No. 235 Smith Island Trail, Everett

Spencer Island
 4th St SE Everett, WA 98205
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 Smith Island Trail : 2.6 miles
 Terrain: Soft, unstable ground, gravel and bridges




Spencer Island lies in the heart of the Snohomish River Estuary, an ecosystem formed by mixing a freshwater system (the Snohomish River) and a saltwater system (Port Gardner Bay). It is one of the best places in the Snohomish River Estuary to view waterfowl and shorebirds such as ducks, heron, hawks and bald eagles. If you watch your steps you might see some small and larger mammals such as river otters and deer. On clear days the snow capped tops of the cascade mountain range and Mount Baker are visible to the east and to the north. The island is co-owned by Snohomish County and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Snohomish County owns the south half of the island, while WDFW owns the north half. There is limited parking available for Spencer Island visitors and you have two main options. Park underneath to I-5 overpass by the Langus Riverfront trail or continue driving on the gravel road for another 1000 feet and you will see a small parking lot off to the right. Both sites have limited parking and when it is hunting season or a nice day expect them to fill up fast. Continue east along the gravel levy road for a 1/4 mile, cross over Jackknife bridge. Once on the other side depending on the tide and water level you can access a short boardwalk that offers up some nice views of the cascades and the teaming wildlife. The roof of an old abandoned barn is still visible. The barn came crashing down in a 2006 windstorm. There is a sign posted on the bridge that points which areas are county and state owned and where hunting is permitted. To start out on the 2.6 mile Smith Island Trail head south from Jackknife Bridge. The trail runs atop of a levy that surrounds Spencer Island. To make the loop stay to the right and this will take you along the southern end of the island and back north along the Ebey Slough to the Cross Island Trail which is your return. The trail for the most part is unimproved and soft and squishy from the natural vegetation. The Cross Island Trail is better maintained and has more gravel. After recent rainfall expect the trail to be very muddy and slippery.

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No. 234 My favorite Seattle Sunset Vistas

The Pacific Northwest has amazing sunset vistas for when the weather cooperates. Here are my favorite skyline and landscape spots for viewing the sunset

Seattle Area:

Kerry Park 
 250 W Highland Dr
Queen Ann Hill, Seattle, WA 


If your looking for that picturesque post card image of Seattle then head over to Queen Anne Hill to Kerry Park. At just over 1 acre the parks has the best viewpoint looking out over downtown Seattle Skyline, Elliott Bay and the Seattle Skyline, with an occasional backdrop of Mount Rainier, draws tourists on foot and photographers to this spot. At sunset they often line the hand rails just as the city and the sound are beginning to glow with lights. At night it becomes almost a fantasy scene, with brightly lit ferries gliding across the water and the Space Needle shining from its 500-foot pedestal.
 Kerry park tends to be a little windy - so a sturdy tripod will be very useful. Check the weather outlook for clear morning and evening. Mount Rainier only is visible in certain conditions. . The best sunset colors are usually in summer but some of the most delicate hues are in spring - usually the day before/after a storm. Continue Reading about Kerry Park



Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington is a 19.1 acre (77,000 m²) public park on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant, located on the north shore of Lake Union at the south end of the Wallingford neighborhood. Gas Works park contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US. The plant operated from 1906 to 1956, and was bought by the City of Seattle for park purposes in 1962. The park opened to the public in 1975. The park was designed by Seattle landscape architect Richard Haag, who won the American Society of Landscape Architects Presidents Award of Design Excellence for the project. It was originally named Myrtle Edwards Park, after the city councilwoman who had spearheaded the drive to acquire the site and who died in a car crash in 1969. In 1972, the Edwards family requested that her name be taken off the park because the design called for the retention of much of the plant. In 1976, Elliott Bay Park was renamed Myrtle Edwards Park.

 Westpoint Lighthouse
The site is one of breathtaking majesty. Situated on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound, Discovery Park offers spectacular view of both the Cascade and the Olympic Mountain ranges. The secluded site includes two miles of protected tidal beaches as well as open meadow lands, dramatic sea cliffs, forest groves, active sand dunes, thickets and streams.

