SLICES OF A LIFE
Seven decades of images by Teekay

Olympic Peninsula and other good places in Washington, May 2003
Click on the small images below to see larger, then click your BACK button to return here

It's a long road trip to the coast from our home and we took several days over it. From the highway near Vantage, the Wild Horses Monument is a spectacular sight as a herd of wild horses appears to be galloping across the desert mountains. After scrambling our way to the top to get these images we were surprised to find the sheet steel horses were elaborately decorated instead of being mere silhouettes against the background of the Columbia River.

In the State capital, Olympia, we explored the impressive legislative buildings and surrounding grounds. In nearby Lacey, at an "Electric Car and Alternate Fuel Rally", an employee of Seattle City was offering demo rides on a Segway. "We must get one!", said June as soon as she stepped off after a short ride on this brilliant invention. Unfortunately, at present the price is far too high, but one day....

The Olympia Flight Museum has a small but eclectic collection. June is standing beside an atomic bomb with a destructive power ("adjustable", we were told) 30 times more than the one that leveled Hiroshima. Designed to be carried by fighter aircraft, this technology is old enough to be in a museum, so one can only imagine the power of even smaller ones today. It was sobering to lay hands on this cold, sleek little thing, prosaically labeled with a military part number, that could have leveled a major city and changed the course of history.

We spent four days at Kalaloch, in Olympic National Park. Trails lead down to the beaches from the short stretch of highway that runs close to the sea, always giving spectacular views, but most of the outer coast is wild and inaccessible by road. Be aware of tides or risk getting trapped as the water rises right up to unclimbable cliffs or almost impenetrable bush. Next stop to the west is Japan.

Beaches of sand, beaches of rocks, beaches of sea stacks, cliffs and tide pools - all great for exploring and enjoying the beauty of wave-worn rock and wood.

The intertidal zone teems with life, much of it edible, at least to the multitude of birds and other animals that feast here. A mass of starfish and tube worms completely covers a rocky outcrop. Gooseneck barnacles cluster tightly on a bottle drifted ashore, maybe after years at sea. The little animal, posed on the shell of a Dungeness crab, was one of thousands blown ashore on the beaches while we were there. Called "Sail-by-the-wind" (scientific name Velella) they live on the surface of oceans around the world, moved by winds acting on translucent sails.

Just inland from the coast, the Hoh River valley is a lush rainforest - halls of green with flowers, ferns, mosses, and lichens forming a deep carpet on the forest floor.

Walking along a trail in thick forest, being very quiet as we were looking for birds, we suddenly realized we were not alone - this huge elk was standing right beside us. We froze, then realized that we had managed to infiltrate a whole herd, all within a few feet. Luckily, I had my camera and tripod ready to take this picture in the dim light.

From the outer coast we went to Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. At Fort Casey, 10" guns from the 1890's are preserved in a park full of birds and wildflowers overlooking Puget Sound with the Olympic Mountains as a backdrop. In another State Park, Fort Ebey, I declined an invitation to take a tandem ride with a parasail instructor, which was just as well because a few seconds later he crash landed on a steep cliff face when the wind dropped unexpectedly.

Coupeville is one of the oldest and most picturesque little towns in Washington. We were there for the annual Water Festival, a colourful bustle complete with a gathering for tribal canoe races. In nearby Greenbank, we enjoyed a harp concert amid 10 acres of rhododendrons in peak bloom.

We liked Whidbey Island so much we stayed an extra night at this waterfront cottage where June enjoyed a soak in the hot tub every evening

We went home via the scenic North Cascades Highway, stopping for lunch at this scenic overlook above Diablo. Our last stop was at the backroad ghost town of Molson on a sunny day with nobody else there to explore the ancient buildings and rusting antiques.

Comments welcomed! Email me at