Have you been on Ocean Park‘s new Beach to Bay Trail?

Here’s what it used to look like to walk the roughly one mile from the Pacific Ocean to Willapa Bay:

Now, thanks to the hard work of a handful of Ocean Park citizens, working with Washington Department of Transportation, it looks a lot more like this:

It’s really a wonderful trail and the people who worked hard to make it happen deserve a big pat on the back.

The other place I really like to make the walk between ocean and bay is in Leadbetter Point State Park. The trails aren’t nearly so civilized as what you see above but they’re great fun.  I particularly enjoy moving through so many ecosystems in such a small distance.  Yellow Trail (who came up with that creative moniker?) is my favorite.

The first thing you need to know about hiking Leadbetter is this:  The trails flood.  It is even referred to as “the annual winter flood season.”  The flood season runs from at least November through mid-May.  Be prepared in October and don’t count on dry trails in early June.

And by flooding, we’re not talking about ankle splashers here.  We’re talking FLOODING.  Think somewhere between “fill your fishing boots” to “fill your hip waders” kind of flooding.  The water table is high out there on the northern tip of the Peninsula and the dunes become a series of small lakes in the winter.

And then there are the mosquitos.  Don’t let anyone convince you “it’s not that bad.”  They are liars.  Okay, so we don’t have any of the Minnesota-Unofficial-State-Bird-sized skeeters, but they are thick.  And hungry.  They love all that flooding.

But, during the dry(er) summer months, you really can’t find a hike that does more for your sense of instant gratification.  Yellow Trail is just 1.8 miles between ocean and bay.  You’ll wander from Willapa Bay’s tidal flats and beaches through young forest, into thick forest.  You’ll find yourself quickly in open, grassy dunes and, finally, to the ocean beach.

Serendipitously, this dry time is also the nesting season of the protected Snowy Plover, a small shorebird species whose northernmost breeding range is here.  Steer clear of these tiny guys; portions of the park are closed to protect them from March through September.

Serious birders, winter is your time at Leadbetter, and all around Willapa Bay.  Bring your water hiking gear and enjoy the park.  You’ll find large flocks of black brant, Canada geese, canvasbacks, American wigeons, buffleheads, scoters & scaup.   You’ll see loons, mergansers, grebes and cormorants on the Bay.  You’ll enjoy plovers, sandpipers and dunlin in the tidal flats.  Please, be careful as you find yourself going off-trail to pass the trails-turned-winter-lakes.  There is no dry route between the bodies of water in the winter.  Meander, but be very careful not to damage the sensitive environment of this incredible area.

I have it on solid authority that, er, well, harvesting mushrooms in the park is bad thing to do.  Very bad.  Don’t do it.  ‘Nuff said.

It is a glorious day at the beach.  Of course, it’s always a good day at the beach.  But then there are days like today, when the sun shines brightly and the sky smiles down in blue wonder.  I’m not really sun-obsessed.  I’m sun-starved.

There have only been something like 8 days resembling today’s glow and warmth in recent memory.  This summer just hasn’t really shown up.  So, days like today are downright magical.

Bless the City of Long Beach for planting along our roadsides this year.  Aren’t the results beautiful?

I am completely, utterly entertained by my dogs.  This morning, we washed the Dane and then pulled all her bedding out of my office to wash it, too.  She was apoplectic.  Mind you, it wasn’t the bath that upset her.  It was having only her Kuranda bed and none of it’s bedding.  It was like watching a live performance of “The 3 Little Bears”. She moved from her bed to the other dog’s, from carpet to carpet, and simply could NOT get comfortable.  Oh, the drama of it all!

How to amuse your (not so bright) dog.

Our Dane, bless her absolutely sweet self, isn’t the brightest dog on the planet.  Our shepherd mix spoiled us by being brilliant.  So when my pal sent me this disgustingly adorable pug-licking-your-monitor-from-the-inside file [1.6 MB fla], my monitor got licked from the outside, too.

I didn’t think it was going to happen.  I really didn’t.  And then *poof* the sun made a showing today!

