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Road Trip

April 4, 2013 – 2:55 pm
Posted in road trip
Tagged beach, Crescent Lake, Elwha Dam, Marymere Falls, photography, Port Angeles, shells, sunset, surf perch, Washington coast, wildflowers
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Ken and I enjoy road trips. We tend to travel with lots of stuff and this trip we took the truck so we could get all that stuff packed. What kind of stuff? Photo gear. Fishing gear. Clamming gear. Birding gear. Guitar. Books. Various clothes for various activities in a variety of weather conditions. Food – lots of food along with beer and wine. It was a good tour of a big part of the state starting here in the Methow where winter was loosening its grip, across the Cascades where 40″ of snow had fallen in the previous week, to the urban world north of Seattle where we were surprised to see new snow on the ground, and then across Puget Sound where it was sunny and dare I say it, warm. We reached Port Angeles that first night.

Sunset from our hotel in Port Angeles

From PA we drove up the Elwha River to the overlook of one of the now-removed Elwha Dams.

This sign graphic shows how it looked before, during and after the dam removal. Salmon have already returned to this river above the former dam site.

Part of Lake Crescent is in the Olympic National Park. It is cold and deep.

Old Storm King Ranger Station at Lake Crescent

Marymere Falls – a short popular hike from Lake Crescent

We saw these pretty blossoms in several places. I think they are a berry – maybe salmonberry?

The Dickey River – slow moving and flat and more reminiscent of Florida than Washington

We saw a river otter

This algae covered shoe had mussels growing inside of it. I wonder how long it was in the water and where it came from. Japan? It was on Rialto Beach.

A madronna log – driftwood on Rialto Beach

I could not get a better look at this moss covered nest as it was above my head. It was along the Hoh River.

This flower grew in many places with disturbed ground. I have no idea what it is.

Water pours out of a cliff side

Ruby Beach is more rocky than most of the beaches where we walked.

Looking down at Ruby Beach

Reflections along the way

Lots of interesting weather – mostly good

The Sandpiper

Some treasures from the beach

Two of the surf perch that Ken caught

Lots more, yet to come!

Early Spring Signs

March 17, 2013 – 4:30 pm
Posted in spirng
Tagged Methow photography, nest, Pipestone Canyon, wildflowers
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More signs of Spring each day now. Yesterday the dog and I went for a steep walk above the bottom of Pipestone Canyon. I had thought about walking up the canyon but the access road is still muddy and snowy in places. Best not to even try to drive on those conditions. The bird highlight was a couple of Dusky Grouse. They should be displaying soon. Western Meadowlarks sang as we walked. It was overcast and a little chilly.

The view looking up towards Pipestone Canyon.

A nest from last year high in an old bitterbrush. I had to hold the camera above my head to get pictures.

The name of this flower has slipped my memory. Hopefully it will return soon.

And I don’t know this tiny pink bud emerging from the crusty soil.

Balsamroot buds

And the first wildflowers – bluebells.

Funny, I haven’t seen any buttercups yet.

Fall Comes to Tiffany Mountain

September 14, 2012 – 1:31 pm
Posted in hike
Tagged dogs, fall, fireweed, forest fires, Methow photography, paintbrush, smoke, Tiffany Mountain, wildflowers
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Yesterday I hiked to Tiffany Mountain again. You may recall that Luna and I walked that trail back in July. Pictures are here. This time, my friend Marcy and her dog Guthrie went along. It started out fairly chilly with Marcy wearing a wool sweater but soon we were warm and enjoying the trail. It was good to be at a high elevation. Our valley is full of smoke from forest fires burning in various places throughought north central Washington. It looks like some will burn til the snow falls. Right now, there is no rain in the forecast to dampen them.

Tiffany looks much different than it did in July. At that time the snow was newly melted and the ground was moist and wildflowers were coming in to bloom. Yesterday, the trail was dusty; most flowers were dried and the grass was crisp. The verdant greens were gone replaced with dusty yellows and oranges. The first larch trees have turned yellow.

Exuberant dogs, happy to out of the car and on the trail

Stopping for a break in the sun, Guthrie expressed interest in my snacks

Layers of forest fire smoke fill the valleys and obliterate the views

A cool rock

If there’s an edge, Luna will stand next to it and look down

Tiffany Lake in the distance

Lunch away from the edge and sheltered from the breeze. The smoke is getting higher.

Looking back at the mountain top

Lots to photograph along the trail

We both enjoyed this red leafed plant with tiny leaves.

Fall colors

And still some paintbrush in bloom!

The first yellow larch trees

We were late for the fireweed flowers

The seedheads are pretty interesting and still colorful

An old burned forest.

Blue Lake in August

August 5, 2012 – 7:28 am
Posted in hike
Tagged Blue Lake, hike, Methow photography, North Cascades, wildflowers
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Last year I went to Blue Lake twice in the fall so this year I wanted to make sure and get there during its short summer season. The snow has only recently receded and still covered the trail in one place – maybe an avalanche chute. There were still a couple of small icebergs floating too. And given that the weather up there on Thursday was cool and cloudy, it was very early in the short summer for Blue Lake. Winter is the major force in the North Cascades, lasting from October through July; well that’s when there is snow on the ground.

Looking towards the lake outlet

And back at the talus slope still mostly covered with ice and snow

Small iceberg. My hiking partner said it would be fun to swim out to it and climb up on it. She didn’t do it.

Luna swam

Chilly on the trail. Down in the valley it was near 90.

These elephant’s head lousewort, Pedicularis groenlandica, were blooming in a bog at the trailhead, along with white bog orchids, Platanthera dilatata

Hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail

July 27, 2012 – 3:37 pm
Posted in hike, Uncategorized
Tagged bugs, hike, larch, Methow photography, North Cascades, Pacific Crest Trail, wildflowers
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The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) stretches from Mexico to Canada along the crest of the mountains – from the Sierra Nevada in California to the Cascades of Washington. It intersects roads in many places so day hikers can get a taste of what the through hikers do everyday for months on end. One of my favorite pieces of the PCT follows a ridgeline to Grasshopper Pass. I like this trail for a variety of reasons – one, it’s never steep; two, the views are outstanding; three, the wildflowers are grand; and four – later on the larch trees change to a lovely shade of orange before dropping their needles. Oh, there are also lots of marmots and ground squirells and pikas! Pikas, if you are not familiar with them, live in talus slopes and are the smallest member of the lagomorph family; they are tiny rabbits. They do not hibernate like many of the mammals of the high alpine country. Instead, during the summer and fall months, they gather grasses and vegetation and create little hay piles to keep them nourished through the LONG winter! And it is long. The snow has only just recently melted from this region.

Only 35 miles to Canada. Doesn’t sound so bad.