The Kaleberg Journal - February 2010

02/06 - Storm King

The Storm King Trail, which starts near Barnes Creek, is probably the hardest trail we have ever managed. It is a relentlessly steep trail, and the challenge is in keeping going. We usually make it to about 1,450 feet above the parking lot, where there is a rocky outcrop with a spectacular view of Lake Crescent, the Strait of San Juan de Fuca, and Vancouver Island beyond.

We didn't fare quite so well on our latest atttempt, but we did manage to get to about 1,200 feet up. The day was misty and overcast, and the trail was its usual, arduous self. Despite our failure to get to our favorite overlook, we were able to console ourself. After all, with all those clouds, the view was probably obscured anyway.

Across the Barnes Valley

Haunted country

The misty forest

One of the many spectacular madronas

A glimpse of the lake

A forest friend

Salal on the trail

Keywords: barnes creek, lake crescent, storm king

02/04 - Dungeness Spit

Dungeness Spit is not always an easy hike. The tides vary by eight feet in a typical day, and during high tide the beach is not only small, but rocky. In the winter it is worse. Not only are there fewer good tides, but the winter tides often wash out the sand, so even at low tide, it can be rough going.

This year, however, is a good year for hiking the Dungeness Spit. The beach is broad and sandy, so it is easy to avoid all the rocky patches. The strait is full of seabirds, loons, scoters, cormorants and many others beyond our limited identification skills. Oh yes, there are eagles, lots of eagles. There's no point in waiting for spring to hike the Dungeness Spit. It's good walking even now, and, as a bonus, the Indian plum is already in bloom.

An eagle

Dungeness Spit

Indian plum in bloom

Keywords: birds, dungeness, dungeness spit, spring, tides, winter

02/03 - Flying to Seattle

We recently flew to Seattle on Kenmore Air, and the views from the plane were spectacular. It wasn't a clear day. There was plenty of cloud cover, but the mountains and the skies were spectacular.

Fairchild Airport

Mountains

More mountains

The clouds washed up to the mountains like the sea washes up to the shore.

A tantalyzing mountain closeup

Mountains under our wing

Water below

Minas Morgul, aka Mount Rainier

The sound

Keywords: seattle, flying, kenmore

The Kaleberg Journal - January 2010

01/31 - Clark Farms Beef at the Farmers' Market

We noticed a newcomer at the Port Angeles Farmers' Market this past Saturday, the Clark Farms beef people. They had a sign, some nice brochures and a big freezer pack full of beef. We had to try some, so we bought a pair of t-bone steaks, nicely packed and frozen. We put them to the test at Kaleberg Laboratories. That meant a session in the microwave for thawing, then heat processing in our broiler, not far from the electric coils. We applied hard infrared to push our sample to medium rare. That's a technical term.

Then came the actual testing. We applied our utensils, and transferred subsamples from plate to palate. The steaks were great, with a good, deep beefy flavor and a surprisingly tender texture. They weren't as fatty as Peter Luger's t-bone steaks, but they were better than the usual industrial beef by a long shot. Of course, these are just our preliminary Kaleberg results. We have a lot more testing to do, so we'll be looking for Clark Farms at next week's market.

The folks behind the beef

Our test sample

Their brochure

Keywords: farmers' market, farms

01/29 - Our Measuring Log at Morse Creek Is Gone

The log we have been using for years to measure how high the waters are at Morse Creek has vanished. Presumably, it has been washed away. When the waters were high, they washed over the horizontal log; when they were low, they passed under it. Now the log is no more, so we'll have to guess. (For some pictures of the log in better days, click on the Morse Creek keyword below.)

It's gone!

Keywords: morse creek

01/25 - Second Beach

There were some good tides at Second Beach, so we went for a walk. The driftwood wall has been rebuilding, but we still managed to clamber out to the beach. This time there was brilliant light and a faint haze.

More driftwood

Oooh, arty!

Lens flare - too much Star Trek: The Reboot

A wide, wet beach

More wide, wet beach

Keywords: second beach

01/22 - New Eggs at Good To Go

Good To Go now has eggs from Hole-In-The-Fence Farm. We don't know much about them, but they are a local product.

Keywords: good to go

01/21 - An Infestation of Ducks

As you can see, the dock at Lake Crescent Cottage has been infested by ducks.

Keywords: ducks, lake crescent cottage

Older Entries