Tag Archives: waterfront

Kelowna Lakefront

We spent our Thanksgiving weekend in Kelowna BC.  It was not a long stay there, but it was a nice chance to visit somewhere new.  The trip involves a five-hour drive, so we didn’t arrive until mod afternoon.  The weather was lovely on the drive across so, when we arrived, we decided to take advantage of the sun to have a walk along the lake.

There are many homes and hotels along the water, and they have created parks and waterways around these developments.  It might have been sunny, but it definitely wasn’t warm, so we were wrapped up well to counter the cool air coming off the lake.  Plenty of people were out walking their dogs or riding their bikes so the whole place felt pretty alive considering this was a Thursday afternoon at the end of November.  These are some of the shots I got while we explored.

Everett Waterfront

I have seen a few articles recently about new developments along the waterfront in Everett.  Apartment buildings have been going up along with hotels and restaurants.  I decided to swing by one afternoon to have a look around.  This development is all north of the navy base and around the marina.  It was nice enough and I imagine it will continue to expand over time.  The buildings are much what you might expect.  However, I did get to see other things that I had not gone to before.  There is an old building out near the water which is nicely restored.  It appears to be open at certain times but wasn’t while I was there.  Any locals know the history?

Leavenworth Waterfront Park

On the way in to Leavenworth, I took a side street looking for a good parking option.  As we drove along this road, it took us close to the river and a sign for the waterfront park.  I had no idea about this park previously so we decided to check it out after walking through the town for a while.  Turns out it is a great set of trails that run along the river.  There are a couple of islands with bridges between them connecting everything together to make the park.

Each of the islands has a choice of trails so you don’t have to go out and back but can vary your route.  The ground was a bit icy underfoot in places but generally it was clear and plenty of people were out enjoying the views.  The river is to the south of the park while there are inlets around the islands formed as the water constantly changes the landscape.  There were also signs talking about the history of the area.  A stretch of wooden piles were arrayed out in to the river at what I assume was once a loading pier.  The lumber business was once dominant in the area.

Approaching Edmonds from the Water

While on the ferry, you are free to walk around the car deck if you wish although a mask is required.  Since it is open and the wind is blowing through from the open ends, there is good circulation.  I walked to the front to see the Edmonds skyline appear as we got closer.  We have been to Edmonds on a few occasions and it is a nice town.  This was my first view of it from the water, though.  Here are some shots of the town from the waters of Puget Sound.

Seattle Pano from West Seattle


With our visitors, we took a trip to West Seattle.  The afternoon light on the city looked nice and a pano seemed to be in order.  Here is a Zoomify version of it so you can look around the city at your leisure.

Lakefront Properties – Who’d Want the Noise?

Here are a few of the houses that along the north end of Lake Washington as seen from the pier at Kenmore.  Sure, they look like nice houses and they look out over the lake but I’m sure the noise of all of the people having fun out on the lake would make these unattractive places to live.  They also have floatplane traffic coming and going from Kenmore.  I can’t imagine anyone who would want that.

An Old Friend on the Shore

When I was a teenager, we lived on the seafront in Cowes.  The road was a short distance in from the waterfront but a side street led down to the sea itself and you could walk along from there in either direction, either along to Egypt Point or in to the town center.  The railings that stopped you falling in to the sea (if standing up was not something you could manage on your own) were mounted between a series of posts and, on one of these posts, there was a sculpture of a lion.  Clearly weathering had taken a toll on this lion but repairs had been carried out over the years.  When I was there last year, we took a walk along this same stretch and it was great to see this familiar old fella still guarding the shoreline.

Roche Harbor

B11I8533.jpgRoche Harbor used to be a lime production site.  A couple of the old lime kilns are still in place although no longer operational.  However, now the focus has been on transforming it in to a tourist and residential destination.  There is a hotel, shops and restaurants.  Plots of land are being developed into residences and there is a large marina.  The place is picturesque enough but it is a bit isolated from the rest of the island.  It had a bit of a feel of the sort of town in which everything is controlled by one company and the rules must be followed.  Maybe I am being unfair but that is how it seemed to me.  We walked around a bit to see what was on offer but we were soon on our way again.

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Friday Harbor

AE7I9618-Pano.jpgDespite spending quite a few days in Friday Harbor, I didn’t actually take many pictures of the town itself.  However, when arriving and departing, we had a better view of the town laid out around the harbor.  The waterfront is prime real estate and, as you come in on the ferry, you get to see some very nice places on the island in the middle of the harbor.  The area surrounding the harbor is more accessible for development and so there are a lot of places that are considerably closer together that the really pricey places.

IMG_4190.jpgOur hotel was a little up the hill and so had a nice view across the harbor.  The construction activity below us means a slight distraction from the picturesque ideal but it really was a fantastic spot to hang out for a drink in the evening or for breakfast first thing (or as close to first thing as we could manage while on vacation!).