SCRAPS AND SCRIBBLES
Viewing entries tagged
travel
Lake Quinault is a frequent long weekend destination of mine, but I’d never seen it quite the way I did this past July 4th weekend - enormous blue hydrangeas tumbling over the grounds like something out of a Nantucket dream. Had a glass of wine lakeside, then went on a slow-paced walk down the shore and back.
A few weekends ago and on the heels of some major Pacific Northwest snowfall, my fiancé and I rented a car to drive down the coast to Oregon and pick up a car purchase in Portland. On the way back, we stopped for a night in the resort town of Cannon Beach, home to the oft-photographed Haystack Rock. The key to getting a fabulous beach view room and super speedy takeout from The Wayfarer for a pandemic-safe getaway? Do your oceanside vacationing during cold and windy off-peak times!
About an hour and a half north of Seattle is Fidalgo Island, nearly parallel to the isolated San Juans and boasting a lush, walkable park at its southwest corner, Washington Park. Last weekend, my fiancé and I changed up the quarantine monotony and took a socially distanced hike along the Fidalgo Head Loop Trail (and a few of its various branches) through dense forest and along craggy heights.
The trail’s view across the Burrows Channel is one of the most striking things I’ve seen this close to Seattle.
Although all trail documentation online listed the park’s loop trail as easy in difficulty and fairly level (with elevation gain of under 300 feet), don’t be underprepared footwear-wise like I was. The trail is very flat across extended distances and suddenly extremely steep in short bursts, and the rocks along the cliffsides have very little purchase. There is loose dirt throughout, making some steps tricky. Definitely wear your regular hiking shoes if possible.
We left the park well in advance of sunset, but it’s on my bucket list to come back and see this shoreline during golden hour. Sunset Beach is angled slightly to the west, so I’m sure incredible light is guaranteed.
