April 22 - On the Waterfront

April 22, 2022

Earth Day

We are in Olympia, WA, for a walking event called “Wild and Woodsy in Washington.” The weekend offers a number of walking routes showcasing local parks and trails, both urban and out in the woods.

Today we chose a walk featuring the spectacular waterfront area in downtown Olympia. It was a beautiful and interesting walk. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

We started out by following a boardwalk and floating dock past marinas and public gathering spaces.

A Great Blue Heron welcomed us and showed off his fishing skills.

We really enjoyed all of the lovely landscaping and art installations along the boardwalk.

Cherry trees

Cherry tree in art

What a treat to pass through the Farmer’s Market. I wish we had planned to come through at lunch time.

We continued through a twigged arch to a peaceful little garden, past boat works, crossing from West Bay to East Bay.

The East Bay marina

In front of the Hands-On Children’s Museum we encountered a water-themed playground that was way more fun than anything they had when we were kids. It had a fantastic outdoor space that included a garden, a beach, a little lighthouse and a little tugboat. the garden contained plants that would be found in a marsh or estuary, and beautiful mosaics with sayings about water, such as “We’re all downstream.”

On the next block we found the WET Science Center, with more activities and exhibits about water.

After returning to West Bay, we stopped for lunch at Bayview Market. We finished our walk by circling Capitol Lake. We were rewarded with stunning views of the State Capitol along a pleasant trail.

Total distance covered: about 7.5 km