John Shephard has spent three decades photographing Washington State on Fujichrome Velvia 50, using two cameras nobody makes anymore. One of them has a lens mounted on a rotating cylinder that takes two minutes and twenty seconds to complete a single exposure.

It started at five in the morning in a Skagit Valley tulip field in 1999, when he met an Australian photographer named Ken Duncan and ended up spending four years as his assistant, two of them living in Australia.

Now John has made his own book. Washington Wide is a panoramic portrait of the entire state, shot on film, drum scanned on a 25 year old Heidelberg Tango, with a foreword by Randy Lewis. It releases this fall.

We talk about why he only buys 20 rolls of film a year, which corners of Washington he still wants to shoot, and what happens to an art form when the film, the cameras, and the people who can repair them are all quietly disappearing.

Also: the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, why summer is his least favorite season, and a firm vote for huckleberry pie.

Chapters

00:00 Meeting Ken Duncan in a tulip field
11:59 Two cameras, two ways of seeing
16:34 What film cannot do that your eye can
23:35 Washington before and after Instagram
41:22 Going digital
46:38 Deciding to make the book himself
01:11:08 Washington Wide, out this fall
01:22:00 Wrapping up

Links

John Shephard Photography: https://johnshephard.com
Washington Wide, preorder: https://washingtonwide.com

Kelsey Lang looks after the museums at Fort Flagler and Fort Worden, and she lives at one of them.

She grew up in central Florida, an hour north of Orlando. Her husband went looking for the rainiest place in the country that also had mountains, Washington came up, and after years of applying they made the move during COVID with a dog who could not fly and a U Haul driven by a hired stranger. Her degree is in marine science with minors in biology and geology, which is not the resume you expect from someone running two history museums.

The best story in this episode is a ceiling beam. The Fort Flagler museum sits in the old quartermaster storehouse, and across one beam there is a scatter of greasy fingerprints at different heights. A volunteer anthropologist worked out the likely explanation: bored soldiers, stationed at the end of an island with no bridge and no ferry, greasing their fingertips to see who could jump the highest. Nobody has ever cleaned it off.

She also points out something most visitors trip over without noticing. The concrete gun batteries have been aging for a century, rain pulls calcium carbonate out of the cracks, and it is recalcifying inside as stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones. There are caves forming inside the fortifications.

Also covered: how she rebuilt both museums around human stories instead of glass cases, the scavenger hunt she designed by following her eight year old around and writing down everything at that eye level, the Junior Ranger program and why adults keep asking for their own version, and the interactive rooms at the Commanding Officer's Quarters where you can write in the commander's log, look over the parade grounds through vintage binoculars, and put on a fake mustache for a photo. Plus a footstool whose legs are literal deer legs, hooves attached, and a rug made from used silk underwear.

Her advice, and it is the line worth keeping: the next time you drive past a state park sign, turn down the road. Just do it.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome back, and a host who admits he is rusty

00:52 Interpretive specialist, or park ranger

01:43 Central Florida to the Olympic Peninsula

05:00 Moving during COVID, with a dog and a U Haul

06:02 The museums Kelsey actually oversees

08:24 Living in ranger housing at Fort Flagler

09:47 Marine science to museum curation

11:49 Rebuilding the Fort Flagler museum

13:00 A scavenger hunt designed by an eight year old

15:15 How the Junior Ranger program works

20:29 Why Washington's parks are underappreciated

25:41 Favorite season at each fort

27:25 The greasy fingerprints on the storehouse beam

30:55 Cave formations growing inside the batteries

32:55 Camping at Fort Flagler, and the ranger pick

35:59 Coffee and lunch in Port Townsend

38:35 Inside the Commanding Officer's Quarters

43:34 The commander's log and the selfie station

50:17 Deer leg footstool, silk underwear rug

52:50 What still needs fixing, and the long term plan

01:01:41 Summer events at the parks

01:05:06 A recent visit to Peshastin Pinnacles

KELSEY'S PORT TOWNSEND PICKS

Coffee: Conduit Cafe, 1012 Lawrence St, Uptown. She orders an iced latte.

Lunch: Tommyknocker's Cornish Pasty, 711 Water St. She goes for the mac and cheese.

Lunch: The Old Whiskey Mill, 825 Water St.

Camping: Fort Flagler site 37, back corner of the upper forested loop, the furthest spacing from your neighbors.

Cake or pie: cake. Specifically spice cake.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Fort Flagler Museum is open daily 11am to 4pm through August, then Wednesday through Sunday in September and October. Free, donations welcome, Discover Pass required to park.

