Semiahmoo Spit
14/12/21 02:02
Drayton Harbor is a protected body of water to the west of Blaine, Washington. It is more protected than Birch Bay, which is the bay nearest our home. A small peninsula, Birch Point, separates the two bodies of water. The northern tip of Birch Point is about 5 miles from our home and from that headland, a narrow spit protrudes to the northeast reaching another mile and a quarter and nearly stretching all the way across the harbor, leaving a narrow entrance between the end of the spit and the end of the Blaine pier. We have walked out to the Blaine pier on a couple of occasions, and yesterday, we decided to walk out the spit from the other side of the harbor.
Semiahmoo Spit is built up of sand, gravel, and clay deposited by the ebb and flow of the tides right where the United States meets Canada. As you walk out the narrow spit, you can clearly see White Rock, British Columbia on one side and Blaine, Washington on the other. There are a few trees and grasses on the spit, which is alternately built up and then partially washed away by the tidal action. The spit now covers about 125 acres of land with a widened base at the headland and also a widened end at the tip.
The Lumi people camped and lived on the spit for centuries before the first visits by Europeans. They harvested the abundant fish and crabs and other sea life from the harbor. European prospectors, searching for the Frasier River which empties into the Salish Sea north of the spit, first came to the area in 1858. A trading post was soon established and a town was proposed. It was the site of the first fish cannery in Whatcom County and by 1891 the Alaska Packers Association cannery was the largest salmon cannery in the world. A century later, in 1980, the canneries were closed and the land was purchased by a land development corporation which established the Semiahmoo Resort at the tip of the spit and a golf course on the headland of Birch Point.
There is now a county park with a modest museum at the headland and a road and walking trails that extend from the parking area of the park out to the shops and restaurant at the tip. At low tide it is possible to walk all the way around the spit on the gravel beaches. A little over two miles out and back makes a perfect distance for our daily walks, but the spit is definitely a place to walk in fair weather as it is exposed to the winds and the waves can get high on the northwest side of the spit which protects the calmer waters of Drayton harbor.
We’ve never become accomplished birders, but we enjoy watching the seagulls, ducks, grebes and herons that frequent the bays around here. When the salmon are running the bald eagles congregate and there is a large and active heron rookery on Birch Point.
Yesterday was our day to make our first walk out the spit and we know that it is a place where we will return regularly to walk.
I can understand the attraction of the condominiums that the developers have built on the tip of the spit. With Semiahmoo Bay on one side and Drayton Harbor on the other, both sunrises and sunsets are easily visible over the water. the reflections of water and clouds should be spectacular. And on blustery days, a tightly sealed home would be a fun place to watch the waves on the Salish Sea. On the other hand, it is not a place where I would choose to live. With just one road in and out of the place, it seems a bit vulnerable for a place for permanent homes. The homes are essentially at sea level, just a few feet above the water and it doesn’t take much imagination to envision a large wave, such as a Tsunami wiping off every structure on the spit, perhaps even submerging the entire spit. There is less than 150 years of experience of permanent structures on the spit. Whatcom county experienced 500 year floods this year, so we know that there are homes that are built in places that are vulnerable to events that are less common than a century and a half.
The 2011 Took Earthquake produced 39 meter Tsunami waves in Japan. If such a tsunami was to strike this area, everyone on the spit would find themselves in the water. Knowing that might make it difficult for me to sleep at night in a condo on the spit. I prefer to visit and look around and head to higher ground to sleep.
It is fascinating to me that the majority of the boats on the Blaine Marine Park side of the harbor are working fishing boats. Most are far from new and show signs of needed paint and repairs. In contrast, on the Semiahmoo spit marina easily visible across the bay, the boats are primarily recreational, with plenty of new yachts. The contrast is striking. The presence of all of those yachts is one indicator that those who live in the condos on the spit are people with significant financial means.
