Pacific NW Archives | The Good Hearted Woman

Camassia Nature Preserve: Wildflowers, Wildlife & Family-friendly Hiking

The Camassia Nature Preserve is a 26-acre natural area known for its beautiful wildflowers, abundant wildlife, and easy, family-friendly trails.

For a few brief weeks every spring, wildflower fields along the Columbia River burst forth in a rhapsody of blue.

It is Camas Season.

Though it closely resembles a lily, the Camas plant (“Camassia quamash”) is actually a member of the asparagus family. It was unknown to science before Lewis and Clark made their Voyage of Discovery. The flowers grow in clearings along the Columbia River, and were once so abundant in the Pacific Northwest that that non-indigenous travelers would mistake the blue covered fields for distant lakes.

The quamash is now in blume and from the colour of its bloom at a short distance it resembles lakes of fine clear water, so complete is this deseption that on first sight I could I could have sworn it was water.

Meriwether Lewis, Personal Journal, 1806

It’s becoming more difficult to find those wide blue meadows in these modern times. Many are secreted away in elusive alpine meadows along the Columbia River Gorge, and you must do the work to find them. (And by work, I mean Hike, with a capital H, as in up-Hill.)

There is, however, at least one place you can go to easily experience the camas lilies in bloom, along with a host of other wildflowers, native plants, and animals – at the Camassia Nature Preserve in West Linn, Oregon.

CAMASSIA NATURE PRESERVE ⬇️ VIDEO PHOTO-STORY

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The Camassia Nature Preserve is a 26-acre natural area owned and maintained by the Nature Conservancy. The nature area is renown for its beautiful wildflowers, abundant wildlife, and easy, family-friendly trails.

Named for the common blue camas that blanket its meadows each spring, the preserve holds something for visitors to experience year-round.

DID YOU KNOW? Camas was an important food source for the indigenousness peoples of Northwest. Bulbs could be fire-roasted and provided a nutritious, sweet-tasting, high-protein staple.

The rocky plateau upon which the nature area sits was originally formed by ice-age, glacier-fueled floods. It now provides a habitat for more than three-hundred plants, and is home to a myriad of meadow, tree, and pond dwellers as well; including deer, raccoons, skunks, hummingbirds, wood ducks, raptors, newts, osprey, salamanders, and a choir of songbirds.

I managed to get a super-short clip of a little red-headed woodpecker in action. ⬇️ (You’ll see him right under the arrow is when you hit Start.)

The 1 1/2 mile loop trail is well-maintained and family-friendly. Most of the trail is covered with bark chips, and some potentially muddy stretches are also lined with a composite boardwalk. Hikers are asked to stay on the trails to protect and preserve the wildlife.

If you are planning to hike the park with little ones, be aware that there are a couple of places where you are going to want to be extra vigilant, particularly on the short stretch of the trail that overlooks the river: there is a wide berth between the edge and the trail, but there are no guard rails. Also, while we’re discussing cautions, be sure to watch out for poison oak at the trail edges. We didn’t see any on our visit, but there are warnings about it all over the preserve.

When we visited, we saw hikers as young as two and as old as eighty. Despite the warning about the “big hill up ahead!” that we received form one particularly helpful five-year old as we passed her on the trail, there were only a few very slight uphill climbs, but nothing remotely demanding. (Note that while the hike rates an “Easy” in my book, the trail is not wheelchair accessible.)

The park os located directly across the Willamette River from downtown Oregon City, behind West Linn High School. The Conservancy partners with high school ecology students, who use the nature area as an outdoor classroom and help keep it litter-free.

Short, easy, family-friendly wildflower hike - Camassia Nature Preserve {West Linn, Oregon} | The Good Hearted Woman

Did you happen to notice the cool lens-ball image at the top of this post? I bought an inexpensive photo-sphere last fall, and since then I’ve been have been having so much fun with it! It is one of the most inexpensive, easy-to-use photo hacks around, and the results are just so cool!

Check out how the photo sphere magnifies and highlights the flowers in the field in the image below.

Short, easy, family-friendly wildflower hike - Camassia Nature Preserve {West Linn, Oregon} | The Good Hearted Woman

Glass Photo-Sphere Tips

When you take a picture through a glass sphere (i.e., lens ball), the image will appear inverted, much like the image you see when looking at yourself in a spoon. Many times, fixing this is as easy as simply rotating the whole image upside-down, as I did in the first image in this post. (You probably didn’t notice it, but all of the background foliage in the title image is upside-down! )

Other images require a bit more finessing. For example, this small image is the original shot for the image above. Note how the ground inside the sphere appears to be at the top of the sphere, which looks weird no matter how you turn it. To correct this visual dissonance, I cut out the original sphere image using a circle frame, flipped it 180°, and layered it back onto the original image. The result is a complete image in which everything appears right-side up. This little trick doesn’t require any special skill, knowledge, or expensive software – I skipped Photoshop this time and just flipped it on PicMonkey.

