Carkeek Park on a Blustery Day

They say it is spring. The calendar concurs...it is spring. I'm looking forward to it actually feeling like spring! Today my friend and I decided to take our cameras to Carkeek Park (in Seattle).

First, however, we detoured to an estate sale (held in a beautiful older home, which will no doubt be torn down and replaced with three behemoths that have no yards). This happens routinely in Richmond Beach, those views are simply too valuable to let the graceful homes of the past remain. Sigh.

Then, we hit the annual Innis Arden rummage sale. Clearly, we need to get there earlier next time. Karen and I congratulated ourselves on spending less that $10.00 between the two of us. I picked up a couple of molds (I think that is what I got at the Innis Arden sale the last time, too), nice heavy ones. There were other things at both places that we could have gotten, but we successfully reminded ourselves that we live in apartments, with no storage to speak of.

Up until the exact time that we headed for Carkeek, it had been somewhat chilly, but no precipitation had rained down upon us. This is Seattle, you know what happened next, don't you?

Although the trails beckoned, the skies they darkened. Under other circumstances, this is a lovely trail to take from the beach (see it through the trees and across the train tracks?) to the picnic meadow. About the time I took this picture, the skies were opening. Since I don't have a rain jacket for my camera (shall put this on my Christmas list forthwith), we headed back toward our car.




We passed by the bridge that takes you over the train tracks and to the beach. DO take the bridge, this is an active railway and entirely too dangerous to cross any other way.

I don't know if you can tell, but that crow was hanging on for dear life. I did run over the bridge and took the first picture above. It's fun to be on the bridge when the train comes! The view is toward the north.




View of the bridge over the tracks, with the beach beyond. On a warm day, this beach is a true favorite.

It is not, however, accessible to those in wheelchairs or with physical impairments. You'll want to head south to Golden Gardens, or north to Richmond Beach, both accessible beach parks.

The stairs are an open grated type, and we went through a period time when my youngest was just freaked by those stairs. We didn't go to Carkeek beach for years, because she couldn't bring herself to step on those stairs. Fortunately, she's gotten over it :)





Looking south from the bridge. We didn't go down to the beach today, the rain and wind were enough to turn us away.










Another boardwalk through a marshy area. In another week or so this pathway will be a private area, completely obscured by the vegetation as it leafs out.

This park has an absolutely fantastic play area for kids. I'm going to have to come back with a kid when the weather is better :)

S2