Dungeness Spit Hike

Dungeness Spit National Wildlife Refuge/Dungeness Recreation Area
Sequim Wa.
Olympic Peninsula

I’ve had my eye on this hike for a really long time, so I chose Dungeness Spit for our family camping trip last summer. A “Spit” is  a narrow point of land extending into a body of water. Dungeness Spit is the longest natural sand spit in the United States and there is a working lighthouse at the end of the 5 mile trek. You can read more about the New Dungeness Lighthouse here.

Downtown Seattle Wa.

Seattle Washington

Spring 2011 

Slow exposure photography taken from the Jose Rizal Bridge in south Seattle near I9o.

 I have wanted to try this for a long time after reading up on this particular bridge

 which is well known for slow exposure Seattle shots. When I arrived there were

3 other photographers alreadyset up with their tripods and cameras.

I had to find a spot where I wouldn’t be in someoneelse’s shot. When they

had all left I was able to get this shot of the rail which I felt added depth to the photo.

Back to Picture Lake

Picture Lake/Heather Meadows

Mt Shuksan/Mt Baker.

Mt Baker Snoqulamie National Forest

 

I visited Picture Lake a while back with a friend and was hoping to get a perfect shot of Mount Shuksan reflecting in the lake. Picture Lake is rightfully titled since it is positioned in front of the mountain offering a perfect reflection if the day and moment is just right.   Even a slight breeze would ruin the perfect reflection shot I was after. I also wanted to go when the fall colors were out, so in October I ventured back and tried again. Unfortunately the fall colors weren’t as rich as I had hoped, but the day was perfect otherwise. We stayed until the sun went down and I’ve heard that the evening is the best time for the wind to be calm. The moon was coming up over the mountain too which was an added bonus. The photo above was the result of a perfect, windless evening at Picture Lake.

 If you are looking for information about Picture Lake or Heather Meadows you should go to my other blog post. I have included many photos of the area as well. Picture Lake Path/Heather Meadows

Picture Lake Path/Heather Meadows

Picture Lake Path/Heather Meadows

Mt. Shuksan/Mt. Baker

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Forest

 

 Picture Lake/Mt. Shuksan

 I headed up to Mt Baker/Mt. Shuksan for a day of photography with a good friend of mine. The drive was long and slow, but the view and experience of being in and around those majestic mountains made the time it took to get there well worth it. We drove from Lake Stevens and decided to take the scenic and what we thought would be the quick route, Hwy 9. It was a beautiful drive but if you figure in the reduced speed and the amount of curves it takes a little bit longer. I calculated on google maps that it takes about 20 minutes longer using hwy 9 rather than I-5.

Back to Fir Island

Fir Island, Skagit Valley Washington

Hayton Bird Reserve

1/17/08

My good friend brought me to Fir Island last year for a day of photography, and after a very successful day I knew I would have to return again. I live only a short distance from Skagit, so when the weather is cooperating I can easily drive up and see what is waiting for me. The snow geese are present from late fall to April, but the best time to go is after mid January when hunting season is over. For more details you can refer to my past post from last year. There are some incredible snow geese shots you might enjoy. FIR ISLAND 

 

Old Sauk River Trail

Old Sauk River Trail

Darrington Wa.

Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest

 

It was 80 degrees, the mountains were out and the sky was blue. It was the perfect day for a hike. I found this hike in a book and decided it was ideal for our little group. It’s an easy 6 mile round trip trail, but you can turn around at any time. This was our friend’s first hike, so it was a good choice for her first hiking experience. Nothing strenuous and the length could be as long as we wanted.

 

Daffodils in Skagit Valley

Skagit Valley Daffodils
Mt. Vernon Washington
March 22, 2008

 

 

 

It is March and the daffodils are blooming in Skagit Valley Washington. I recently went there to take some photos and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of blooming yellow flowers. There were rows upon rows of deep yellow daffodils creating dazzling lines of perspective. The color was amazing.

Fir Island

 

Fir Island, Skagit Valley Washington

Hayton Bird Reserve

2/08

 

 

My friend recently brought me to a beautiful place for a day of bird photography. Fir Island is in Skagit County near La Conner and is a well known place for bird life. Amongst the acres of farmlands and tide flats live thousands of migratory birds feeding on what is leftover from the crops. In normal years up to 50,000 Snow Geese all the way from Siberia winter in Skagit Valley.

Craven Pumpkin Farm/Snohomish Wa.

Craven Pumpkin Patch

Harvey Airfield

Snohomish Wa.

10/28/07

 

 

Last Sunday we ended our day at Craven Pumpkin patch to buy our yearly Halloween pumpkins as we have done since the children were very young. I like Craven I suppose because of the great memories we have had there and because of the setting. There are 20 acres of pumpkins, corn fields and a stunning backdrop of the fall trees.

North Cascades Highway

Highway 20/Washington

North Cascades Hwy

August 28, 2007

 

 

For our summer vacation we decided as a family to drive to Idaho to go to Silverwood theme park. We also wanted to camp a few days so we found a perfect place near Winthrop called Pearrygin State Park. To get to Winthrop the best way and most scenic way to go would be Hwy 20, the North Cascades Hwy. which is considered one of the most scenic routes in Washington. The highway starts in Skagit County, ascends onto Washington Pass (elevation 5477ft) and finally descends into the Methow valley, pronounced “Met-How.”