The Tides They are A-Changin'

Street Smart Naturalist · Sep 18, 2025 · 8m

Several years ago, Marjorie and I and Taylor (our pooch) decided to canoe the Duwamish River in Seattle. Our plan was to put in just above the sort of confluence with the Black River; I use sort of because what’s left of the Black River is the merest remnant of what was the former outlet river of Lake Washington. We would then float about 11 miles down to the mouth of the Duwamish at Elliott Bay. As experienced canoeists from Utah (Taylor included), we thought the trip would take a couple of hours, taking advantage of the gentle current.

We were having a dandy time, aided by a downstream…