It starts at about San Luis Obispo. The desert that meets the Pacific in Southern California and the O.C. gives way to taller trees, the coast line gets tall and hilly, and the fog is blocked by the coastal range; the water gets cooler and the mammals change. By Big Sur whales, sea otters, and elephant seals rule the coastal waters and smaller fish seek the protection of kelp forests that mirror the forests on the land. From the Central Coast all the way up past Victoria Island British Columbia the fog mingles with the trees and sometimes creates an almost other worldly mist that shines through and illuminates the sun’s rays between the branches of Redwoods and conifers.

Today’s postcard comes from Stuart Island in Washington state. After paddling from San Juan Island to Stuart the previous day we pitched our tents in a public campground for the night but were greeted by a morning rain. The summer in Puget Sound is both beautiful and sunny but also frequently rainy. Marty, our kayak guide, gave us a short-day hike to the top of the island with the expectation of a paddle after it cleared up. In addition to getting our minds off the rain, it gave us a chance to see if the orcas that had left the Strait of Juan de Fuca had returned. (They didn’t and we were skunked for the four days on the water.) Along the way to the island summit I took the above picture.

When I returned to sell the photo back in the Bay Area, most potential customers asked where in the local coastal range I had taken the picture. “Not here”, I replied, “it is in Puget Sound.” Over the years I have come to recognize this view throughout the Redwood band in California from Big Sur and Santa Cruz at Basin State Park, to the Avenue of the Giants near Eureka.

I’d like to be in the San Juan Islands right now. Instead of giving you COVID 19, please accept my postcards from Stuart Island, sans the gas, ferry fees, and ten-mile kayak paddle.