Beauty of Northwest Wilderness: 2017

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Falls color trip to Mt Baker

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Dry Falls/Streamboat Rock/Grand Coulee

Dry Falls is a 3.5-mile-long (5,600 m) scalloped precipice in central Washington, on the opposite side of the Upper Grand Coulee from the Columbia River, and at the head of the Lower Grand Coulee.

According to the current geological model, catastrophic flooding channeled water at 65 miles per hour through the Upper Grand Coulee and over this 400-foot (120 m) rock face at the end of the last ice age. It is estimated that the falls were five times the width of Niagara, with ten times the flow of all the current rivers in the world combined [wiki].

Steamboat Rock State Park is located near the north end of Banks Lake in the Grand Coulee, about 3,522-acre in size.

Its name is taken from the landscape's dominating feature, Steamboat Rock, a basalt butte that rises 800 feet above the lake which nearly completely surrounds it. The butte's plateau covers more than 600 acres and was used by nomadic Native American tribes and by early settlers.

During the last Ice Age, the monolith stood as an island in the new bed of the Columbia River where it had been diverted by ice dams. Once the dams burst creating massive floods, the Columbia returned to its original course, leaving Steamboat Rock as a prominent feature of the dry Grand Coulee.

Road on Grand Coulee, 2017/09/16

Power lines from Grand Coulee Dam, 2017/09/17

Dry Falls

Dry Falls Overlook, 2017/09/16

Steamboat Rock

Road on Grand Coulee approaching Steamboat Rock, 2017/09/16

Sunset at Steamboat Rock State Park, 2017/09/16

Grand Coulee

The Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. This National Natural Landmark stretches for about 60 miles (100 km) southwest from Grand Coulee Dam to Soap Lake, being bisected by Dry Falls into the Upper and Lower Grand Coulee.

Upper Grand Coulee next to Steamboat Rock State Park, 2017/09/16

Night view at Banks Lake and Jones Bay

Night approaching Jones Bay, 2017/09/16

Steamboat Rock State Park, 2017/09/16

Early Morning at Steamboat Rock

Sunrise in the Jones Bay, 2017/09/17

Sunrise at Steamboat Rock State Park, 2017/09/17

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Trip to Whidbey Island

Whidbey island

Whidbey island is about 30 miles north west of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor, Washington. There are a couple of towns on the island, including Clinton, Freeland, Langley, Greenbank, Coupeville, and Oak Harbor.

There are ferries between Mukilteo and Clinton. Each run about 30 minutes. You can take the ferry with your car. And then you can drive all the way up on hwy 20 to north, cross the Deception Pass bridge, and then turn right to I-5 back to Seattle.

Whidbey Island and the towns, , 09/03/2017

The Trip

I started the trip from Mukilteo, taking the ferry and stayed on a few historical spot and enjoyed the hot Labor day long weekend. Here is the route I took on this trip, total about 200 miles.

Trip to Whidbey Islands, , 09/03/2017

Ferry running from Whidbey Island to Mukilteo, 09/03/2017

Ferry leaving Clinton ferry station, 09/03/2017

Double Bluff Beach Park

The first stop is Double Bluff beach park. It's a small beach, but shared with local community. Lots of resident houses stay along the beach, where each owner owns a slice of private beach. It's a beautiful place to live, enjoying the sunshine every day, and having Mt Rainier in the view.

Double Bluff Beach Park, 09/03/2017

Whidbey Island State Park

The park is very close to Hwy 525, there are lots of RV camping ground, and a few trails. However, the beach was washed out, so the camping ground is closed. My wife and I took the beach trail. It's just 0.6 mile. We were just very careful to cross the washout area, but the trail is narrowly accessible.

I arrived the beach, and took few pictures around the area. A guy was just leisurely fishing. He told me if he were lucky, he would be able to catch about 10 lb weight of salmons. Good luck to him!

Puget Sound viewed from Whidbey island state park, 09/03/2017

South view from Whidbey island state park, 09/03/2017

The bluff on the right side of the park, 09/03/2017

Coupville

Coupeville is a historic district is within the federal Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. The reserve was established by Congress in 1978, as the first and now one of the largest National Historical Reserves in the nation.[8] Its 22 square miles (57 km2) also encompass farmlands, Fort Ebey State Park, Fort Casey State Park, shorelines and beaches, parks, trails, and 91 buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupeville,_Washington]

It's a quiet farming community in the heart of Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island. Here you can enjoy the character of a frontier seaport when Puget Sound was being settled - history, nature and art.

Sail boat stayed near Coupville waterfront, 09/03/2017

Kayaking on front of the Coupville waterfront, 09/03/2017

Deception Pass State Park

Deception Pass is Washington’s most-visited state park. It has mysterious coves, rugged cliffs, jaw-dropping sunsets and a stomach-dropping high bridge. The steel bridge connects Oak harbor island on the south and Fidalgo island on the north. It's one of the busiest bridge in Washington state.

I plan to explore this area extensively in the future for the photography trips. Here is one snapshot from the north west side of the bridge,

Mt Erie overlook

The foothill of Mt Erie is a very popular RV camping site. Three ago we started the Seattle Scramble field trip from there. The south side of the mountain is a very good candidate places for scrambling and climbing. However you can drive up to the top for just half a mile from the north side.

So my wife and I decided to drive up to the top to have the overall view of Whidbay island and San Juan island.

View of Olympic Mountains from Mt Erie Overlook, 09/03/2017

View of Whidbey island and Olympic Mountains, 09/03/2017

Overview of Whidbey island, 09/03/2017

Beautiful Sunset

Full moon hanging on the sky, 09/2017

Beautiful sunset, 09/03/2017

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Trip to Ellensburg Fair and Rodeo

Established in 1923, the Ellensburg Rodeo is now officially one of the top ten professional rodeos in the United States. Drawing more than 600 of the finest ropers, wrestlers and riders, the event embodies rodeo at its very best and has become a cherished local tradition.

In addition to the traditional rodeo events, guests can attend the coinciding county fair, indulge in carnival eats and attend a parade held in downtown Ellensburg.

Ellensburg Fair Parade, 09/02/2017

Ellensburg Fair, 09/02/2017

Ellensburg Rodeo

Ellensburg Rodeo Ceremony, 09/02/2017

Steer roping

Steer Roping showcases the combination of horsemanship and roping talent. That's a common technique that many cowboys and ranchers use when they are out in open pasture without the luxury of fences or pens.

Steer Roping, Ellensburg Rodeo, 09/02/2017

Tie-down roping

Tie-down roping, is also called calf roping. It's a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by tying three legs together, in as short a time as possible.

Tie-down roping, Ellensburg rodeo, 09/02/2017

Steer Wrestling

Steer wrestling, Ellensburg Rodeo, 09/02/2017

Barrel Riding

Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. It is primarily a rodeo event for women. It combines the horse's athletic ability and the horsemanship skills of a rider in order to safely and successfully ride around the barrels.

Barrel racing in Ellensburg Rodeo, 09/03/2017

Barrel racing in Ellensburg Rodeo, 09/02/2017

Bareback Riding

Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires rider's skill, balance, and coordination.

Saddle Bronc riding, Ellensburg Rodeo, 09/02/2017

Saddle Bronc Riding

Saddle Bronc riding, Ellensburg Rodeo, 09/02/2017

Bull Riding

As a rodeo sport, bull riding involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider. Here are some excellent moments in this rodeo.