Washington State

  • Travel & Places,  Washington State

    Mountaineer Creek | Enchantment Lakes & Wenatchee NF

    I’m going to step away from writing about the Hoh Rainforest and return to that in a few days. Now I want to delve into the main reason we went Washington: to go to the Enchantment Lakes. Last Thanksgiving when we went to Guadalupe Mountains National Park we met Sheri and Randy in the parking lot at the McKittrick Canyon trailhead. We talked to them for a good bit and got the word that the Enchantment Lakes were a must see. We decided that this would be a great trip for our 10th wedding anniversary so Chris put in for the permit drawings. Yep, this place is so popular you…

  • Travel & Places,  Washington State

    Hall of Mosses Macros

    “The poetry of earth is never dead: When all the birds are faint with the hot sun, And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead; That is the Grasshopper’s–he takes the lead In summer luxury,–he has never done With his delights; for when tired out with fun He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed. The poetry of earth is ceasing never: On a lone winter evening, when the frost Has wrought silence, from the stove there shrills The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever, And seems to one in drowsiness half lost, The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.” —John Keats,…

  • Travel & Places,  Washington State

    Dipping into the Hall of Mosses | Olympic National Park

    We arrived to Hoh Rainforest unit of the Olympic National Park right before dinnertime and since the campground is first-come-first-serve we made a beeline for the camping area to find a spot. We found a nice spot tucked in the forest with enough cover not to really see too many people other than the folks directly across the road from us. The self registration was near the bathrooms (no showers in the bathrooms if you are inclined for cleanliness, but there is running water for a rag bath if you are desperate) and after registering we headed for the Hall of Mosses Trail. Evening was setting in which made the…

  • Washington State

    Hoh River Elk

    According to the rangers in the park office, this herd often visits this area just down the river from the campground. We spotted them after finishing a short hike and planning a quick drive up the road to ‘see what we can see’. We saw the elk! First we saw the cars—and a ‘herd’ of cars is a good sign something is nearby, so we peered over the edge into the river and then pulled over so we could get a closer look.

  • Travel & Places,  Washington State

    A Batty Surprise

    On our way to the Hoh Rainforest we quickly stopped in at a general store before we entered the park. We bought some sodas and walked outside to look at the display case to see what was posted. I looked down and saw what I thought was a bat. I looked closer, yeaahhhhh, looked like a bat. I squinched my eyes together to determine if it was fake and determined that it was breathing—nope, very real! We asked the girl working the counter if she knew it was there but this seemed to be a surprise to her. It’s not every day you get to see a bat up close…

  • Travel & Places,  Washington State

    The Pacific | II

    +We didn’t spend enough time at the beach, maybe an hour. This area deserves to be explored more. I could poke in all of the tidepools and search the surf for marine mammals. We watched something poke its head up out of the water a few times. Sealion? Seal? +I’m going to have to start making photo books out of our photos because I’m going to want to come back and drool at an ocean I don’t get to look at often….ok rarely! “Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” -Rachel Carson

  • Travel & Places,  Washington State

    The Pacific | I

    +I think the photos speak for themselves. +No matter how long away from the ocean, no matter how much I think that I’m ok with just being a land lover (lubber!), the ocean always tells me otherwise when it slaps me in the face with a bit of salty air. +Tidepools, tidepools…tidepools. *sigh* “One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, ‘What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?’” -Rachel Carson

  • Travel & Places,  Washington State

    The Magic of the Ancients

    As we approached the outer reaches of Olympic National Park we suddenly saw a sign for the worlds largest sitka spruce tree. Being big/ancient tree lovers, we made a quick detour down a side road to find the worlds largest spruce tree. This was a very short walk from the car, I believe around a quarter mile one way. We quickly learned that there are many giants on the Olympic peninsula, however we didn’t have the time to devote to visiting all of them. Having seen several large and old trees it is hard not to pass them up, particularly because you never know when they will be gone. What…