I got a new book (that’s newly been published) that’s called “Discovering Seattle Parks: A Local’s Guide” by Linnea Westerlind.

The book is nice because it’s compact enough to easily fit into the stroller pocket, has a lot of parks (though not all, thankfully narrowing it down to under 150), and is easy to navigate (print is large enough and it’s sectioned off into regions) and has all the info you need (transportation, amenities, cool things to see, a map as needed, and what’s around if you want to “extend your stay”).

The book inspired me to try out a park I’ve only visited for Mountaineering Club events (such as when Justine Curgenven came to speak or the cold water immersion class), which is a small section of a huge park: Magnuson park.

The map and info allowed me to go into the almost foreboding park to a newcomer (due to its size and ability to get lost among the trail / soccer fields), though I did also invite a friend.

We had a wonderful time walking along Frog Pond Trail and looking at the trees, water, birds, dragonflies, and fish. And of course people watching with all the kids there for summer camps and people with their dogs and/or kids.

There was a lot to see and a good amount of trails, accessible by stroller as an added bonus!

Above pictured are mating dragon flies (the blue ones are so cool looking, in my opinion).

Below pictured is a fish we saw commonly but don’t know what it is (some boys fishing said it was a Blue Gill but the only C I ever got in college was Ichthyology so I’ll pass on trying to ID it).

I’m looking forward to visiting some of the other parks in the book, especially ones with walking trails, though I have a feeling I will use the book more heavily later when Kaya is big enough to play on the playgrounds and run through the grassy fields.