Honestly, weather is one of my favorite things about driving through the Chinook Tunnel (roughly WA milepost 3 on Hwy 101).  That’s the tunnel that goes beneath Fort Columbia State Park and somehow separates two worlds.   It is absolutely eerie, in a very cool way, how the weather can be bright and sunny on one side and overcast on the other.  It doesn’t seem to matter whether you’re driving toward Ilwaco or Astoria.  It works both ways, making it kind of like unwrapping a little weather present on each drive through.

I like little surprises like those.  Don’t you?

I forgot to snap a picture of the tunnel today, darnit.  So, instead, let me share a few facts I found on bridgehunter.com:  Built 1932, the Chinook Tunnel is 799.9 feet long and carries a traffic of approximately 4,440 cars daily.  Don’t you feel smarter now?

I am totally jamming on “Street View” in Google maps:

Today was Jake the Alligator Man’s Birthday Jam.  Holy gators, Batman!  Event coordinators Gayle Borchard and Wendy Murry put together a day that had something for everyone.  I had the pleasure of being on the cake serving team.  The Cottage Bakery created a cake to beat all cakes!  8 full sheet cakes in size, 180 pounds and serving 400, with Jake himself the full length of the chocolate and vanilla wonder.  It arrived at the City of Long Beach pocket park in front of Marsh’s Free Museum by police escort, carried by four strong men like a woman on a palkhi. Ice cream was donated by Scoopers and the Big Dipper and both were served to the enjoyment of all after a rousting round of the Happy Birthday Song in Jake’s honor.

Don Nisb

Nisbett, of Ilwaco’s Crew House Gallery, did an outstanding job on the poster art.  I think Gayle and team are putting the original artwork up on eBay.  The t-shirts and sweatshirts bore the artwork and looked great (zap a note to jake@funbeach.com if you want to buy one), but the art posters are the really impressive part.  Don signed a limited edition of 400 and they’re only $25!

Things heated up in the evening with Wendy Murry’s adult program.  There was a body art show, quite the burlesque show (at least one City Council member was seen with blushed cheeks…), music by the Portland’s own psychedelic garage punk band “Snow Bud” and then there was Dingo… I’m not sure how to describe that delightful freak of nature.

Jake has been a favorite of visitors to Long Beach for as long as I can remember.  I see Jake bumper stickers all over Portland and even saw one in Los Angeles last month.  It’s great to see him getting his due.  Thanks, Gayle & Wendy, for putting together such a great event!  If you didn’t catch Jake’s interview with the Chinook Observer, or see the photos of him visiting friends around the Peninsula, it’s worth a click.

Photos of Jake’s birthday Jam are on funbeach.com/events/jake.

I love Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula.

I spent today in Long Beach, enjoying two fabulous birthday parties.  First, it was off to the South Pacific County Humane Society, for Luigi’s birthday:

Most visitors to the shelter know Luigi, our beloved shelter mascot. He came to the shelter over 10 years ago as a young tom cat, and just kept hanging around… Luigi supervised the building, and “helped” the workers with their lunches. It wasn’t long after the shelter opened, that we noticed that we seemed to be receiving an unusual number of little “Luigi look-a-likes” as strays from the area surrounding the shelter. It seemed our young tom cat with the great mustache was a big hit with the local kitty ladies. We weren’t sure if Luigi belonged to anyone, but we figured if we had him “tutored” he might get mad and go home…

Well, Luigi didn’t leave- he loved the shelter and has remained with us throughout the years. He still “helps” with staff lunches, and meets and greets our visitors. He is also an avid hunter, and often brings us “presents” from the wetlands.

These open houses are also to show our appreciation for our loyal supporters. Without you, our doors would not still be open, and we would not be able to provide good care for needy animals. Please join us so that we can say “thank-you” in person. And, oh, Luigi says you can bring him presents if you want…

I’ve got to say, the shelter volunteers did an outstanding job decorating the place.  Everywhere I turned there were photo boards with stories of Luigi.  Hot dogs were being served amongst a flurry of cat-print balloons.  Raffle tickets were being sold in a colorful display out front.  Happy people wandered beneath festive crepe paper streamers, meeting animals and remarking on recent remodeling projects.  And the food!  Geez Louise!  Those folks really outdid themselves with trays of goodies everywhere.  Throw them a bone if you have an extra lying around.  They are a completely community-funded no-kill shelter.