Category Archives: Parks

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Leave a reply

We continued exploring the Long Beach Peninsula with a visit to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. To be fair, the ranger guy did say that it was a 1.2 mile hike each way and the terrain was steep in places and slippery with rain. Both of those facts proved to be true and it didn’t help that just as we reached the lighthouse, it began to rain in earnest.

This lighthouse was the first to be built in the Pacific Northwest. The ship that carried the original pieces of the lighthouse sank in view of where the lighthouse was eventually built in 1856!  The first time they built it the tower was too small to hold the lantern, so they disassembled it and rebuilt it. That process took two years.

There is a Coast Guard observation station in use next to the lighthouse and it was staffed with two men that got there in their truck by using the special Coast Guard road.

Despite the dampness, it really was a lovely hike with amazing views along the way. I believe that on the weekends in the summer it is possible to go into the lighthouse. The photo below is taken of the lighthouse from Waikiki Beach, which is another lovely spot in Cape Disappointment State Park. The last photo shows a view from the top of the trail by the lighthouse.

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=115

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=cape%20disappointment

 

War Memorial Park

Leave a reply

I’ve often wondered about park that I see when I cross the Narrows Bridge and today I went to visit. I didn’t realize that the entrance was at the end of a park and ride. In fact I didn’t realize that there was a park and ride there. The War Memorial Park “Living War Memorial Park” located at 6th Avenue and McArthur Street.

The park was dedicated  in 1952 and honors the sacrifices of Tacoma area military men and women. It is a 2.5 acre park and is mostly grassy area with areas to reflect on the lives lost during different wars. There is a terrific view of the Narrows Bridges.

The park features the bell from the USS Tacoma, a 1900 protected cruiser ship. There were five other sister ships each named after a city: Denver, DesMoines, Chattanooga, Galveston and Cleveland. In January 1924 the Tacoma broke up in heavy seas, though her bell was saved.

http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=7001

 

 

A Touch of Spring at Optimist Park

Leave a reply

I didn’t realize that Tacoma had a park named Optimist Park (1330 N James St.). Today was lovely, so I went to find this darling neighborhood park. There is a baseball field and some really cool playground equipment, some of which plays music!

 

A brisk walk at Wapato Lake Park

Leave a reply

It is a pretty chilly day, but pleasantly sunny. I was thinking about taking a walk and I asked dear daughter what she thought. She said no (something about a school project), but both dogs heard the W— word. Oh no! They pranced and danced and barked and whined and when I took down their leashes, the smaller dog (lLilly) grabbed the end as if to just walk herself. Well, OK then. Wapato Park has a nice, short walk around the lake. My coat was plenty warm enough, but I hadn’t counted on the breeze off the lake and wish I had brought a hat. The dogs thought it was the best walk EVER! We saw other dogs, ducks, geese, lots of crows and some kids. The park includes a covered picnic area, a bathhouse, grassy areas, playground equipment and a observation dock. Apparently the name Wapato comes from some of the native vegetation and means small potato!

The park’s website is here http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=285

Place of Circling Waters — Twulshootseed

Leave a reply

The Place of Circling Waters at 1621 Marine View Drive in the Port of Tacoma is a splendid example of morphing something ugly (a gravel mine) into something wonderful (a habitat at the mouth of Hylebos Creek ). I remember when it was a gravel mine and for a while I thought it was turning into a vineyard, but this year it opened as a habitat.

We arrived during low tide, the muddiest time to see the habitat.  Dear daughter and I were the only two civilians there, though there was a friendly Port Police Officer who was taking a quick check. Apparently thieves have been going into the fenced off areas to steal the irrigation wiring to strip it for the copper! Jeez!

While the terrain consists of 26 acres, only a small portion is accessible to the law abiding public. The rest of the area, which can be viewed from the observation platform, is left to nature.  We did see geese and apparently there are all sort of other birds including a kingfisher (I’d like to see a kingfisher!). There was also a sign on the fenced off hillside that warned of bee nests. Not the kind of nature I want to experience up close.

It is difficult to capture the scale of the project from the observation deck, so check out the Port’s webpage.

http://www.portoftacoma.com/hylebos-creek

Occupy Tacoma

2 Replies

The small park next to the Washington State History Museum is now informally known as Occupation Park. Dear daughter and I walked through it this evening, taking some photos and visiting. The folks there were articulate and warm (their personality, not their bodies which are going to be cold camping this late in the year!). Perhaps my favorite moment is when I realized they had created a small lending library!

Their website says the following:

We Are the 99%

In solidarity with #OccupyWallStreet and countless other @Occupy movements across the world, Occupy Tacoma is part of a peaceful, nonviolent movement fighting corporate abuse of American democracy. We are gathered together in solidarity, to exercise our First Amendment freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly. We are the 99%. Please join us.

 http://occupytacoma.org/

http://www.facebook.com/OccupyTacoma

     

 

Sunset Terrace Park is Closed Today

Leave a reply

Sunset Terrace Park at the corner of South 19th Street and Seaview (1902 Seaview Street) in University Place. The 2.25 acre site has a new children’s play area, open space. a picnic pavilion and a ball field. When I stopped by the park, it was closed to have its Asarco Copper Smelter arsenic contaminated soils cleaned under a contract awarded by the Department of Ecology.

Stewart Heights Park

Leave a reply


Stewart Heights Park

Originally uploaded by Gexydaf

I was driving around with my dear husband looking around for a new place when we happened upon Stewart Heights Park. Well, I hadn’t realized that this was the park that he like to take our daughter to when she was young. So it brought back memories for him. It has changed a fair amount since our daughter’s playground days. The playground equipment has moved and there are more trails. I didn’t get a good photo of the pool or the skate park or Lisa’s Garden, so I’ll do those spots some other day.

City Park at Crescent Creek

Leave a reply

The City Park at Crescent Creek in Gig Harbor is a lovely city park with a covered pavilion, a creek with an observation platform, a baseball field, a children’s play area and picnic tables.  The weather was perfect, sunny with a little fall chill in the air. And the company was delightful 🙂

 

Fire Boat #1

Leave a reply

Fireboat #1 is one of five fireboats in the country to be a historic landmark. The boat, which is now dry docked along Ruston Way was constructed in 1929 and had served for 54 years.

Information from the Tacoma Park’s Department can be found here: http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=66

The detailed historic nomination form can be found here: http://www.nps.gov/maritime/nhl/fireboat.htm