Overcast today but still beautiful

Hertz trail

We ladies met this morning at the Hertz trailhead, a longish drive from Bellingham proper, so I stressed a little as I realized we (Lily and I) would not get there by 8:00. However, I was only a few minutes late and they had not yet taken off to walk the three-mile-long trail. And a few more ladies arrived even later than we did. Here's some information about that trail:

The Hertz Trail (also known as the North Lake Whatcom Trail) follows the eastern shoreline of Washington's fourth largest freshwater lake. The relatively flat, fine-gravel pathway traces the former Bellingham Bay and Eastern Railroad, which was used to transport coal from the Blue Canyon Mine at the south end of the lake.

One of the nicest things about this trail is that it is flat. We hardly ever have any other ones like this on Saturday mornings. We venture out to this trail a couple of times a year, and the Senior Trailblazers have also made use of it in the wintertime when we're looking for a short distance hike before a party or other gathering.

Anyhow, less than a dozen of us showed up this morning, because when we left early on, it was raining. Foggy and rainy weather doesn't make many people anxious to get going. However, it was simply perfect for walking, and the rain stopped before we started out, so it was dry, too. We did see some Pacific Northwest wildlife:

Banana slug

 This is a native slug, as opposed to the black ones that are taking over the banana slug habitat, so whenever she sees one, Peggy stops to remove it from the trail so it won't get stepped on. Look at those long eye stalks on the front end. The back end seems to have picked up some debris as it makes it way across the trail. More information about the banana slug is here. It does look a little like an overripe banana, doesn't it?

Veggies for sale

Then we made it over to the crowded Farmers' Market to get ourselves coffee and a treat. Although the skies were overcast, it wasn't a bit cool or uncomfortable, so we leisurely made our way home. I did a little housework (which is pretty unusual for me) and now I'm sitting in my easy chair, listening to the birds and other sounds coming through the screen door. A lovely day indeed.
:-)