What's great about this place we live in is that it doesn't take long to get away and really feel that you've left urban existence behind.
There are numerous ways to escape city life, but I've found that the most expedient and also the most relaxing method is via the ferry. The moment I drive my car onto the boat, I know my getaway has begun, and as the Seattle skyline slowly starts to recede, my shoulders sink down from their vise-grip position next to my ears and I begin to breathe easy.
I'm headed to Bainbridge Island, 35 minutes across the Sound, to visit the Bloedel Nature Reserve. It's winter, yet it's one of those picture-postcard days full of sunshine and blue sky. Bundled up on deck, skin braced from the brisk wind, I watch as the boat nears the island. Although I've been to Bainbridge before, I've never made a stop at the Bloedel Reserve - merely passed it on my way to the Scandinavian hamlet of Poulsbo where out-of-town guests always clamor to be taken.
It was a bit early, so I opted for a warm start to the morning by stopping in at the Blackbird Bakery just a few blocks from the ferry terminal. The Blackbird is a fixture in downtown Winslow and a hub of early-morning activity. I stood before the counter drooling, trying to decide which breakfast goodie to sample, when the man behind me said, "Try the pumpkin-pecan bread. You won't be sorry." I wasn't sure if he was sincere or just trying to hurry me along, but I like living on the edge, so I gave my order for a slice of the pumpkin bread and something called a "Winter Elixir" (hot cranberry, apple cider and herbal tea, spiced with ginger) to go. As I bit into the bread, I looked up, made eye contact with the man and gave the thumbs-up sign.
Refueled and ready to commune with nature, I made the approximately six-mile drive to the Bloedel Reserve. To give some sense of perspective about the place, it's useful to understand a bit of history and background. In 1856, President James Buchanan gave the land on which the reserve is located (as well as most of Agate Point) to officials representing the Washington Territories for the purposes of developing a territorial university. The property was logged and the money from the sale of the timber paid for some of the buildings for the new campus.
In 1906, Angela Collins, widow of John Collins, the sixth mayor of Se-attle, purchased the land and built a beach cottage on it. She later had another house constructed on the upper part of the property, which now serves as the Visitor Center. This house - in the style of a French manor home - and its grounds became known as Collinswood.
The next owners of the property were Prentice and Virginia Bloedel. Virginia fell in love with the house, while Prentice was taken with the land and open space. They purchased the place and lived there for more than 30 years. Over time, they created a nature reserve for the primary purpose of allowing people to find tranquility in the presence of natural beauty. The Reserve now comprises some 150 acres, of which 80 acres of second-growth forest will not be developed except for the addition of a few trails.
Kate Gromley, Bloedel program director and volunteer coordinator, met me at the Gatehouse, the main entry to the reserve, to begin my guided tour. I told her that some people I'd talked with prior to my visit had scoffed at my going to a nature reserve this time of year because they couldn't believe there'd be anything worthwhile to see. Gromley quickly assured me that winter was her favorite season at Bloedel because of the angle of the sun, which makes for interesting light. She also noted that because the leaves are off the deciduous trees, you can see more depth in the landscape - "And you'll find lots of little surprises along the way."
Before we had even made it to the path, Gromley pointed out a witch-hazel bush in all its rust-orange regalia and an Empress tree with its beautifully structured branches and large seedpods. At the reserve there is no signage or labels to distract or interfere with one's experience. We passed through an expansive meadow and down a bark-covered trail through dense woods, headed for the Bird Marsh. Along the way, Gromley called my attention to some Artist's Conk, a tough, massive mushroom that grows on dead wood and can serve as a "canvas" for any wandering artiste with a ready twig or sharp fingernail.
The Bird Marsh contains two ponds with several islands and decorative plant materials, selected for their ability to provide food and cover for birds attracted to the area. The highlight of the refuge is a pair of trumpeter swans that make their home in the ponds. These majestic creatures were gliding silently through the water as we walked by, but just as we were leaving the area, they trumpeted in unison, as if thanking us for visiting.
From the Bird Marsh, the trail led to the trestle footbridge, a unique landscape feature, made entirely by hand, which allows visitors to obtain a special view of a small forest wetland or bog. As we walked on the bridge, Gromley pointed out some interesting plants, including Skunk Cabbage and Cobra Lilly. The latter fascinated me; it's a carnivorous plant with a head shaped exactly like that of the deadly snake.
The Mid Pond area located right before the Visitor Center is most dramatic for its sweeping view of the stately Visitor Center building in the background and for the magnificent weeping willow perched at water's edge. There's also a Persian parrot tree - yes, it comes from Iran - and in winter, without its leaves, you can see its exfoliating bark, which peels off in flakes to reveal layers of colorful patterns.
As I approached the Visitor Center, I could easily see how Virginia Bloedel became enamored with the structure. High on a bluff, with views of Puget Sound, the house is stately and handsome, with a French flair to the architecture. The ground floor is open for public use, providing restrooms, library access and an opportunity to see some of the furnishings enjoyed by the Bloedels. There are pictures of the Bloedels and their daughter Virginia, as well as a scrapbook of photos of the construction of the house and how it appeared years ago. If you walk around to the rear, you look out toward the Sound and over a space that once served as a sheep pasture and as an orchard for the original owner, Mrs. Collins. A knotted and gnarly Camperdown Elm stands at the northeast corner of the property, almost like an elderly statesman overseeing his property.
Farther down through the reserve, we came to the Christmas Pool, an area that Prentice Bloedel created for his wife as a holiday present in 1970. As we strolled around the pond, Gromley pointed out one of the "surprises" she'd mentioned at the outset. Peeking out from the ground was a group of primroses all abloom in their lavender fancy.
Still farther on, we came to the Japanese Garden with its guesthouse and Zen or stone garden. The guesthouse was designed to combine a Japanese style with a Northwest Native American structure. It's now used by private groups for retreats, meetings and workshops. The Zen or meditation garden is fairly monochromatic and kept simple in its design in order to allow the visitor to take an active role in interpreting its features. There's a beautiful old lace leaf maple below the deck of the guesthouse in the stroll garden, as well as several Japanese red, black and white pines. The black pines represent the male element of the garden, while the red ones symbolize the female element. Everything is heavily pruned using a technique called, "cloud pruning." The result is the appearance of layers of fluffy clouds that envelop the area.
One of my favorite areas of the Reserve - or "garden rooms," as Grom-ley referred to them - is the Moss Garden. This beautiful cover of moss looks like luxurious carpet and feels velvety soft to the touch. To create the moss cover, 2,200 flats of Irish moss were brought in and then cut into little cubes, amounting to 275,000 flats. These were then planted about 6 inches apart to create a temporary floor for the garden. Over time, native true mosses invaded the Irish moss and crowded out most of it, resulting in the exquisite display now seen.
Finally, we arrived at the Reflection Pool, a place of stark simplicity where the beauty of nature is reflected in the water. This was said to be a much-favored spot for quiet contemplation of the Bloedels. Upon their death and at their request, their remains were placed in this garden at a site indicated by a slate marker.
Upon leaving the Reflection Garden, we followed a path known as the Camellia Walk. Another one of Kate Gromley's surprises materialized before our eyes. It was a blushing rose camellia; a vivid reminder that although it was winter, not everything was dormant.
What I enjoyed about my time at the Reserve was its atmosphere of serenity amid Mother Nature's splendiferous gifts. It's a magical place to interact with the landscape, evoking emotions that range from peaceful bliss to sheer exhilaration at the small treasures one can discover along the way.
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