September 2021October 2021 November 2021

10/31 - Halloween

We had our usual Halloween festivities with lights, ghoulish decorations and our no-contact trick or treating. This year we had 68 trick or treaters. That's much better than last year's 36, but nowhere near 2019's 138 or 2016's 197. One thing we noticed was that there were fewer older kids, but we're glad we didn't disappoint those who did come.

We did up a Halloween mantel.

That's Lenore in her web with a glowing brain in a cauldron behind.

Our shaman with our glowing skull

Our web for contactless trick or treating - hey, whole candy bars

As evening fell

Keywords: halloween

Keywords: halloween

10/16 - Signs of Halloween

It's mid-October, so we've been watching for signs of Halloween.

Our mantel is getting spooky.

We bought this pepper at Chi's. It sure looks like one of those sugar pumpkin Halloween candies.

We aren't sure of what is going on here, but it has a definite Halloween feel to it.

Keywords: halloween

10/14 - Hurricane Hill Updated

We were up at Hurricane Hill again to check for signs of winter. There were clouds in the mountains and the hills were shrouded with mist. The next post down is just pictures of the fall color and the gray, but here are some photos showing signs of winter.

Good views near the trailhead, but we hiked into the clouds.

The trail

Alpine foliage hunkering down for winter

A first bit of snow

As we ascended into the clouds

A variety of colors

The summer colors have faded.

Some color in the valley

Rising into the clouds

More snow

More color

Restoration work by the trail

Dark green and bright colors

The last of the fall foliage

Still some bright red

Keywords: hurricane hill, winter

10/13 - Hurricane Hill in the Mist

It had been sunny the day of our previous trip to Hurricane Hill, but this time it was gray and cloudy. As we ascended, the clouds grew thicker, and there was a bit of drizzle. The colors were spectacular and heightened by the mist. As they often say, show, don't tell, so just look at the pretty pictures.

A peek at Mount Olympus

Mist ...

... and more mist

Looking down

The summit

Lost context

More texture

More color

A bit of snow

A telephoto view of the forest to the north

Alone in the clouds

Another field

A slope

An air of mystery

More mystery

A tree with two birds

Two robins

As we descended

Mist and hills

Keywords: hurricane hill

10/12 - A Side Trip to Madison Falls

After heading up to the Elwha Gap, we took the short side spur to Madison Falls. It's a short, easy, paved path to a pleasant little waterfall just minutes from the parking area. There was plenty of autumn color too.

Along the trail

A first peek at the waterfall

Madison Falls

Some autumn color

More color

That color again

Misty skies and mountains

Keywords: autumn, elwha, waterfall

10/11 - A Short Autumn Walk to the Elwha Gap

We took a short walk along the Elwha River starting at Madison Falls where the road ends. The mountains were misty and topped with early season snow. The autumn foliage was near its peak. We walked past the mule camp and around the bend for some good views of the river recently nourished by the seasonal rain. We stopped at the gap in the road cut by a hearty new Elwha tributary.

Misty, snowy mountains

Some fall foliage

Foliage hidden in the forest

Bright yellow and bright green

The river

Another view of the river

More color change

Autumn is here.

Further up the river

The might Elwha

The gap

Downriver at the gap

Upriver at the gap

A vertical view, even more dramatic

The road showing its age

Bright red

Bright yellow

The mules - We always say hello.

The Elwha from the parking area

Keywords: autumn, elwha

10/10 - Marymere Falls and Barnes Creek

Now that it's rainy season, we decided to head out to Marymere Falls and head up along Barnes Creek for a bit. The walk from the Barnes Creek parking area to the falls is pretty easy. We crossed Barnes Creek and headed up the hillside to the Marymere Falls overlook. A tree had fallen and damaged the fencing, but the view of the falls from the lower overlook was great. The drought has broken. We climbed the steps to the upper overlook, admired the falls for a bit, then headed down.

Rather than heading straight back to the parking lot, we took the Barnes Creek Trail proper. This is a much more rustic trail that follows the river and offers some great views. The devil's claw was brilliant yellow and the river almost sapphire blue. We didn't go all that far, just up to a little spring that cross the trail a ways down. Then, we headed back.


