Dodging the Smoke

The last couple weekends, due to the wildfire smoke in the region, I've been seeking out destinations with cleaner air, near the Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and north of the smoke from the Bolt Creek fire. I'm sure there have been areas in the mountains with clean air, but wasn't worth it to me to try to guess where those would be and, if wrong, have to choose between turning around or getting a sore throat and headache.

Fall color on western Washington's beaches is subtle - the landscapes don't jump into the camera like they do in the subalpine, where whole slopes turn bright red. I also faced the challenge of a pale, washed-out-looking sky due to wildfire slope aloft. Even so, I got a handful of nice pictures.

Barnum Point

The first place I visited was the Barnum Point Preserve on Camano Island. There are trails through the woods and to the beach, and you can hike a roughly three-mile loop around the park. The forest is nice but nothing special - mostly drier second-growth forest. The beach areas were great, though, as were the more meadowy sections.

First, some autumn leaves (alder or birch of some sort?) in the foreground, with the beach and bluffs in the background. F/7.1.

Next, rose hips with another view of the beach in the background. I don't know which species I photographed, but Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) seems to be the most common in these sorts of environments, so it's a good guess. I like the contrast between the vivid colors of the foreground and the muted colors of the beach. F/9.

Deception Pass

The following weekend, I visited the Lighthouse Point area of Deception Pass State Park. I was concerned about smoke rolling in for the afternoon, so I chose this relatively short trail. First, my favorite of the day, with a colorful small madrone in the foreground, and autumn colors in the background. F/5.6.

Next, two images from the beaches in the area. As mentioned above, the smoky skies look a bit pale, and the sunlight through the smoke created unusually warm color tones. I think these compositions still work, though, particularly the first. F/18 and F/16, respectively.

That's all for today! It looks like our weather will be returning to a normal pattern soon, which is a relief. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see fall color up high before the rain gets too bad, but I'm mostly excited about getting a break from the smoke.