Magnolia Bluff

This past Saturday, half of our class journeyed across the Cascades to visit and learn about the geological, biological, and climatic spectacles of the region. We would soon learn, that along with the change in culture, there is a drastic difference between the nature and its history of the west and east sides of the mountains. The day began with the drive through the Cascades headed to the Yakima Canyon. I volunteered to drive, and I’m glad I did, as it made me remain attentive throughout. The rolling hills appearance created by the drumlins of the Puget Sound region slowly turned into intense slopes with staggering peaks capped with snow. The alder lined highway gradually becomes more saturated with mountain conifers but the landscape remains incredibly lush. After a while, the mountainous landscape receded and became an arid shrub steppe filled with farms and agriculture. We took a brief break at a rest stop where I saw a sign on a booth that advertised free coffee. Intrigued ...

Wednesday May 17, 2017 1:00 pm Mostly cloudy, about 55 degrees F Walking from atop the bluff down to my site seemed oddly different today than it was in days past. I think it must have rained this morning because the sand was wet and the trees are damp and darker than normal. The sandy pathway down from the bluff is drastically different from when I first visited. It used to be relatively compact and trail-like, and now it’s a deep trench filled with loose sand that acts more like a liquid than a solid, causing me to slide a few inches with every step and send sand flowing down the slope. The shrubs and small trees that line the path have clearly been tilting and sliding (not to mention, growing), as many now block the path that was once clear. I’d conjecture that the unusual amount of rain we’ve been having has played a significant part in the erosion of the path, as well as increased foot traffic now that the weather has been improving. Large chunks of soil are being carv...

Tuesday, 5/9/17 Sunny with some thin cloud coverage, 70 degrees, tide partially out My good camera broke, so this was taken with the lower quality front camera on my phone Another astounding day here out on the bluff. Mostly clear skies reveal the Olympics across the Sound and even the upper half of that big snowy cone to the south (Rainier). I love watching the massive ships make their ways into and out of the sound simply because of their enormity, but I worry for the habitats that their huge wakes are disturbing—not to mention the additional damage caused by the mass expenditure of fossil fuels. After arriving at my site, I walked around the perimeter that I usually inspect and found just a few notable changes. Obviously, there had been an increase in the height of the green shrubs that are lower to the ground, particularly (and unfortunately) stinging nettle. I had to dodge many nettles encroaching onto the trail. The plants on the ground reach up to about 2-3 feet at...

5/3/17 4:45 pm Mostly sunny, low tide, 75 degrees F Recurring shot Today is one of those days where you feel immediately great after stepping outside. Not a cloud in sight, warmer than room temperature but with a breeze that relieves you of any discomfort. Before I biked over to Discovery, I was in the library deriving an equation for intensity of a three slit diffraction pattern. It began taking much longer than I’d expected and I was surprised at how anxious I was feeling about the fact I was missing the weather. Luckily, the sun’s out until late evening now so I’ve still got plenty of time. Shameless selfie of yours truly The sensory stimuli of my site have drastically changed from my last visit. The stream pouring down from the bluff is notably louder, and the chirps of birds fill the air almost without pause. I’ve seen lots of big, black bees flying from newly bloomed flowers, adding their loud buzzes to the mix. The aromas of the tide-flats and multitude o...