Destination Washington To Drag The Gut For Birch Bay Driftwood

I am going to be absent from Texas for much of next month, as in August.

On August 8 I am leaving Wichita Falls in plane mode to D/FW to get on a bigger plane in order to fly to Seattle.

After landing at Sea-Tac I will be chauffeured to Tacoma by my nephews David and Theo, and niece Ruby.

A couple days later, on August 11, David, Theo and Ruby are taking me north about 130 miles, not as a crow flies, but how I-5 lies, to Birch Bay to stay in a condo on the Bay til the following Monday.

Birch Bay is about 35 miles south of Vancouver, B.C. and about 100 miles north of Seattle, according to Wikipedia.

Tacoma is about 30 miles distant from Seattle, hence my 130 mile estimated Tacoma distance from Birch Bay, though I think that crow would have a lot fewer miles to fly than the 130 miles covered in vehicular mode.

A description of Birch Bay, from the aforementioned Wikipedia...

Birch Bay is a headland bay created by the refraction of incoming waves on the headlands that lie on either side of the bay. The headland to the north is Birch Point, and the one to the south is Point Whitehorn. The waves bend as they enter the bay and lose energy in the process. The result is a half-moon-shaped bay with a gentle sloping beach. 

Birch Bay State Park is at the south end of the Bay. That Washington state park may have been the location of more camping trips than any other location during my camping years with my primary family unit. A further description of Birch Bay, this time from the Birch Bay State Park website...

Low tide reveals a wide mudflat with a treasure trove of clams and other shellfish that can be harvested in season. Bring out the pails, shovels, mud boots and licenses, and start digging! If you prefer to swim, Birch Bay is known for its relatively warm water, and if you’d rather be on the water, the park offers excellent crabbing, windsurfing, sailing and paddling. 

The swimming is what I am looking forward to, if the tides are low and the temperature is reasonably high. Which in Western Washington means any summer temperature over 70. When the tide is low at Birch Bay the sun heats up the tidal flats. Then when the tide comes in the water gets heated, at times surprisingly warm. And then if the tidal timing is right, allowing for a swim in the dark, the phosphorescent phenomenon happens, making for a cool glow in the dark experience.

Mount Baker, along with other Cascade Mountains, hovers to the east of Birch Bay, though not quite as hoverish as the zoomed below photo indicates.

It has been nine years since I have heard a saltwater wave crash to shore. Or seen saltwater. Or crystal clear water such as one sees in multiple locations in Washington.

Apparently heading north to Washington has entered my sub-conscious, and thus my dreams/nightmares. Last night I had a troubling nightmare where my vehicle was unable to successfully board the ferry which takes one the short distance from Vashon Island to Point Defiance in Tacoma. My vehicle ended up in the crystal clear water as I watched the current slowly move it further and further away.

I think the Vashon Ferry was freshly in my mind due to it being mentioned a couple days ago during the course of a phone conversation with Miss Linda R.

I have no plans to be on a Washington ferry whilst I am in Washington.

I hope David, Theo and Ruby will take me on a walk across the new Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge for video documentation purposes, to show Fort Worth locals how in modern parts of the world something like a bridge can be built in less than four years over deep, swift moving water.

The past several years I have made multiple inquiries about a chunk of driftwood which during my younger years was located on the Birch Bay beach in the state park zone. Photographs of possible driftwood suspects have been taken by driftwood investigators, such as Spencer Jack and his dad. But none of the photos have matched my memory, including the one which comes closest, which is what you see above.

One of the many activities one enjoys at Birch Bay is called Dragging the Gut. Dragging the Gut involves joining the throngs of Canadians driving back and forth the length of Birch Bay engaging in a lot of people watching. One only needs to extend the Gut Dragging a short distance past the regular turn around to get to the location of that legendary chunk of driftwood.

I am hoping we get to do an extended Dragging the Gut whilst we are at Birch Bay.

The day after we arrive at Birch Bay, Saturday, August 12, we will be driving east to Lynden to Monumenta Cemetery to deliver our dad to his final resting place.

The following day, Sunday, will be a fun day, likely with visitors visiting who I have not seen in years.

Then on Tuesday David, Theo and Ruby are taking me back to the airport so I can fly to Arizona to spend some time with their grandma.