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Local Website Gives Real-Time Wildfire Conditions for Washington State
As summer heats up, this website can help you monitor wildfire conditions in your neck of the woods
This article originally appeared in the July 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the July 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.
Wildfire season in rural areas has come to mean smoke season in the city. Developed by a number of government agencies and Native American tribes, the Washington Smoke blog features an interactive state map to keep you informed of smoke conditions in real time. Using information from live webcams set up across the state, color-coded dots (ranging from green for good conditions to maroon for hazardous) and flame symbols indicate active wildfires at that moment, along with air quality in surrounding areas. In addition to the monitoring map, the blog—which has a Spanish translation option—also includes links to local emergency resources, and information on topics such as when to use a face mask and how to protect your health from outdoor smoke.
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The Northwest’s Gateway to Wine, Culture & Adventure
Escape the crowds. Slow down. Savor fall in the Lewis Clark Valley. As autumn paints the hillsides in gold, crimson, and amber, the Lewis Clark Valley becomes a picture-perfect place to slow down and savor the season. Where Washington and Idaho meet, fall brings crisp days, colorful landscapes, harvest among the vines, and plenty of…
Meet West Seattle’s “Freelance Beaver Detective”
A group of urban beavers helped Pamela Adams through a tough time. Now she’s returning the favor.
Pamela Adams was living in Port Townsend when her marriage fell apart. Little did she know at the time that she would soon find love again while doggedly pursuing the Five Families—not the ones of Mafia lore, but a four-legged sort living along the Longfellow Creek Watershed. Prior to moving to Washington, Adams resided in…
A Wellness Pilgrimage to the Olympic Peninsula
Two hours from Seattle, a new kind of luxury is taking root—one built on stillness, old-growth forests, and the subtle art of slowing down.
There is a school of thought among the overworked and overscheduled that the most subversive thing a person can do is stop. Put down the phone, close the laptop, and go somewhere that actively resists attempts to stay plugged in. The Olympic Peninsula has always offered this, in its blunt, mossy way. For some city…
Seabrook Is a Little Coastal Utopia
This walkable beach town gives families room to roam, relax, and leave the car parked.
There’s nothing quite like finding an edible mushroom in the forest with a five-year-old. The excitement and pride my son displayed when we found chicken of the woods were contagious, and after battering and frying the mushrooms, our wonderful day got even better. The dark, wet forests in which our mushrooms grew are part of…