Pet Dish
We trot along merrily in our city lives mostly oblivious to the wild creatures in our midst, until they trip us on a sidewalk, track us in the park, or take up residence in our home.
By Lisa Wogan | March 26, 2008
BLAINE, Whatcom County — Hanging out with birders from the Pilchuck Audubon Society is like hanging out with superheroes whose special power is the ability to spot interesting birds where you and I see only the ordinary.
See that black line bobbing up and down way out in that choppy bay water there? Surely, just a couple of floating logs, right? Wrong.
By Mike McQuaide | November 30, 2006
Hike of the Week
If I could bottle up the scent of Robinson Canyon I'd wear it so I'd never forget this place. The canyon is a few miles from Ellensburg and spring was late this year. The area is still sweet with the spice of wild roses, cottonwood trees and ponderosa pine.
By Karen Sykes | July 6, 2006
Any day when rain isn't pouring, all manner of human motion circles the last big remnant of deep and dark native forest that once covered the hills around Seattle. Joggers and walkers and wheel spinners huff, puff, pedal or push, feel the breeze blow in off Lake Washington, watch wigeons and mergansers dabble and dive, or even eagles wing and soar.
On a clear day, Mount Rainier visually leaps from the horizon in the southeast.
By Greg Johnston | November 24, 2005
Hike of the Week
Islands are like small countries, each one a distinct personality with its natural history, demographics, language, ambience, geography, cultural values and environmental niche. Some feel open and friendly, others more introspective, but one characteristic that all seem to share is a slowdown in time. Those who live on islands seem to live at a more relaxed pace and are protective of their privacy.
Vashon Island is no exception.
By Karen Sykes | November 10, 2005
ANACORTES -- As a place to prop yourself against a driftwood log and contemplate the mountains and the sea, few places are better than Pelican Beach.
As a place to glide through fluttering forests of bull kelp and spot things such as porpoises rolling in tide rips and seals peering at you with liquid-moon eyes, you can't much beat Cypress Island.
By Greg Johnston | September 15, 2005
The budget outing:
The town of North Bend, sandwiched between ever-sprawling suburban housing and Interstate 90 traffic, doesn't spring to mind as a place for a nice, half-day outing.
But it should.
By Kristin Jackson | April 14, 2005
You could almost get lost paddling the bird-rich, turtle-crazy cattail corridors that surround Foster Island in the Washington Park Arboretum -- except for that damned floating freeway and its wheels-on-concrete- internal- combustion commotion.
Paddling a canoe or kayak around Foster Island -- deep into the Arboretum's wetlands -- is a decades-old Seattle tradition, and a fairly convincing demonstration that a flourishing, biologically rich ecosystem can coexist with rampant roadways and mass humanity.
By Greg Johnston | March 31, 2005
Location: Issaquah.
Length: Three miles round-trip; connects to other trails.
Level of difficulty: Level-to-moderately steep dirt/gravel trail (some parts muddy after rains).
By Cathy McDonald | March 17, 2005
To many, Lake Washington is just a large body of water to drive around or across as we hurry to and fro in our busy lives.
On clear winter days, perhaps we take a glance at the stunning view of snow-covered Mount Rainier, some 50 miles distant but at times seemingly at its southern shore.
By Greg Johnston | February 10, 2005
