Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
We went from wet to freezing overnight the other night, from flooding to frozen. The new year launched with the coldest night yet, 18 degrees F (7 C.). It gets cold like this when the skies are clear. This gives us frost, not snow.
It snows here when freezing precipitation travels south from the Frazer River Valley in British Columbia. So far it’s kept the snow to itself. But it’s certainly cold enough to bundle up.
Last week I posted a shot of a barn and mentioned my affection for the Shire draft horses that live at the farm. Though the horses have been pastured lately at some distance from the road, here are a few older shots that can show you these beautiful animals.
They are big and solid looking horses.
The Shires at this farm are used for plowing and the farmer has taught classes in how to work with horses.
Another shot of the wild winter Dungeness River.
We’ve had a lot of rain lately. And there’s no better rain gauge than the Dungeness River. It’s running high, very fast, and very muddy.
The shot above is of Mary Luke Wheeler County Park on Ward Road, a sweet spot along the river. The Dungeness has come up to the parking lot. The river bank is completely submerged. I posted a shot of the river taken here last month. The spot where I stood is underwater.
During summer the Dungeness water level drops and it’s usually a clear blue. Right now we’re in the chocolate milk color spectrum.
Trees are submerged to well inland of the typical water’s edge and you can see the current whipping around their trunks.
This barn is part of one of my favorite farms here. The owner has Shire draft horses, big, beautiful creatures that are always a pleasure to see grazing in his pasture.
Last winter floodwaters and accompanying debris on the Dungeness River undermined and collapsed part of the Railroad Bridge. The historic trestle survived without damage but the western portion of the span required replacement. A new prefabricated deck has recently been placed on new foundations. This is the portion on the right, above, that does not have tall vertical timbers above the deck.
Here’s a view from the other side, looking westward along the side of the bridge. A fence at the west end of the trestle makes it hard to get a good shot of the new deck.
This property belongs to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. The Tribe has partnered with a variety of entities to rebuild the bridge. The good news is that the new portion of the bridge was engineered to reduce the number of pilings in the river and removed old ones that had been treated with creosote. This improves salmon habitat and allow a less impeded river flow.
Saturday was a very clear day which meant very good views of Mt. Baker. This shot, from Marine Drive, shows Baker to the right with the New Dungeness Light Station to the left. Mt. Baker, which is part of the Cascade Range east of the Olympic Peninsula, is cloaked with a new layer of freshly fallen snow.
Nearby there were a couple of benches for enjoying this view and the traffic on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.