Where In The PNW Are David, Theo & Ruby This Time?

That asking me "Where in the PNW are David, Theo & Ruby this time?" question was asked in the subject line of an incoming email, last night, which included only one attached photo.

Which is that which you see above.

Along with that question in the email subject line, the text in the email also asked...

"Can you do it with just one pic?"

Hence the singular pic documenting the trio's most recent Pacific Northwest outing.

Upon seeing the above aforementioned pic the first thing which came to mind was one of my all time favorite locations, close to where I lived in the Skagit Valley, that being Larrabee State Park, accessed by one of the most scenic roads anywhere, Chuckanut Drive.

So, I Googled Larrabee State Park and then clicked on images to soon see the one below, which seems to mirror the one of the trio above...

From the Wikipedia Larrabee State Park article...

Larrabee State Park is a public recreation area located on Samish Bay on the western side of Chuckanut Mountain, six miles (9.7 km) south of the city of Bellingham, Washington. It was created in 1915 as Washington's first state park. The park covers 2,748 acres (1,112 ha) and features fishing, boating, and camping as well as mountain trails for hiking and biking. It is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

Larrabee was one of my favorite go to locations when I lived in the neighborhood. On a hot summer day on the beach, to the left of the rocks you see David, Theo, Ruby and their maternal parental unit, Michele, standing on, you would be seeing a large crowd. Swimming is possible, what with the water being clear, with a steep drop off, and the temperature of the water being refreshingly chilly.

To the north of Larrabee one finds Teddy Bear Cove. A clothing optional beach. I may have been at that location a time or two.

Hiking up Chuckanut Mountain was a year round destination when I lived in the Skagit Valley. At Larrabee one finds the southern remains of the old interurban transit train, now turned into a trail. Many a time I biked that trail from Larrabee to its end point at the Alaskan Ferry Terminal.

If I remember right the last time I pedaled the Interurban Trail was with the Tacoma Trio's cousins, Christopher and Jeremy. I recollect Jeremy getting a bit unsettled at one point on the trail where navigating a steep canyon is a bit challenging.

Again, if I remember right, the last time I was at the summit of Chuckanut Mountain it was with the Tacoma Trio's cousin Joey. One of the funnest bike rides in the Skagit/Whatcom zone is the long downhill coast from the top of Chuckanut Mountain. I'd pedaled to the summit before, and then did the downhill coast.

So, this time with Joey it became one of my infamous Nephews in Danger episodes. I instructed Joey to carefully control his speed, watching carefully for trail junctions. And that I would meet him back on Chuckanut Drive at the Interurban Trail parking lot.

I made it to the parking lot before Joey did, barely. At that point in time Joey indicated that was the best bike adventure he had ever had. I think the time I let Joey and his brother coast down the Mountain Loop Highway from the Monte Christo access point came later.

I am currently thinking I may be in Arizona this coming Thanksgiving at the same time the Tacoma Trio is at the same location. Maybe this time their parental units will let me have a 21st Century Nephews and Niece in Danger episode driving David, Theo & Ruby to the top of South Mountain...

Spencer Jack Shows Fort Worth Real Islands While Ditch Digging

Incoming this morning from my Favorite Nephew Jason and Favorite Great Nephew Spencer Jack...

FUD,

Today’s PNW heat wave resulted in FNSJ suggesting that we travel to Washington’s first state park to seek marine air for cooling.

FNSJ really wanted to engineer a stream route on this beach.  

It was a good idea.  We are both slightly sun burnt though, as we have had only cloudy days in recent memory.

This is his fourth, perhaps fifth Spring as a stream engineer at this exact location.

He has mastered the science of diverting water.  

I see a potential career as an Army Corps Engineer in Spencer’s future.

Thought you’d enjoy the pictures.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to roast here in the valley.

Fans are ready.  

FNJ & FNSJ

They have been having themselves a record breaking heat wave up northwest in my old home zone. Meanwhile at my location in the South, I have yet this year felt HOT enough to turn on my air conditioning. I have turned on one of my ceiling fans a couple times this year.

Let's take a look at some more of the photos of Spencer Jack being an Army Corps of Engineer flood channel builder at Washington's first state park.

When I read that Spencer Jack had taken his dad to Washington's first state park in order to escape the heat and have some beach fun, I did not remember which state park was Washington's first. Deception Pass State Park? I Googled Washington State Parks to find it taking a few link clicks to finally learn which state park was Washington's first.

The scenery in the photos of Spencer Jack digging a creek channel did not look like Deception Pass to me. I do not recollect any sandy beaches on any of the Deception Pass State Park beaches. The Deception Pass beaches are rocky beaches, covered with little pebbles.

I went to the state's Washington State Park website's History page figuring that surely would tell me which Washington State Park was the state's first. Nope, no luck there.