 The downtown Seattle waterfront has a new attraction on the back of Pier 57. Opened for business on June 29th, 2012 Seattle's Great Wheel is a 175 foot tall Big Wheel type "Ferris Wheel" with 42 enclosed gondolas that rotates 40 feet out over Elliot Bay behind Pier 57. The 42 air conditioned gondolas each hold up to six passengers, and there's also a VIP gondola with a glass bottom floor and four leather seats. VIP tickets are $25 and include a Seattle Great Wheel tee-shirt and a shorter wait time. Tickets for the VIP gondola are available only at the pier and the gondola cannot be reserved for a specific time. All rides last about 12 minutes and include three rotations.

The Olympic Sculpture Park is a public 9-acrea park along the waterfront of Seattle near Alaska Way that opened on January 20, 2007. It is situated at the northern end of the Seattle seawall and the southern end of Myrtle Edwards Park. The former industrial site was occupied by the oil and gas corporation Unocal until the 1970s and subsequently became a contaminated brownfield before the Seattle Art Museum proposed to transform the area into one of the only green spaces in Downtown Seattle. The park is operated by the Seattle Art Museum, which also operates an expanded main branch at First Avenue and University Street and the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. As a free-admission public outdoor sculpture park with both permanent and visiting installations, it is a unique institution in the United States.

Belvedere Park, West Seattle
This park has a stunning view across Elliott Bay to downtown Seattle, and on clear days to the Cascade Mountains and Mt. Rainier. Divided into two parts on the east and west sides of Admiral Way, the east section features a totem pole depicting stylized beavers, fish and frogs.
Belvedere Viewpoint is a popular spot for scenic photos and as a backdrop for wedding and other ceremonial photos.



Hamilton Park in West Seattle neigborhood is one of the best places to get sweeping views of downtown Seattle from across Elliott Bayfor both evening sunsets and early morning sunrises. Depending on weather conditions so can also see the westerns ide of the cascade mounatin range behind the city skyline.
The park hours are 4am to 11pm and there is a gate at the entrance to the parking lot.
In spring and summer the bluff has full shrubs and trees that add to the foreground. In late fall and winter the viewpoint opens up more. Some locals even ski and snowboard here when there is enough snow on the ground to build moguls. 


Along the Alki Trail next to Salty's Restaurant From Seattle take HWY 99 or South Bound I-5 to the West Seattle Bridge and the Harbor Ave SW Exit. Once you pass the shipyard there are multiple parking areas to access the alki trail and view the Seattle waterfront from across Elliot Bay.

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No. 233 NAKASHIMA HERITAGE BARN

NAKASHIMA HERITAGE BARN NORTH TRAILHEAD

32328 State Route 9

Arlington, WA

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Started in 1989 during Washington State's 100th centennial celebration, the Centennial Trail is a 30 mile long paved pedestrian walkway. At 12 feet wide, slight grade this trail is popular for walkers, hikers, dogs, cyclists and even riders on horseback with the flanked grassy path running parallel to the trail. The Centennial Trail runs from downtown Snohomish to the north to the Skagit Valley County Line. With future plans to expand and connect it other popular area trails in the north and the south such as Woodinville's Burke-Gilman Trail. 

Since 2011 Snohomish County has added 9 miles to the Centennial Trail which runs through the towns of Snohomish, Lake Stevens, Marysville and Arlington as a "Rails to Trails" project repurposing a former Burlington-Norther Railroad line.

The most recent expansion was a 4-mile long extension to the trail from Bryant Lake to the Nakashima Barn. This portion of the trail crosses over to the west side of SR-9 and begins its meander through cedar and spruce wetlands. This section is also called "Eagle's Landing" for its frequent sightings of bald eagles in the trees. 

There is ample parking at the Nakashima Heritage Barn for pedestrians and a few spaces for horse trailers. There is a year round porta potty available but no water fountain. 

Nakashima Dairy Barn

Headed south towards Pillchuck Creek 

Bald Eagles off the trail

Red Tailed Hawk spotted in a clearning

Red Tailed Hawk passing by 

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No. 232 5 Places to take your camera indoors when it raining in Seattle

The Pacific Northwest and Seattle is known for its grey and rain filled days. And the butt of many "rain jokes." It was given the nickname "The Evergreen State" by Charles Tallmadge, a Seattle Newspaper columnist and realtor for its thick moss forest floors and abundant evergreen forests.
One would think that Seattle is the rainiest city in the United States given its portrayal in the news and hollywood. But that rainiest city award goes to Mobile, Alabama. You have to look down the list of US Rainiest Cities to find Olympia, Washington in the No. 24th spot.

