3/11/2010 A Birthday Walk

Today is my birthday, thus A Birthday Walk. I met some friends for lunch today in Anacortes, and one of them suggested the Tommy Thompson Trail for my walk today. Part of the trail just goes through town and isn't very scenic, but my friend Sally sent me southeast where the trail follows along Fidalgo Bay and eventually used to cross the bay over to March Point via a railroad trestle. Part of the trestle burned this past fall, so you can't walk all the way across now, but I had a great 2.86 mile walk. It was so nice to be near the water and on a paved trail. (It has been windy and rainy here since yesterday evening).

I grew up on the coast of Washington and my grandparents all lived along the coast of either Washington or Oregon, so the ocean has been a big part of my life. I guess that explains why my favorite walks are along the water. You can smell the salty air, hear the waves splashing on the rocks and the seagulls calling out as they fly overhead. I am so fortunate to live where I do. As I was walking on the part of the trail that goes out over the water today, I noticed it was covered with broken clam shells--literally hundreds of them. I am thinking it would be a good idea to wear a hard hat out there on the trail, as those clam had to have been dropped by seagulls, eagles, herons, or whatever other fowl eats clams. If you look closely at the bottom of this picture, you can see some of the shells. I saw quite a few ducks today, mostly Goldeneyes and Mallards, but they don't stick around long enough to have their pictures taken. This is a great trail, and I recommend it to anyone. It would also be handicapped accessible and since it is flat, even little children would enjoy it.

I am truly enjoying my walks everyday; it has become something that I look forward to now most days, regardless of weather, regardless if I am walking alone or with someone. It is such a pleasure to get out in the fresh air and walk away from everything and just enjoy nature for a bit each day. My route can be seen here: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/640864