Bowman Bay

I almost decided not to go hiking with the Senior Trailblazers today, since I woke to heavy rain that had turned to heavy SNOW by 6:30am. But once I checked out the weather forecast, I decided that it would not last and that if I didn't go, I'd be really grumpy if the sun actually came out. So, I set out for the Senior Center after taking some pictures of the tulips in the snow. Twelve of us showed up, and by the time we got in our cars to head down to Whidbey Island and Bowman Bay, there was more sun than clouds in the sky. As we headed southwest, it looked like the day would certainly be better than it had started. And I was right.

We began our hike up the trail above Pass Lake and, as you can see here, the moss has proliferated from all the rain we've been having. It was a little chilly, but by the time we had hiked uphill a bit, we shed our coats and gloves. Linda decided, when she saw this swing as we reached an old abandoned orchard, that she would like to give it a try. We all got out of the way as she swung out and... down. That old rope had a lot of stretch in it.

After playing in the orchard and taking pictures of flowers coming out, we headed back down to visit both Lighthouse Point and Rosario Bay. The skies gradually began to be more clouds than sun, but the flowers were everywhere. Here's a picture of some flowering currants with the sunlight shining through.

After we had hiked to Lighthouse Point overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, we decided to have some lunch and rest a while. Still no rain, but as you can see here the skies are a sort of mellow grey. This picture almost looks like a monochrome, especially in comparison with the others I took.

However, after I had satisfied my growling stomach, I walked around looking at the sights. So many kinds of flowers! I think there are two or three kinds of moss and the kinnikinnick flowers (I think) are what you see in bloom. The waters of the strait are below, with the shadow of a promontory only visible by its reflection. I fell in love with this picture and had to show it to you.

We kept seeing this lovely little orchid-type flower, and nobody could identify it for sure. We thought perhaps it's called a shooting star, but this picture shows that once it raises its head up to the sunlight, it's got the little "beard" you see on orchids. Anyone who might know what this flower is, I'd love to identify it by name.

Fairyslipper or Deer's Head Orchid (thanks, Catbird Scout!)

Just as we were walking back to the cars, after hiking nine miles and a little more than 2,000 feet up and down, it began to rain. Up until that moment, we had had a sprinkle or two, but the rain never materialized until then, so I knew I had made the right decision, to spend the day in the beautiful outdoors with my Senior Trailblazers. Now it's time for a bit of wine before dinner. Until next time...
:-)