Here are some locations to check out and keep your camera dry on a rainy day in Puget Sound and around Seattle

 #1 The Tropical Butterfly House inside the Pacific Science Center
When you visit Pacific Science Center's Tropical Butterfly House be prepared to enter a tropical oasis. You will be encouraged to lighten your load by leaving coats and bulky items behind at the entrance. 

#2 MOG Museum of Glass Tacoma, WA
Inside the landmark Hot Shop dome is an amphitheater where you can sit and watch resident and visiting art glass blowers performing their craft live with narration. At the MOG they are making glass blown art, not 4 glass bottles a second, so depending on what the current piece will be the process from start to finish can take 30min to over an hour. I started off in the amphitheater for about 30 min then went to the gallery and came back to see the last phase of making the art piece.


# 3 LeMay America's Car Museum
One of Tacoma's newest attractions in the developing Museum District is a great destination both for young and old motor heads. The museum is located next to the Tacoma dome and resembles an oblong entry that resembles a giant hood scoop to drivers passing by on I-5. The 4 level building houses 165,000 sq f of show floor for more than 350 cars, trucks and motorcycles from private owners, corporations and the private LeMay Collection, which is in the Guiness Book of World Records with more than 3,500 vehicles.  







# 4 Museum of Flight -Seattle, WA

The Museum of Flight is located at the south west corner of Runway 13R/31L at Boeing Field-King County International Airport and is open daily and stays open late on First Thursday evenings, free of charge. The museum collection boasts over 85 different aircraft displayed in 9 different galleries  starting with the early manned flying machines to more modern jet aircraft. There are museum complex features nine indoor and outdoor galleries and air park and in 2012 The Museum of Flight was awarded NASA's retired Space Shuttle Crew Trainer.

#5 Seattle Aquarium 
The region’s premier resource for hands-on marine experiences and conservation education, the Seattle Aquarium offers fun, exciting ways to discover more about the amazing Puget Sound and our world’s one big ocean. Join us in our mission: Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment. 





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No. 231 The Eagles Tour 2014 in Rockport

The Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center along with the US Park Service have begun documenting daily Bald Eagle counts for the 2013/2014 season which runs from December to mid-January. The numbers seem to be holding steady averaging 30 bald eagles scene daily with as many 84 scene 2 weeks ago. You can look at the daily count log HERE. 

Bald eagles were officially declared an endangered species in 1967 in all areas of the United States south of the 40th parallel, under a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Federal and state government agencies, along with private organizations, successfully sought to alert the public about the eagle's plight and to protect its habitat. The 1972 ban on DDT has enabled eagles and other birds of prey to once again begin producing young. Unfortunately, recent extensive human use within preferred eagle habitats has resulted in disturbance and reproductive failure and abandonment of important areas.

Copyright Puget Exposure Photography

In 1994, the bald eagle was reclassified from "endangered" to "threatened" in the lower 48 states. There are currently about 4,500 nesting pairs and 20,000 total eagles in the lower 48 states. Although they have made an encouraging comeback, only public awareness of their situation, strict enforcement of protective laws, preservation of their habitat and support for environmental conservation programs can ensure a successful future for our national symbol.

Bald Eagles are also known as "baseballs" by experienced eagle watchers because from a distance that's what the eagle's white head looks like. It's amazing how an experienced eagle watcher can spot eagles from a distance. When searching for Bald Eagles look for the white "baseballs" in the trees along the river. Eagles can also be spotted taking advantage of the tows churning up stunned fish as they move up and down the river, riding chunks of ice, or kettling (soaring) the thermals in the afternoons.

Copyright Puget Exposure Photography

The 8,000-acre Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area is dedicated to habitat protection, conservation and educational efforts. This special area is an example of the Forest Service working with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy and other partners to conserve natural resources along the river.
Bald eagles are seen from late December through early February. During this period the Eagle Watchers Program, sponsored by the Forest Service and North Cascades Institute, provides hosts at designated sites along the river who assist with viewing these magnificent birds. You can also learn more at the annual  Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival or at the Skagit River Interpretive Center.

