Sunday, March 24, 2019

Planes and Trains at Bellingham's Marine Drive Park


If you are a transportation nut, the place to visit is Marine Drive Park in Bellingham, WA.



Marine Park is next to Bellingham Bay with spectacular views of Lummi Island and Downtown Bellingham and Fairhaven. There's grass, picnic tables, trees and ... airplanes and trains.


Marine Park is bordered by the train tracks that link the States to Canada. You will see both passenger and freight trains pass by so close you could almost touch them. In fact, you have to be careful since the tracks aren't fenced.


While Wayne and I were there, you could hear the train's whistle as it approached from the south. This one was a BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) freight train with a mixture of cars including telephone poles, lumber and enclosed boxcars with lots of graffiti. I miss cabooses.


The park is also under the flight path from nearby Bellingham International Airport. That's where we keep our airplane 997 in a hangar. It also has commercial service by Alaska and Allegiant Airlines. We saw both take off. This one was Allegiant heading to Las Vegas.


We saw dog walkers, train watchers and a guy using two trees to practice tightrope walking. Marine Park hours are from dawn to dusk, but just before it closes you can see spectacular sunsets. Here are two photos from a previous visits. The first is without flash.


And in this one, I used flash to highlight the native plants in the foreground.


Bellingham has some wonderful places to explore. This is just one of many. -- Margy

20 comments :

  1. Your mention of caboose brings to mind that here in one of Adelaide's (South Australia) suburbs the ticket office area of a railway station has been turned into a fascinating Coffee House backing on to the platform. It has great atmosphere, with old enamel water jugs and mugs plus a station attendant's hat!

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    1. When I lived in Torrance, California, there was a restaurant at the nearby mall that had a restaurant made out of several railroad cars attached to each other. I can't remember what kind of food they served, but do remember how interesting it looked from the roadway passing by. - Margy

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  2. ...nice neck of the woods out there! Enjoy your week.

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  3. Margy - so much to see at this park - you could spend hours! I am especially intrigued by the tightrope walker - not something you see every day! Thanks for sharing a little slice of your world with Mosaic Monday!

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    1. Lots of people come here to eat their lunch, even in bad weather. You can see the ocean from your car parked in the lot. Tightrope walkers are pretty common in Bellingham parks. Probably because of all the mature trees. - Margy

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    1. Thanks Ritta. It was a beautiful end of winter sunny day. - Margy

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  5. Hello, it is a lovely park with beautiful views. Enjoy your day! Have a happy new week!

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    1. Bellingham has lots of parks, many of them pocket size like this one. They are usually on land donated from family estates. - Margy

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  6. I love seeing the train and these pics make a nice mosaic! Enjoy your day!

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    1. Trains and planes are favourites of mine, and to find them both in the same place is great. - Margy

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  7. Wonderful images. It's heartwarming to see open water and greenery!

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    1. Yes it is, especially in winter and early spring. The weather in Bellingham is almost the same as our Powell Lake float cabin. - Margy

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  8. Bellingham is a busy place you've captured well in this post.

    We enjoyed our time in Powell River very much - it's a friendly place and while we were there the weather was gorgeous! We walked along the sea wall, along the Willingdon Trail, and also the Inland Lake trail. So lovely.

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    1. If you come back again get in touch, maybe we can meet up. - Margy

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  9. Margy, I think I was there or near there about 30 years ago. Your photo of the train sparked something in my old memory box. :-) Your last photo is stunning. I like how the flash picked up the plants.

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    1. Isn't it like that with memories? A sight, smell or sound can bring it all back. - Margy

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  10. We stayed overnight there before boarding the ferry when we traveled to Alaska and wondered why we’d never spent any time there before. Bellingham seemed like such an interesting city. We still haven’t made it back though.

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    1. It's a great town, especially known for retirees and outdoor enthusiasts. - Margy

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Thanks for stopping by. Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome. - Margy