West Coast In Flames
Seems like maybe I had jinx the west coast fire season. Just a few days before the news cycle became inundated with tragic headlines for entire towns disappearing in flames, I had mentioned to Theresa that I thought we had gotten off easy this year in regards to our fire season. I had little reason to believe we’d be hiding from the smoke it Fort Clatsop.
In a matter of days, the entire west coast seemed to be one large continuous line of fires. Dry conditions and gusty winds fueled these historic mega-fires which burned 8.2 million acres of land, mobilized tens of thousands of firefighters, razed over ten thousand buildings, and killed at least 37 people.
Those of use not impacted by the flames directly still had to contend with ‘extremely unhealthy‘ air quality. The normally clear blue skies of Seattle seemed more reminiscent of the 1970’s Los Angeles smog. It was actually painful to spend any time outdoors.
coaast looking for adventurous volunteers
Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in event of success.
So I'm borrowing that from Shackelton with a bit of tongue in cheek, but the COASST program is looking for Bird Survey volunteers for Washington's wild outer beaches. It's rugged, it can be tough and it can be uncomfortable. But it's always rewarding and stunningly beautiful.
If you feel you have what it takes sign up for a webinar and training here.
Fort Stevens
I had some free time between contracts so I started looking around to find a campground that might spare us the wildfire smoke. Of the handful of candidate sites, we settled on Fort Stevens on the Oregon side of the Columbia River.
We had camped there once before when I did the live feed of the solar eclipse for The Daily Astorian. It’s a large, well-managed campground and is surrounded by both beautiful and historically significate sites.
Turns out with a prevailing SW wind my hopes for a bit of clean air came true. In fact, when you looked at the Air Quality maps during this time, the small thumb of land jutting out into the Pacific which holds the campground was the only spot represented in green.
In contrast, there were people to the east of us in Portland who were having the smoke alarms going off due to the thickness of smoke inundating the city. Later in the week, we found out that many of our neighbors were in fact ‘refugees’ from the conditions in Portland.
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Softly floating on a canvas of blue, spring clouds dance above Waughop Lake.
This is just one of many structures that fell into disarray after the closure of the gravel pit that once operated on the shores of Steilacoom.
Nestled in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, Mount St. Helens stands as an imposing figure, even in the depths of winter. The snow-capped peak, which famously erupted in 1980, offers a unique and breathtaking landscape for winter adventurers. With its rugged terrain, awe-inspiring vistas, and challenging winter conditions, Mount St. Helens is a must-visit destination for those seeking an unforgettable winter experience. Whether you're an experienced mountaineer or a beginner looking for a thrilling outdoor adventure, Mount St. Helens in winter is an experience you won't soon forget.
Some of the old structures for the gravel pit were once located in Steilacoom, Washington. Since I took this photograph, it's been replaced by a golf course.
Point Robinson Light is a lighthouse located on Maury Island in Washington State, USA. The lighthouse was first built in 1885 and has since undergone several renovations and upgrades. The lighthouse tower is 35 feet tall and is painted white with a black lantern room. It is situated on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound and marks the eastern entrance to Elliott Bay. The light's characteristic is a white flash every 5 seconds with a focal plane of 51 feet above sea level.
What started as a sunny day developed into thunderstorms. The thunderstorm finally moved off to the east. It had us binned in our tents for a couple of hours.
I've just posted an article over on our website. You'll find more photographs and a short write up on what we found. | "Dosewallips State Park Suffers Major Upheaval"
The south shore of Dusty Lakes is just outside Vantage. We've book our campsite for a return trip this spring.
Sunrise over Port Angeles. We’ll be catching the afternoon ferry over to Victoria later today.
Murhut Creek drains the lower Duckabush River valley. Although only the lower portion is visible the falls themselves are over 150'. ------------
Deep Lake at Millersylvania State Park
Theresa is gazing at sunset while beachcombing. The clouds added a wonderful touch of drama to the scene.
Sunrise at Ocean Shores
Theresa is looking downstream at Murhat Falls. This waterfall is easy to drive to and an easy hike in the Olympic National Forest.
Nisqually Wildlife Reserve
Skate Creek runs alongside Forest Road 52 in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This was just one of the many photographic sites that can be accessed from the road.
Fort Clatsop
One of the upsides of our own escape from the smoke was that this afforded us the perfect opportunity to visit Fort Clatsop. We had visited many of the Lewis & Clark exhibits on the Washington side of the Columbia River and even an Interpretive Center in Montana. However, it seemed we were always just passing through this area on to other adventures so I welcomed the chance to see the winter quarters of the Corp of Discovery.
Fort Clatsop was the winter encampment for the Corps of Discovery from December 1805 to March 1806.
In late November 1805, after spending a number of days in what is today the state of Washington, Lewis and Clark proposed that the Corps of Discovery move to a location along the Columbia River, based on a recommendation of the local Clatsop Indians. The group decided to vote on the matter, with everyone, including the young Native American female Sacagawea and African American slave York, participating. The group was given three choices: stay on the Washington side of the Columbia River, and be subjected to diets of fish and rainy weather, move upriver, or take the advice of the Clatsop Indians and explore the area to the south of the River. The expedition overwhelmingly decided to take the advice of the local Indians to explore the idea of spending the winter on the southern shore of the River.
