July, 2022
Utsalady beach … eagles #5 and #6!
Yes, more eagles, where do they all come from? It can’t be just one or two eagles flying around and landing in trees right in front of me wherever I go, no? It seems to me that if you want to see eagles, come to Camano Island!
But before we get to today’s eagles …
Right after lunch today, I drove up to the north end of Camano Island … to Utsalady Point and to the beach there. I love it there.
My aunt and uncle had a cabin/home right here, right next to the beach. You could walk out their back door, down three steps, across the lawn, and then walk right straight out onto the beach. Their cabin is no longer there (and they are gone too), but the photos below are the same as their view out their living room window, or from their back deck, or from their beach. I loved both of those people, George & Hallie, and I sure loved visiting them. 🙂 ❤️
Today, I drove to the boat launch area at Utsalady (pronounced ooht-sa-LAD-ee). I’ve heard it pronounced ooht-sa-lady, but that’s not how the locals pronounce it. It’s easy to remember … Utsalady is a “lad”, not a “lady”. Here’s information on Wikipedia about Utsalady Point, the area around it, the history, etc.
The boat “ramp” is just wet, hard-packed sand. As long as your boat and trailer don’t weigh much, you’ll be fine. Notice the boats that are anchored out.
Turning to the right (below).
Seems there used to be some sort of dock or pier here. Seemed odd to me that every piling was tilted exactly the same, as though that’s how the structure had been built originally. Or maybe it’s just “time and tide”, as they say, that changed the beach and changed the tilt.
And then, turning and looking around to the left below. The beach, boats anchored out … Whidbey Island and LOTS of other islands in view. You get a hint of some of the homes on the beach there off to the left of the photo.
And the photo below is looking right straight out across the water … hmmm, a mountain there in the distance.
Mt. Baker. My aunt Hallie called this mountain “Mr. Baker” because there is often a face on the mountain (depending on the time of year and the snow/ice pack and melting, etc). The cabin/home of my aunt/uncle Hallie/George looked right across the water and right at that mountain, just like in these photos. Mt. Baker (or Mr. Baker) was my aunt Hallie’s favorite mountain and favorite view on this planet.
And so … maybe because this was such a heartfelt place for me … I turned around and looked at the trees behind me, and yes, in that instant, an eagle called.
Eagle #5. A really special one.
Then I drove back south along the west side of Camano Island, and to my campsite. While I was walking around there, I realized I was continually looking UP, into the upper parts of the trees.
It occurred to me that maybe I should watch where I’m walking! So I don’t smash into any of the posts in my own campsite!
And then late in the afternoon, I drove down to the beach access inside this state park … no cabins, no amenities, just a quiet parking lot and access to the beach via a small path.
I enjoyed walking on this gorgeous beach, but I was also hoping to find a view of that Madrona tree that was hanging over the edge of the cliff that I’d seen a few days ago from my walk up above.
Look at this tree trunk (above) that had already fallen off the cliff some time ago. It was about 3 feet in diameter and about 25 feet long. Sure glad I wasn’t under it when it fell.
And then I found that Madrona tree above!
That Madrona tree was barely hanging on to the edge of that cliff. The angle of the photo below does not show how perfectly parallel that trunk was to the beach and the water. If I come here next year, I suspect that tree will be on the beach. Twill make me sad, but that’s part of life, yes?
I walked on down the beach a little further, then turned around and headed back to the parking lot and the big white truck (and a camper van that had parked next to me, nice folks).
As those folks and I stood there chatting … what to my wondering ears should I hear … another eagle!
Eagle #6.
As much as my Aunt Hallie loved wildlife of all sorts, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit that she and my Uncle George had a hand in these two handsome eagles calling to me today.
You keep finding more gorgeous views, more gorgeous beaches, more eagles! If my wife and I ever do get over to western Washington, we will be following you around for sure. If you notice a big motorhome behind you all the time, that will be us. 🙂
That would be cool, Tim! Get on over here! 🙂
Tim, my husband and I were just saying the same thing, and we appear to be online the same time you are. We’ve been RVing most of our lives and still we’ve never been to Washington. We’ve been talking about selling the motorhome, but can’t quite do it yet. How about we head to Montana, get you folks, and then head to Washington in tandem? And then go bother Ann. 🙂 Probably won’t happen for us, but it’s a fun thought.
That’s a deal Marge! We’ll start getting the rig ready! 🙂
I’d love that Marge! You folks go grab Tim and his wife in Montana and get yourselves over here. 🙂 Ok, I know it probably won’t happen, but it’s a fun thought for me too.
Wow, more eagles. My word. But I also love the water and trees and “Mr. Baker”, cool stuff about your aunt and uncle. No wonder there were TWO eagles today.
The more I think about that, the more it means to me … being where my aunt and uncle lived, two people whom I loved, and then seeing TWO bald eagles that day. Pretty special.
The eagles are spectacular. No doubt your aunt and uncle are connected to those two eagles!
I liked your humor when you talked about walking around your campsite and looking UP into the trees, but then realizing you probably should be watching where you’re walking.
