"Chuckanut Series" 20.5x20" oil pastel Kathleen Faulkner
There is a place where the mountains kiss the sea.
It is one of my favorite spots and it starts a twenty minute journey north. Chuckanut Drive is spectacular, when it's open. There are slides regularly so, quite often, the road is closed. It is a narrow, winding road that can be dangerous at times but worth the effort.
It begins at Blanchard, a very small town that, at one time, prospered through timber but now is almost a ghost. It lies at the base of Blanchard Mountain. This area is a destination for many with it's excellent trails, vistas and bat caves. Down at the water, one can buy shellfish and celebrate every July at the Bivalve Bash. There is still some old growth left, as well.
A movement to save this mountain from logging has been underway for awhile. Unfortunately, the southern tip of it is getting the ax.
How does one explain the importance of wilderness to those who only see the money to be made by destroying it?
