0401, 2021

Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest

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Two weeks after Valentine’s Day, 2001, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the south sound region of Washington state near where the Nisqually River empties into Puget Sound. It was nearly 11 a.m. on a Wednesday, and the state legislature was in full swing. The violent tremors lasted nearly a minute, rocking the state capital of Olympia and the nearby cities of Lacey, Tumwater, Nisqually, DuPont, and Shelton. The shocks registered

0104, 2019

Discovering the Creatures of the Northwest Trek Trails

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In the 1930’s, a husband and wife team of conservationists purchased over 400 acres of desolate, charred land in south Pierce County, Washington. Fast forward 80 years (and factor in the meticulous planning, fastidious nurturing, generous donating, and fortuitous timing), and today, people of all ages can visit Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. In this episode, your fearless field guide Erich Ebel takes you on a tour of the park that’s

0911, 2018

Discovering the creatures of the Northwest Trek trails

Washington Our Home
November 9, 2018
Destinations, Family, Recreation, Western Washington, Wildlife
0
1988

We learn about the history of the land, speak with naturalists about the newest hands-on learning area, and take a tram ride through the wilderness. But there are dozens more animals and attractions worth checking out along the park’s myriad trails and pathways.

2105, 2015

History lives on Orcas Island

Washington Our Home
May 21, 2015
History, Puget Sound, Recreation, State Parks, Western Washington
3
5112

There are very few places in Washington where you can hike through the woods, trip over a 200-year-old cannonball and land amongst an assortment of arrowheads and prehistoric bison fossils. In fact, there’s likely only one place where that amazing scenario could potentially play out, and that is on Orcas Island in the San Juans. As the largest island in San Juan County, Orcas is surprisingly not named after the

1602, 2015

It’s snake season in the South Sound

Washington Our Home
February 16, 2015
Wildlife
0
1361

On my weekly trail run today, I spotted three garter snakes basking along the side of the path. Each was about 12-16 inches in length and had the familiar yellow stripes running the length of their black bodies. I stopped when I saw the first one because I wanted to see if it was alive (i.e. poke at it with a stick). It was, but quite lethargic as it awaited the

0101, 2012

A subtle armed forces memorial in Tumwater

Boy, do a little research and it’s amazing what you might learn. Nearly every day, I drive past the Odd Fellows Memorial Park at the corner of Custer, North and Cleveland (Yelm Highway) in Tumwater. Most people know it as “The Pellegrino’s intersection” or the “Artistry in Flowers” corner, or “the one right by Baskin-Robbins, Safeway or Domino’s Pizza,” or – more appropriately for this blog post – “the one