Wandering on Whidbey Island

We spent a week on Whidbey Island in northern Puget Sound in January in weather ranging from cold rain and fog to shirtsleeves and sunshine where I tested the landscape capabilities of the Sony RX100. Whidbey Island was named by Captain George Vancouver for Lieutenant Joseph Whidbey who explored the island in a launch from Discovery in 1792 (link). Vancouver had a penchant for naming things after his friends – he named Puget Sound after Discovery Lieutenant Peter Puget, Mount Baker after 3rd Lieutenant Joseph Baker, Mount Rainier after Rear Admiral Peter Rainier, and so on (link).

Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve (NHR)
Ebey’s Landing NHR was established by Congress in 1978 as a partnership among the National Park Service; state, county and town governments; and residents of central Whidbey Island. It is administered and managed by the Trust Board of Ebey’s Landing NHR and is the first unit of its kind in the National Park System. The Reserve covers over 17,000 acres, most of which is privately owned, and includes Penn Cove and the town of Coupeville (link, link).

Farms at Ebey's Landing

Sidetracked in Seattle

We flew to Seattle in January to visit Rande’s family. It gave me a chance to learn my new compact digital camera, a Sony RX100. I wanted a good pocket camera to use when it’s inconvenient to carry a full-sized digital SLR and to be less conspicuous in crowded locations. I also wanted a camera that would fit in a compact housing for underwater photography. The RX100 is a photo-enthusiast’s compact camera (more details at the end). 

Main entrance to the Pike Place Market

Los Barriles

Los Barriles is a small town (pop. 1,174 in 2010 census) off the Transpeninsular Highway (KM 105) between La Paz and San José del Cabo. We drove by on a trip to Baja Sur in 2011, went back for two weeks in 2012 and for three months in 2013. Los Barriles translates as “the barrels”; according to legend, conquistadors buried gold in barrels in the hills overlooking Bahia de las Palmas (link). 

The town grew up around sportfishing, which caught on in the 1950s and 1960s (link) when small fishing resorts hosted Hollywood stars like Errol Flynn, John Wayne and Bing Crosby (link). The area has some of the best fishing in the world (link, link, link) and fishing tournaments with significant prizes (link).

Entrance to Los Barriles from the Transpeninsular Highway

Today, snowbirds, part-time residents, retired gringos and tourists mingle with the local Mexican community. Cows and goats wander the roads and ATVs (known as “quads”) are a primary form of transportation. The main street through town is paved, but everything else is dirt. With only a few tourist hotels, Los Barriles is still a bit sleepy and dusty. It’s the anti-Cabo San Lucas – no cruise ships call here and the town is quiet after midnight.

The Muralist

A beat-up Ford Aerostar pulled up below the house and honked. A man in his 70s got out and started up the steep dirt driveway. “Hello” he called out without seeing anyone. I stuck my head over the second floor railing; “hola” I replied. He was tall and thin and wore a wide-brimmed straw hat, tan shorts and a well-worn, long-sleeve dress shirt buttoned in three places. He was clean shaven except for a neatly-trimmed pencil mustache and he leaned slightly forward as he climbed the rutted driveway confidently, if slowly, in his flip flops. “I’m David, John’s caretaker. I lived in this house until last week and I left a few things behind. Do you mind if I get them?”

David at the house of faces