Finally, blue skies

The weather during the last week in Washington has presented us with an unusual number of thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and flash floods. Friday’s system produced more rain in Seattle than July’s normal monthly total. When the clouds parted over the Cascades yesterday afternoon, I decided to take advantage of the blue skies and bolted for the door.

Mountain Loop Highway
Mountain Loop Highway
It has been years since I visited the trail head to Monte Cristo at Barlow Pass, and a ride on the Yamaha alongside the Stillaguamish River was bound to be a good cure for cabin fever, so I cinched up my helmet and away I went.

I have learned to regret not having cultivated the habit of taking photographs. I find that I have become more likely to recognize an opportunity to take a photo and to take advantage of it, but over many years I have squandered countless thousands of moments of which I am certain today I would relish having artifacts upon which to reflect. I have always glibly excused myself by saying, I was there, I remember it, but my memory is imperfect and diminishes with time. The photos that make an appearance on this site have become totems for me as I contemplate them and recall the events they record, thinking about the satisfaction I derive from placing them in context and oftimes wishing I could go back and tell my younger self to do a better job. I know by looking at the adjacent photo that years from now it will help me retrieve the memory of just how beautiful an afternoon it was, and am loath to think about how many such beautiful afternoons I have forgotten.

The ride into the mountains was as refreshing as I had hoped. The campgrounds and picnic areas that line the road were busy, and the parking lot at the trailhead was packed, but traffic was light and made way for the pair of high‐intensity headlamps that loomed in rear view mirrors. After pausing at the summit Barlow Pass long enough to stretch my legs and chat with some passersby, I turned around and headed home.

Chasing the Stillaguamish
Chasing the Stillaguamish
This is a frame capture from video taken by my GoPro. I am putting together a 2012 version of the Yamaha Summer video that will include some clips from yesterday’s trip.

Today the sky is once again filled with clouds that threaten rain. A few drops have reached the ground, and NOAA says more are due to fall this evening. The bluest skies you’ve ever seen may indeed be in Seattle, but they have been hard to spot so far this summer. Makes me that much more glad I went out yesterday and took some pictures.