Monday, March 23, 2015

Respite from a Blustery Day

On Saturday Truman and I went exploring to new lands. The forecast was for rain off and on all day and it was very windy.  Not exactly good birding conditions.  I did some gardening instead, and noticed around 9am that it wasn't raining yet, so I tossed Truman in the car, intending to drive south to the nearest park for a short walk.  But raindrops spattered the windshield.  I noticed sun to the north, and turned to follow it to sheltered Hamlin Park.  There, Truman objected to the sound of strong wind gusts in the branches.  Sigh.

Thwarted again, I pulled a map out (yes, an old-fashioned map, as I do not own an intelligent phone) and looked for parks north and west, where the sun was shining.  And noticed, apparently for the first time in the decades I've been living here, a place in Shoreline called Shoreview Park, which included a spot called Hidden Lake.  Goodness.  How could I have not investigated this before?  A hidden lake?  Off we went!

When I turned into the park, I felt disappointed, as all I could see were playing fields and a playground.  Thankfully, the road climbed up and around these to a parking lot bordering a wooded area, where I found a map (yes, another old-fashioned physical map) showing trails, one of which led to Hidden Lake.


It was still very windy, yet it felt sheltered here without the annoying moaning and groaning branches, so Tru was happy.


Until, that is, I discovered that I'd missed the marker post for Hidden Lake, and we had to backtrack about a half-mile.  He thought we were returning to the car, and could go home, and balked at continuing on.  The lake was another half mile or so away, and we were both a bit tired from hiking up and down hilly trails, and there were no benches anywhere.  So after another quarter-mile I was delighted to find an empty platform just sitting off in the middle of nowhere, where it was very sunny.  We had a lovely rest there.


The lake was indeed hidden -- we could actually see it from the platform through the trees.  As we continued down the trail, it became less and less hidden.




While we'd seen a few people walking dogs here and there, we lucked out by arriving at the lake when no one else was there.  Truman immediately waded in for a cool-down.



Except for a pair of Mallards and a few Buffleheads, for the next ten minutes Truman owned that little lake.  He was a very happy camper indeed, and so was I.

This park was about a 15-minute drive from my house -- how could I not have known about it all these years?  It's a truly delightful place, and made for the perfect outing on a blustery day.

10 comments:

  1. In looking at these photos, I would have no idea this was in Seattle if you hadn't said so. Just gorgeous. I can't believe you haven't been there before either. Truman sure does like water! He probably thinks it was his reward for all that stupid walking LOL.

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    1. Well, technically, it's in Shoreline, the city next door, but still a city (and sometimes I feel a lot closer to it than Seattle, as I'm only 12 blocks from the city line) and yes, I had that very same thought as I was wandering about the trails -- that it was a wonderful oasis in the middle of urban life. Of course, it might not be so bucolic on a sunny, non-blustery summer weekend when I'm sure there would be a lot more people (and dogs) there. Guess I'll have to check back and see!

      Truman definitely loved the water, and was much happier after his little soak.

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  2. This can be a useful site - you can drill down on each park to see the pathways and other interesting things - http://www.cityofshoreline.com/government/departments/parks-recreation-cultural-services/parks-and-facilities/parks-map

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    1. Wow, great resource -- I can see several parks there I haven't explored yet -- thanks!

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    2. You are welcome! (my brain is weird, instead of seeing 'field notes from Alex's wonderland' I hear 'feild notes from some flounder?' Wasn't that Rocky & Bullwinkle?)

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  3. Truman and I share a love for wading. Have you ever been to the "Boeing Creek Park" that is off of Shoreline Community College? That's one I noticed on a map when I was figuring the route to hear my sister-in-law sing at the college. It looked like it might be promising. (Sadly, getting to North Seattle is stupidly challenging for some of us these days.)

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    1. Wait a minute! Reading the Yelp reviews, I think that perhaps this is the same park! That's just creepy.

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    2. It does seem to have two names, this place. I noticed that while there -- signs for Shoreview Park, and within in, signs for Boeing Creek. It's a conflicted park, I guess. But lovely all the same.

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  4. What a glorious place! I especially like the photo with the blue gleam of water in it.

    I was talking to one of my partners the other day and mentioned that dachshunds are opinionated. I did know a couple of dachshunds as a small child, but I realized when my assertion was questioned that I had mostly gotten that impression from your tales of Truman. I don't really know if that is a dachshund thing or a Truman thing, though.

    P.

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    1. Oh, my, yes, are dachshunds ever opinionated! It's why dachshund owners are so devoted to the breed -- they have strong characters of a stubborn, independent-minded spirit, yet they are so clever at instantly deflecting any displeasure one might feel towards their disinclination to do what you want them to do with a quick bit of amusing behavior, a sly funny expression, or a rollover with beseeching plea for a tummy rub, that naturally one forgives them everything.

      I grew up with dachshunds, and as an adult, have owned them since 1979 and boy howdy, there will never be another dog breed for me. While Truman does have some peculiar cat-like tendencies I've not had in other wiener dogs, on the whole, he is an opinionated dachshund through and through.

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