For Halloween, the spooky maple near route 101

The forest track

Another bit of trail

Marymere Falls from the lower overlook ...

... and from the higher

Some tree damage

Barnes Creek

A peek at the creek

Fall color along the trail

Another river view ...

... and another

Leaf color

More color and the river

This is probably peak fall foliage around here

The little spring coming forth, as they do

Mushrooms

More forest

Another creek view ...

... and another

Keywords: barnes creek, marymere falls, waterfall

10/07 - Seen Around

This is just some stuff we've seen while driving around.

An ad for pet cremation, not a law firm that does wills for pets. It's right next to a veterinary clinic.

Secure Destruction - Is this for Halloween?

More destruction; the skeletons are back.

We always look forward to these guys around Halloween.

Happy Halloween

Keywords: halloween, sequim, port angeles

10/04 - Hurricane Hill - Late Season

We were originally planning another hike, but the sky was so blue and the day so pleasant that we had to get back to Hurricane Hill while the road is still open. The road from the lodge to the Hurricane Hill trailhead often closes before Hurricane Ridge Road. It was fairly busy, but it was definitely shoulder season. We had to park at the nearer picnic area, but that just added 15-20 minutes to our hike.

The view

Hillsides and distant clouds

Fields of gold

A cloud rising from a river valley

Another field with mountains

The view north, clouds over the strait

Mount Baker

Another field, on the side spur

Color contrast

Restoration work on the trail

Some baby plants ready for their new home

The side spur

Another bit of the side spur

Cliffs to the north

Clouds to the west

A field of red and gold

Another mountain view

Mountain slope

Bright green

Keywords: hurricane hill, hurricane ridge

10/03 - Hurricane Hill - High Country Autumn

There were definite signs of autumn and winter coming up at Hurricane Hill.

Our first frost of the season

More frost

And yet more frost

Frost in the shade

Dry flowers

A golden field

Autumn color

Autumn color below

Another richly colored field

And another colored field

Corn lilies, now mere skeletons

Green, gold, red and blue

Another field

Another view below

A blue grouse

Red, green and white

Dramatic foliage

More drama

Even the walk from the picnic area to the trailhead showed signs of fall.

Keywords: autumn, hurricane hill, winter

10/02 - Sol Duc Falls and the Salmon Cascades

The salmon are making their way up to Sol Duc Falls. We stopped on our way up to the falls to watch them leap at the Salmon Cascades. On our first visit, there were just a few of them, but, on our most recent visit, there were lots of them. They're hard to photograph. It's a matter of shutter luck, but we managed to get a few pictures. We also took the short walk out to the falls ourselves. It was on foot. No leaping up streams for us.

The Salmon Cascades, a narrow stretch of the Sol Duc

A salmon leaping

Another leap

Compare this picture to the one to the right.

This is what the river looks like without the salmon.

Green at our feet

Sol Duc Falls and autumn color

The cascade above the falls

Another view of the falls

Green scene

Red berries

An old log

A rocky creek

Mushrooms, probably toxic

More mushrooms

It's mushroom season - Avoid these.

More mushrooms to admire visually

The trail

A last blue berry

Keywords: salmon, sol duc

10/01 - Little River After the Rain

Now that it is raining again, after a long dry summer, we returned to the Little River Trail. Since the trail follows the Little River, it is at its best in the rainy season. The best part is about 35-40 minutes out where the trail leaves DNR land and enters the national park. We were not disappointed on our last hike. The river was lively, the trail smelled of rain and there were drips and droplets about.

A portal

False [mock] Solomon's seal late in the season

A bit of the river

A green scene

Another bit of river

One of the foot bridges

The Little River aflow

A bit of autumn color

Devil's claw

Another stretch of river

Did we remark on the rich green?

Another bit of trail

An inspiration to us all

Wet leaves

Forest trail

Keywords: little river, autumn

September 2021October 2021 November 2021