Interurban trail

The Interurban trail

Today three of us (and Joe, Dianne's wonderful dog) went out for a walk on the Interurban trail. I have never been on it, since it is the starting point for many walks on Chuckanut Mountain, and I never realized it was there. I was actually surprised to find it so enjoyable, because much of it looks just like this: flat, wide, and surrounded by trees.

Lots of ferns and emerging sunshine

It was really nice to see all the ferns and beautiful fir and cedar trees, many of them regal and mature. There are also many homes along the trail, with signs marking restricted access, but it is mostly a very agreeable walk, with little that will challenge anybody's sore knees or back.

The sign says, "K9 H2O"

There were lots and lots of people on the trail, and everyone, almost without exception, wore a mask, even if it was (like us) mostly to pull it up to cover one's nose and mouth while passing by. One gentleman pointed out this water stop for dogs. That's his dog coming up after a drink. I looked at it: a small bowl with water filling it slowly from a spring. I put my hand in the water and found it to be very cold. Joe took a quick swig himself.

Our turnaround spot

Although it was cool and foggy when we started out, by the time we got here, to our turnaround point after more than three miles in, the sun had come out in full force and the temperature rose a bit (it was perfect, in the mid-sixties, or 18°C). That's me in the picture with Dianne and Joe; Melanie took it).

Melanie, Joe, and some cheese

Joe is a well-mannered three-year-old poodle, who doesn't bark or attack other dogs, and sits when asked. He loves cheese, and Mel pulled out a small snack she tried to eat herself, but she ended up giving most of it to Joe, after having been seduced by those pleading black eyes.

Chuckanut Bay

We had some lovely views of the bay, with Lummi Island rising up and looking quite impressive. I see that contrails from jet planes are returning again, after months of their absence. We returned to our cars by retracing our steps, having walked almost seven miles with little elevation gain and loss. All in all, just a pretty perfect day, even if not a challenging one.
:-)