Circumambulating Seattle 4: West Seattle to Downtown

“But most of these far walks have been taken just for the joy of walking in the free air.”
— John Finley, “Traveling Afoot,” from The Joys of Walking, ed. Edwin Valentine

“Increasingly, walking itself became a source of happiness, something to be enjoyed in its own right, bringing an intensity of experience and a sensual awareness of surroundings that grew more addictive by the miles.”
— Nick Hunt, Walking the Woods and the Water

View of downtown Seattle skyline from Alki

At this point in my multi-day project of encircling the periphery of Seattle, I no longer questioned why I was walking these segments.  I simply enjoyed the journey.  I was especially looking forward to this day’s walk because I knew I would have Puget Sound in sight almost the entire day.  I was reminded of how beautiful Seattle’s location is, with distant mountains to the west (the Olympics) and to the east (the Cascades) and the gentle waves of Puget Sound lapping its shores.

I started my walk from the Barton Street Pea Patch at the intersection of Barton Street SW and 35th Avenue SW.

Sunflower

Barton Street community garden

I followed Barton Street west and downhill to the sound.  The Fauntleroy ferry was disgorging cars and passengers.  It would have been a lovely day for a ferry ride to Vashon Island, but I stuck with my plan to walk.

Ferry to Vashon Island

Disembarking

I followed Fauntleroy Avenue SW to Lincoln Park, a heavily wooded space with playground, picnic tables, and below the bluff, a beach with paved walking and biking path.  Families, joggers, and dog-watchers enjoyed the beach.

Picnic table under the trees, Lincoln Park

 

Beach at Lincoln Park on Puget Sound

Exercising with beach rocks

The Seattle grunge look — starting early

Seattle is a very literary city.

From Lincoln Park I headed north on Beach Drive where I was separated from the beach by a row of waterfront residences.  As I approached Alki Beach, I discovered a set of 27 constellations embedded the sidewalk, West Seattle’s own “Avenue of the Stars.”

Beach Drive turned into Alki Avenue.  The point here was the original landing spot of the Denny Party, Seattle’s first white settlers, in 1851.  Later they relocated across the Sound to establish Seattle on the shores of Elliott Bay.  Today the beach is one of the city’s favorite recreation spots, especially on summer days.

Blue bottle house

Alki Beach

Alki has its own miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty, which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Boy Scouts.

Picnic on the beach

Flowered house on Alki Avenue

Alki Avenue turned into Harbor Avenue SW and now the views over the water took in the Seattle skyline.

Recreation and industry on Elliott Bay near downtown Seattle

The next stretch of my walk took me away from the relaxing beachfront and back into the city’s industrial area.  Pedestrians are prohibited on the West Seattle Bridge, but I had access to a nice bike trail across Harbor Island on an older, lower bridge.  I passed over the Duwamish River, and Mount Rainier gleamed hugely and whitely on the horizon.

Bike path along the lower bridge

Under the West Seattle Bridge

Duwamish River with Mount Rainier

Duwamish River looking toward downtown Seattle

My final trek was along East Marginal Way South past the shipping docks.  The Starbucks headquarters punctuated the skyline in the SODO (south of Downtown) neighborhood.  I passed an historical marker near 2225 E marginal Way S on the spot of the world’s very first gasoline service station (1907).  Who knew that Seattle played a role in this part of our country’s driving history!

Loading docks and shipyards

Starbucks headquarters

East Marginal Way South

Bike path into downtown Seattle

Ferry coming into the downtown terminal

I ended my walk at the downtown ferry terminal.

Total walking distance:  about 12 miles

 

 

 

My Annual Hike at Ebey’s Landing

Hiking trail up to the bluff at Ebey’s Landing

When I have company from out-of-town, I like to take them to Ebey’s Landing, one of my favorite hikes on Whidbey Island.  This loop trail provides a perfect slice of Pacific Northwest life — a ferry ride to get there, expansive views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, bucolic rural scenery, and a beach walk.  It’s not too strenuous, and a breeze keeps you cool even on a hot, sunny summer day.

We experienced a special treat on this most recent hike — a plein air artist was working on a landscape in oil pastels.  I always love to see artists at work.

