April 29, 2020 - A Quarantine Ferry

A blog post never completed.....

A brief trip out of the house to chase a sunset at a beach closed for the pandemic was cut short by a rain shower.

May 26, 2019 - Catching a Sunset

Fishing from the pier at the Edmonds marina was good on this night.  At least one regulation sunset and plenty of boats could be had.  Landing them is always the tricky part...

January 14, 2018 - Brackett's Landing

The M/V Spokane makes its way east after departing Kingston, headed towards the Edmonds ferry dock next to Brackett's Landing late on a winter's afternoon.  Temperatures in the upper 50s and gorgeous sunshine brought out a lot of people on this holiday weekend.  The clouds, mountains, lighting and view didn't disappoint.

January 23, 2016 - Arrival Departure

The Washington State ferry, M/V Puyallup, approaches the Edmonds ferry terminal as the sun departs the Puget Sound and disappears behind the Olympics.

January 23, 2016 - Arrival Departure

The Washington State ferry, M/V Puyallup, approaches the Edmonds ferry terminal as the sun departs the Puget Sound and disappears behind the Olympics.

January 23, 2016 - Arrival Departure

The Washington State ferry, M/V Puyallup, approaches the Edmonds ferry terminal as the sun departs the Puget Sound and disappears behind the Olympics.

January 23, 2016 - Arrival Departure

The Washington State ferry, M/V Puyallup, approaches the Edmonds ferry terminal as the sun departs the Puget Sound and disappears behind the Olympics.

July 14, 2016 - Missed Opportunity

On this summer evening at Edmonds' Brackett Landing Park, the clouds moved in to temporarily reclaim the skies from a day of, as Perry Como sang, the "bluest skies you've ever seen".  They put on their own show of shapes and textures and colors, even allowing sun rays to dramatically peak through onto the Kitsap Peninsula.  Just as it seemed that they were going to spoil the sunset completely, they stepped aside and let the sun's oranges, pinks, reds and yellows to shine off of them for a fantastic sunset that painted the entire sky.  For some, whose schedule or lack of patience didn't allow them to stay gazing westward, the show left them with regrets or simply a missed opportunity in their rear view mirror.

June 20, 2016 - Summer Solstice Sunset

The Washington State ferry Walla Walla docks at the Edmonds Ferry Terminal on the end of the longest day of the year - the summer solstice.  

While the sunset at 9:11pm was mostly obscured, Mount Baker was still visible!

March 21, 2015 - Vision

Everett DuPen's "Vision", a cast bronze sculpture of a diver, stands at the Edmonds Public Library, outside of the Kretzler Memorial Plaza, where a view of Puget Sound, ferries and the Olympic Mountains confirms the unofficial town motto: "It's an Edmonds kind of day!".

November 29, 2014 - Wind Chill

Two photographers armed with a matching pair of 600mm lenses were hoping to catch a shot of a Snowy Owl that made an appearance at the Edmonds Marina earlier in the week.  The pair were armed with matching 600mm zoom lenses.  With the temperature about 30 degrees and a 20 mph wind, the exposed pier was a bracing place to be waiting for a rare (for these parts) bird.

The weather had knocked out power to the Edmonds Ferry Terminal suspending operations for a couple of hours.  The recent high tides and wind had pummeled a nearby seawall and the access to the beach was clogged with debris.  Far to the north, a peaceful, Mount Baker seemed to be enjoying the sun.

November 15, 2011 - Just a Ferry Ride

A ride on a ferry is a perfectly fine thing to do when you are entertaining friends from out-of-town.  It is a perfect touristy thing to do.  An activity filled with the unique sights of the Pacific Northwest.  For many people that live in and around the Puget Sound a ferry ride is just another commute to and from work.  If you are one of those individuals it is probably easy to take for granted some fantastic sights seen on just a  ferry ride.

At the Edmonds ferry dock a trio of cormorants groom and warm themselves in the morning sun.

The Washington State Ferry M/V Hyak, and a bit of the Olympic Mountains, begins to emerge from a fog bank as it heads east towards Edmonds after leaving the Kingston ferry dock.  The Hyak is one of 22 ferries operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation.  A member of the Super Class ferries, third largest class, it is nearly 400 feet long and can carry up to 144 vehicles. 

Above the fog of Puget Sound a waning gibbous moon is visible.

A US Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter on maritime security patrol of the ferry runs makes a pass of the ferry M/V Puyallup.  Since 9/11 the Coast Guard has maintained a much greater presence in maritime security.  The HH-65A Dolphin was first introduced to the Coast Guard in 1985 to replace an aging fleet of HH-52A Sikorsky helicopters.  It is a variant of the French Eurocopter Dauphin.  The Dolphin is made of a corrosion resistant composite material.  The aircraft's autopilot system can bring it to a stable hover 50 feet over a designated spot.  The Coast Guard currently operates about 100 of these short range recovery helicopters primarily from 17 bases around the US.  This copter, 6574, operates out of Port Angeles, Washington.  

Near the Kingston ferry a sailboat sits at anchor in the fog...

...while another motors out to deeper waters.

Just a ferry ride.