TIPS FOR HEADING OUT AND SPOTTING BALD EAGLES

1. DO plan on arriving early. Bald eagles are most active in the early morning hours. The best time for eagle watching is from sunrise to 11 am when eagles feed along the area’s rivers. In the afternoons they may be seen catching updrafts and soaring ("kettling") overhead. They leave the river in late afternoon to congregate in night roosts in sheltered timber areas nearby.
2. DO keep noises low and movements slow. Winter is a difficult time for eagles. They need to conserve energy to keep warm and flying burns up energy. It is important that they are not startled or frightened into flight. DO obey all signs regarding Eagle Rest Areas.
3. DO call a Visitor’s Center to find out if eagles have been spotted and where they are most active. For the Skagit River region call 360-853-7626. or visit their website at Skagiteagle.org
4. DO check the weather. Eagles like clear, cold mornings. Eagles will roost on rainy days and will be found soaring on windy days. More eagles will be seen when the rivers are frozen than when the water is clear.
5. DO dress accordingly. Wear layers so you can shed your outer clothing as the day heats up. Bring a hat or earmuffs for your head and gloves or mittens for your hands. Comfortable shoes are recommended.
6. DO bring binoculars or a spotting scope. If using a scope, a tripod is useful. Eagles fly amazingly close to the Great River Road, but even a small pair of binoculars can dramatically enhance your experience.
7. For photographs, keep the sun to your back or to your side and use a telephoto lens.
8. DO be patient. You are more likely to see eagles if you have time to spend.
9. DO observe proper eagle watching etiquette. Many people use the area’s single lane roads to get from here to there as promptly as possible. If you're admiring the view at twenty miles per hour, pull over when someone's behind you. DO respect private property. Use public areas along the river and be courteous to local land owners. DON'T  park on narrow highway shoulders. There are many parking areas along the area routes for parking. DO remember to buckle up. State law enforcement officers vigorously enforce the Click It or Ticket program.
10. The bald eagle is protected by a number of state and federal laws, each with stiff penalties. For example, the Eagle Protection Act, which protects bald and golden eagles, combined with the Criminal Fines Improvement Act of 1987, can cause violators to spend two years in jail or be fined up to $10,000 on a misdemeanor charge.  It is illegal to pursue, harm, harass, take or attempt to take, possess, sell, purchase or transport either eagles, eagle pans or their eggs without a permit. If you find a feather, look at it, take a picture, but do not pick it up.

Photo Credit: Nigel 

Photo Credit: Nigel 

Photo Credit: Nigel 

Photo Credit: Nigel 

Puget Exposure Photography provides this photo for the public to view. Media requiring a high-resolution version of this or a similar photo for publication should contact me. Users may not manipulate or use this photo in commercial materials, advertisements, emails, products, or promotions without licensed permission. Please do not use my images on blogs or websites without my permission. Contact me if you would like to license and image. Thank you.

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No. 230 Wellsfargo Sponsors Free Monthly "1st Thursdays" at the Museum of Flight in Seattle

Museum of Flight
9404 East Marginal Way S
 Seattle, WA 98108
 http://www.museumofflight.org/

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Museum Hours
Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
First Thursday of each month:
10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (free after 5 p.m.)
Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day

Free First Thursday Evenings

Thanks to sponsor Wells Fargo Bank, Museum admission is free of charge on the first Thursday evening of every month from 5-9 p.m.

The Museum of Flight is located at the south west corner of Runway 13R/31L at Boeing Field-King County International Airport and is open daily and stays open late on First Thursday evenings, free of charge. The museum collection boasts over 85 different aircraft displayed in 9 different galleries  starting with the early manned flying machines to more modern jet aircraft. There are museum complex features nine indoor and outdoor galleries and air park and in 2012 The Museum of Flight was awarded NASA's retired Space Shuttle Crew Trainer. Admission to the Museum of Flight is included when you purchase a Seattle CityPASS. For more information, check out the Museum of Flight website.

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Goodyear F2G-1 Super Corsair Museum of Flight Seattle

Lockheed M-21 Blackbird Museum of Flight Seattle

Gear Used:
 

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