No. 316 Clover Island Lighthouse

Clover Island Lighthouse
350 N Clover Island Dr Kennewick, WA 99336

The Clover Island Lighthouse is the newest "lighthouse" in Washington State and the first lighthouse built in the United States since 1962. It was built in 2010 by the Port of Kennewick. It stands 62 feet tall over the Columbia River and functions as a US Coast Guard approved Private Aide to Navigation (PATRON) which flashes a white beacon ever 4 seconds.

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No. 305 Lime Kiln Lighthouse State Park

Lime Kiln Point State Park
1567 Westside Road
Friday Harbor, Wa 98250
Hours: 8am to Dusk

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Lime Kiln Point State Park is located on the western side of San Juan Island. The 36 acres state park features over a mile of trails that wander down to the waters edge and through a grove of pacific madrone tree to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Beginning in the 1860s the west side of San Juan Island was quarried for lime stone and a good portion on the island was deforested to feed the fires that transformed limestone into lime, which was then used in construction mortar.
A shoreline viewpoint is about a 10 minute walk from the parking lot. The rocky shoreline plunges to over 900 feet in depth quickly. Through the daily tidal currents from Haro Straight into the Gulf of Georgia nutrients rich waters are pushed up against the island attracting a variety of marine life to congregate just off shore including fish, otters, sea lions, seals, minke whales and orca whales that come to play in the kelp beds and hunt for salmon.
Depending on the time of year Lime Kiln Point is a popular land based whale spotting location.

Lime Kiln Lighthouse is a 38 foot octagonal building built on a rock cliff 20 feet above the waterline and the fourth-order Fresnel lens was first light in 1919. The lighthouse tower was built atop of a fog signal building. In 1951 the Bonnevile Power Administration laid a submarine power cable from Anacortes, WA to San Juan Island and the Fresnel lens was replaced by a non-rotating electric bulb, and two electric foghorns were installed. The light station became fully automated in 1962.
In 1984 the lighthouse station and grounds were turned over by the United States Coast Guard to  Washington State Parks. The USCG still maintains the lighthouse tower as an active aid to marine navigation, but the building is used by the Friends of Lime Kiln Society as an Interpretive Center for Special Events and Tours.

Discover Pass: An Annual Discover Pass or a Day Use fee is required for vehicle access to the park for day use. No over night parking

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No. 303 2015 Washington State Discover Pass Free Days

Washington State Parks and Recreation turns 102 this year.

Website: http://www.parks.wa.gov/

List of 2015 “Discover Pass Fee free days” in 2015 when visitors are not required to display the Discover Pass to visit a Washington State Park. 

• Jan. 18-19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• March 19: State Parks' 102nd birthday
• April 4: Saturday Spring Day
• April 22: Earth Day
• May 10: Sunday Spring Day
• June 6: National Trails Day
• June 13: National Get Outdoors Day
• Aug. 25: National Park Service Birthday
• Sept. 26: National Public Lands Day
• Nov. 11: Veterans Day

In 1913 Washington State legislature creates the Washington State Board of Park Commissioners. The first two were formed from donated land in 1915 : The John R. Jackson House, a pioneer heritage site near Chehalis, and the Chuckanut State Park. In 1947 the State Park Committee was renamed to the Washington State Park and Recreation Commission and given the authority to oversee the state park system, purchase land and collect fees. 

PARK PRESERVES THE 1845 LOG CABIN OF ONE OF THE VERY EARLIEST PIONEERS TO SETTLE IN WASHINGTON. THIS WAS THE FIRST U.S. DISTRICT COURT IN 1850 AND WAS A STOPPING PLACE ALONG THE OREGON TRAIL

As of June 2011 there are 117 State Parks covering 138,000 acres which includes uplands, lowlands, aquatic and marine life areas. The Washington Department of Natural Resources owns an additional 3,000,000 acres throughout the Evergreen State. 

Checkout the WSPR list for further information and to reserve a campsite 

List of 2014 "Fee Free Days"

If you plan on visiting and exploring Washington State-managed land this year outside of the Fee Free Days you will need to have a Discover Pass. Fine for not displaying the pass is $99. 

