Willow and I got away for a few days to the mountains of northwest Washington to escape the never-ending days filled with choking wildfire smoke in our little valley. It was a little smoky over there but nothing like here. We were overjoyed to hike in the mountains again and Willow spent lots of time in clear cool water. It was past the peak of wildflower season but still some of the fireweed, asters and monkeyflowers were putting on a good show. Sometimes a person needs a change of scenery.
Recently, the girls and I spent eight days volunteering at Harts Pass. The weather was pretty good but the bugs were unbearable. Also, there were many visitors so I was busy most of the time. The bugs made it nearly impossible to do photography or to do much birding. We made the best of it and here are a few images from our time up there. The bird in the rocks appears to be the western Arctic subspecies of the Horned Lark. But I could be wrong. As for the grouse, she’s probably a Sooty but maybe a Dusky? The hoary marmots were a long ways away and after sunset so not the best quality images.
My Everyday Photos 