George and I are both down with colds, but that did not stop us from exploring Isabella State Park Saturday afternoon. This is a heritage site north-west of Olympia. There are extensive forests, old fruit orchards and expansive meadows, all of which are open for exploration.Plans are in the works for this acreage to offer educational programs as well as recreational opportunities. Non-native plant species control is a concern as are the osprey and bald eagle habitats nearby. Nearby Lake Isabella offers a educational habitat for studying salmon and the fields offer native habitat field-study.
We walked along the trails, enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures. As we hiked the meadow, we noticed that people were bringing dogs here, so they could run without a leash, finally being free of the confinement of a back yard.We thought how unfortunate it was that it was only a day-use park, as camping in such an open meadow would be fantastic in the summertime. Currently, there are no such plans, but the meadow, forests and orchards are getting a lot of attention from environmentalists, naturalists, and silviculturalists. People are concerned about over-development around nearby Lake Isabella, and the impact of recreationists on nearby home-sites.
We put the canoe in Lake Isabella at the public boat-launch. It was a busy place, with families eager to do some fishing.
These boaters brought along their morning coffee, and spent the day fishing.
The shoreline of the lake is bordered by wetlands.We paddled completely around the lake, found the outlet and paddled down current until a beaver dam blocked the passageway.
It was a wonderful paddle, warm, with no wind - perfect conditions for an afternoon canoeing.We finished our day about 5:30, and drove over to visit with Taraz at Forza's where he works as a barista in Lakewood. He and Megan spent the night at our place again this weekend,
so he could open at 7:00 at another place, One Heart Cafe, here in Tacoma. That meant he'd worked two different jobs in two different cities in one day, with a commute!
Perfect end to my day: Taraz prepared a single-shot doppio espresso with cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. They leave the most tasty mustaches!
