DAY TRIP, SKAGIT VALLEY

We took a short drive north

to Skagit County –

we have a favorite small town there.

We like the way our senses open up

when we see the horizontal spread

of the flat fields,

their boundaries edged

in fir or poplar, (and a barn or two),

with the Cascades,

blue on blue

in the distance…

Snapping phone photos out the window,

we roll down two lane roads –

straight paths to

quiet places.

We stop to explore Fir Island, a refuge for winter wildfowl.

We’re surprised by the masses of driftwood

jammed up in waves-

waves that echo the many floods the island takes

and gives back.

Our footpath winds along a slough

set with perfectly composed

silver gray logs and

wildflowers –

(delicious blackberries, too, but I forgot to photograph those –

too busy savoring the dark, ripe summer juice.)

The logs are like great hulking beasts,

finally tamed

by sun and rain.

Back down the road,

through fields of potato and cabbage, wheat and corn,

round a bend, then,

the tiny “census designated place”

(not a town, really)

of Edison appears:

a few weathered buildings

huddled together at the edge of a slough,

surrounded by well-tended farms.

It’s a favorite gathering spot

for foodies and bikers.

There’s a saloon on the slough, a

lumber yard and a gallery or two, a

bread bakery (cookies too!),

a few small restaurants.

They’re informal places

that serve local food,

carefully done and enjoyed outdoors

with a perfect iced doppio.

It’s been another blue sky day

in the Pacific Northwest.

Sun’s getting low –

time to zig zag our way back through

Skagit River delta farms –

we’ll be sure to stop for corn and berries

before we hit the highway.

Most of these photos were taken with a phone.

That word “slough” – a funny one, isn’t it? It rhymes with stew, not rough, but such are the vagaries of English.  Around here a slough is yet  another way that water appears in the landscape.  We had some heavy rains last week, but for two months this summer no water fell from the sky. The slough behind the saloon was low and dry when we visited last week, but it will soon fill up.

(Did you happen to click on any of the links above? ‘Cause if you clicked on the first one, you’d know that over 50% of the world’s production of beet and spinach seed is right there in Skagit County.  How’s that for an obscure fact?)

This entry was posted in Nature Studies, Pacific Northwest, photography and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

40 comments

    • Interesting. We’ll have to think about what the similarities are. I spent spring vacations as a child in the southeast – coastal GA – and two great vacations around the west coast of FL. So much to see – I would love to explore Alabama & La too. Thanks for commenting.

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  16. This was an excellent tour. The Skagit Valley is one of my favorite places to visit in the wintertime. There are lots of interesting easy walks and small town things to do. And as you’ve demonstrated, it’s a wonderful place for shutterbugging.

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    • Hey, it’s not even a new one! An old Samsung Galaxy. But confession: I do play around later in Lightroom, or the Perfect Effects program that you can usually get free online. Good to hear from you!

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    • That’s what I was talking about when I said I appreciate so much the way the landscape opens up in that part of the world – one just breathes more deeply and feels expansive, peaceful. Thanks for your thoughts!

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