Hi, I'm Eric.

I’m an avid world traveler, photographer, software developer, and digital storyteller.

I help implement the Content Authenticity Initiative at Adobe.

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55
Saddlebag Island Marine State Park
55

Saddlebag Island Marine State Park

east of Anacortes, Washington
visited 11 July 2021
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Never have I ever seen so many herons in one place! I didn’t manage to capture the sound effects, but they make a sound that’s a lot like pigs grunting. Lots of flying pigs having turf battles amongst the treetops.

There are … easier parks to get to.

Saddlebag Island is accessible only by boat, and for those of us whose boats are human-powered, it’s a long haul. The closest approach (four miles each way) is from Guemes Island or Anacortes. I instead chose to paddle over from Bay View State Park, which wound up making a journey of 12 miles in total.

Turns out Padilla Bay is very shallow at low tide; enough so that it made the first mile or so extra challenging. But I got there. And I’m stronger for it!

Fortunately, the return trip was aided by at least a middle tide which provided several feet of water. So much easier …

View across choppy blue water toward two low tree-topped islands, Saddlebag and Dot, under a deep blue cloudless sky, with distant mountain ranges and a snow-capped peak visible on the horizon.
First sighting of Saddlebag and Dot Islands.

There are two beaches on Saddlebag Island. I landed on the south beach and hiked around the island for an hour or so.

A rustic staircase of weathered wooden timber steps climbing a dry, grassy hillside trail, flanked by sun-bleached brown grasses and scattered green brush, with a ‘no campfire’ warning sign on a post at the top left.
A rocky, pebbled shoreline fringed by dense evergreen forest looks out over calm blue water under a clear deep-blue sky, with a small inflatable dinghy pulled up on the beach and a sailboat and motor yacht anchored offshore near distant forested islands and a hill.
A rocky, tree-topped headland meets a pebbly shoreline at low tide under a clear, deep blue sky, with calm water and distant forested hills across the bay at Saddlebag Island State Park near Anacortes, Washington.
A madrona tree with smooth reddish-orange bark arches over a rocky shoreline at Saddlebag Island State Park, framing a view of calm blue water, a forested headland, and an industrial facility emitting smoke on the distant shore under a clear blue sky.
A view across calm blue water from a grassy, sun-dried hillside dotted with shrubs and evergreen trees at Saddlebag Island State Park near Anacortes, Washington, with forested islands and a small white sailboat in the distance under a clear blue summer sky.

From the southeast corner of Saddlebag Island, you can glance across at nearby Dot Island.

A rocky, forested islet rises from calm blue water under a clear deep-blue sky, with a larger tree-covered island in the distance, viewed across golden dry grass and rocky shoreline in the foreground.
A grassy bluff with dry golden grasses and evergreen conifers on the left overlooks a calm bay, with distant forested hills and a snow-capped mountain peak under a deep blue clear sky.
A lone evergreen conifer stands on a grassy bluff overlooking calm blue water under a clear, deep-blue sky, with forested islands and low mountains along the distant horizon at Saddlebag Island State Park near Anacortes, Washington.
A calm blue bay viewed from a dry, grassy bluff in the foreground, with forested hills and distant mountain ranges stretching across the horizon under a clear deep-blue sky.
A calm blue bay viewed from a dry, grassy bluff in the foreground, with forested hills and distant mountain ranges stretching across the horizon under a clear, cloudless blue sky.
A calm blue bay viewed from a grassy, shrubby shoreline, with a sailboat and two motorboats anchored on the water and a forested, mountainous island on the horizon under a clear deep-blue sky.
A flock of herons soaring as dark silhouettes against a deep blue sky, with the tops of evergreen trees visible along the lower-left edge of the frame.
So many herons!
A narrow dirt trail winds through a lush green forest, with a large moss-flecked tree trunk dominating the right foreground and sunlight filtering through the canopy onto ferns, mossy ground, and scattered rocks.
A forested island shoreline topped with dense evergreen trees and golden grass rises above a rocky beach strewn with driftwood, seen from the water under a clear deep-blue sky, with distant hills faintly visible on the right horizon.
A small rocky island topped with evergreen trees and golden grass rises from deep blue water under a clear, cloudless sky, with faint distant shorelines and mountains along the horizon.

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