This is a great RV blog. Thank you for producing it. I just sent you a little bit of my appreciation, enough for a couple of cups of coffee, at your PayPal address. I hope others who can do that, also do that. I used to travel by boat a great deal in the US and Canada. Your blog reminds me of those times. We didn’t have the internet or blogs or websites back then, so most of that information and photos are gone. I hope other people realize how much your blog means to many generations of people who came before us, and who come after us.
Come to Makah, let me know when you are coming.
What is life without a bit of humor, eh? 🙂 Thank you Mary.
And thank you for the couple of cups of coffee, that was very generous and very much appreciated.
Ah, you were a boater too, so you know how it feels out there on our waters.
Oh, and I really appreciate the invitation to Makah. I will be heading up there and I will let you know, definitely.
Fabulous! I’ve never seen an eagle. Now it feels like I have.
Mr. Baker is a beauty. 🙂
I hope some day you see a real live bald eagle, Judy. A free one, not in a cage or a zoo. They are spectacular.
That beach at Utsalady faces north, yes? I bet those pilings were vertical when they were installed but after the dock or pier above them was removed then winter storms coming in from the north, and the resulting waves, likely moved the sand/rock and tilted those pilings over time. That’s my theory anyway. 🙂 What do you think?
I like that theory! It makes a lot of sense, just logical sense. So I’m with you, Rob. Winter storms and maybe the pilings weren’t planted deep enough in the first place. Thank you. 🙂
Beautiful!
Thank you. It was indeed.
Love your eagles and your trees! What a beautiful place! I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask but keep forgetting to do so. These descriptions of trips are from 2022. Do you keep a journal? If not, how do you remember all these details a year later?
I do keep a journal, but it’s not terribly detailed, just mostly general info about mileage and the weather and what I saw each day. Mostly it’s the photos I take that tell me the story later … I take LOTS of photos, even photos of things that I know I’m not going to post on the blog, but things that I want to remember, which road I took, the name of a town I drove through, etc, I’ll snap a photo so I’ll have that info later. But also, so far I’ve been camping mostly in western Washington and somewhat close to Puget Sound where I’ve been boating most of my life, so I know the land that is near the water like I know the back of my hand, as they say. 🙂 I’m learning a lot about land travel and how it all fits together, but I have a very solid, basic map (or marine chart) of Puget Sound and environs absolutely, solidly and forever imprinted in my brain. So that’s the long answer to your short question, Dawn. Thanks for being here. Really appreciate you. 🙂
And, my question, how do you decide where to go? Have you been to these places before? How to you choose? They are gorgeous!! Everywhere you go is gorgeous.
Another good question. There are 2 or 3 places where I’ve camped in the past seven years that I’ve returned to, but for the majority of campgrounds no I’ve never been to them before, never seen them. I look online a lot, at the campground websites and at other people’s reviews. And, since COVID happened and the campsites are now more full, I often just watch the weather and then, when a nice week is coming up, I search online for a cancellation at a campground. I’ve had great luck doing that! And yes, the campgrounds here in Washington are very nice, and they are in areas that are beautiful … mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, Puget Sound, the ocean. We try to keep our state a secret, shhhh! But it is the most beautiful state in the USA. 🙂 Thanks Kinny, love your comments.
This just keeps getting better. “Mr. Baker” .. and your humor at looking up vs stumbling over the posts in your campsite. 🙂
🙂 Thanks Nevada.
What a great place to live. I’ve spent so much time in mountains that I always thought that’s where I would live later in life, but I’m thinking it really might be on a saltwater beach with a view like this one. The view of the islands is wonderful. And I bet kayaking there is great.
The kayaking hereabouts is stupendous. Puget Sound is so protected. If I could afford waterfront property, that’s where I’d be, for sure. If you buy a home or a cabin on the water, let me know, I’ll come visit and bring my kayak!
Do you remember there being eagles about when you were young? I don’t. And yet you grew up a very short eagle’s flight away, on another island very much like Camano. Maybe you could do a little research on their historical numbers (you’re the computer guru 😉, after all!) They must have made an impressive comeback.
Beautiful picture of Mt. Baker. I still think it is the best looking volcano around.
Anne said the same thing about the pilings as Rob. I’ve not seen the like of it, but it sounds logical. Maybe one really big storm?
Lastly, thank you for the info on how to pronounce Utsalady. I never knew.
Yes, exactly, I was wondering that too Fritzi. I don’t remember seeing eagles when I was a kid growing up on Whidbey. So, ok, I have now done research. Turns out the american bald eagle population was almost completely wiped out in the 1970s because of pesticides. The bald eagle was the first bird to be listed on the endangered species list in the USA because of that. And … they have come back … big time! In 1975, Washington State had only about 80 bald eagles left, some seniors so not breeding anymore … in 2005 that number had increased to about 1,700 eagles. In 2017, it was reported that there were 11,000 bald eagles in Washington. Of course, one can find different numbers on different websites, but still it’s a tremendous comeback. So no wonder we didn’t see them back then. And it’s so nice to see them now. 🙂
I keep forgetting that Mt. Baker is a volcano. But then there are so MANY volcanoes in Washington. We have more than our share, that’s for sure.
Of course Anne would figure out that storm/wave thing from the north that would then tilt those pilings. She’s as smart as you and Steve put together. 🙂
One of the original spellings of Utsalady was Utsaladdy. Wish they’d kept that second spelling.