Erratic Times on the Burke-Gillman Trail, Incl. a Mighty Bronze Croc

Have I got a crocodile for you! Also a sweet glacial erratic! Funny Diva and I went out for a nice Thursday evening jaunt along the Burke-Gillman Trail. Since I had to bring pizza to S, we parked at Log Boom Park and took the trail towards Bothell, so that we wouldn’t have to hoof it all the way back to Ballinger Way with a pizza box.

On the way, we encountered a crocodile.

Image shows a statue of a crocodile holding a staff, standing on a plinth. It looks like something out of a fantasy novel. There's a tree lit by the setting sun beyond it.
The crocodile stands watch over our path.

Yes, that is a statue of a croc, holding a staff and wearing a suit, its long tail spiraled around its plinth. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. And yes, this is a sort of industrial area. I have no idea what this piece of art is doing amongst the warehouses and suppliers.

A wider angle shows the croc's plinth is next to some boulders.
O, thou noble crocodile! How steadfastly you guard the wayfarers’ path.

The lighting wasn’t very good, so I didn’t get a real good look at what he’s standing on, next to, or made of. I’m going to guess he’s bronze. The plinth looks like marble, but it could be metal or ceramic or similar. I think the rocks he’s standing beside are basalt. One day, I’ll zip over and chat up the owners, and then we will know it all.

Image shows the croc from the other side. Behind it is a white industrial building that has a sign that says "Crocodile Rocks" in faded black letters.
Indeed it does.

Whoever designed this had both talent and whimsy. Check out this noble brow, this jaw full of jutting teeth, the jaunty hand in the pocket.

Image is a close up of head and torso, shot towards the sky. The bottom teeth protrude. The collar of its vest stands up sharply, and it's got a hand in its pocket. It looks a little like someone out of West Side Story from this angle.
Jaunty fantasy croc!

And it’s wearing a bow tie. ZOMG.

Image is looking up from the front. You can see the bow tie tied neatly round its neck.
Bow ties are cool on crocs, too.

There is nothing not cool about this croc.

After photographing that lovely statue, we proceeded on, past the beer garden sandwiched between two industrial buildings, and on towards the residential area that borders on the golf course. As you leave behind the hustle and bustle for the green grass and quiet houses, you encounter a dear glacial erratic beside the trail.

Image shows a large dark boulder half-swallowed by blackberry brambles.
A sweet glacial erratic!

It’s but a wee one compared to the maclargehuge glacial erratic behind my former domicile, but it’s still large. Funny Diva noticed it after I’d taken her to see the maclargehuge one. That woman is sharp, people. It only takes her once to catch on.

Image shows the erratic from the other side. It's less massive-looking, the front looks like the prow of a shipwreck, and there is a slab of it in front of the main body.
The other side o’ the erratic.

The other side is just begging someone to step up. So I did.

Image shows me standing on the erratic, pumping my fist.
Mighty Geology!

Close up, the thing has a few fresh surfaces chipped into it, and I think it’s dunite, but it was getting too dark to tell, and certainly too dark for a macro. I’ll take after it in better light with the hammer next time and get us a good idea of what it is.

So that was a nice adventure! We turned back at the erratic and finished our evening with Pagliacci Pizza, as is required.

Posting will be light over this weekend, as we have jousting and pumpkin hurling on Saturday, then a house party on Sunday. I’ve got chapters to write, research to do, and ZOMG I AM SO BUSY YOU GUYS. But I’ll get you pretty pitchoors of the horsies, hawt action video of our own Trebuchet hurling pumpkins, and maybe even some smokin’ hawt black powder cannon action. If you’re free tomorrow, come join us.

{advertisement}
Erratic Times on the Burke-Gillman Trail, Incl. a Mighty Bronze Croc
{advertisement}

5 thoughts on “Erratic Times on the Burke-Gillman Trail, Incl. a Mighty Bronze Croc

  1. 1

    I googled the sign text (“Crocodile Rocks”) from one of the pictures, plus Washington State. It seems that the bronze croc is there to advertise for Crocodile Rocks, a natural stone supplier/wholesaler for stone used in building or remodeling things like kitchens and bathrooms. Their store webpage is pretty cool!

    Of note, it seems they have had a baby wallaby visit the store showroom, and kindly provided the internet with video. Maybe you should stop in to say hi to the owner sometime, he looks like a neat person.

  2. 4

    But it is pretty damn good anyhow. (“Although it could use a fez, fezzes are cool” – The Doctor.)

    Also the erratic too. That’s a lot of ice pressure,shifting that.

  3. rq
    5

    At first I thought it was a crocodile from Disney’s animal version of Robin Hood. Which would have been kind of awesome, too.
    I second the notion that you should visit these people. I sense a blog post in the air. :) With perhaps some delicious interior-decorating-rock-porn.

Comments are closed.