Category: Trip Report
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Paradise Valley Conservation Area – Trip Report
Even after we’ve been living in this area for many years, there are still parks we haven’t been to yet. Last Friday we went to one that is fairly close to us, the Paradise Valley Conservation Area. This lovely park is covered with mature second-growth forest, and a network of 10 miles of mixed-use trails…
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Wildflowers at Wild Horse – Trip Report, 5/10 – 5/11, 2013
We wanted to attend the Wildflower Weekend at the Wild Horse Renewable Energy Center last Saturday. Since it’s such a long drive and the weather was nice, we decided to break up the drive by finding a place to camp along the way. Unfortunately, the Forest Service campgrounds up in that area are all closed…
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Columbia Gorge Adventure Report – April 25-27, 2013
“Perhaps the metaphor of time famine is not quite accurate. We are perhaps crammed with time, but with the wrong kind. Like people who eat too much junk food, we have filled our lives with the wrong kind of time, and rarely if ever do we avail ourselves of the kind of time that will…
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Gold Creek Snowshoe (Second Visit)
We had a chance to go snowshoeing with our friends last Friday, and we went to Gold Creek again. Cindy had knee replacement surgery just 8 weeks ago, and this was to be her first outing in the mountains since then. We had some other novice ladies with us, too, so it was good to…
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Washington Park, Anacortes – Trip Report
Sometimes we don’t really feel like hiking on a particular day. Sometimes we’re tired, we’ve been running from one thing to the next and the next with no room to breathe. We face a choice – continue to be busy and go hiking (with all the preparation and energy exertion that requires) or stay home,…
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Raptor Research Field Trip
Last winter when we volunteered with the Puget Sound Bird Observatory, we asked if there was anyone who did raptor banding, because Annika was so interested in birds of prey. We got connected with a local researcher, but weren’t able to go out with him last winter. We tried again this winter, and yesterday Ben…
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Rattlesnake Ledge Trip Report
On Friday a week and a half ago we went on a hike up to a fabulous viewpoint called Rattlesnake Ledge. There are no rattlesnakes there or at the lake with the same name below. But you can see for miles on a clear day, and the hike is short. Our friend Jessie was able…
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Rainy Waterfall Hiking
This trip report is very overdue. This happened back in November, the day after Thanksgiving. I thought I’d put it up anyway to serve as a resource. We had a hike planned the week before. But when we woke up in the morning, one of my children was in tears at the thought of hiking.…
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Juanita Bay Bird Watching
Gabriel got to go spend the day with Daddy at work today, learning about what Daddy does and seeing his new office. Annika and I were on our own, which rarely happens. What to do? With some sunbreaks in the forecast, we decided it would be fun to go for a short birding expedition. I…
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Smithbrook Road Snowshoe
We have been experiencing an unusual and long-lasting inversion here in Puget Sound, causing cold, grey, still air to settle in the lowlands. Meanwhile, the sun shines in the mountains. We went up Friday to find the sunshine, and trek in the snow at the same time. Our friend Kirsten offered to drive us…