Birders' Top Spots
Location: Anacortes.
Habitat: A 200-acre, family-friendly municipal park with cedar, fir and madrona forest, grassy bluffs and boulder-strewn coastline.
Best seasons for birding: Good birding year-round.
November 6, 2003
Take a Walk
Location: Newhalem, Whatcom County.
Length: About a half-mile loop.
Level of difficulty: Flat-to-moderate dirt and gravel path.
By Cathy McDonald | November 6, 2003
CANNON BEACH, Ore. The evening sky is gunmetal gray, while lemony clouds soak up the last rays of the sun before it slips down below the Pacific horizon. Basalt rock formations jut up out of the churning water, all awkward and jagged. The most prominent is Haystack Rock, at 235 feet high the third-largest coastal monolith in the world.
By Vanessa McGrady | November 6, 2003
ORCAS ISLAND We've received an autumn gift from the weather gods sunny, high 50s, almost no wind and friends Carolyn Moulton, Nick Stowe and I have wasted no time in tearing it open and getting down to some serious play. We're pedaling our mountain bikes to the highest point in the San Juan Islands, 2,409-foot Mount Constitution on Orcas Island.
By Mike McQuaide | November 6, 2003
Short Trips
When it's dark by 4 in the afternoon and the high temperature for the week is supposed to hit only 45, it's time to start thinking inside the box.
To help stimulate that thought processes, Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau officially kicks off its annual downtown hotel Super Saver program tomorrow. A luxurious hotel room at a discounted rate for a night just might be the cheery winter break you were looking for.
By Jeff Larsen | November 6, 2003
Hike of the Week
Hikers who don't mind stomping through a little bit of snow can get rewarding views on the Kachess Ridge Trail near Easton. If you've eaten too much Halloween candy, the route -- sometimes called the Silver Creek Trail -- also provides a good workout.
By Karen Sykes | November 6, 2003
Gearing Up
Have you ever let the rain dictate your hiking plans? When the weatherman calls for thundershowers all weekend, the easy thing to do is to blow off your trip, stay home and rent some movies. I know, because I've done it plenty of times. And I always regret it.
After all, I have the right stuff to keep me dry. I have rain gear that's so effective it's like walking around in my own private tent. This winter, when I get tired of watching the puddles form in my basement, I intend to get out there and enjoy the green, dripping canopies of the woods. How about you?
By Kristin Hostetter | November 6, 2003
