Your boyhood romping in the ravine reminds me of my adventures in “the swamp” which is what we used to call the area of Thornton creek from where it leaves Jackson Golf course to the culvert where it goes under 10th avenue. Along with the woods north of the dead end of 130th and east of 8th, that was a great playground and I believe it still is fairly undeveloped.
I grew up in Innis Arden, famous for being a "restricted residential community" untill that part of the convenants was changed (!). We spent all day "down the ravine" back of the house, or "down the bank." A steep ravine leading down to Boeing Creek. I don't remember calling it any official name.
Never heard of a gulch until Japanese Gulch in Mukilteo
Made me grin to get to the bit about Tacoma. I certainly grew up calling them gulches. And I'll buy the blue-collar explanation. Us South Sounders would never name a gulch after a damn Italian city! Of course, the gulches that were once probably dumping grounds are steep enough that they're undevelopable then and now and are the primary green corridors left in Grit City.
We feel lucky to live close to the serene Madrona Ravine with its trickling stream and fern grotto. My partner gave it another name, “Topple Tree Gulch” for the propensity of its many maple trees to, well, you know.
Shout out to my neighborhood Salmon Creek Ravine, the spot pointed out below West Seattle.
Sadly, it has a perfect year round stream with NO SALMON. I haven't gotten an exact explanation why that is but it's probably the culvert under Shorewood drive. It has a sewer treatment plant at the bottom with a line of manholes (?) down the Ravine. It's a lovely hike up the old access road though a bit stinky at times. One can hike from the entrance at the treatment plant over to Seahurst Park beach, about 3 miles total almost entirely in forest.
Your boyhood romping in the ravine reminds me of my adventures in “the swamp” which is what we used to call the area of Thornton creek from where it leaves Jackson Golf course to the culvert where it goes under 10th avenue. Along with the woods north of the dead end of 130th and east of 8th, that was a great playground and I believe it still is fairly undeveloped.
Aha. The Swamp! I like it. It is still undeveloped. Just ran by there the other day
I think all our tree forts and fox holes are probably long gone.
I grew up in Innis Arden, famous for being a "restricted residential community" untill that part of the convenants was changed (!). We spent all day "down the ravine" back of the house, or "down the bank." A steep ravine leading down to Boeing Creek. I don't remember calling it any official name.
Never heard of a gulch until Japanese Gulch in Mukilteo
Made me grin to get to the bit about Tacoma. I certainly grew up calling them gulches. And I'll buy the blue-collar explanation. Us South Sounders would never name a gulch after a damn Italian city! Of course, the gulches that were once probably dumping grounds are steep enough that they're undevelopable then and now and are the primary green corridors left in Grit City.
We called the ravine next to our house in northwest Seattle the "gulley". I had many adventures there as a boy.
Aha. The Gulley! I like it.
I learned much from the LiDar image analysis. I plan to dig through some lidar images now looking for ravines in my neck of the woods - NE
Up here in Bellingham, just off Old Samish Rd, we have a ravine called Arroyo Park that Chuckanut Creek runs thru to get to Chuckanut Bay.
We feel lucky to live close to the serene Madrona Ravine with its trickling stream and fern grotto. My partner gave it another name, “Topple Tree Gulch” for the propensity of its many maple trees to, well, you know.
Shout out to my neighborhood Salmon Creek Ravine, the spot pointed out below West Seattle.
Sadly, it has a perfect year round stream with NO SALMON. I haven't gotten an exact explanation why that is but it's probably the culvert under Shorewood drive. It has a sewer treatment plant at the bottom with a line of manholes (?) down the Ravine. It's a lovely hike up the old access road though a bit stinky at times. One can hike from the entrance at the treatment plant over to Seahurst Park beach, about 3 miles total almost entirely in forest.
Yes, I know that area. Quite lovely...and unexpected.