It will take us some time to explore this new place where we live. There is a lot to see and take in and exploring by walking is our preferred method of exploration. The discovery of a new trail and an interesting place to walk opens up more territory for us to explore. We’ll be back to walk out the spit and experience the view again and again as the years unfold. We’ll get better at reading the tide tables and learning the rhythm of the land and water. We’ll be watching the crabbers and fishers as the go through the seasons. And we’ll keep out our eyes for the birds that make the area home as well as those who visit on their migrations. We have much to see and do as we explore this new home of ours.
Semiahmoo Spit is built up of sand, gravel, and clay deposited by the ebb and flow of the tides right where the United States meets Canada. As you walk out the narrow spit, you can clearly see White Rock, British Columbia on one side and Blaine, Washington on the other. There are a few trees and grasses on the spit, which is alternately built up and then partially washed away by the tidal action. The spit now covers about 125 acres of land with a widened base at the headland and also a widened end at the tip.
The Lumi people camped and lived on the spit for centuries before the first visits by Europeans. They harvested the abundant fish and crabs and other sea life from the harbor. European prospectors, searching for the Frasier River which empties into the Salish Sea north of the spit, first came to the area in 1858. A trading post was soon established and a town was proposed. It was the site of the first fish cannery in Whatcom County and by 1891 the Alaska Packers Association cannery was the largest salmon cannery in the world. A century later, in 1980, the canneries were closed and the land was purchased by a land development corporation which established the Semiahmoo Resort at the tip of the spit and a golf course on the headland of Birch Point.
There is now a county park with a modest museum at the headland and a road and walking trails that extend from the parking area of the park out to the shops and restaurant at the tip. At low tide it is possible to walk all the way around the spit on the gravel beaches. A little over two miles out and back makes a perfect distance for our daily walks, but the spit is definitely a place to walk in fair weather as it is exposed to the winds and the waves can get high on the northwest side of the spit which protects the calmer waters of Drayton harbor.
We’ve never become accomplished birders, but we enjoy watching the seagulls, ducks, grebes and herons that frequent the bays around here. When the salmon are running the bald eagles congregate and there is a large and active heron rookery on Birch Point.
Yesterday was our day to make our first walk out the spit and we know that it is a place where we will return regularly to walk.
I can understand the attraction of the condominiums that the developers have built on the tip of the spit. With Semiahmoo Bay on one side and Drayton Harbor on the other, both sunrises and sunsets are easily visible over the water. the reflections of water and clouds should be spectacular. And on blustery days, a tightly sealed home would be a fun place to watch the waves on the Salish Sea. On the other hand, it is not a place where I would choose to live. With just one road in and out of the place, it seems a bit vulnerable for a place for permanent homes. The homes are essentially at sea level, just a few feet above the water and it doesn’t take much imagination to envision a large wave, such as a Tsunami wiping off every structure on the spit, perhaps even submerging the entire spit. There is less than 150 years of experience of permanent structures on the spit. Whatcom county experienced 500 year floods this year, so we know that there are homes that are built in places that are vulnerable to events that are less common than a century and a half.
The 2011 Took Earthquake produced 39 meter Tsunami waves in Japan. If such a tsunami was to strike this area, everyone on the spit would find themselves in the water. Knowing that might make it difficult for me to sleep at night in a condo on the spit. I prefer to visit and look around and head to higher ground to sleep.
It is fascinating to me that the majority of the boats on the Blaine Marine Park side of the harbor are working fishing boats. Most are far from new and show signs of needed paint and repairs. In contrast, on the Semiahmoo spit marina easily visible across the bay, the boats are primarily recreational, with plenty of new yachts. The contrast is striking. The presence of all of those yachts is one indicator that those who live in the condos on the spit are people with significant financial means.
It will take us some time to explore this new place where we live. There is a lot to see and take in and exploring by walking is our preferred method of exploration. The discovery of a new trail and an interesting place to walk opens up more territory for us to explore. We’ll be back to walk out the spit and experience the view again and again as the years unfold. We’ll get better at reading the tide tables and learning the rhythm of the land and water. We’ll be watching the crabbers and fishers as the go through the seasons. And we’ll keep out our eyes for the birds that make the area home as well as those who visit on their migrations. We have much to see and do as we explore this new home of ours.
