To Beacon Hill and Back Again

I didn’t feel like driving to a park to operate my radio today so instead Carolyn and I took a walk to Beacon Hill Park. The park is only a few blocks from the hotel so it is an easy place to get to. After breakfast had settled, we set out for the park, walking down Quadra Street to the park entrance. There is a nice wide gravel walkway right at the end of Quadra which is lined with a selection of trees. This time they were full of leaves and offered a thick bushy look of a healthy happy life. The grass fields surrounding the area were waist high in uncut grasses. The grasses were showing mature seed packs which were waving in the breeze sharing an invitation to come and play. A lovely scene to walk through.

As we made our way up and south along the pathway, I stopped to gather a few photos of the trees and grasses. Soon we reached the main ponds and I had my eye out for the local residents, a group of turtles. I eventually spotted them sunning themselves on a log surrounded by a thick spread of lily pads. It looked to be a good life for them, lots of sun and food and being the centre of attention. Continuing past, we crossed a footbridge where a number of kids were busy snapping photos of a duck with ducklings swimming below the bridge. Soon we were passing the Blue Heron nesting area. The whole area, ground and shrubs were covered in dry poop from the birds, though nesting was done the area smelled strongly of dead fish.

Passing the bird area, we wandered beside the kids farm area as we ascended the final rise to the top of Beacon Hill. There is a picnic table at the top which we claimed and there we took in the beauty of the area. The view across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Olympic Mountains is quite astounding. The clouds ranged from low mists over the water to high altitude chalky billows that captured my imagination. It really was a lovely sight to enjoy. We stayed for a while just drinking in the fresh sea air and the amazing scenes of nature.

Once we were rested and ready to move on, we retraced our steps to the main garden areas and there we found a different path to see what the park had to offer. We came across a semi-formal garden area which had some rare and endangered species to enjoy. A Golden Angle’s Trumpet shrub caught Carolyn’s eye as we walked by. Soon we were passing a kids play area and then back to the path we entered on. The walk had been quite pleasant, not overly taxing and was filled with lovely scenery. I do enjoy walking through the park as it offers many sights to enjoy.