Lovely Linda Lou Takes Us To Daffodils & Mount Rainier

 A couple days ago I posted a blog post titled Seeing Real Islands From Summit Of Washington's Mount Erie in which I made mention of the fact that a time or two I had been surprised to see Mount Rainier, to the south, from the Skagit Flats.

And then yesterday, the Skagit Valley's lovely Linda Lou, text messaged me the photo you see above.

The Skagit Flats ablaze with the yellow of thousands of daffodils, with the Mount Rainier volcano hovering in the distance.

I surely do miss living in a zone of multiple scenic wonders...

Mountain Rainier Looming Large Over The Skagit Flats

I saw that which you see here, on Facebook, a look at Mount Rainier from the Skagit Flats. The Mountain is about 100 miles south of the Skagit Flats.

I have seen Mount Rainier from the Skagit Flats, on a clear, smog-free day. The view you see here makes Mount Rainier look like it looms large, above the Skagit Flats.

That is due to this being a zoomed view of Mount Rainier. In reality, to the naked eye, from the Skagit Flats Mount Rainier is just a small bump on the horizon.

So many photos of Mount Rainier do that camera zoom thing, making The Mountain look bigger and closer. Thus when tourists visit Washington for the first time expecting to see Mount Rainier looming large, like it is hovering over Seattle and Tacoma, when it really does not look like that.

Even so, it is still a rather cool thing to see whilst on the Skagit Flats, looking south to the Mount Rainier volcano, looking east at the Mount Baker volcano, which is way closer than Mount Rainier.

I have not seen a real mountain this decade, not since I was in Arizona in 2019 have I seen a mountain...

In Washington Looking West Across Daffodil Fields At The Olympic Mountains

Many a time I have made mention of the fact that at my old home zone of the Skagit Valley, in Western Washington, no matter what direction one looks, east, west, north or south, one sees mountains.

At my current flat location no matter what direction I look there is nary a mountain to be seen.

I have frequently shared photos of my old home zone showing the mountains one sees from that location. 

Those photos I have previously shared have only shown the mountain view looking east from the Skagit Flats, usually with the Mount Baker volcano in the picture.

Yesterday, on Facebook, I saw the photo you see above. In that photo we are not looking east at the Cascade Mountain foothills, we are looking west, with that line of snow covered mountain peaks being the Olympic Mountains, located on the Olympic Peninsula.

Those land masses you see sticking out above the daffodil fields may be islands. I am not sure about the land masses on the left or right, but I am almost 100% certain the land mass in the middle is Fidalgo Island. That is where the town of Anacortes is located, and where you can find one of Washington's best hamburgers at the Fidalgo Drive-In.

In Anacortes you can hop aboard a Washington State Ferry and float to multiple islands.

For those reading this in Fort Worth, Texas, these are real islands, surrounded by real water. Not imaginary islands that might one day become an imaginary island if a cement lined ditch is ever actually dug, with river water diverted into the ditch.

I have not read anything about Fort Worth's imaginary island and that cement lined ditch in quite some time. The three little bridges, built over dry land, have been finished for quite some time, waiting for that water filled ditch to turn the bridges into the connection of the Fort Worth mainland to that imaginary island...

Linda Lou Takes Me To Skagit Flats Beaver Marsh Looking At Olympics

The above is the latest example of something sent by someone in the Pacific Northwest in an ongoing campaign by many, apparently, to try and make me homesick for Washington.

The campaign is working.

The above photo arrived on my phone late in yesterday's afternoon, from Linda Lou.

The text message with the photo said, "The Olympics in all their glory as seen from Beaver Marsh Road".

That made it twice yesterday Beaver Marsh Road was mentioned to me. Yesterday, when talking to sister Jackie, mention was made of Jackie having had herself a mighty fine visit with nephew Joey, Monique and Hank Frank at their farmhouse on Beaver Marsh Road.

Linda Lou called soon after sending me the above photo and when I told her Joey's house is on Beaver Marsh Road, she said she'd driven by it and recognized it from the photo of Joey's house I'd put on the blog.

However, talking to Jackie yesterday, I learned that the house I thought to be Joey's, was not Joey's, but was the house on the 8 acres next to Joey's, which big brother Jason bought. 

As for those Olympics Linda Lou mentions being in all their glory, that is a mountain range to the west of Puget Sound, located on the appropriately named Olympic Peninsula, where you will find the also appropriately named Olympic National Park. 

First time visitors to the Puget Sound zone are often surprised, on a clear day, to see mountains no matter which direction they look.

From the Skagit Flats, which is where Joey and Jason's homes on Beaver Marsh Road are located, one can look west and see the Olympics, to the east and see the Cascades and Mount Baker, to the south and see Mount Rainier, which is also part of the Cascade mountain range, and to the north and see the Cascade mountains as the range reaches the Pacific north of Vancouver.

That makes for two of Washington's active volcanoes that one can see from the Skagit Flats.

No matter what direction I look whilst standing on the Wichita Flats I can see no volcanoes. Or mountains...

Geez, I finished writing this blog post, switched to Facebook, and what's the first thing I see?

Another Skagit Flats photo via Linda Lou. The one above looks west at the Olympics, the one below looks east, at the aforementioned Cascades.

The view here is south of the vantage point of Linda Lou's first photo. Joey and Jason's Skagit Flat location on Beaver Marsh Road would be to the left. If we panned to the left we would also see Mount Baker. The buildings you see on the lower hills are in south Mount Vernon. The main part of the town would also be seen if we panned to the left.

Way back in the previous century, I could look out my windows and see a view somewhat like that above. Well, not the tulip/daffodil Skagit Flats view, but the mountain view to the east...

Geez, it happened again. Added the photo from Linda Lou, went back to Facebook, and saw a new post, with this one asking "Where in Washington are Chris & Sheila? Such a beautiful day, snowy mountain tops can be seen all around us".

Didn't I just mention the fact that from the Skagit Flats one sees mountains no matter what direction you look? And now we have Chris and Sheila saying the same thing. 

That tallest mountain you see here is the aforementioned Mount Baker. Which would make Joey and Jason's location on Beaver Marsh Road to the right in this view. 

I am guessing Chris and Sheila are at the RV park at the Swinomish Casino Resort on Padilla Bay, which would mean we are looking east across Padilla Bay in the above photo. Bay View State Park would be to the left, across the bay. And my old hometown of Burlington would be due east on the other side of that row of trees. I forget what that particular rise above the Skagit Flats is called. Bay View Hill? Is that it?

Okay, I am not looking at Facebook any more tonight...