Western Washington

Like the previous photo, this was taken at Deception Pass State Park and at the West Beach area of the park. The land in the distance is probably Vancouver Island.

Taken on a camping trip to Deception Pass State Park with a group of school children.

Deception Pass is the most visited place in Washington with 2.7 million visitors in 2014. Much of the area is a state park, but except for the bridge itself the park seldom seems very busy. The bridge can walked and this is the part of the bridge from Whidbey Island to Pass Island (the other section of the bridge is to the left in the photo and crosses from Pass Island to Fidalgo Island). The photo was taken from the north shore of Whidbey Island. The pass was named by its discoverer, Joseph Vancouver, who was deceived by the pass into thinking that Whidbey Island was a peninsula and the water of the pass the mouth of a river.

Last spring for the first time I hiked the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve near Bellingham, an 350 acre area of natural beauty donated to the city of Bellingham by the Stimpson family. There are six miles of trails and I hiked most of them. There was not much in bloom, but the old growth forest, beaver ponds and unspoiled nature made the hike worthwhile.

This was taken as we arrived for the ferry that would take us from Coupeville on Whidbey Island to Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. This was the best of the shots I was able to get - had to get my camera out and change lenses.

Taken in Lake Padden Park near Bellingham, this is a photo of Red Alders and Skunk Cabbage growing and blooming in a marshy area between the lake and Padden Ridge. The area is a nice place for day hiking and orchid hunting, though none of the native orchids were blooming yet when this picture was taken.

This is part of the Bowman Beach to Rosario Beach trail, a trail that takes one along the bluffs above Deception Pass. As anyone who has followed my photostream, knows, I am always trying to capture the magic of hiking and of the trails we follow, though I seldom succeed. There is nothing quite like the anticipation of the next bend in the trail, the next view, the next wildflower or other natural wonder. Rain or sunshine or even snow, there is always something to see and admire and even the familiar trails are always new with the changing seasons and infinite variation of the natural world. The tree, by the way, is a Douglas Fir and it was along this section of the trail that we found the first native orchids of the season. “Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate And though I oft have passed them by A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.”

This is one of the trails we hiked recently looking for spring wildflowers. The trail is on the south end of Fidalgo Island and goes from Bowman Beach to Rosario Beach along the bluffs. The forest is a mixed forest of Western Hemlocks, Douglas Firs, Pacific Madrones, Western Red Cedars and Shore Pines, with an understory of Salal, Red-flowering Currant, Sea-grape and wild Roses.

Deception Pass is a waterway separating Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands on the northwest coast of Washington. Its name comes from its discoverer, Captain George Vancouver, who was "deceived" into thinking it was river. It is known for its very strong currents when the tide is coming in or out and for its two-section cantilever bridge, 177 feet above the water and separated into two parts by Pass Island. The pass and bridge are part of Deception Pass State Park and the most visited spot in the state of Washington. The park is not only very scenic but also a wonderful place for wildflowers. This photo was taken from Pass Island, looking east toward the mainland. The inset photo shows the longest section of the bridge and Pass Island from the north shore of Whidbey Island. A week ago we hiked around Pass Island photographing the wildflowers.