The Commanding Officer's Quarters Museum at Fort Worden is open Friday through Tuesday, 11am to 4pm, April through October. It is closed Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Rothschild House in Port Townsend is open Thursday through Saturday, 11am to 4pm, April through September.

The Fort Flagler historic hospital tour is cancelled through August 30 for construction work.

A Level 3 burn ban is in effect statewide through October 30. No charcoal or wood fires. Gas and propane stoves are fine.

The Junior Ranger booklet can be downloaded from parks.wa.gov, and completed pages can be mailed in to earn the badge.

A note on two numbers you will hear in this episode: Washington State Parks recorded more than 40 million visits in 2025, not the 36 million quoted from the sign, and Fort Flagler has 116 campsites rather than the 150 plus estimated in the conversation.

Remember me? After six months off, the Exploring Washington State podcast is back, and we're kicking things off with a caffeinated twist. Scott dragged his buddy Brooks Smothers from RV Out West to four very different coffee shops in downtown Everett to drink too much coffee, talk even more, and finally figure out what a "one and one" actually is. Turns out you can drink coffee your whole life and still learn something at the first shop.

From cortados served in little glass juice cups to the surprising backstory of the AeroPress, plus Everett's arts scene, its food, and the eternal question of why every coffee shop closes at 3, it's a loose and friendly tour of a city that takes its coffee seriously. Grab a cup and settle in.

During peak summer season, Lake Chelan State Park can host nearly a thousand campers every night. Behind the scenes, that responsibility falls on one park manager.

In this episode of the Exploring Washington State Podcast, I sit down with Brian Frahm, the park manager at Lake Chelan State Park, to talk about what it actually takes to operate one of Washington’s busiest state parks. Brian oversees daily operations, staff, safety, and law enforcement across the entire park — responsibilities most visitors never see.

We talk about the reality of seasonal staffing, what happens when the park reaches capacity, wildlife encounters, emergency incidents, and how quickly the quiet of spring turns into full-blown summer chaos. Brian also shares what it’s like to raise a family in a state park and why the slower shoulder seasons are when Lake Chelan really shows its character.

This conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at the people and systems that make Washington’s state parks work — and why they deserve more appreciation than they often get.

If you love spending time outdoors in Washington, this episode will give you a new perspective the next time you pull into a full campground.

Spokane Built the Dodgers Dynasty

Show Notes:

Author and researcher Eric Vickrey returns to the Exploring Washington State Podcast with a story most baseball fans have never heard — how Spokane helped build the future Dodgers dynasty.

In his new book, Before They Wore Dodger Blue, Eric uncovers the overlooked role the Inland Northwest played in shaping the players, culture, and leadership that would later define one of the most successful eras in Major League Baseball. From the seismic 1968 MLB Draft to the 1970 Spokane Indians, this episode connects the dots between a small Northwest city and a national baseball powerhouse.

We dig into:

• Why the 1968 draft was a turning point for the Dodgers
• How Spokane became a developmental forge for future MLB stars
• The early version of Tommy Lasorda—before the legend
• Player stories that reveal who these athletes were before the spotlight
• What modern baseball can learn from this forgotten era
• Why this Washington chapter deserves recognition

Whether you’re a baseball die-hard, a Washington history fan, or simply love a great origin story, this is an episode that reframes what you think you know about the Dodgers — and shines a light on Spokane’s rightful place in baseball history.

Guest: Eric Vickrey

Book: Before They Wore Dodger Blue

Website: ericvickrey.com

Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes at one of Washington’s most visited state parks? In this episode, Park Ranger Kevin Leese shares what he sees every day at Wallace Falls that most visitors completely overlook.

From seasonal crowd patterns and trail management to the unexpected challenges that come with keeping a high-traffic park running smoothly, Kevin sheds light on the work that keeps Wallace Falls accessible year-round. You’ll also hear a ranger’s perspective on lesser-known areas, changing trail conditions, and what makes this park such a standout in the Cascade foothills.

Whether you’ve hiked Wallace Falls dozens of times or it’s still on your list, this conversation gives you a deeper appreciation for the place and the people who care for it.

What happens when you shine a spotlight on the wonderfully odd, the creatively brave, and the musicians who refuse to fit the mold?

In this episode of the Exploring Washington State Podcast, we sit down with founder Rachel Crick and photographer Chris Pugh from As Many Weirdos As Possible — a project that celebrates the artists who make the Northwest music scene vibrant, unpredictable, and unapologetically unique.

We talk about the beauty of standing out, what “weird” really means in a world obsessed with trends, and how individuality fuels authentic art. This isn’t about shock value — it’s about honesty, expression, and the people who remind us that Washington’s creative heartbeat has always been a little unconventional.

Remember, there’s always more to explore — especially in the wonderfully weird corners of our music scene.