Adventure #5: Deception Pass and Larrabee State Park

Once again I've procrastinated my hike towards the end of the month, but this was definitely worth it. This month's "hike" is actually a small series of explorations in a variety of locations, which was a new way of looking at "hiking". Instead of one large hike, I might consider trying multi-hike days in the future just to get to see more! June at school was a busy one with a weekend show, character celebration day, Thespian Induction and awards, 5th Avenue Awards ceremony, a pre-departure meeting for my trip to London, graduation, finals, and getting all of my grading (including all the late work) done and submitted. As soon as the final requirements for the 2017-2018 school year were ticked off my list, I bolted from school to immediately head north for a camping trip with my friend Alison. The best way for me to destress and embrace summer is to sit by a fire, sleep outside, and appreciate the outdoors.

While our initial plan had been to stay at Deception Pass, it was booked out, so we found a site at the nearby Bay View State Park instead. While our site was surrounded by "interesting" neighbors, and the view from the beach was directly across from a large industrial chemical manufacturing plant, we made the best of our weekend by indulging in decadent camp food and exploring the areas around our campground "home" for the weekend.

Our first stop on Saturday was Deception Pass. I'm pretty sure that I've been there as a kid, but I don't actually remember it, and I don't think that I've ever gotten out and walked around, so I'm counting it as following the "rules" and acknowledging it as part of the day's hikes. We spent a bit of time walking across the bridge, and while I'm usually pretty comfortable with heights, it definitely gives some heebie-jeebie feelings the weight of large passing trucks sends the concrete bouncing. We also walked about a mile down the beach watching boats fly by in the fast currents, enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze. After our beach walk, we picnicked on the north side of the bridge near Rosario Head. Our table on the spit between two coves let us watch kayakers, eagles, and beachcombers enjoy the spoils of the day.

Our next stop was a recommendation of Alison's, and was one of her favorite spots to come unwind when she was in college. The trip down Chuckanut Drive is beautiful, and if you find the right wide spot in the middle of Larrabee State Park, you'll be rewarded with a rabbit warren of trails that lead down to the water. While access is technically prohibited by BNSF (because the tracks don't allow for good visibility and could be very dangerous to people not paying attention to train traffic) it leads to wonderful sandstone cliffs that have been carved and shaped by the rising and receding tides. It was glorious to just sit and breathe for a bit without having to worry about the next lesson plan or dress rehearsal or parent phone calls. There was a rope swing too, which was delightfully childlike (and only a little terrifying).

Our last stop was to walk around the Fairhaven area of Bellingham, and poke into little boutiques and admire the art shops. Locally made ceramics, a delightful bookstore, adorable succulents, and one of the BEST crepes made this stop less of a hike and more of a meander, but nonetheless was a wonderful way to spend a glorious afternoon. Several of my next adventures will come from my upcoming trip to London (with 10 students!) but it's always great to remember how many unexplored places I have within my own "backyard".

Adventure #4: Metroadeo

Last year my friend Rob, who works as a bus driver for King County Metro, told me that there is a bus driving skill competition called the King County Metroadeo. While I was unable to attend last year's event, I made a promise to myself that I would attend this year, and I was NOT disappointed.

I don't often think about the inner workings of public transportation. In fact, I imagine that most of us don't think about all of the work it takes to run an incredibly detailed and intricate system that is utilized by literally thousands of people every day unless it's malfunctioning. Then we complain.

There's a whole facility dedicated to training drivers. Who knew?

The Metroadeo involves drivers completing an obstacle course (map seen below), a safety check of a bus with several things wrong (lights out, broken elements, and a security breach) and a uniform check. The obstacle course includes things like pulling up to a stop with a minimal distance between the bus and the curb, backing around a corner in both directions, a slalom course, pulling the vehicles tires between a series of tennis balls, driving through a diminishing alley at 20+ mph, and a judgement stop that must be within 6 inches of the cone. Points are deducted for each cone hit, or each second over the 7:00 minute mark. 

Also, there are free hotdogs, a golf cart rodeo for the managers, and vintage busses from the Metro Employee Historic Vehicle Association!

I am incredibly impressed by people's ability to safely maneuver enormous vehicles full of people on narrow roads and at high speeds. It clearly takes a lot of training, patience, and skill to get where these people are in their careers, and while I've definitely expressed my frustrations at bus transportation (and usually actively try to avoid riding them whenever I can), I feel like my experience at the Roadeo gave me a greater appreciation for the amount of work that goes into moving many, many people. Thanks Rob, and all King County Metro drivers!