October 11, 2022
Ok, ok. It’s the end of my camping week here. I have to go home, but I don’t WANT to go home. But ok, I’ll go.
But first, let me share a few more photos with you, ok? 🙂
Here’s where my friends and I were camped at Illahee State Park this past week … what a perfect couple of campsites!
Here’s Finn. He loves me. I miss him already and they left just this morning.
So my friends (and Finn) hitched up their trailer and headed for home this morning. Then I drove into Bremerton and found that fantastic waterfront fountain park, whoosh! 🙂
Late afternoon, I came back to the Illahee State Park and my lone, little campsite. But then I realized the tide was high right then, a really good high tide. So I scooted off down that switchback road again, down to the parking lot.
I was almost going to write “down to the parking lot and to the beach”. But the tide really was all the way in/high … there was no beach! This was a super high tide. As a boater, I’d learned that super high tides are usually accompanied by very calm water, no wind. That sure was the case this evening.
Photo below … remember the concrete boat ramp that led off into mud when the tide was out/low?
Well, you could launch a boat right now at high tide with no problem at all!
High tide.
So restful, so relaxing.
The same sailboat that was here the other day is still tied to the float off to the left. And that twin engine State Parks boat is still at the dock today as well. And there were lots of people here, fishing, kayaking, talking, enjoying. Everyone was happy and talkative.
So I walked out that long pier (now in the shade of an evening sun, with the trees on the opposite shore in full sunshine yet). Then I walked out onto the float where the State Parks boat and that sailboat were … walked out to the end of that float.
Above … anchored out just to the north of that float was another floating dock, best seen in the 5th photo from the top above, because the sun was shining on it that day. It is well anchored to the bottom, down under water, but it is not connected to the pier or to the float where the boats were. This separate “float” is there to help prevent storm waves from damaging this pier in the winter, with the worst storms almost always coming from the north. That separate “float” has three “signs” on it … each with black and white stripes … placed there to alert winter cruising boats that this separate “float” is there when there might be winter waves splashing over it and hiding it. But today, the water was so calm that it seemed funny to have those signs there.
But then, a moment later, who should fly in and land on top of one of those black/white striped signs … this handsome Belted Kingfisher. He was a beauty! Female and male Belted Kingfishers are identical, except females have a brown or speckled “belt”, where the male has a solid blue belt.
First he thought there might be something in the water, or just on top of the water that might be worth pursuing.
But he gave that up and posed for photos instead.
And then he flew off, fast! Headed to some other place with some other attraction. 🙂
Ah well, it was time for me to head back to the trailer for my evening meal and a good night’s sleep before hitching up and heading home first thing tomorrow morning.
Another great week with super friends. Another great campground (and beach!). Thanks for coming along with me. I really like that all of you are here. Happy trails everyone! 🙂
Sweet indeed. I love how you see life.
It takes effort, and it pays off. 🙂
Yes indeed. I’m sitting here listening to some very calm new age music and looking at the high tide in your photos. How peaceful. My shoulders relax, my breathing slows, the muscles all over my head relax. The Kingfisher, Finn, your friends. Thank you for sharing your view of life with me.
Sounds like a wonderful experience , Shawn. I’m humbled that my few photos were part of it, and contributed to it. Because you mentioned new age music, I just found the “new age” section of music on the “Music Choice” website. Thank you! Yes, so relaxing.
Great photos. Reminds me of the song “The Tide is High” by Blondie… etc, na na na, etc. 🙂 I like your photos of the water at high tide and the inclusion/comparison of the one with the tide way out at low tide at that boat ramp. The tide comes in SO SLOWLY here, and out again SO SLOWLY, but the difference in tide height, from low to high, is amazing. People sometimes think the water must RUSH and GUSH in (or out), but it doesn’t. It’s gentle. Great photos. 🙂 Thanks for the song in my head too … actually it’s really nice, thank you.
