The surrounding pictures were taken at a very interesting area along Interstate 90. Just east of Ellensburg, I-90 crosses over the Vantage Bridge over Lake Wanapum and the Columbia River. On either side of the highway in this area are towering basalt cliffs, and there are a couple of overlooks that are worth a stop. Also in the area is the Ginkgo Petrified Forest, where the photo above was taken, and the Wanapum State Park.
There's a Visitor Center at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest where the landscape includes large trunks of petriefied wood as well as the rocks that contain the petroglyphs (above). Additionally, there is a trail not far away that traverses the side of a hill and contains petrified tree tunks that are original to the area.
The day spent in Westport was loads of fun. For a town its size, there is an enormous amount of things to do. A breakwater that separates the town from Grays Harbor is a natural place to start as you're drawn to the boulders to watch the waves crash into them then create a great spray of water over them and any people who might be walking on the rocks.
Then there's the boardwalk which spans the whole length of the town and from where you can access the floats (docks) that make up the largest marina on the Northwest's Pacific coast.
There's South Beach on the Pacific side of the town and a lighthouse, which somehow I managed to miss seeing; and then there's the fishing dock which is filled with people fishing and especially crabbing for Dungeness crabs.
The town has an abundance of brown pelicans which are constantly flying overhead and it has some resident sea lions which can be heard from just about anywhere in town.
Oh, and did I mention the raccoons? They were seen scurrying over and sniffing out the breakwater boulders, probably finding all sorts of good stuff to eat.
Westport is located on a peninsula on the south side of the entrance to Grays Harbor from the Pacific Ocean. At last census, its population was just over 2000 residents.
The two pictures on the right and the remainder of the ones on this page are of Westport.
To see more pictures of Washington state, please return to the Washington home page.
Or, choose a destination below.
Please visit some of my other travel locations. Feel free to email me if you have questions or comments.
BY CITY: Boston | Coeur d'Alene, ID | Fort Benton, MT | Galveston, TX | Independence, MO | Juliette, GA | Leadville, CO | New York City | Savannah | Seattle | Sedona, AZ | Tombstone | Tucson | Washington, D.C.
BY STATE: Alaska | Arizona | California | Colorado | Georgia | Idaho | Maine| Michigan | Minnesota |Montana | Nevada | New Mexico | North Carolina | South Dakota | Texas | Utah | Washington | Wyoming
BY REGIONS, LANDMARKS AND NATL PARKS, FORESTS AND MONUMENTS: Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake | Arches NP | the Badlands | Bighorn Canyon | the Biltmore Estate | the Black Hills | Blue Ridge Parkway | Bridges of Madison County | Bryce Canyon | Canyon de Chelly | Canyonlands NP | Death Valley | Devils Tower| Glacier NP | the Grand Canyon | the Grand Tetons | Gulf Shores, AL | Hoover Dam | Hovenweep NM | Kure Beach | Little Bighorn Battlefield | Mackinac Island | Martha's Vineyard | Medicine Bow NF | Monument Valley | Mount Rainier | Mount Rushmore | Mount St. Helens | Natural Bridges NM | Niagara Falls | OK City (bombing) NM | the Olympic Peninsula |Organ Pipe Cactus NM | the Outer Banks | Pictured Rocks NL | Saguaro NP | Shenandoah Valley | Sleeping Bear Dunes NL | Sunset Crater NM | Texas Hill Country | Tybee Island | White Mountains NF | Yellowstone NP | Zion NP
OUTSIDE THE U.S.: Austria | Budapest, Hungary | Canada | Costa Rica | East Africa | Europe, here and there| France | Germany | Greece | Italy | Morocco | the Netherlands | Portugal | Russia | Scotland | Spain | Switzerland | Tunisia | Turkey
OTHER: HOME | My Favorites | the Andreas family, Moab | Vilseck DoDDS teachers' reunions
All images within 'The Wandering Chick' Web site are copyright protected. They may not be downloaded or otherwise copied.
On the north end of Whidbey Island is Deception Pass which separates Whidbey from Fidalgo Island. And on Fidalgo is a small beach called Rosario Beach. Besides hiking trails, there is a statue called the Deception Pass Maiden, a young Samish Indian.
Legend says a spirit of the sea fell in love with the maiden, but brought famine to her family when she would not marry him. After a period of drought and to save her family, she agreed to marry the spirit, and upon doing so not only brought the return of abundance to her family, but she, herself became immortal.
It is believed by the local Samish people that the maiden still lives in the sea below the waters of Deception Pass.
