2-28-08
When the forecast is for a sunny and warm mid week
day in February I just had to get out. I worked until 12:30 then hit the
road. Wait a minute. Why do I need my wipers? Seems those clouds were a
little slow to burn off. Well, it was just a little mist, right? I was still
debating a destination as I zoomed across the I-90 floating bridge and settled
on Poo Poo Point. At the high school trailhead I was in sunshine though there
were still plenty of low clouds. The point was lost in dark clouds. The parking
lot was full and I grabbed the last legal spot on street.
It was pretty warm. At least 50 degrees. After a mile I stopped to zip off my legs. Pants legs that is. Shorts and short sleeves and no visibility as I entered the clouds. This low elevation west facing trail has early violets and bleeding hearts. Soon after it's alive with trillium. This day I found absolutely no colors at all. The salmonberry are just beginning to sprout leaves.
The trail is in fine shape. A little mud but not much. Just before Poo Poo Point there is a tiny bit of snow in the bushes. It'll be gone in a few days. At the point I found a half dozen paragliders milling around. There was not a lot of wind and no visibility at all. All I could see was white. It slowly began to open up. Soon Squak Mountain peaked out of the white. A little sun shone down on us and it warmed up remarkably.
I sat down and waited for the clouds to burn off or blow away. Soon it was clear enough to see parts of Issaquah. The paragliders began to unpack their gear. A little puff of breeze and the first one was aloft. Unlike a warm summer day there were no thermals. The paragliders began a slow agonizing drop back to the field below. Soon they were out of sight and nearly done with their flights. A few managed to get airborne though it took a long while as they waited for enough wind.
I'm easily amused and managed to keep entertained for over an hour. Although the days are getting longer it is still dark by around 6:00 PM. A little before 4:00 I headed down. The trip down was fast. I popped out at the gas line corridor and headed over to Round Lake. The lake is mostly a grassy marsh from spring until fall. This time of year it actually looked like a lake. After admiring some nice reflections in the lake I started back on down.
By now it was totally sunny. I could see the point above from near the bottom. Not a cloud in sight. No flowers this day but the clouds and the paragliders made for a nice close in trip to break up the work week. In a little over a week daylight saving time begins and it will not be dark until 7:15. After work hikes will become a whole lot easier.
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Trips - 2008
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It was pretty warm. At least 50 degrees. After a mile I stopped to zip off my legs. Pants legs that is. Shorts and short sleeves and no visibility as I entered the clouds. This low elevation west facing trail has early violets and bleeding hearts. Soon after it's alive with trillium. This day I found absolutely no colors at all. The salmonberry are just beginning to sprout leaves.
The trail is in fine shape. A little mud but not much. Just before Poo Poo Point there is a tiny bit of snow in the bushes. It'll be gone in a few days. At the point I found a half dozen paragliders milling around. There was not a lot of wind and no visibility at all. All I could see was white. It slowly began to open up. Soon Squak Mountain peaked out of the white. A little sun shone down on us and it warmed up remarkably.
I sat down and waited for the clouds to burn off or blow away. Soon it was clear enough to see parts of Issaquah. The paragliders began to unpack their gear. A little puff of breeze and the first one was aloft. Unlike a warm summer day there were no thermals. The paragliders began a slow agonizing drop back to the field below. Soon they were out of sight and nearly done with their flights. A few managed to get airborne though it took a long while as they waited for enough wind.
I'm easily amused and managed to keep entertained for over an hour. Although the days are getting longer it is still dark by around 6:00 PM. A little before 4:00 I headed down. The trip down was fast. I popped out at the gas line corridor and headed over to Round Lake. The lake is mostly a grassy marsh from spring until fall. This time of year it actually looked like a lake. After admiring some nice reflections in the lake I started back on down.
By now it was totally sunny. I could see the point above from near the bottom. Not a cloud in sight. No flowers this day but the clouds and the paragliders made for a nice close in trip to break up the work week. In a little over a week daylight saving time begins and it will not be dark until 7:15. After work hikes will become a whole lot easier.
Cairn In Nook |
Poo Poo Point |
Issaquah Through Clouds |
Cloudy Squak |
Lake Sammamish |
Bellevue In The Mist |
Wispy Clouds |
No Activity Yet |
Half And Half |
Sunshine! |
Squak Mt. Erupts! |
Lingering Clouds |
Activity At Last! |
Paraglider Aloft |
Taking Off |
Mossy Log |
Biplane |
Round Lake Reflection |
Close Up |
Squirrel |
Trips - 2008
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