The Pacific Northwest
David C. Phillips
This book is dedicated to my parents, Richard and Evelyn Phillips. In the four years I have been living in Seattle, I have had the opportunity to travel around with Georgianna by car and on my own on my motorcycle. I usually have my camera with me. The photos in this book have been accumulated over those four years. They don’t even come close to being a thorough coverage of the Pacific Northwest (which to me means Oregon, Washington and British Columbia although that’s not really the accepted definition of the term). Rather they represent “my” Pacific Northwest and the places and things I have seen which left an impression in my mind and in my camera. So that’s what you see here. In the years to come there will be more places and things and more photos so this can be regarded as a work in progress rather than a “fait accompli.” I have provided caption information, not for every photo, but in some cases for groups of photos, so that at least their geographical location is known and perhaps some additional information that I thought would be of interest. I have also provided a map (opposite page) so that the reader can get an idea where the locations are. I hope you enjoy the tour.
This is Suzy, my Suzuki 650cc dual sport motorcycle who is equally at home on the freeway as on the mountain trails. She took me to many of the places where the photos in this book were taken. Here she is on the mountain pass between Leavenworth and Lake Chelan (see photos on pages 64-66).
(Title page) Mount Rainier seen from the air. Mount Rainier is known in Seattle simply as “The Mountain.” When the mountain is visible (which is not infrequent but not too frequent either), Seattle residents say, “The mountain is out.” Otherwise, the mountain is not out. It really is Seattle’s mountain.
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I’ve made notes in red on the map to show where these photos were taken (roughly). I shot many of these photos on various trips on my motorcycle, others when Georgianna and I were out and about on photographic expeditions.
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Seattle
Downtown Seattle on the left, the Puget Sound to the right. If you look carefully you can see Mount Rainier in the far back. In the middle background is West Seattle which one reaches by way of the West Seattle Bridge. There is a tremendous amount of water in and around Seattle.
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Downtown Seattle at sunset.
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Fisherman’s Terminal in Seattle. These are working boats, many of which ply the coast up to Alaska. Hard working fishermen and hard working fishing boats. More of these on the next few pages.
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This is Richmond Beach, about 10 minutes drive from our house. And this little chap seemed to have temporarily misplaced his (or her) mother. We didn’t wait to see the happy reunion but certainly hoped it took place.
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These eagles and herons were seen at Green Lake, right in the middle of Seattle, a favorite meeting place for many of Seattle’s dogs who take their owners out for walks or runs around the lake.
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And this little chap (another little chap) is known as Anna’s hummingbird. This is outside our kitchen window.
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The cherry trees in the main quadrangle at the University of Washington in Seattle are famous. In Spring these beautiful old trees are a major attraction for denizens and tourists alike.
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The cherry trees are also interspersed with some amazing magnolias.
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Autumn in Seattle and in the Pacific Northwest is very colorful. These next photos were taken in the Washington Park Arboretum which is in Seattle about 15 minutes drive from where we live.
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The Arboretum in Winter.
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Springtime at the Arboretum. They have hundreds of varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas (see above and left) and magnolias (right and below). The place is a blaze of color.
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Sea-Tac (Seattle-Tacoma) dahlia gardens. The gardens are so close to the airport that when you’re standing among the rows and rows of dahlias you almost have to duck when a plane flies overhead on its way to land. On the left is Louis Eckhoff, the owner, well into his 80s (at least) who still manages the gardens and does a lot of the actual work.
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An annual Christmas event at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, called Garden D’Lights. It’s all put together by volunteers – thousands of colored lights made into floral and horticultural decoration.
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Downtown Seattle getting ready for Christmas. The celebrations and decorations include a colorful carousel.
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The Cascades
The Cascades are the mountain range to the east of Seattle. The city is virtually surrounded by mountains. The Cascades are to the east. The Olympic Range is on the Olympic Peninsula to the west. And in the north there are more mountains including Mount Baker. Almost directly to the south is Mount Rainier. It’s remarkable. The following photos were taken in the Cascades on various motorcycle trips.
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It was only in putting together this book that I realized why these mountains are called the Cascades (well, at least I have a plausible theory of my own).
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Great motorcycle roads!
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Skagit Valley
Skagit Valley is an agricultural area some 45 minutes north of Seattle. It is remarkable for its tulip and daffodil farms, the largest outside Holland I am told (though I haven’t measured them myself). Driving through Skagit Valley in spring is a colorful activity.
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La Conner (above) is a cute little town on in Skagit Valley near the mouth of the Skagit river on the Puget Sound.
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Gordon Skagit Farms, still in Skagit Valley, in autumn. Eddie Gordon (right), the owner/artist in front of one of his paintings. Above is a U-pick pumpkin patch and on the right hand page is further evidence of the creative hand of Eddie Gordon.
