Whitehorse Mountain from Darrington

Has an intriguing hanging valley but apparently not easy to access by developed trail.

What’s not to like?

2nd week November, dry, filtered sun and listening to Langdon Cook's Upstream, an audio book on salmon as I drive the muddy potholes and reacquaint myself with this part of the state.

Mountain Loop Highway on a cloudy Veteran’s Day

What an organic garden looks like in fall

Today was overcast but warm. A day to do long postponed fall yard work in my deliberately untidy garden. I've left the stalks and seed heads for the appreciative songbirds. Now it's time to prune down the top branches of the lilac that screens my back bedroom, dump out some big pots to find the last potatoes, rake sodden leaves and stuff them into both my compost bins, cut down the squidgy frost damaged rhubarb stalks from amongst the healthy sprouting artichokes, and chop out the last usable stalks for the year. Tonight baked rhubarb Is on the menu.

My favorite neighborhood tree

A rescue, according to the older couple who'd lived here several years ago. Never pruned, it's shapely and a keeper. I love it in fall.

Debriefing a Monroe 30 years on

Old Owens road is dangerous on a sunny Friday afternoon in November. Big powerful trucks and SUVs passing too fast. Everyone is "trying" but it's easy to tell who's a cyclist as well as a driver. The road is narrow with untrustworthy excuses for shoulders. The descent on Reinig Road into Sultan is sweet riding dessert. Crossing to the south of the Skykomish, after the pathetic excuse for a sidewalk on the bridge into Sultan, is a throwback to what rural riding in Snohomish County once was. Is it worth it? Yes. Even with the 4 bonus miles on dangerous, shoulderless woods creek road when I missed the shabby excuse for a "street" in Monroe. Thank goodness I'm an experienced roadie. Thank goodness I can tolerate the crazy trafficked to get the the sweet stuff. Timing is all. Maybe next summer, a Sunday and early. Then it's the rural ride in the Mountaineers book of 30 years ago.

Once a farmhouse, then a Christmas tree farm, and now derelict

Change rolls along in Snohomish County.