Pearrygin Lake State Park
Tag Archives: Methow
A friend joined me for a full moon paddle on Pearrygin Lake last night. It was a perfect evening for it with glassy water, no power boats and warm weather. At 8:01, we could see the creeping light of the moon over the hills to east. As it came up and we watched with binoculars, we could see the fir trees silhouetted against the bright disk. It was truly an awesome sight. My photo does not do it justice.
Too high ISO, boat movement, lens not long enough but still, you get the idea!
We were also treated to a chorus of Poorwill’s from the back side of Studhorse Mountain; bats, some owls that were very light colored and lots of crickets. When we first got on the water we saw Mallards, mergansers, at least two kinds of grebes and probably a Wood Duck too. This time of year, the ducks are such a challenge. Lots of Red-winged Blackbirds. One Great Blue Heron was fairly cranky about being disturbed by our presence in the dark and made its opinion known as it flew across the lake.
One the way home I saw a Great-horned Owl, a raccoon and in Winthrop at the four way stop, a mule deer doe carefully walked across the street using the crosswalk as I patiently waited for her. She was the only one walking around town at 10:00. I guess that’s a sign that the summer tourist season is over.
Luna and I began dog agility training this summer. We are very much beginners and have a lot to learn about this. Dog agility is a competitive activity where dogs maneuver a series of obstacles. There are certain required methods to get over/through/under these obstacles and sometimes a dog must come to a complete stop under the handler’s control. It is also a timed event. It requires coordinated teamwork between the dog and the person. Luna and I have a lot to learn!
Here are some images of Luna’s classmates. They will all be competing in Wenatchee next month. Notice how they are all intently paying attention to their owners/handlers. Luna has not yet developed that focus.
Frieda
Wyatt
Trip
There are still wildflowers blooming on Tiffany Mountain! It’s over 8200′ elevation so the snow hasn’t been gone too long. The hike starts out in a burned forest and climbs steeply for a while and then it’s out in the open before approaching the last pull to the top. Lots of birds teased us flying back and forth in the snags. We were able to see Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrows, Pine Siskens, Clarks Nutcrackers and several other species. On the slope to the top, there were scads of Horned Larks and we were able to see many migrating raptors including a Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Coopers Hawks and others. Weather was perfect for the hike although a little bit hot, almost opressive, on the way down through the burned forest. We cooled our feet in Boulder Creek and felt much better. And driving down Mary noticed a cinnamon black bear! It was a beautiful animal and quickly lumbered up the hill and away from us.
trail through the burned forest
Fireweed
Mary in front of Tiffany
Lupine
old wood and nails at the top. I wonder if there used to be a lookout?
Who piled these nails?
an old survey marker
A young Horned Lark that doesn’t know it ought to be afraid of us.
yoga practice
Lots of ladybugs in the rocks on top
Whoooo is watching us?
Last week Juliet and I got away to the Harts Pass area for a ‘hike’ which turned out to be more of a plant walk than a vigorous outdoor exercise. Weather was perfect and bugs didn’t bug us too much. Flowers were great! Such a huge variety. She is much better than I am at identifying all the individuals or finding them in a field guide. On a good day, I can come up with family ID but seldom can I tell you the proper name of an individual plant. I carried a camera with only one lens – a macro – and no tripod. It was a little breezy so the tripod would not have helped. I was glad to leave the extra weight behind. The elevation is over 6000′ and there were still snow patches around. We also looked at and heard birds, bugs, butterflies and some mammals – a marmot, a big chipmunk, pikas AND we saw a Jumping Mouse on the way up. It had a little round body with an incredibly long tail and it jumped across the road with leaps and bounds! It was a lifer for me. What fun.
My Everyday Photos 