I always enjoy our trips out to the west end. No matter what season it’s always beautiful. On this trip we used the Hoh Rainforest for our base camp. We found a site right on the river that was so nice we stayed an extra week.
Everyday we did something different. We kayaked the Hoh River (where I accidentally went swimming) and the Dickey River and Lake Crescent. Hiked trails in the Hoh, Lake Quinalt, Rialto Beach, Second Beach, Ruby Beach and Sol Duc to name a few. Here’s a few photos from that outing.
We just returned from 10 days of camping, hiking and kayaking in beautiful Glacier and Waterton National Parks. Our last trip there was a ‘resource mission’ terribly short and left us longing to return someday to spend some quality time. We finally got it!
Glacier is one of those “BIG PARKS” with towering mountains, amazing vistas, beautiful waterfalls and mega fauna. Moose, grizzly, big horn sheep, mountain goats, black bear, elk, deer, wolves, red fox, beavers and many more can be seen in both parks. We scoped out a weather window and it worked. Clear warm days with nice evenings, few people and no mesquites…well maybe one or two. By next week these parks will be packed with visitors as the season has arrived. And a short season it is. First snowfall can be expected by the end of September or earlier. Even the lodges close the end of September, not to open again until mid-May or June (weather permitting).
We hiked many miles and saw many beautiful sights. Here’s some photos from the trip.
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago. Add a comment
Our quest to find a little Scamp trailer took us to Tampa Bay this week and we weren’t disappointed. The trailer is just what we’re looking for and the owners, Cher and Frank, are delightful people. Knowing we had just a few hours to spend in the area that day they suggested a few places we might like to see including an opportunity to see manatees.
In Apollo Beach, the Big Bend Power Plant discharges 78 degree water attracting manatees when the bay temperatures drop below 68 degrees. The plant has built an environmental education building and observation platform from which to view these gentle giants. It was an amazing sight to see over a hundred manatees together in one place, I could have stayed for hours just watching them. Swimming among them were stingrays and spinner sharks energetically jumping out of the water. For more info on the center visit their website at www.tampaelectric.com/manatee/
Posted 6 months, 4 weeks ago. Add a comment
While eating lunch today I was watching the large yellow leaves falling from a stately Big Leaf Maple in our yard. I was thinking that very soon the birds won’t be able to hide behind the foliage. Scanning the branches and trunks I almost missed this Barred Owl, so carefully camouflaged against the tree. Forget lunch! I grabbed my camera in hopes of just one photo in focus (as I was behind the window and knew I’d probably scare him off if I went outside). He actually stayed there for a couple of hours before chasing after a Northern Flicker. I love the nature here in our little wooded meadow.
Posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago. Add a comment
