I contoured east between the shoreline and the ridge, passing an ordinary heron, hearing ordinary lonesome mourning doves calling their plaintive sigh. I rested in a lava tube alongside the trail, then scrambled my way to the viewpoint that looks south toward Mt. Erie and Burrows Island. Porpoises frolicked in the channel; an eagle flew by at eye level. Several visitors like me watched in awe and joy at these ordinary, daily events. A family sat at a table to eat, an ordinary gift of togetherness. A statue here honors the man who helped create Washington Park, who donated the land for our enjoyment and the health of our planet. What an extraordinary gift. As I returned back to Sunset Beach, the sun set behind Lopez, something it does every day. How ordinary. I watched through my camera lens, and then through the misting lenses of my eyes. jack Directions: From Anacortes, take 12th Street west, which becomes Oakes Avenue. Go straight at the signal on what is now Sunset Avenue (where you could angle down to the ferry instead) and go about one more mile to the entrance of Washington Park.
Accessibility: The loop road through Washington Park is paved the entire way, though there are somewhat steep sections. This road is closed to vehicle traffic in the morning until 10 a.m. The trails are challenging for the most part, with rocks, roots, uneven surfaces, and varying degrees of angles and widths. The viewpoints offer some opportunities to get out of a vehicle. Transit accessibility: Take Skagit Transit 410 to where it turns into Skyline Drive. Washington Park is 1/4-mile straight ahead instead. Bike accessibility: I biked from downtown Anacortes. It's about five miles with varying shoulder widths but mostly adequate for safety, and with a fog line for separation. It is paved with minimal debris or bumps.
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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
March 2024
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