·
Deception Pass State Park,
Whidbey Island, WA
With
rocky shores shrouded in mist and crashing waves that threaten my main
character, Twig not to come any nearer, the fictional Lonehorn Island hides
powerful secrets—secrets that, if discovered, will change the island and
everyone on it forever. There, jagged rocks and cliffs rise from the beaches.
Red-barked Manzanita trees and juniper cling to the rocks along the edge of the
island, but the foliage quickly transitions to thick evergreen woods. All this
was inspired by the landscape at Deception Pass.
My
family enjoys camping under the canopy of those evergreens, and venturing out
to play at Cranberry Lake, separated from the ocean by a sand bar. We hike over
the rocks, moving from the sandy beach to tide pools and pebbly beaches where
we watch the treacherous whirlpools churning in the pass. Or we take a
breathtaking—and heart-pounding—hike above those waters and across the bridge
connecting Whidbey Island to Fidalgo Island. We look at the many small islands
beyond Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands, often encircled by mist, and wonder. What
sorts of things could be hidden there? Mysterious creatures? Even unicorns?
·
Beverly Beach State Park,
Newport, OR
Beverly
Beach is truly a magical place for our family. One moment we’re in the deep
woods, and the next we’re on a dune-bordered beach. In just a short walk, the
wooded campground opens up to sand and ocean views. A creek bubbles through the
campground, and my kids love to follow it to the beach, where it creates warm,
shallow pools before meeting the ocean.
The
woods at Beverly beach are populated by towering trees that seem to float above
the earth, their roots reaching down over our heads like fingers grasping at
the ground. The area was once a logging camp, and seedlings grew on top of
massive tree stumps. By the time the dead stumps decomposed and disappeared,
those seedlings were huge, mature trees. The stumps are gone, and the roots of
the new trees form caves, topped with floating “octopus” trees. You have to see
it to believe it!
·
Cape Disappointment (Formerly
Fort Canby State Park), Long Beach Peninsula, WA
Don’t
groan, guys. Cape disappointment is so NOT disappointing, I promise. It might
not have been what explorer John Meares, who named it in 1792, was looking for,
but how can you beat witnessing an otter—just an arms-length away—dipping in
and out of the grasses and popping up to peek at you like a marshland super-spy
as you walk down the road to your yurt? Be sure to visit the oldest functioning
lighthouse on the West Coast, built to guard “The Graveyard of the Pacific,”
and hike up the same hill the Lewis and Clark Expedition climbed to look over
the mouth of the Columbia River.
·
Fort Stevens, Hammond, OR
A
shipwreck, still on the beach! Guided tours through secret underground military
facilities! Fort Stevens was built during the Civil War to guard the mouth of
the Columbia from Confederates and the British navy. Did you know there were
mines in the Columbia River and that huge guns were mounted above it? The
Japanese probably didn’t know that when one of their submarines fired on Fort
Stevens during World War Two. Find out what happened, or just explore lakes,
beaches, woodlands, and wetlands.
All
these parks are open to campers or day-trippers. If you have the chance to
visit one of them, I’d love to hear about your adventure!
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About the book: Deep in the heart of a mist-shrouded island, an impossible secret is about to be discovered.
Twig is used to feeling unwanted. Sent to live on a pony ranch for "troubled" girls on a misty, haunted island, Twig is about to discover the impossible — someone who needs her.
Jolted awake from a bad dream, Twig follows the desperate whinny of a terrified horse out to the stables. There in the straw is a bleating little scrap of moonbeam. A silver-white filly with cloven hooves and a tiny, spiraling horn.
A baby unicorn.
Now Twig knows what secret is hiding in the island's mist: the last free unicorn herd. And a mysterious boy named Ben who insists that this impossible creature is now Twig's to care for. That she needs Twig's love and protection. Because there's something out there in the deep, dense shadows that's hunting for them...
Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist
e-book will be on sale for $1.99, while the hardcover is discounted to $11.54 from i’s original list price of $15.99.
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