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Skagit Valley in the snow. Above is Mount Baker.
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Mukilteo (left) is a small town on the Puget Sound famous for this very lighthouse. It is a ferry port. The ferries leave from here to cross to Whidbey Island and from there one can drive to and then take other ferries to the Olympic Peninsula, the San Juan Islands and Canada.
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The Olympic Peninsula
The Mountain as seen from the ferry on the way over to the Olympic Peninsula.
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These photos are also taken from the ferry, but looking northwards towards Mount Baker.
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Also from the ferry but this is looking north.
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The ferry rides are always fun. The scenery is amazing.
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Port Townsend is an interesting port at the northeastern extreme of the Olympic Peninsula. At one time the people of Port Townsend had great hopes for the port, hoping it would reach the stature of San Francisco and other major West Coast ports. It never did. Now it is a quaint town with antique shops, restaurants, boat builders, marinas and tourist spots.
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More of Port Townsend. On the right is Mount Baker seen from the ferry which goes from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island.
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Hurricane Ridge. You can drive up there from Port Angeles which is the port on the northern tip of the Olympic Peninsula where the ferries leave for British Columbia. Lots of deer and an amazing 360째 view from the top. In the photo on the left you are looking straight north towards Port Angeles and Vancouver Island.
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Also at the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula is a town called Sequim (pronounced, squim) which is probably best known for the profusion of lavender farms in the vicinity. These photos are from some of the lavender farms. Our favorite is called Purple Haze, featured on the left and on subsequent pages. There’s something very photogenic about fields of lavender.
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Lake Crescent lies toward the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula. You drive along its southern shore on your way from Port Townsend through Port Angeles heading for Neah Bay which is an Indian (Native American) town, the most north westerly town on the Peninsula.
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Neah Bay is a small fishing port at the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula. It is populated by Native Americans of the Makah tribe as it is on their reservation. Many of the fishing boats are very old and rusty, but colorful and still afloat.
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These photos are from the Hoh Rain Forest on the western side of the Olympic Peninsula. It has a climate all of its own, which I’ve heard is mainly characterized by lots and lots of rain. Contrary to expectations, it was a beautiful sunny day when I dropped by on my motorcycle.
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The San Juan Islands
The following photos were taken on the way to, around and on the San Juan Islands. I caught the ferry at Anacortes and spent the day on ferries, motorcycle and feet and took these photos among many others.
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The photos on this page were taken at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island.
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The San Juans have lavender fields of their own. This is Pelindaba lavender farm on San Juan Island.
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These photos were taken at the top of Mount Constitution, a 2,400 ft (735 meters) mountain on Orcas Island, and the highest point in the San Juans.
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The town of East Sound on Orcas Island.
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Orcas Island scenery.
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(Left) Mount Baker seen from the ferry coming back in to Anacortes.
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Vancouver Island British Columbia, Canada
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Now we move up, or rather over, to British Columbia in Canada. These photos were taken on a long motorcycle ride north from the ferry terminal at Victoria up towards Hornby Island. The photo on the left is at Qualicum Beach and the ones on the right on Hornby Island.
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Butchart Gardens in summer. We went again in spring (see the next pages) and the flowers were all different but the place just as impressive.
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Butchart Gardens in the spring.
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Hatley Castle near Victoria, British Columbia.
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Puyallup Fair
Now we’re heading south from Seattle, stopping at Puyallup which is the home of the most famous of the Washington State fairs. They have a jingle about “Doing the Puyallup” (which is, by the way, pronounced pew-alup for reasons lost in antiquity). The photo above could truly be referred to as “the horse’s patooties.”
A great carousel at the Puyallup Fair with lots of takers and the kids having fun.
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These two photos were taken on the Washington side of the Columbia river. The mountain in the background in the photo at left is Mt. Hood, in Oregon.
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Oregon
Now we have crossed the river into Oregon. This is Mount Hood, seen from the road that goes around it on the south.
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Schreiner’s Iris Gardens near Salem, Oregon. An amazing garden as well as hundreds of varieties of irises.
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The Oregon Coast features a well known series of beaches, small towns and a road that you can stay on from the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington all the way down to southern California. The Oregon part of that coastline is considered by many to be the most attractive section and one of the most beautiful coastlines in the whole world.
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The photos on the previous two pages, the ones on these pages and on the next few were all taken on Cannon Beach, one of the best known beaches on the Oregon Coast. This is a very famous rock known as the Haystack Rock (the biggest of the ones in the photo on the right).
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We watched the sun go down until it was a thin disk on the horizon and then disappeared completely, leaving a beautiful sky behind.
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