Today (Monday) we took Max over to Mudbay Park, an important part of the Pacific Flyway, the aerial highway migratory birds use to make their way from South America all the way to Alaska. It’s a pit stop of sorts, for birds on their way to and from mating/breeding grounds.

This was our first time there; there are paths running along the sea shore, over dykes and through the estuary. The marsh grasses hide lots of birds, but most of the up to 1200 species are not here at this time of the year. We saw only the usual ducks, crows, seagulls etc. The tide was not too low, so the flats are not that visible in the pictures.

It has a nice flat course for easier running. There are several well-paved trails, used also by cyclists. It was overcast, so a touch cool, but nice for a walk/run. The first loop was a 1.5 km trail, that had no hills what so ever. The only incline was down hill, and that was about 5 steps worth! Max liked to look over at the ocean, but had no inclination to try to get there.

It’s certainly a park that’s worth a second look. Pam has already declared it her favorite park. For a runner, it has some nicely maintained trails, in a relatively flat setting. The ocean is a welcome diversion, but the plant life is nice too. Lupins were just beginning to bloom all over the trail.