Here is a list of some of my favorite State Parks 

Click on the links below to learn more about each park

North Sound State Parks

Bay View State Park 

Deception Pass State Park 

Fort Casey, Whidbey Island

Fort Ebey State Park, Whidbey Island

Moran State Park, Orcas Island

Western Washington

Fort Flagler

Seattle Area State Parks

Wallace Falls State Park

Lake Sammamish State Park, Issaquah Washington

Southern Washington 

Rainbow Falls State Park

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

North Head Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment, WA

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No. 288 Arlington Fly In 2014

Arlington Fly-In and Sport Aviation Convention July 10th through the 12th at KAWO
 Address: 18204 59th Dr. NE Arlington, WA
website www.arlingtonflyin.org
purchase Tickets Online Here
Daily Fly-In Schedule
 
Follow the streets signs to find the northwest auto and camper parking areas. All parking is on the west side of the airport
Thursday July 10 through Saturday 12th on the grounds of Arlington Municipal Airport you can see one of the United States largest and oldest aircraft conventions. It's the Oskosh of the west. You can walk the grounds get up close to everything from powered gliders, sail planes, kit planes, home built aircraft, vintage military vehicles, armory guns, historic war birds and period reenactors. Many aircraft clubs will also be fly-in for the 3 day event. This event has something for everyone, from radio controlled flight to vintage War birds. There will be air shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the Fly-In. Plus aircraft workshops, a balloon glow (Friday Night), jet simulator, plane rides, kids’ activities and more. Kids 15 and under are FREE. More details

Looking down the flight line

Tundra Tires

Classic Caddy on display in the vintage car area

Cessna Sunset with Mount Rainier

Volunteer Aircraft Marshals await the next fly-in arrival

B-17 Sentimental Journey on display

Hot Air Balloon crew start setting up for the Night Glow

Raising the canopy

Night Illuminati

 

A practical how-to guide to photographing aircraft for anyone from air show enthusiasts to those aspiring to be professional     aviation photographers. Simply defined, aviation photography is the taking photos of airplanes. But behind the scenes of this seemingly simple act are a number of critical elements: aircraft scheduling, lighting, spotting locations, diversions, and sometimes interactions with law enforcement officials. In this guide I will talk about finding locations suitable for photographing aircraft, the equipment I use, camera settings, basic photographic concepts and techniques and discuss basic aviation knowledge in order for you to improve your photography for years to come. 

buy

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No. 274 Whidbey Scenic Isle Way

View Larger MapDriving Directions

The Whidbey Island Scenic Byway is part of the Great North Cascades Loop. This section of the byway is around 75 miles in length and takes just over 2 hours to drive without any stops. But there are plenty of scenic overlooks and parks to visit along the way. You don't have to visit every stop listed in this guide. This byway has much to offer and is worth visiting again and again throughout the year as seasons change the scenery and different wildlife species become active.

Starting off in Anacortes, Washington (77 miles north of Seattle, WA)


A) Cape Sante Overlook 
Anacortes is homeport to the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. Located on Fidalgo Island, it is conveniently situated halfway between Seattle and Vancouver BC and is the destination point for the San Juans and International ferry runs for Washington State.







B) Mount Erie View Point 
Mt. Erie View Point is on the highest mountain of Fidalgo Island in Skagit County. The 160 acre park is operated by the Anacortes Community Forest Lands and offers various adventure activities such as multiple rock face ascents, trails and a number of hill top viewing areas.






C) Bowman Bay Pier
Bowman Bay is located just north of the Deception Pass Bridge off of Highway on Fidalgo Island. The bay is separated from Lottie Bay to the south by a small and growing sand bar but it still is subject to tidal changes. Check current tidal conditions before your arrival to predict access to the shoreline. 





D) Deception Pass Bridge
The main feature of the park is the 180 foot tall Deception Pass Bridge, which was completed in 1935. The quarter mile long bridge spans two cuts in between Fidalgo and Whidbey Island. When the bridge first opened in 1935 on average 700 cars crossed between Whidbey Island and the Mainland. Today over 20,000 cars and trucks cross the bridge daily.