Easel and trays of oil pastels at Ebey’s Landing

Steven R. Hill, plein air artist

An artist’s hands

Plein air art at Ebey’s Landing

View from Ebey’s Landing: a rural landscape with Mount Baker on the horizon

View out over Puget Sound

Looking down at the lagoon from the bluff at Ebey’s Landing

View of Olympic Mountains from across Puget Sound

The Rewards of the Simple Life

To find the air and the water exhilarating . . . sunset on Elliott Bay

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter . . . to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”
— John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril

I was sauntering by the downtown Seattle waterfront just as the sun was setting by the ferry terminal on Elliott Bay.  A beautiful late summer evening.

Ferry Terminal at sunset, downtown Seattle

Sunset over Elliott Bay on Puget Sound

Ferry at sunset

Seattle Day Trip: Hiking at Ebey’s Landing

On the bluff at Ebey's Landing, looking back to the trailhead

Ebey’s Landing on Whidbey Island is one of my all-time favorite hiking destinations.  Every step along the trail sports impressive views of Puget Sound.  It’s a fairly easy 3-mile loop hike.  We hike along the bluff going out and return along the beach.  Here are some photos of this year’s hike, my first hike of the season:

Patchwork of farm land viewed from the bluff

Hiking along the bluff trail

Below the bluff is a lagoon, separated from Puget Sound by a thin stretch of beach.

The bluff was full of wildflowers.

Looking down the bluff into the waters of the lagoon

Descending the bluff to the beach

Lagoon and log-strewn beach along Puget Sound

The waves sounded like a train entering a station.

Seagull in flight

Rocks and seaweed

Walking back to the trailhead along the beach

Seattle Day Trip: Ferry to Bainbridge Island

Sign on side of building in Pioneer Square

View of Seattle from the ferry to Bainbridge Island

I’ve always enjoyed riding the ferries in Seattle.  They are an integral part of the transportation system here, not just a tourist attraction.  But I took a ride, simply for pleasure, to Bainbridge Island.  It’s a wonderful way to get out on the waters of Puget Sound if you don’t have a boat of your own.  On Bainbridge, I walked along the Waterfront Trail to the Winslow business district.  I’m not much of a shopper, but I did browse for a while at the Eagle Harbor Bookstore, a gem of an independent bookstore.  Then I returned to Seattle on the ferry.  It made an easy half-day outing.

Raucous seagull on the ferry railing overlooking Seattle's loading docks

Bainbridge Island

I walked this trail from the ferry to the Winslow business district.

Wild blackberries along the Waterfront Trail

Weathered fence and shadows, Bainbridge Island

Several ferries ply the routes across Puget Sound.

Seattle skyline from the ferry

Hiking at Ebey’s Landing

My daughter hiking at Ebey's Landing, July 1996

One of my favorite places to hike is Ebey’s Landing on Whidbey Island.  I try to go at least once a year.  It’s a lovely hike on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.  I walk back to the trail head along the driftwood-strewn beach.

Trail up to the top of the bluff at Ebey's Landing

View from the top of the bluff back toward the trail head

Dandelion along the trail

A family of hikers from Paris far ahead on the bluff trail

View from the bluff across Admiralty Inlet on Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains

Shades of blue, Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound

Bald Eagle near Ebey's Landing

When Gray Is Enough

Beige slat of sun nearing sunset over Puget Sound

Otherwise, clouds. . .

Mind Wanting More
by Holly Hughes

Only a beige slat of sun
above the horizon, like a shade pulled
not quite down.  Otherwise,
clouds.  Sea rippled here and
there.  Birds reluctant to fly.
The mind wants a shaft of sun to
stir the grey porridge of clouds,
an osprey to stitch the sea to sky
with its barred wings, some dramatic
music:  a symphony, perhaps
a Chinese gong.

But the mind always
wants more than it has —
one more bright day of sun,
one more clear night in bed
with the moon; one more hour
to get the words right; one
more chance for the heart in hiding
to emerge from its thicket
in dried grasses — as if this quiet day
with its tentative light weren’t enough,
as if joy weren’t strewn all around.

This poem really speaks to me, especially during these gray days of winter when the doldrums lurk.  My husband and I met at Olympic Sculpture Park on Saturday evening for the 5:19 p.m. sunset.  We didn’t witness any brilliant pinks, oranges, or purples, but the soft slat of golden sky between the clouds was enough.