Ah yes, “the tide is high” song. Cool. 🙂
And yes, many years ago, friends of my parents came to visit (from North Dakota) … the two adults (mom and dad) absolutely refused to walk down onto the beach because they were terrified that the tide would RUSH in and drown them. My brother and I convinced their two sons that that would not happen and so the two boys played on the beach with us. No one drowned. In fact, my brother and I stuck a stick in the sand where the water was, and then after we’d played there for an hour or more, we showed them that the water had come in maybe five inches … in an hour!
The tide is high but I’m holding on, I’m going to be your number one, I’m not the kind of girl who gives up just like that, oh no, oh no! 🙂
I used to have Shelties, still miss every one of them. Hi Finn!
Yes, the high tide … for those of us who have been on the water, can’t get any better.
And yet, that Kingfisher!
Pretty special that evening was. Thanks David. 🙂
Thinking about that sailboat in some previous photos. It was anchored at low tide so maybe it didn’t have much line out to the anchor. What happens when the tide comes in? Seems it’s a least 10-12 feet higher, maybe more. What happens to boats that put out an anchor at low tide?
What a great week you’ve had here!
Ah, anchoring! Yes, one needs to take into account the tide. If you anchor at low tide, you need to put out more line than you need so that you’ll still have enough line to hold your boat to your anchor even when the tide is high. And vice versa, if you anchor at high tide, you put out JUST ENOUGH line to hold but so that, at low tide, your boat won’t be swinging all over the bay and hitting other boats, and/or so your boat doesn’t run aground on the nearby beach if you had put out too much line. It’s a science, and an art. As well, you can pull in line from your boat, and let out line, as the tide goes up and down, except of course when you’re asleep. A common rule-of-thumb is 1-to-3 … if the water is 20 feet deep, then you need 60 feet of line. But of course, that depends on the tide and where it is in its process. And it depends on whether the “bottom” is sand or rock … and depends on any local current if you aren’t in a quiet bay … and depends on the wind (more wind means you need more line out). Lots of boaters I know/knew would not anchor out, ever, just go to city or private or state park docks. But lots of us boaters love to anchor out … it’s cost-free and so peaceful when you’ve become comfortable with the options and with your own boat. I always had an anchor on my boats that would hold TWICE the weight of my boat, and I always had chain instead of rope/line to attach my boat to my anchor. I slept like a baby. 🙂
Another great question, Tim, thanks.
Sure was nice. I have been in camp sites that I didn’t want to leave. It IS magic when it’s magic, right?
Amen! 🙂
I was just going to comment that and send it, but your comment made me smile, Dawn. It IS magic when it’s magic. Amen. 🙂
That Kingfisher! How cool that was! And what a sweet high tide, and sheltie Finn. But mostly those two campsites were so green, private, quiet. And great adventures this camping week. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
You are welcome, Nevada. It’s so wonderful to share what I like and find others who like the same. Thank you. 🙂
Having lived in Nebraska most of my life (and a good long life it is), I know nothing about saltwater ocean tides. I liked Mark’s comments, and I have the same questions that Tim in Montana does. But … whatever the answers, those high tide photos were gorgeous and indeed peaceful. I can see why boating is so popular there. It’s gorgeous. Nice doggy, Finn. Great Kingfisher.
Ah, yes, good questions, Nebraska. Check out my response to Tim’s comment. Hopefully that will explain things a bit. If not, let me know. You’ve been reading along and commenting for years! Thank you! 🙂
Love Finn & the Cormorants ♥️
I’d bet Finn would love you too. 🙂
You see more great things in just one week than we used to see in a month! We were always in the habit of getting somewhere and just relaxing. We are now permanently parked in an RV resort in the southwest. But since we started reading your blog, we’ve been enticed by how much you see! Hubby and I have now been taking day trips in the car or truck and we’re finding fabulous things! Little did we know. Thank you for getting us off our rear ends! 🙂 Your week at Bremerton was fascinating.
Wanda, I have friends who have a motorhome and all they want to do is get away … get away and rest and relax … put their feet up, spend time with friends/neighbors, and do nothing. I think that’s a great idea! Especially after a life that’s been so full and busy and hectic. So far in my life, I’m still adventuring, though I suspect one day I’ll be heading out simply to get away and put my feet up too. And yet, if I can entice you and your guy to get out and explore, that’s cool. 🙂 Go!