Birch Bay
Strait of Georgia, Washington
9 and 10 December 2023
Strong winds force me to abandon my kayak on the beach after a failed search for a petroglyph.
Lummi Island
San Juan Islands, Washington
27 October and 10 November 2023
Mysteries and superstitions surround the largest face-motif petroglyph on the west coast of North America.
Tillamook Rock
North Coast, Oregon
10 September 2023
It’s time to remove the funerary urns and give the lighthouse back to the island’s original owners.
Salmon Bank
San Juan Islands, Washington
20 July; and 1 and 5–6 August 2023
After eight months, more than a dozen kayak launches, and many long hours in the cockpit, I find my final species of whale.
Sand Island
Grays Harbor, Washington
7 May 2023
Rare migratory birds face fanboats, cannons, and rockets, all in the name of science.
Bush Point
Admiralty Inlet, Washington
19 April 2023
Southern resident killer whales from our local J-pod pass through Admiralty Inlet.
Possession Sound
North Puget Sound, Washington
4 April 2023
After a long chase, I finally catch my first whale of 2023, a gray whale on my favorite whaling grounds.
Baby Island
North Puget Sound, Washington
28 March 2023
Kayak-camping on a privately owned island? It sounds too good to be true, but the situation is ambiguous.
Wingehaven
Central Puget Sound, Washington
18 March 2023
Killer whales elude us at the last minute, so we head to a familiar park on Vashon Island.
Ocean Shores Canals
Grays Harbor, Washington
3 December 2022
Ducks and kayakers are the primary beneficiaries of a failed real estate development scheme from the 1960s.
Elliott Bay
Seattle, Washington
12 November 2022
Some of the last vestiges of the old Seattle waterfront are still barely hanging on.
Possession Sound
North Puget Sound, Washington
9 April 2022
When the wind dies down, the gray whales appear.
Cape Flattery
Olympic Coast, Washington
27 March 2022
South of the famous sea caves lies the little-known Archawat petroglyph.
Race Rocks
Strait of Juan de Fuca, British Columbia
29 January 2022
No sign of the beachmaster, but plenty of lesser pinnipeds.
Grays Canyon
Continental Slope, Washington
21–22 August 2021
Twenty-two hours, sixty-five miles, thousands of seabirds, and a capsize at the end.
Salmon Bank
San Juan Islands, Washington
7 August 2021
Drifting among the seabirds, searching for a minke whale.
Possession Sound
North Puget Sound, Washington
23 May 2021
It’s not too late to meet the sounders, a springtime population of gray whales.
Case Inlet
South Puget Sound, Washington
26 December 2020
An ancient petroglyph reminds us that other ways of life are possible.
Flaming Geyser State Park
Green River, Washington
12 September 2020
The last survivng petroglyph in King County is more easily visited by foot than by kayak.
Hein Bank
Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington
19 July 2020
Minke whales are the most difficult whales to find in Washington, and photographing them is even harder.
Lewis & Clark Nat’l Wildlife Refuge
Lower Columbia River, Oregon
12 July 2020
A flock of white pelicans helps me out of a jam.
Race Rocks
Strait of Juan de Fuca, British Columbia
28 June 2020
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is home to all kinds of exotic birds and mammals.
Freshwater Bay to Crescent Bay
Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington
27 June 2020
Exploring the north shore of the Olympic Peninsula on land and water.
Agate Point
Central Puget Sound, Washington
20 June 2020
An indigenous petroglyph still stands watch over the waters of Puget Sound.
Salmon Bank
San Juan Islands, Washington
25 May 2020
A search for the elusive minke whale turns up a flock of Pacific loons.
Possession Sound
North Puget Sound, Washington
16–17 March 2019; and
14 April 2019
Each spring, a small population of gray whales lingers in our waters, feeding on shrimp.
Stillaguamish River Delta
North Puget Sound, Washington
1 December 2018
Hunters aren’t the best company, but owls and ducks are.
Union Bay
Lake Washington
3 November 2018
Winter birds and fall colors put on a dazzling show on my local paddling grounds.
Smith and Minor Islands
Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington
10 June 2018
The two most remote islands in Washington State are home to our most endangered colony of tufted puffins.
Nisqually Delta
South Puget Sound, Washington
11 March 2018
Spring has come to breathe fresh life into birds, plants, and paddlers.
Naval Base Kitsap
Sinclair Inlet, Washington
30 December 2017
I like big boats and I cannot lie.
Elliott Bay
Seattle, Washington
1 October 2017
Beneath the Seattle Aquarium lies a maze of twisty water passages, all alike.
Duwamish River
Seattle, Washington
9 August 2015
The Duwamish has suffered from industrialization, but nature perseveres.
Protection Island & Dungeness Spit
Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington
4–5 June 2015
Back-to-back day trips to a tufted puffin colony and a historic lighthouse—and an ill-advised carry across quicksand.
Snohomish River Delta
Everett, Washington
28 August 2014
Dad and I take a Huckleberry Finn-style cruise through the backwaters and sloughs.
Elliott Bay
Seattle, Washington
29 July 2014
Look at, but do not touch, the Aegis guided-missile destroyer.
Ballard Locks
Seattle, Washington
23 February 2014
Rachel and my dad join me on a trip through Seattle’s century-old Ballard Locks.
Green Lake
Seattle, Washington
16 February 2014
Rainy weather can’t stop the jewel of north Seattle from shining.
Discovery Park
Seattle, Washington
24 November 2013
A short trip on a cold, clear day.
Juanita Bay
Lake Washington
29 May 2013
A day trip from Seattle to find a rare bird.
Nisqually River
South Puget Sound, Washington
17 June 2012
My brother and dad join me on a short float down the Nisqually.