Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Johnson Creek Trestle, a former railroad bridge, is part of our Olympic Discovery Trail system. It is 410 feet long, with a graceful curve, banking slightly, features that add to its strength and stability.
It is the largest railroad trestle on the Olympic Peninsula and rises 86 feet above the creek below.
Click here for more information about the Johnson Creek Trestle history.
I love the light this time of year. On a clear day it’s low and warm just before sunset. A perfect time to walk.
Railroad Bridge is an old railroad trestle across the Dungeness River, owned by our local Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. It is a link in the Olympic Discovery Trail and is well used by walkers and bicyclists. A couple of years ago the section of the bridge beyond the wooden trestle seen here in the foreground collapsed after being battered by debris during flooding. It was rebuilt and after it was completed the entire bridge was repaved.
The repaving incorporated beautiful plaques with motifs that are used in Native American art in this region.
The plaques are about 3 feet by 2 feet (.91 meters by .60 meters).
They are striking additions to the bridge.
There’s a short new branch off one of our favorite trails in the Dungeness Recreation area. It’s the one on the right here. It replaces a steep pitch that branched downhill further ahead from the left hand trail. Thrill seeking bicyclists occasionally favored it but it was sometimes perilous. I managed to fall on it in the snow once while actually going uphill. I won’t miss it.
I mentioned our fierce spring winds about a week ago here. Our plum tree wasn’t the only one in the area that took it hard.
We saw a number of damaged trees in the Dungeness Recreation Area on a walk a few days later.
These native willows aren’t the strongest trees around but the wind still has to be pretty robust to cause this sort of damage.
We don’t always come to this spot on the bluffs at Dungeness Recreation Area. It was a surprise to look south and see how much of the bluff had disappeared recently. The former trail beyond the yellow tape now disappears into thin air. The erosion has taken a big gouge out of the land.
The trail has been rerouted onto a shoulder carved alongside the road. Not as scenic but it’s also less likely to disappear from under your feet. Luckily there is a network of trails through the nearby forest and wetlands.
If you follow this blog this view may be familiar. I’ve posted it before, usually when I’ve seen a particularly nice rainbow. It’s a view of Dungeness Recreation Area. This one was taken Monday morning after our overnight snow.
The snow transformed the trail we regularly walk. It was magical as we walked out. By the time we came back the trees were dripping wet snow. Less enchanting.