[furthur]

Minus tide--time for a shoreline sashay from Edmonds to Mukilteo.

hobo pigeons

Edmonds ferry, heron

geese chix

Canadians with heron

languid lounging lady tree

beacon

rocket

camo kelp

chicken (of the sea) skin

beach access

BNSF coming

BNSF here

Meadowdale Beach--correction: Brown's Bay-where is everyone?

one reason to stay off Brown's Bay

ole whatchamacallit (Haines Wharf)

under ole whatchamacallit

vacant moonsnail

repurposed moonsnail

moonsnail inner beauty

moonsnail collar

North Meadowdale Beach

rock kelp in formation

orange kelp

airshow flyover

seafood buffet

missing something?

mussel shell

approaching Sunset Bay camp

north side of Sunset Bay

high density tidepool

barney stone

mmmm....Ivar's

purple martin

martin and chick

Picnic Point

a project for the Kalakala Foundation

sunning seastar

shy seastar

caramel anemone

fat anemone with braids

sekrit beach compound (Humpy Hollow)

Mukilteo Beach

Mukilteo ferry

mmmmm Ivar's !!

[Stones]

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/7515/meadowdalebeachempty.jpg This is actually Browns Bay and right by my neighborhood beach access where Perrinville Creek pours into the Sound. Meadowdale Beach is beyond the wharf. I walked from here to downtown Edmonds today. Edmonds to Mukilteo, that's a truck. Good job, nice photos.

[realityguy]

I spent a portion of my youth waterfront on Meadowdale Beach,lived about 5 houses south from the wharf. Ol' Whatchamacallit'..was Haines Wharf,then Laebugtens(sp?),then Meadowdale Marine,then pretty much shut down and not able to open now.Last I heard some foreign investor bought the place and Edmonds isn't allowing restoration. The "Haines" were my next door neighbor and I spent some of my very young youth pushing rental fishing boats around the pier/lift and cleaning fish between 4am and 9am during the summer months. Brown's Bay used to have a boathouse there also.I think it was torn down probably about 1960 or so.Norma Beach(some other name now?) is the third one in the line up towards Picnic Point beyond the park at Meadowdale Point. Meadowdale Point at one time had a 'Country Club' with a large lodge,a couple swimming pools,picnic areas,and more than just the park today.Unfortunately the access road kept washing out and they went bankrupt during the 60s.. I spent my high school years skimboarding Meadowdale Beach and some night times drinking,partying at Picnic Point with the rest of the local gang at Meadowdale High.The police made a regular habit of blocking the dirt road getting into Picnic Point,getting on the bullhorns, and citing the partiers that drove there..Heck,I just walked home down the beach. Walking on the BN tracks..not a wise thing to do anymore!They are handing out trespassing citations left and right and also have added the local police departments to promote their ticketting..The Meadowdale Wharf access area has been closed down and a large fence put up,lots of No trespassing signs added to prevent people that own waterfront property from even accessing their own tideland property..except from Edmonds,the top end of Meadowdale Park by way of Lund's Gulch(a few miles),Picnic Point's overpass,Humpy Hollow(the small beachside community before mukilteo) or Mukilteo...only where you can officially drive/walk under or over the tracks! I found out the hard way about the trespassing.I was walking back from the point walking one rail all the way like I used to do as a teenager..and the officer was sitting at the wharf driveway waiting for me.Fortunately it was the early phase and they were only giving out warnings.Since that day,the wife and I have had to give up afternoons of sitting/swimming on the beach at Meadowdale Point playing cribbage and drinking tupperware margaritas. Anyway..thanks for the TR..brought back fond memories...

[soreyes]

Great post. I wanted so badly to get out and enjoy a long tide hike. I was stuck in the yard between trips to home depot working on some projects. I live up the street from Browns Bay as well. Hi neighbors. It was disappointing to see they put up that huge fence blocking the tide beach access. The culvert access within Meadowdale park was closed for most of the winter.

[silence]

great one ... i've always wanted to do that ..

[marta]

Nice report. I had never thought about going north from Edmonds during low tide. I always go to Richmond Beach and then go south. I'm going to have to give the north route a try.

[Stones]

Great history Realityguy. Meadowdale Marine was still open when I moved here in 1991 and must have still been open until maybe 1997 because I remember walking out on the wharf when my oldest was about 3 or maybe it was with my nephew in 1993. Anyway, it's definitely closed now and falling apart. I keep thinking the next big storm will take it all except for the hulking metal behemoth portion. I remember the Edmonds Museum had an exhibit on the Puget Sound boathouses. There are still pilings on Browns Bay by the Perrinville Creek outflow and also by the Lynnwood wastewater treatment plant. Good advice, don't walk the tracks. The passenger trains are very quiet and they move fast.

[furthur]

Reality Guy and Stones, your info is much appreciated! Makes me want to do the tour again. Do either of you (or anyone else) have the scoop on the beached ship past Picnic Point? As I was shooting, an agitated guy ran out yelling, "Get away from the wreck, get away from the wreck!!!"...and I was no where near it. Really piqued my interest--wonder what's in that thing? And Humpy Hollow! what images that brings to mind. Those homes are skin to skin with the RR track, the bluff rising immediately behind. How the heck do they get down there? A couple was playing cards on their porch, but oddly, I felt like I was trespassing in their private world and hurried by. (Maybe afraid they were going to start yelling, "Get away from our house, get away from our house"). Wish I had stopped to ask.

[silence]

btw .. you should read harvey mannings "walking the beach to bellingham" .. you would enjoy it ...

[furthur]

I have!! Was wondering if anyone would mention that. I love the picture of Harvey on the book's dust jacket. Disheveled, with old grease stains on his shirt. Loved his section on Edmonds, drinking a 6 pack of Rainier (of course, he wrote), reminiscing about Oly Mtns trips. After his 4th Rainier, he wrote, "The present is a night-haunted misery, the future belongs to the fools and villains who are making it. All I want is the past, a ferry-boat, and a can of beer."

[silence]

yes .. it's a great read ... those with any connection to the beaches along this stretch will totally enjoy .. living in both edmonds and picnic point over the past 25 yrs .. and walking the beaches myself many times i certainly did .. yeah harvey did like his rainier .. btw i try to get over as much as i can and visit with betty his better half .. a dear friend now .. she has lots of great stories .. anyhow the first time i visited their little cabin on tiger mtn .. a forest oasis in a sea of upscale monster homes .. there sat harvey's bug .. filled with his old retired boots .. it made me cry ;(

[realityguy]

[The Angry Hiker]

Many years ago, a cousin and I were down there putting pennies on the tracks and decided to sneak into that abandoned wharf. It was dark, creaky, and looked like it hadn't been occupied in ages. But somewhere in there we heard music playing, so we followed it. Way, way, waaaay in the very back there was a lone guy standing under a single light-bulb. He had a small counter where he was gutting fish while listening to the radio. We talked to him for a bit and he gave us a couple pieces of salmon to take home. So every time I see a photo of that place, I get hungry for seafood.

[silence]

[The Angry Hiker]

Nah, it's just the cheeseburger I had for lunch.