Kaleberg Symbionts Home Page

Next tides for La Push
8/27/10 8:40 AM 0.51 ft
8/28/10 9:09 AM 0.92 ft
8/29/10 9:37 AM 1.37 ft
8/30/10 10:06 AM 1.85 ft
9/5/10 4:40 PM 1.93 ft
9/6/10 5:36 PM 1.08 ft
9/11/10 9:03 AM 0.21 ft

Next tides for Dungeness
8/27/10 11:29 AM 1.88 ft
8/28/10 12:01 PM 2.7 ft
9/7/10 8:56 AM -0.49 ft
9/8/10 9:42 AM 0.08 ft
9/9/10 10:26 AM 0.92 ft
9/10/10 11:12 AM 1.94 ft
9/22/10 9:27 AM 1.87 ft

Next tides for Cape Alava
8/27/10 9:09 AM 0.52 ft
8/28/10 9:42 AM 1.04 ft
8/29/10 10:14 AM 1.59 ft
8/30/10 10:42 AM 2.11 ft
8/31/10 11:08 AM 2.6 ft
9/4/10 4:00 PM 2.89 ft
9/5/10 5:03 PM 2.15 ft

The Kaleberg Journal - August 2010

08/31 - Save The Spruce Railroad Trail

The Spruce Railroad Trail is in danger. The park service and the county are seriously considering a plan to eliminate the existing wilderness trail and replacing it with a twelve foot wide, sturdily paved transportation corridor relegating its traditional users - hikers, joggers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders - to a three foot wide unpaved margin. Basically, they want to turn it into an urban bike path with some accomodation for the rest of us.

If you explore the Spruce Railroad Trail now, you get a true national park experience, with ferns, salal, mosses, and sometimes salamanders lapping at your feet. You can stop by the trail side an picnic or just rest on a rock or log. The trail has a soft surface which makes for easier hiking and jogging. The proposed transportation corridor eliminates all of this. It uses most of the right of way, eliminating a lot of the vegetation and natural diversity. It will be paved, changing the scent and atmosphere, and increasing runoff into Lake Crescent.

The current trail, and one of the wider sections

The proposed "improved" version

If you want to find out more, you can check the park's web site and the section on the proposed transportation corridor.

The plan is still open for public comment, but not for much longer. They've been rather quiet about it given its impact. There was a small notice on the cluttered bulletin board at the trailhead, but little else. You can:

Send them a comment on line
Send them a paper comment using their standard form
Write to them at:
Superintendent - Olympic Discovery Trail / Olympic National Park / 600 East Park Avenue / Port Angeles, WA 98362

Keywords: lake crescent, port angeles, salamander, spruce railroad

08/25 - News from the Dungeness Mile Marker

There is a one mile marker on the Dungeness Spit, but we used to use the beat up half of a dinghy that was right next to the official marker as our mile real marker. This time we spotted the official mile marker, but where was our dinghy? Our "rib cage", an old driftwood tree with spiking branches, was still there, but the dinghy had vanished. We took a closer look and found a few bits, but our dinghy's days as a landmark are over.

The official one mile mark

That's Ribsy, our other one mile marker. It's showing its age.

It's less than half a dinghy now. Maybe it's a quarter deck?

Keywords: dungeness spit

08/22 - Late Summer - Already - at Hurricane Hill It's late summer in the high country. The corn lilies are out on Hurricane Hill, and the fields are colored by the myriad harebells. The snow has all melted on the north slope leaving that seasonal lake behind. That's news enough.	The seasonal lake
The fields are colored with harebells and yarrows.	Corn lilies
More corn lilies in bloom	There are still some lupines.
It's like an impressionist painting.	You can see the colors of the flowers in the fields.

Keywords: flowers, high country, hurricane hill, summer

08/20 - Luau 2010 We held the annual Kaleberg Luau a while back, but we didn't post any pictures. We've been holding the luau since 2002, so it really has become a tradition.	That's the spread. It's not a luau without a pineapple.
Our motto: served in a skull. Those are South Sea Bubbles served in the champagne flutes. That's pineapple champagne, pineapple gum syrup and bits of pineapple.	Godzilla - in the spirit
Hawaiian spice chicken, made with Indonesian spices	Watermelon salad with tomato, coriander, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and mozzarella, adapted from Spago Wailea
Lau lau - in action	Those are mai tais made with blue curacao - don't ask - in the punch bowl in front of this year's cupcake heiau.

Keywords: hawaii, food, luau

08/18 - More Pictures From The Air We flew into Seattle briefly on Kenmore Air. As usual, the scenery was spectacular. The Olympic Mountains are spectacular, but the park is the largest roadless area in the lower 48. That means that you don't see a lot of the mountains when driving, but a short scenic flight offers awesome views.	That's coastal fog. It's often sunnier inland.
More coastal fog	The mountains
More mountains	Even more mountains
Amazing mountain profiles	Do we really need a caption here?
Snow capped mountains	One of the many green valleys

Keywords: kenmore, seattle

08/15 - Obstruction Point We were back at Obstruction Point. The snow is melting rapidly, forming fantastic shapes as it does in the summer mountains. Wild lakes appear in the wakes of melting snow fields, and all around the flowers are in bloom.	Melting snow
The vista	The trail
An emerging lake	Snow saved by shadow
Phlox	More fields

Keywords: flowers, obstruction point, summer, high country

08/12 - The Summer Port Angeles Farmers' Market We haven't been writing very much about the Port Angeles Farmers' Market lately. This has not been because we haven't been shopping there, but because we've been lazy. The slow start to the season didn't help, but now the summer vegetables are coming in thick and fast. The Korean Garlic Lady is selling her wonderful, almost overpowering garlic, along with her excellent scallions. Lazy J and Johnston Farms have their great potatoes. Everybody seems to be selling cauliflower, and it's about time. We should also note that Mount Townsend Creamery is selling Trailhead again. They aren't getting their milk from Dungeness Valley Creamery anymore, but the cheese is almost as good as ever.	Trailhead cheese is back.
Great garlic	Potatoes! We're saved!
Cauliflower in living color.	Those are Nash's watermelons.
Lazy J always puts on a great display.	More vegetables

Keywords: farmers' market, farms, johnston farm, port angeles, shopping, summer

08/10 - Hurricane Hill in the Clouds Hurricane Hill is a spectacular hike on a sunny day. The trail follows the ridge and offers stunning views of the Olympic Mountains as well as the strait. On cloudy days, the clouds play with the mountains. They course through the valleys and play hide and seek. On sunny days, the mountains look unreal. It is impossible to understand how far away they are and how big they are. Clouds, hanging in the valleys, give some perspective, a sense of scale.	Two trouble makers - We're sure.
Clouds	Lupines
	More clouds

Keywords: hurricane hill, animals

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