Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Summer rips by fast in the Pacific Northwest and we’ve been eager to put some miles on our new-to-us tiny trailer. Last week we spent a couple of days at historic Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island. Here’s Battery Calwell, one of the old military installations overlooking Puget Sound. I liked how a little Photoshopping highlighted its features.
Dungeness Recreation Area.
The historic trestle of the Railroad Bridge is a beautiful structure. Yesterday I showed you the damaged portion, part of the bridge that extends west from the trestle. This is the main bridge. It has pilings driven deep into the river substrate that are buffered by concrete. Supports for the damaged part of the bridge are not as deep and robust.
This portion of the bridge also has strong, towering support above…which, of course, is eye candy for anyone looking for strong geometry.
This is a longer view of the trestle.
The bridge transits the Dungeness River which drops down from the Olympic Mountains in a steep 7,300 foot fall over 32 miles. It is the second steepest river in the United States.
Early this month flood debris damaged the western part of the Railroad Bridge, a popular link in the Olympic Discovery Trail. For a couple of weeks the entire bridge was closed, although the landmark railroad trestle portion of the bridge is intact. Then fencing was constructed at either end of the damaged span to allow viewing and walking on the eastern trestle. Vandals promptly destroyed the fencing, which was quickly replaced. Yesterday I peered through the new fencing (which now has video monitoring) to catch this shot of the broken portion of the bridge.
Here’s the debris field just upstream of the bridge. It’s not hard to see how the bridge was undermined. This portion of the river, also, had been a secondary flow. In the course of the flooding the river channel shifted to flow more vigorously under this western side of the bridge.
The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe, which owns the bridge, plans to redesign, repair and reopen it. As you can see, they have their work cut out for them and there’s no estimate yet on how long this will take. In the meantime, trail users are detoured around this stretch of the Olympic Discovery Trail.
Tomorrow I’ll show you the undamaged portion of the bridge.
There’s a small outdoor amphitheater at Railroad Bridge Park. I don’t suppose it’s terribly busy at this time of year.
Here’s a partial view of the Dungeness Spit, part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. At 5.5 miles long, the Spit is the longest natural sand spit in the United States and encloses Dungeness Bay. The New Dungness Lighthouse, opened in 1857, is out of view at its tip.
The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge was created by Executive Order on January 20, 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson. It was created “as a refuge, preserve and breeding ground for native birds” and is a prime resting spot for migrating shorebirds and wintering waterfowl. The Spit is walking distance from a parking lot at the end of Voice of America Road. A National Park entry fee is required at the trail head and dogs are not allowed. If you hope to log any distance on the spit, time your trek at low tide for easier walking.
Locals: Celebrations of the 100 year anniversary of the Refuge will be kicked off today at the Red Cedar Hall of the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe, 1033 Old Blyn Highway. A free party from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. includes an illustrated presentation on the refuge’s history, displays, cake, and punch. No RSVP is necessary. Click here for a schedule of other events planned this year.
Happy New Year!
The photo challenge today for City Daily Photo participants is “Photo of the Year.” Mine captures a winter view of one of my favorite walking spots at Dungeness Recreation Area. I have a few other favorites I’ll show you in coming days.
Click here to see shots that other photographers from around the world have chosen as their Photo of the Year.