(If this doesn’t make any sense, don’t worry – I’m planning a longer post on photo spheres / lens balls later this year.)

Camassia Nature Preserve

5000 Walnut Street
West Linn, OR 97068
Map

There are several entrances to the nature area. The main trailhead is located in a small neighborhood parking area at the end of Walnut Street. There is also an entrance at West Linn High School, and another entrance in a nearby neighborhood.
Parking is limited to a small lot at the trail entrance at the end of Walnut Street. This can be very congested at peak times of the year.
During the spring and summer, volunteers lead guided hikes and teach visitors about the ecology of the preserve.
Hikers are required to stay on the trails in order to avoid disturbing the wildlife.
Dogs, bicycles, horses, camping, hunting, littering, fires, and motorized vehicles are prohibited on the preserve.

Wildflower season: Mid-April through early May.

Additional locations where you may find camas fields seasonally in bloom include:

Round Lake Trail in Lacamas Park, Camas Washington
Bush’s Pasture Park, Salem Oregon

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Short, easy, family-friendly wildflower hike - Camassia Nature Preserve {West Linn, Oregon} | The Good Hearted Woman

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In Which Mr B & I Visit Historic Downtown Anacortes En Route to Orcas Island

March 31 By Renée ♥ 14 Comments

A visit to Historic Downtown Anacortes is a great start to an Orcas Island vacation.

There are several ways to get to Orcas Island and the rest of the beautiful San Juan Islands. Visitors can go by private boat, airplane, or seaplane, depending on the season; however, most people take a Washington State Ferry departing out of Anacortes, Washington. No matter how you get here, the scenery is spectacular and getting here is half the fun!

Anacortes is located on Fidalgo Island, the most accessible island in the San Juan archipelago, with easy access via bridge from the mainland. Remember, if you are driving from points south that you will have to brave the unpredictable Seattle traffic to get there. It’s roughly a four and a half hour drive from Portland with clear roads, so be sure to give yourself extra time if you are making both car and ferry trip in one day.

Mr B and I had no desire to stress ourselves out at the beginning of our getaway, so we drove north and stayed the night in Mt. Vernon, a small farming community about thirty minutes outside of Anacortes. That way, we didn’t have to worry about rushing to the ferry, plus it gave us the chance to stroll through Historic Downtown Anacortes before lining up at the ferry dock.

Historic Downtown Anacortes

Take a stroll down Commercial Avenue or the nearby waterfront and one of the first things you will notice is an abundance of colorful life-size murals on the sides of buildings all over town. These murals aren’t painted directly onto the buildings, but rather are wood cutouts attached to the walls. Based on photographs depicting life in early Anacortes history, they include a wildly diverse group of local characters, including musicians, shopkeepers, sports heroes, brewmasters, mail carriers, gas jockeys, and train conductors.

These murals make up what is known as the Anacortes Mural Project and are created by artist and historian Bill Mitchell, a lifelong Anacortes resident. Confined to a wheelchair, Mitchell began painting murals in 1984, and the count now numbers more than 150.

Along Commercial Avenue and down on the waterfront, you will also see a number of colorful cans featuring historic salmon label art from the Puget Sound fishing and canning industry. The salmon can project is the result of a city and community effort inspired by… Guess who? That’s right – the aforementioned artist, Bill Mitchell! It seems that Historic Anacortes owes a great deal to this talented and dedicated artist.

The sidewalk salmon cans recall Anacortes incredible fish-packing past. The first cannery in Anacortes opened in 1893 and by 1915, eleven canneries were operating in town. Most canneries packed salmon, but cod, tuna, clams, oysters, crab and even fruit and vegetables were also canned there.

There are a number of wonderful shops in Anacortes, including a a well-stocked quilt shop, an amazing historical marine supply store, and one of my personal favorites, Elisabeth’s Cottage by the Sea.

It was this window display – and Audrey Hepburn – that drew me in, but we soon found out that there was much more to Elisabeth’s besides beading supplies.

A visit to Elisabeth’s Cottage by the Sea is a little like a treasure hunt. You will find a myriad of remarkable items, including jewelry (both vintage and new), antiques, nautical items, and cabin décor. They also offer jewelry making classes, including silversmithing, stone-cutting, inlay, and soldering.

