Remember those care-free days when you climbed trees, dodged waves on the beach, danced with the wind, or lay in a meadow and watched clouds drifting by? “If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.” -- Dr. Seuss Remember when you didn't care about taxes, finances, health, or relationships, and the future consisted of whose house you would play at after school, and what you were having for dessert that night? Yes, I know, that was a long time ago, yet it can still feel like yesterday. That’s a little how we felt this weekend. We had just finished our taxes (the pain was now subsiding), we felt good, life was joyful, and the future was not our concern for the day. The wind howled. Whitecaps filled the bay, trees bent at the waist, but the rainshadow was holding back the showers. “Let’s-go-to-the-beach,” I suggested, and Kath added “... at Guemes Island!” We felt like adults in kids’ bodies. What a privilege to walk onto a ferry from downtown and head across the high seas to a remote island, just five minutes and two dollars away. We rocked and rolled on the boat, smiles and grins filling our faces. From the Guemes ferry dock it’s a half-mile beach walk west to Peaches Preserve, a favorite of ours. Murphy ran after the balls we threw along the beach, which was sandy and wide at low tide. He loves to play chase, finally pouncing on the ball amid an explosion of sand. The wind pushed our backs as we strolled along. Waves crashed ashore; ducks bobbed on the waves like seasoned kayakers; seagulls tacked into the wind then glided back with delight. Vultures hung like kites overhead, wings wide and steady as they rode the breezes. Do animals play? Watching these fellow animals convinced me. Today we could not only stretch our legs, but also stretch our wings, and play. I took that literally when I lifted my coat over my head like a sail, stood on a high piece of driftwood, and jumped into the wind. Let’s just say that I am fortunate that the sand is soft at Peaches. Being down now at Murphy’s level, I felt the sting of sand as it blew along the driftwood, building small dunes, tossing the leaves of grass. Kath helped me back to my feet. At the west end of the preserve a trail leads off the beach into the grassy meadow and along the shore of the cattail-filled wetland. Two orphaned gloves hung on logs to mark the beginning of the trail. Kath leashed up Murphy and we headed inland but soon found a magnificent bench overlooking Guemes Channel. We hung out there for a few minutes as sunlight sparkled offshore. Behind us, flowers bloomed in the warmth of spring. We got our noses up close and personal to the Oregon grape. Check out the movie link below to see who joined us there. These flowers are SO fragrant as they emerge! I lay on the ground between them, watching the clouds racing above us. Red-winged blackbirds, hummingbirds, and a white crowned sparrow graced our day with windswept songs and beauty. Trees waved their hands and joined the chorus with the breezes in their branches humming along. We entered the forest at the east end of the preserve, walked the forest trail with its bright green growth of spring, then returned to the beach. Here the full force of the wind was now in our faces. No matter. We zipped our coats up a little higher, laughed at the feeling of childish freedom we enjoyed this day, headed to the Guemes Store for a bio-break, and then caught the ferry for a wave-tossed trip back home. “Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” – Dr. Seuss jack You gotta check out the video of the windy fun! One minute long... https://youtu.be/lZ_vhGJWQnk Directions: Bike or bus to the Guemes Ferry Terminal at 6th Street and I Avenue in Anacortes. Take the ferry to Guemes Island. Walk west on the beach a half mile to the Peach Preserve beach access, or take South Shore Road 1/2 mile west to the forest trailhead.
By bus or bike: Skagit 410 bus goes right to the ferry landing in Anacortes. Follow the directions above from there. Mobility: the beach is soft sand part way, and gravel for part of it too. The roadway is paved and gently rolling, but the narrow trail at the Preserve has roots, rocks, and uneven terrain.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Authors
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
Categories
All
|