And rocks. And dogs. And views. And a butterfly. And a bug. And a Cooper’s Hawk.
It was a gloriously sunny day for a hike. Not the best photo conditions with midday sunshine and wind. Still it was beautiful and these flowers are so fleeting. I may not see them again this summer.
Sky and I got an early start at a popular hiking trail last week, beating most of the swarms of hikers. We even got a great seat on the rock overlooking the lake and had it all to ourselves. And Sky did her traditional jump into an icy cold lake. Really icy. Most of it was still covered with ice! Much of the trail was snow covered or muddy too. Starting early, we avoided most of the swarms of the mosquitoes too. They were thick when we returned to the overflowing parking lot at midday.
It’s nice that more people are enjoying the outdoors but I wish they’d take better care of it and pick up their messes. And I wish the Forest Service had more money to maintain the popular sites.
The unsettled weather of May and June and even into July has left us with some impressive and long-lasting wildflowers. I drove to 6000′ elevation and saw quite a variety.
More from my recent photo dump. The Mountain Bluebird was in the mountains. The first Bald Eagle was at a lake, photographed at dusk from a boat. The Turkey Vulture, Western Bluebird feeding young and the last Bald Eagle are from here at home.
While I feel like I spent all of June working, I did get out on a few short adventures. Going through my big photo dump, I was reminded about seeing mountain goats at the salt lick. These photos were made from my car window. Mountain goats, despite their appearance, are potentially quite dangerous. Last year, our friends’ leashed dog was gored by one on a popular hiking trail. I only see goats at the salt lick in the early summer and they are not very attractive and the light is always crummy but still, they are kind of cute with sweet eyes and the baby does look almost hugable.
My Everyday Photos 