Take a Walk
Location: Bellingham.
Length: Two miles round trip.
Level of difficulty: Flat to moderately steep, dirt/gravel trail, muddy/slippery after rains.
Setting: This varied trail begins near the entrance to the parking lot (an abandoned gravel pit), and leads south through a lush grove of alders and maples to join the Interurban Trail, a rails-to-trails conversion of the old Mount Vernon-Bellingham Interurban Railway.
By Cathy McDonald | August 22, 2002
"Best Hikes With Dogs: Western Washington" is well done and provides a strong and quite necessary emphasis on training -- of dog owners as much as dogs.
Nelson subscribes to the notion that there are far more bad dog owners than bad dogs. And although he is, as many dog owners are, a bit over the top in arguing for the beasts to be allowed on trails most everywhere, he hammers home the point that dogs and their owners must behave appropriately in the wilderness.
By Greg Johnston | August 22, 2002
If you are a beginning hiker or have small children who would enjoy bagging a "real" summit, check out Dege Peak in Mount Rainier National Park. Dege Peak is easily reached from the Sourdough Ridge Trail at Sunrise and is the highest point along the ridge. As the hiking trails near Sunrise are practically in the lap of the mountain, they are justifiably popular. Be prepared to share the splendor with others -- there's enough scenery to go around. The high alpine terrain is open enough that hikers can find solitary perches from which to gaze upon the mountain.
By Karen Sykes | August 22, 2002
Gearing Up
Have you ever read a description of what it's like to be severely dehydrated? Thick, swollen tongue; cracked, bleeding lips; sandpaper throat. Headaches, hallucinations, nausea -- the list of symptoms goes on and on. It's enough to make you chug a gallon of water on the spot -- just because you can. I'm happy to say that I've never been close to that level of dehydration, and I plan to keep it that way.
By Kristin Hostetter | August 22, 2002
As a professional photographer, I've long been an advocate of capturing all photographic images on slide film. With slides, you get good color saturation and clear images with enough sharp detail for reproduction in print publications.
My allegiance to film has weakened, though. As a gear fanatic and a techy-gizmo fanatic I was tempted to give digital cameras a whirl. I was drawn to the instant access to images with a digital, and the ability to readily manipulate images in the computer. But to go digital, I'd need a camera capable of saving loads of information.
By Dan A. Nelson | August 22, 2002
Short Trips
CANNON BEACH, Ore. -- You've likely heard the old saying, "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Well, I spent part of the morning during my Cannon Beach visit looking for a haystack in a fog bank ... Haystack Rock, that is.
The popular Oregon coastal town's famous beach landmark was obscured that morning by a Pacific Ocean weather pattern notorious along the north coast. About 9 a.m., the wind kicked up from the west, and a fog bank that often hangs over the ocean a short distance offshore quickly inundated the sunny beach.
By Jeff Larsen | August 22, 2002
HOQUIAM Although there are no televisions in the rooms, staying at Hoquiam's Castle Bed & Breakfast is akin to being inside three TV programs rolled into one: "This Old House," "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and most especially, the wildly popular "Antiques Road Show."
To explain ...
By Elizabeth Rhodes | August 22, 2002
