Fidalgo Island Crossings

On Saturday, August 29, 2015 an unusual August windstorm hit the Pacific Northwest.  While everyone's attention was focused on Tropical Storm Erika which more or less fizzled out, ours hit with a vengeance .  Washington, Oregon and British Columbia were severely impacted by unusually high winds brought by the storm. I was at work and missed the whole thing.  Driving south on Interstate 5 at 6:00 a.m. I did encounter heavy rain, buffeting winds and tree limbs blowing across the freeway.  But at that hour, the main front had not yet arrived. While at work, I checked the website occasionally to see if the power was still on.  The last weather station upload was at 11:48 a.m.  That coincides with the peak wind speed of 30 m.p.h. (48 k.p.h.) from the southwest at noon recorded by my station.  That is not an excessive wind, but from that direction I have trees and terrain that effect the anemometer readings. The photo above of Skagit Bay was taken ...

Yesterday and today, the smokey air from the wildfires in eastern Washington and Oregon has engulfed us in a hazy reek.  There is a definite smell of wood smoke and creosote in the air as if from a badly tuned stove.  Even the light is other worldly.  Sunshine coming through skylights and windows has an odd red-orange cast. Looking southeast, this is Skagit Bay, the northern-most reach of Puget Sound.  The smoke has taken an amazing route to get here.  From east of the Cascade Mountains, it travels down the Columbia River Gorge, then up the Puget Sound Basin.  West of the mountains,  Portland, Oregon has been getting the worst of it.  Even here in Skagit County , breathing the air produces irritation in the nose and throat.  I can't imagine what it must be like in the vicinity of the fires. Last week, three firefighters were killed when their vehicle crashed and the flames rushed over them.  A fourth is in critical condition i...

I belong to an online community called American Grove .  I guess you would call us tree enthusiasts.  "Tree huggers" would be too narrow a term to describe all of the activities and interests there. American Grove is currently running a Great American Tree competition.  They describe what they are looking for: "It’s a landmark to your community, has a compelling story, or makes a huge environmental contribution. It personifies perseverance or is a testament to history. It’s grand and noble or small and dignified." When I discovered that the Pacific Northwest had not yet been represented in the submissions, I decided I better take care of that.  I submitted this photo of the ancient Douglas Fir that grows at the edge of the Sand Dune Forest in Deception Pass State Park.  At more than 850 years old, I believe this tree adequately meets the criteria.  It is also a favorite of mine.  I am always drawn to it whenever I visit West Beach and the sand...

Last Monday, Memorial Day, an all-volunteer force gathered for the Ninth Annual Scotch Broom Pull at Hope Island State Park in Skagit County.  Our Commanding General was Jack Hartt (second from left), Manager of Deception Pass State Park. Located in Skagit Bay, Hope Island is an uninhabited marine park and natural area preserve with primitive campsites and anchor buoys for boats.  Hope, and nearby Skagit and Kiket Islands, feature some of the last remaining pristine island ecosystems in Puget Sound.  This would be my first visit to the island. Early Monday morning, we mustered at the Deception Pass State Park dock in Cornet Bay. Our assault would require an amphibious landing on the island.  Conferring with Jack Hartt, Captain Brett Ginther and First Officer Alyce Salley from Deception Pass Tours provided transportation.  In peacetime, they offer whale watching excursions and boat tours of the Deception Pass area.  Memorial Day, however, w...

This is the third year I have photographed the wild Pacific Rhododendrons (R. macrophyllum) in Deception Pass State Park .  Enjoy this wordless gallery of photos taken May 11, May 15 and May 23, 2015.  They are shown in chronological order: Each post this year has also featured the wildlife I encountered when visiting the Deception Pass rhododendrons.  Here are some Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) from Cornet Bay a week ago and the Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii)  I saw today on the Goose Rock Perimeter Trail:

This past week marked a noticeable weather transition from damp and chilly to warm and sunny.  Temperatures are now reaching the low 70's F here (21° C +).  The wild Pacific Rhododenrons (R. macrophyllum) in Deception Pass State Park are responding accordingly. Many of the blossoms are fully opened now, but several buds promise continued blooms over the next couple of weeks. I also spotted something unusual along the Lower Forest Trail this week.  I thought it was fungus and took a quick photo to see if I could identify it.  It turned out to be something much more interesting. This is a form of  Slime Mold , an apparently complicated organism to understand.  It can exist in single-celled, multi-celled or multi-nucleate forms.  When searching the internet for information, I could not find a good, lucid description.   Wikipedia was particularly unintelligible.  Some facts are clear.  It is...