Weekend Roadtrip: Sedro-Woolley, Bellingham & Beyond

The heatwave forecasted for this weekend caused a mix of angst and frustration at the thought of staying here in the surge of temperatures that would doubtlessly clog the local waterways, beaches, and air conditioned places. After scanning the map for slightly better forecasts and keeping an eye on my ever present outdoor “to do list,” I called my fellow adventurer, Josh A., and we settled on last minute plans to drive up to Bellingham, WA, where temperatures were going to be about 10 degrees cooler than Seattle.

Josh and I set out Saturday afternoon with a few stops in mind but otherwise no agenda aside from getting to Bellingham and finding a place to stay for the night. On the way north, we agreed to stop at a ghost town that has been on my radar for a while. Northern State Recreation Area is adjacent to the current Northern State Hosptial, the larger grounds having once been the dairy and food processing facilities for one of the state’s large mental hospitals. While Northern State still has a campus there, the adjacent park allows for visitors to play disc golf, access a small river, and of course explore the ruins of the original buildings. 

Signage was sporadic and the one log and limb rail fence only spanned a corner of the buildings and seemed more for vehicles or maybe a half-hearted mitigation effort once upon a time, because several paths lead you up to and alongside the buildings before you even notice over your shoulder that there is a partial fence off on the corner. After seeing conflicting messages and discussing the best course of action, Josh and I decided to respect the buildings by approaching and admiring but largely keeping our skulls clear of the precarious looking structures while following the combination of mown and paved areas to explore as much as we could. Sadly, the presence of graffiti inside the buildings speaks to an attitude of disrespect among other visitors. However, it was fun to be able to walk around and explore so freely. Hopefully future visitors will also respect the history of the place.

The beating sun and temperature in the 80s kept us from staying too long in the park. We explored for about 40 minutes and then decided it was time to hydrate and get out of the sun. Next stop, Bellingham!

Several sporting events had the local hotels crowded with young basketball and soccer players and their families, but we managed to find a good deal on a room just north of the city. After checking in and getting situated, we scanned the area for something to do before dinner. Some of my favorite urban adventures have come from opening up a Googlemap in a new city and scanning for green areas that often indicate parks, and for this trip we had success as Whatcom Falls Park jumped out at us almost immediately as we zoomed in on a promising looking area on the east side of I-5.

This is clearly a favorite place to cool off on a hot day for the locals. Adults and kids of all ages were walking back to cars in wet clothes, or still swimming at various spots along the river as the evening came on and shadows filled in the spaces between the trees. We took our time exploring the river and various waterfalls (though sadly without having brought a change of clothes or towels, so no swimming this time around), checking out the fish hatchery system and pond, and overall enjoying the shade and cooler temperatures around the river that helped combat the heat and humidity of the day.

The next morning dawned with a more social agenda with plans to visit friends throughout the day, but also one of my hiking goals: Oyster Dome. At only 5 miles RT and elevation gain of 1,050′, this is considered an easy hike and is probably comparable to Little Si in Snoqualmie Pass. Her prominence on my hiking list was due to the reputed views out across the water from the top and overall positive reports from friends who have hiked here before. The heat made the miles seem to stretch, parking down the road from the alternate TH added another mile or more to the total distance (if you read the WTA descriptions, we started off of Highway 11, not the Samish Overlook as it describes), and even though there were a lot of other hikers, it was a manageable flow of friendly people. The views certainly did not disappoint!

My favorite moment on the hike was a very small one that we could have easily missed. We stopped at a large boulder so I could get a rock out of my shoe, and Josh quietly told me to look up. Where we had stopped was just below a hidden robbin’s nest built in a mossy ledge on the large boulder and we were blessed to watch a mother bird feeding her babies. Not wanting to disturb her or attract the awareness of other hikers to the presence of the little family, we quietly continued down the trail. Sometimes the greatest gifts are not at the summit, but in the still, small moments when we are able to pause and see the beauty around us.

To follow our trail…

NSRA
Northern State Ghost Town
Whatcom Falls Park
Oyster Dome

Kayaking Among the Cypress

One adventure we stumbled upon that hadn’t crossed my mind at all was to kayak through a Cypress Swamp outside of Charleston. My cousin Nick suggested it, Sara was enthusiastic, and we found ourselves on a half-day kayak through the watery maze of a fraction of the protected wilderness around what used to be Middleton Plantation. 

The kayak trips are guided by a naturalist and limited to 2-6 people. As we paddled through the swamp, we were asked to stop periodically to learn about the ecosystem and the relationships between the flora and fauna of the forest. Aside from the occasional jet way overhead, it was easy to forget that we were anywhere near civilization as we maneuvered around trees, lost count of the herons and ibises flying through the trees, and even caught a glimpse of two local (small) gators and a rather large turtle. 

At the end of our tour, our guide told us that if we wanted to see bigger gators, we should walk down the property (the kayaking tours are based out of the Inn at Middleton Place) and follow a tractor trail to a large pond. With some trepidation and timid steps through the deeper patches of grass, we made it to the pond and were not disappointed! Not only was it gorgeous, but we saw alligator after alligator and even had one splash in a startling frenzy as we unknowingly walked above it on the bank and sent it diving into the safety of the water. I’m not sure who was more nervous at seeing the other so close, but we all kept our distances and Sara and I made it back with all of our limbs intact. 

I can’t believe how many different ways there are to explore this beautiful area. As we head home Tuesday, our time is clearly running out, and there is still so much yet to do! I guess we will just have to come back again soon.

To follow our trail…

Charleston Kayak Company
The Inn at Middleton Place

South Carolina Wildlife

Talking about South Carolina and especially Charleston and the coast, it is easy to think about the beautiful samd dunes, beaches, and the warm ocean waters. Of course, this is part of the draw for me coming here. Having had less sunny days in Seattle this winter than I can count on one hand, it was high time for sunlight and healthy doses of Vitamin D. However, as I’ve shared before, taking time to explore a new place by foot, especially out in nature, is an amazing way to learn and experience more about the place you are visiting. When Sara T. and I saw that the weather forecast for our first few days in the Charleston area was overcast and scattered rain showers, we decided to take advantage of the non-beach weather to take a small road trip up the coast and stop for a hike along the way. Our chosen destination: Huntington Beach State Park.

There were three advertised short walks/hikes at the park. One was a boardwalk out into the wetlands, one was a path to a vast spanse of protected beach, and another was a trail through the trees to a large pond. We opted for all three.

I think the highlight for me was the boardwalk, causeway, and maintained paths around the marshy areas. While I’m usually more of a fan of getting out and away from the heavily trafficked areas, in this case the construction served its purpose of helping us to get close to local wildlife. Between the pelican fly-by and the large alligator sunning itself on the island, we were treated to a variety of the local wildlife in a well preserved and protected environment.

The remainder of our day involved visiting a few sites along the coast, eating fresh local seafood on the dock where the very boat that caught and brought in said seafood was docked, and running a few errands as we made our way back down to my aunt and uncle’s house for dinner. Getting to get out into nature was the perfect balance to the busy tourist stops we also made during the day. A great adventure day!

To follow our trail…

Huntington Beach State Park