A few scenes from a recent camping trip. You never know what you will see. Just go. Look!

















A few scenes from a recent camping trip. You never know what you will see. Just go. Look!
I love to watch and photograph birds from my kayak. It is very quiet and animals are more comfortable around it than around an upright person. Of course, it’s not a stable platform and it’s always moving at least a little bit so not the absolute best for photography but still.
This time I found a very cooperative and tiny Western Wood Peewee that called and called and I am surprised I didn’t get any images with its mouth open. Also a baby American Robin, an immature gull and the elegant Common Loons. Topping it of was a beaver, dragging a branch to its lodge to feed its youngsters.
And on a hike I found a couple new to me, wildflowers.
Yesterday we went for a ‘Sunday Drive’. All the dogs piled into the new car and we took some snacks and headed up the Chewuch River. Not too much snow up there so we had some nice easy walks. Two of the dogs are old and one is nearly lame so we all took it easy.
Our first stop was Falls Creek Falls – pretty in all seasons and some especially interesting ice forms this visit.
The Yellow Belly – Ponderosa Pines – are especially pretty in winter
Rosehips brilliant color and citrus taste make them especially attractive to birds. People enjoy them as well.
We saw two beavers on the Chewuch.
The fresh light snow was excellent for tracking animals. Here is a tiny one – maybe a vole?
And a moose. There were two sets – maybe a cow and calf.
And a big black bear. It walked along the road between when we drove up and when we returned. This was the second set of bear tracks we saw yesterday. I wonder when they will begin hibernating?
Lots of elderberries still hanging from the bushes. Do bears eat these?
And more beautiful rosehips
Ice on the Chewuch
And the lonely snags from the 30 Mile Fire, ten years ago. Wind blowing through them made an eerie wailing sound. No doubt, these woods are haunted.