Did I mention that they also house the largest turquoise carving in the world?

World's Largest Turquoise Carving, Elisabeth's by the Sea, Anacortes, WA | The Good Hearted Woman

Valued at $1,800,000, this 121 pound turquoise carving is the largest of its kind in the world.

Before catching the ferry, we stopped at Adrift for a bite to eat. Adrift’s menu features locally sourced meats, seafood and produce, and the place was packed midday Sunday, with every plate that passed by smelling marvelous. I believe they may also have the best tag-line for a restaurant that I’ve seen so far: ADRIFT – Swell Food for Salty Dogs. Love it!

We cut ourselves a little short on time, so we had to forego ordering off their brunch menu (which looked Amazing, by the way! ) and went with simple a cup of soup and homemade dark rye bread. Both my Moroccan chickpea soup and Mr B’s tomato bisque were deliciously hearty, well-seasoned, and very satisfying, and the soft, pillowy bread arrived warm from the oven.

How to get to Orcas Island via Washington State Ferry

The Washington State Ferry bound for Orcas Island departs a number of times each day from Anacortes. Washington State Ferries offer more than a dozen sailings to the San Juan Islands each day, but not every ferry stops at every island, so pay careful attention to the ferry schedule, which changes seasonally.

If you plan to bring your car on the ferry, it is strongly recommended that you make a reservation for both your trip to Orcas and your return to Anacortes. (Walk-on passengers don’t require reservations.) There is no charge to make a reservation, although if you don’t show up, you will incur a small penalty charge.

The ferry trip takes about an hour and twenty minutes, and there is plenty to see along the way. (I like to pretend that we’re on a mini-cruise!) You can often find puzzles out on one of the decks, and travelers can pass time piecing them together. Mr B and I have done this many times, but we have yet to be the ones to “finish” the puzzle.

Once you arrive on Orcas Island, the ferry unloads very quickly, and you are ready for the next leg in your island adventure!

Planning a trip to Orcas Island? Be sure to check out my Orcas Island Vacation Guide!

Why Orcas Island May Be the Most Relaxing Vacation Spot in the Pacific NW

March 29 By Renée ♥ 18 Comments

Last week, Mr B and I took the most peaceful, relaxing, inspiring vacation ever – to Orcas Island. We loved it so much that we almost didn’t come home.

Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juan Islands, located off the northern coast of Washington State. Just over an hour by ferry from the mainland city of Anacortes, Orcas is a Pacific NW vacation paradise.

I’ll be sharing the highlights and island must-dos over the course of the next few days, but in the meantime, here’s the nutshell version:

5 Reasons Why Orcas Island May Be the Most Relaxing Vacation Spot in the Pacific NW

[1] The Journey There
When you vacation on an island, getting there is half the fun, and you’re sure to see some wonderful sights along the way. The easiest way to get to Orcas Island is to take the Washington State Ferry from Anacortes, Washington. (If you’re feeling spunky, you can do what I do and pretend it’s a mini-cruise.) If you go, be sure to plan a few hours to stroll Historic Downtown Anacortes before you catch your ferry. (Lots more about this tomorrow!)

Cormorants on the Orcas Island Ferry Pier | The Good Hearted Woman

These two cormorants were part of the meet-n-greet committee at the Orcas Island Ferry Pier.

[2] The Artisan Community
Orcas Island has a thriving community of artisans that throws open doors of welcome to visitors in studios, shops and galleries all over the island. You can spend hours just looking at (or in my case, touching) (or trying not to touch, as the situation warrants) beautiful hand-created pieces of fabulous and functional art. We especially enjoyed all the beautiful pottery.

Orcas Island Pottery | The Good Hearted Woman

A picnic table loaded with Steamer Pots at Orcas Island Pottery.

[3] The Food
The folks on Orcas Island do not mess around when it comes to creating beautiful, delicious food. We ate often and well.

Pan-seared Alaskan Scallops at the New Leaf Cafe

[4] The Active Life
Orcas Island offers a multitude of outdoor sports for the active vacationers. It was a little too chilly this March for swimming, but lots of other activities were definitely accessible, including camping, boating, climbing, hiking, bicycling, and our favorite – kayaking. You can bring your own gear, or borrow from one of a handful of rental places that freckle the island. Day tours are available through several local companies as well.

[5] The Peace & Quiet
Above all else, it was the tranquility of the island experience that captured our hearts. The landscape is idyllic and inspiring, with open fields and farmhouses inland, wooded countryside, and amazing, sweeping vistas. It is, in a word, bliss.