E) West Beach
West Beach is a long, gravelly shoreline dotted with boulders and driftwood and as excellent views of the Olympic Mountains, the San Juan Islands, and even Victoria on a clear day.  Keeping an eye on the changes in tide levels is important if you want to take a stroll around the large boulders to the north and look back at the cut and Deception Pass Bridge.






F) Fort Ebey State Park
Fort Ebey was originally commissioned by the United States Army in 1942 as military artillery Battery 248. Battery 248 featured 2 rapid fire 6-inch shell cannons, earth covered concrete support structure and fire control post. An SCR-296A radar facility was located south of the battery. 

G) Fort Casey
In 1858, the U.S. government purchased ten acres of land costing $400 for the construction of Admiralty Head Lighthouse. In 1890, the army took over the premises. It named its garrison "Fort Casey" in honor of Brigadier General Thomas Lincoln Casey, the last U.S. Army chief of engineers. At that time, Fort Casey, in union with Fort Worden and Fort Flagler, was said to comprise a "triangle of fire" guarding the entrance to Puget Sound. 


H) Admiralty Head Light House
The Admiralty Head Lighthouse, built in 1903 by the Army Corps of Engineers, is located in Fort Casey State Park near Coupeville on Whidbey Island. The beacon, high on a bluff, 127 feet above sea level, was an important navigational aid, especially for sailing ships entering Admiralty Inlet from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It replaced the Red Bluff Lighthouse, a wooden Cape Cod style structure built in 1861. Although decommissioned in 1922, the Admiralty Head Lighthouse received national recognition in 1990 when the U. S. Postal Service selected it for a collection of five commemorative lighthouse stamps honoring the U.S. Coast Guard’s bicentennial.



J) Clinton/Mukilteo Ferry
Return to the Mainland via Washington State Ferry Clinton / Mukilteo run. The crossing takes about 20 minutes

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No. 223 Gold Bar's Hidden Gem Wallace Falls State Park

Wallace Falls State Park
Gold Bar, WA
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Driving Directions:

From Everett follow US 2 for 28 miles east to the hamlet of Gold Bar. Just before milepost 28, turn left onto 1st Street (signed for Wallace Falls State Park). Pro-ceed for 0.4 mile to a four-way stop. Turn right onto May Creek Road and continue for 1.5 miles to Wallace Falls State Park and the trailhead (elev. 300 ft). Restrooms and water available at parking lot.

Wallace Falls, named after homesteaders Joe and Sarah Kwayaylsh members of the Skykomish tribe, is a 4,735 acre forest land on the western slope of the North Cascade Mountain range in Snohomish County. The park has three back country lakes, Jay Lake, Shaw Lake and Wallace Lake which are connected via the Wallace River. The river trickles, snakes, gurgles and plunges its way through the park until the valley basin. 
Some where within the park there has to be a waterfall worth of a title right?
Well there are more than 9 waterfalls in the park. Some small some larger, some are running year round while others only run in late winter/early spring with the snowmelt run off. 
The 4 falls that are more easily accessible can be found along the Woody Trail, a 2.3 mile / 3.7 km long dirt trail that is well maintained and well marked. After recent rain fall, the trail might be come very muddy and slippery in spots. There are numerous switch backs and steep inclines that have tall raised steps. At 6'1 I did not have much trouble navigating the steps and switch backs, but those shorter might have more difficulty with the high steps. 
2.3 miles may not seem like much, just remember its 2.3 miles each way (5.6 miles round trip) and its up and down hill sides with incremental elevation gains of 500 feet in short distances. Proper footwear and good to better conditioning is required to make it a safe and enjoyable hike. We made Wallace Falls into a mid morning hike and returned to the trailhead in about 3 1/2 hours with stops along the way (see pictures below :) 

Wallace River

Crossing over Small Falls 

The Trail begins with a 1/4 walk under some buzzing high energy power lines

                                                                     

Another bend in the trail that follows Wallace River 

S

Along the trail there are a few benches to take a break and enjoy the sights and sounds

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This is one of many wooden bridges to cross along the trail 

Crossing over the North Fork of Wallace River

Middle Falls Overlook

Middle Falls Overlook

Wallace Falls State Park is DOg Friendly, so bring you dog on a leash for some exploring

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