Oh Look! A Seal!

Islands of the Salish Sea

There are hundreds of islands and skerries (yes, skerry is a thing) in the Salish Sea, a water body between the Pacific Ocean and the coasts of Washington and British Columbia. Some are accessible by bridge or ferry, but most can only be reached by boat or float plane. I go by ferry whenever possible. 

Here’s my favorite story about the area: In 1859, American Lyman Cutler shot a pig in his garden on San Juan Island, which was property of the British Hudson Bay Company. This incited a military buildup between the two countries. Diplomacy prevailed, and the two governments agreed to joint occupation of the island until a Geneva commission ruled in favor of the Americans. Today the conflagration is known as the “Pig War”.

An unheralded fact about the Salish Sea Islands is that they are chalk full of rambling zones. Most are right along the coast. My two favorites to date are KVI Beach on Vashon Island and Fort Flagler Historical State Park on Marrowstone Island.

KVI Beach, Vashon Island

Vashon Island is a short ferry ride away from either the Kitsap Peninsula or the south Seattle suburbs. It has a touristy main town, Vashon, and many nearby parks to keep a traveler busy for days. I went with my wife Rita, sister Valerie, and parents during the month of November. We cruised around the island, and to my pleasant surprise, we stumbled upon a truly splendid rambling zone at KVI Beach.

There is one wide dirt trail that begins from the parking lot, crosses a backwater stream, and ends at the beach. However, nothing restricts movement away from the trail, so I took it upon myself to ramble. My heart filled with joy as I strayed across a sandy clearing with patches of beach grass sticking up. Once at the water I walked along the beach until I reunited with my group, who followed the path.

My biggest regret of the day was that I didn’t bring my muckboots, as KVI Beach is the largest remaining salt marsh in the Central Puget Sound. I could have rambled into the muddy waters, looking for clams and exotic insects. Still, a large area of the marsh was covered with drift logs, pushed in by south prevailing currents. I hopped from log to log, continuing my wandering unobstructed.

At KVI Beach I saw several unique things, such as a lone madrona tree growing out of the sand and a Kingfisher posting up in a tree above the creek. The following day Valerie left and the rest of us drove to Marrowstone Island. Here we stumbled upon yet place to ramble, Fort Flagler State Park.

Fort Flagler, Marrowstone Island

To get to Marrowstone Island one must drive across Indian Island, which is a military arms, food, and fuel depot. About the only thing you can do on that island is get off. A tall, barbed fence follows the highway until it crosses to Marrowstone, which is residential. 

There is a lot of naval activity in the area. Shipyards on the Kitsap Peninsula repair submarines along with aircraft carriers, and Whidbey Island hosts an air base with jets and helicopters. I spent 15 months working at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where I “did my time” as they say. Besides submarines, the Kitsap Peninsula has a mountain bike or two https://jollyroutes.com/ewoks-in-banner-forest/.

Fort Flagler has a number of trails and old military dugouts. Its rambling zone however, is truly “indispensable”. At the campsites by the coast there is a huge field which connects to a sandy spit heading out into the water. Stunning views across the Salish Sea are abound. To the north are the white cliffs of Whidbey Island, and to the northwest are the port towns with their industry and ferries. Straight west is the naval loading dock, and south are dense island forests.

Saltwater Safari at Fort Flagler

This location produced some of the best marine wildlife viewing I have experienced in the Pacific Northwest. Several groups of seals swam near the beach, likely waiting for migrating salmon to swim by. Every few minutes someone in our group, usually my mom or myself, would shout out in delight “Oh look! A seal!” We often followed this up with “Oh it’s a whole group of them!” Occasionally the lumbering figure of a sea lion passed by, surfacing out in deeper waters.

Many birds flock to Fort Flagler. Eagles soared overhead while sandpipers used their long beaks to pick at bugs in the sand. Seagulls, predictably, were ubiquitous, and cormorants dove in and out of the waves. In the large, grassy field a flock of small white birds gathered, some hopping around on a single foot. My Olde English Bulldogge, Frog, yearned to go sniff them. I reckon their identity to be a type of sandpiper, such as a Dunlin or Sanderling. It was a birder’s paradise.

The climax of the saltwater safari was a sea otter, basking on a dock. They are typically hard to spot, and when they are seen they are usually floating out in the sea. It captivated us by wriggling around and cleaning itself. These moments are the true joy of rambling; to wander without a destination and stumble upon a pot of gold.

Olympic Kayak Tours offers on site kayak rentals (perfect for a watery voyage) and the Beachcomber Cafe is stocked with the Rambler’s essentials; coffee, kites, hot dogs, fire starters, and deodorant. Unfortunately, it was November so both were closed. After the ramble we poked around the old forts, still intact and ready to be manned should another Pig War break out in the Salish Sea.

Here’s some more Salish Island beaches to keep you busy: Iverson Spit (Camano Island), English Boom (Camano Island), Camano Island State Park (Camano Island), Fay Bainbridge Park (Bainbridge Island), Fern Cove (Vashon Island)