Greenery

This morning we decided to take the dogs for an overdue walk and wound up on a winding trail along a lazy river.

Per King County's website, "The Green River Trail winds more than 19 miles through industrial lands near the Duwamish Waterway in Tukwila to the broad Green River Valley. The trail provides excellent views and access to the Green River and surrounding river valley from Cecil Moses Park near Seattle’s south boundary to North Green River Park in south Kent near Auburn."

I have seen Cecil Moses Park along the highway a number of times. I didn't know that is the trail's northernmost spot. We'll have to stop by some time.

Today, we walked for about 45 minutes along the west side of the river, next to the area labeled Skyway on the map. We parked at the Tukwila Community Center, walked across the Allentown bridge, and headed south along the paved pathway.

For a lot of the walk, we were sandwiched between the slow-flowing river and industrial parks. In the photo below, you can see the Boeing Employees' Credit Union (BECU) headquarters looming in the distance. 

We were pleasantly surprised by the number of benches and roofed structures along the way.

We reached a turnaround point near a huge Shell Station in Tukwila. On our way back to the community center, I saw a small, yellow winged creature near the riverfront. 

At first I thought it was a butterfly, but then I realized it was a bird. See if you can spot the tiny yellow spot in the crappy, enlarged cell phone photo below.

It was so bright, at first we surmised it might be an escaped parakeet. Then, it occurred to me that it probably was a goldfinch. I told the kids that I thought that, in fact, it might be the state bird of Washington.

Once we got home we hit the Internet and found out that, in fact, my hunch was right. The Audubon Society's BirdWeb informed us the American Goldfinch "is common throughout the lowlands of Washington, often coming to bird feeders. The male in breeding plumage is bright yellow with a black forehead, wings, and tail. He has one white wing-bar on each wing and white on his tail."

Here is a slightly better photo of the American Goldfinch (via Wikimedia, thanks to user Breck22)

I have not seen a goldfinch in YEARS (like, since my childhood), and the kids don't ever recall seeing one. 

We're definitely interested in exploring the entire Green River Trail. King County Parks describes it as a trail that "links industrial lands to pastoral landscapes, parks, communities, and river views. Ideal for recreational journeys and non-motorized commuting, the trail is highly popular with a variety of user groups. In the future, the trail is slated to continue south through the City of Auburn and eventually to Flaming Geyser State Park at the Green River Gorge."

Cool!

VINYL TIE: As we were walking along the Green River trail this morning, CJ informed Annabelle and me that Mudhoney's frontman Mark Arm used to be in a band called Green River, named after the waterway we were paralleling. 

When we got home, we learned more about the band. Turns out their release "Come on Down" in 1985 was pre-grunge at its perhaps first and finest. (In fact, Arm is the human credited with coining the term 'grunge.')

The band Green River was comprised of members of the biggest names in the grunge genre, Arm and Steve Turner, who would go on to form Mudhoney, and Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard of Mother Love Bone, and later Pearl Jam.

"Come on Down" was just re-released on pink vinyl, and CJ wants it so, SO much.

MOON WATCH: Wednesday night, there's a sweet treat in the sky, a "Strawberry Moon."

The first full moon of summer will take on a reddish tint and appear unnaturally large, according to a press release by a Washington State University press release. 

Moonrise will occur at 8:24 p.m. Pacific Standard Time and be at its fullest by 9:53 p.m. A double delight, watch for Saturn, as well. It will be a bright object just south of the full moon, the biggest and brightest it will be in all of 2018.