Bainbridge Island Waterfront Loop Trails

Today we only started to hike on the Waterfront Trail in Winslow. I only needed about 4,000 more footsteps for my 10,000 step daily goal. So what we saw today just whetted our appetite to come back.

Washington State Ferry in Eagle Harbour... nice reflections!

Lots of boats in the Yacht Club... including one named "Cheers."

Not only is this sign very helpful posted along the trail, but there is a great resource online where you can print off a map with numbers to help you find some really cool details about historic buildings, and unique trees, and lots of neat stuff to see along the route. I love this kind of thing and when we return I will be more prepared for a self-guided walking tour.

There are actually two loop trails... and they start close to the ferry terminal.  You can choose the two-mile long western route that offers parks, restaurants and historic sites, or the 1.5 mile eastern loop that takes hikers along the beach and woods. Either trail is doable in an hour or less, depending on how much you stop to take photos or other wonderful distractions. We did most of the eastern route.

And the good news is that you can catch a Washington State ferry at Pier 52 in Seattle as a walk-on for a very reasonable fare... like only $4 round trip for seniors!

Most of my photos today are not numbered on the "official map" but are just some neat stuff that caught my eye... like this stone man sculpture.

Here is a few more pieces of stone art.

Some one had a lot of fun doing this.

We loved this well constructed boardwalk along the waterfront.  Fantastic!

The trail is fairly well marked with signage.

We had to stop and take some photos of trees in bloom. You can see the rain drops on the flowers.

My happy sweetheart in the background also busy with her iPhone camera.

We smiled when we saw this sign to dog owners.

Just in the few minutes we were out this afternoon I took photos of three different frog sculptures.

Strawberries have a deep history on Bainbridge Island. Between 1921 and 1941 about 200 workers cleaned and packed into 55 gallon wooden barrels two million pounds of world famous Bainbridge Island strawberries. World War II and the exclusion of Americans of Japanese ancestry form the West Coast ended the cannery operations. In 1997 the old building burned down and the site is now a park.

(This is the cool stuff you learn when you download that map.

These frogs reminded me of the day I went to Milton Freewater (Muddy Frogwater) and captured more than 35 different frogs carved out of wood and brightly painted... proudly featured in front various businesses. I did a blog post for Thursday 13 with my 13 favourites. Crazy fun stuff!

Enough already of the frogs! Methinks they had a frog painting contest here!

Kim told us that about 20 minutes north of town is a large rock painted like a frog. Something to catch on another day.

I'll end this blog today with a quote that suits a drizzly day like today.

"I like people who smile when it's raining."

That is my sweetheart, Shirley.