From Wikipedia's Washington State Park's page there was a link to another Wikipedia page listing all Washington's State Parks.

On that list of Washington's State Parks I saw another suspect within easy driving distance of Spencer Jack's Mount Vernon home location.

Larrabee State Park.

And that was it. Washington's first state park was Larrabee State Park.

This sort of surprises me. Larrabee is an incredible location. But I would think that way back when it became a state park in 1923, the Larrabee location would have been quite an adventure to drive to. Even well over 100 years later the drive to Larrabee, called Chuckanut Drive, is one adventurous road, full of tight corners high above steep cliffs.

But, maybe back when the Larrabee became a park the Interurban already existed, that being a train which connected Mount Vernon in the south to Bellingham north of Larrabee. The rail bed of that long abandoned Interurban still exists, currently as a fun trail to hike and bike, taking one all the way from Larrabee to the Alaskan Ferry Terminal in Bellingham.

If I remember right the last time I biked the Interurban from Larrabee to Bellingham was with Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey.

Trying to find out which state park was Washington's first I learned a thing or two in addition to that bit of information. Such as what the word "Chuckanut" means. I've heard that name all my life and never thought to wonder what it meant, beyond assuming it was a Native American word.

The Wikipedia article about the Chuckanut Mountains educated me as to the meaning of the Chuckanut word and also includes the Larrabee being the state's first state park info...

The Chuckanut Mountains (from "Chuckanut", a native word for "Long beach far from a narrow entrance", or Chuckanuts, are located on the northern Washington state coast of the Salish Sea, just south of Bellingham, Washington. Being a part of the Cascade Range, they are the only place where the Cascades come west down to meet the sea. The Chuckanuts are considered to be a part of the Puget Lowland Forest Ecoregion. The range contains Larrabee State Park, the first State Park to be designated in Washington (1923).

The article about the Chuckanut Mountains lists all the mountains considered to be Chuckanuts. One can drive to the summit of several of them. Or mountain bike on the mountain's logging roads. I do not think there is any location within hundreds of miles of where I currently am located where one can go from playing on a beach to climbing a mountain.

Well, there is the shores of Lake Wichita and the trails to the summit of Mount Wichita.

For anyone who may be reading this who is located in the landlocked Texas town called Fort Worth. In the photos above those outcroppings of land you see rising out of the water behind Spencer Jack? Those are what are known as islands.

Islands are chunks of land surrounded by a large body of water. The water can be either the saltwater or fresh water variety. As in the island can be surrounded by the saltwater of an ocean, sea, bay or sound. Or a lake.

Digging a cement lined ditch and filling this ditch with polluted river water does not an island make. Thinking such makes anyone thinking such appear to be either foolish, or ignorant, or both. Building three simple little bridges over dry land to connect a town's mainland to an imaginary non-island and thinking this makes sense to so, also makes one appear to be either foolish, or ignorant, or both.

Vote NO on May 5 if you are among the few allowed to do so in Fort Worth, to put an end to the Panther Island madness.

And if you want to get an idea of what it is like to drive on Chuckanut Drive to Larrabee State Park, watch the video below...

Spencer Jack Enjoying Waterfront Not Brought About By Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger's Corrupt Earmarking

Spencer Jack Climbing On Larrabee Rocks

My nephew of late has been sending me pictures of my great nephew Spencer Jack in danger.

If I remember right I blogged about my Nephews in Danger last week.

My nephew's photos of Spencer Jack exploring some of my favorite places has the effect of making me a bit homesick.

The picture you see here is Spencer Jack exploring the rocky beach at Larrabee State Park.

Larrabee State Park was established in 1915 as Washington's first state park.

The water you see in the picture is saltwater. I'm not quite sure of my geography. This saltwater is either at the northern reaches of Puget Sound or the eastern reaches of the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

What I do know, for certain, is this big body of water was the not result of any demented River Vision Boondoggle created to give Western Washington some waterfront property and a local congresswoman's son a job.

Speaking of which, just minutes ago I heard from Beale that the Washington Post has an article today titled "Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties", in which mention is made of the nefarious earmark dealings of Fort Worth's controversial congresswoman, the mother of J.D., Kay.Granger.

Congresswoman Kay's earmarks send money to the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle to help fund Fort Worth's important public works project that will give the town a little lake, some canals and an un-needed flood diversion channel, with some nondescript bridges across the un-needed flood diversion channel.

Oh, and to give her son, J.D., a job.

For which he has zero qualifications.

Nepotism was banned years ago from Fort Worth dictionaries.

Meanwhile, up in Washington, my great nephew, Spencer Jack, is enjoying countless miles of waterfront hiking, courtesy of Mother Nature, not Mother Kay.