The paddle from Blake to Fay Bainbridge was great. Seriously. No wind. No current. Just miles and miles of calm blue-green water, gorgeous skies, and the occasional cool wildlife encounter, like the river otter Giovannina befriended north of Blakely Rock. Little guy or gal popped up next to her boat, got spooked and dove back down. She watched his trail of bubbles as he cruised underwater, staying nearby and swimming in her same direction. A couple minutes later he popped up again right by her side, and was startled to find this giant floating banana still within striking distance. The otter plunged back down to the safety of the seafloor, only to continue swimming in the same direction as Giovannina paddled. He/She repeated this pattern several times before ostensibly realizing that swimming in a different direction would make the big floating thing go farther away, which it did. Thankfully, Gio got a couple good photos before the encounter was over.
It was a bit tricky finding Fay Bainbridge Park from the water. The park only covers a few hundred feet of shoreline and is situated between sizable housing developments. With no signs visible from the water to indicate a campground, we spotted a stretch of beach full of bathers, fishermen and other water lovers and headed for that. Sure enough, it was the campground we were to stay at, but it was not much of a campground. Mostly an open field with picnic tables and fire rings, there was a nice volleyball court and real toilets with running water. Unfortunately, there was no shade and the dominant grass specie – I need to look this one up – produced thousands of sharp, burr-like seeds, hard enough to pierce the rubber soles of our sandals. They were like tiny bits of shrapnel imbedding themselves in all our gear and our flesh. Ugh.
But the environs are absolutely stunning. There’s a short spit to the north of the park, with a small country road running down the middle and lined with splendid homes, which may constitute the most gorgeous neighborhood in Puget Sound. One side of the spit faces the Sound with views north towards Whidbey Island, while the other side sits on a calm, protected lagoon, which looks ideal for swimming and boating. If that’s not enough, some residents get simultaneous views of the Seattle skyline, the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier. Anyone who visits would be instantly jealous, which is why I think the neighborhood should be declared a local treasure and turned into another park so it can be preserved for posterity. It’s definitely worth taxpayer subsidies so everyone can witness a truly spectacular neighborhood. They’d get tens of thousands of visitors every year, I’m sure. Put in a gift shop and it would fund the local parks district. The folks who live there can stay, but should probably unionize like the performers at Disneyland. They need to be cared for too, after all.
