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04/02/24 - Elwha to Altair - Early Spring Flower Edition

Spring has been with us for over a week now, so we've been out checking for trilliums. They often show up along the Elwha on the trail detour section that runs behind the old campground and is the only land route from Madison Falls to the rest of Olympic Hot Springs Road.

The river had a wild winter. There was a whole new pattern of trees and drift logs lining the river. Some sections were more accessible than last year. Some were less. A great chunk, the base of a fallen tree, had torn from the hillside. This made the trail a bit tricky to follow, but all the action had opened up new river views.

Spring is definitely here. We saw trilliums, fawn lilies, toad lilies, violets and many other early bloomers. Even better, the mules are back in town. The mule camp was deserted when we headed out, but there were mules waiting for us on our return.


The fawn lilies are back.

More flowers

A wild orchid

More fawn lilies

Another fawn lily

Trilliums, too

Lots of fawn lilies

The striped leaf is a fawn lily leaf

Yet another fawn lily

Toad lilies, for variety

A glimpse of the Elwha

A trillium

The river lined with fallen, drifted logs

Another view of the river

The Elwha from down close

More drift logs along the Elwha

Trail work

A mountain peak

A mountain cloud

More of the trail

Fawn lilies again

A cooperative caterpillar

The mules are back in town.

Keywords: elwha, spring, trillium, winter


12/11/23 - Morse Creek West

We often follow the Olympic Discovery Trail from the parking lot near Morse Creek. We head west towards Port Angeles. The trail, an old railroad right of way, passes through the Four Seasons subdivision and down to the strait. It is open all year and not very far from where live. It's also a great trail for tracking the seasons.

The Strait of San Juan de Fuca

One of the sea ducks

The trail by the strait

A seal at sea

Another photo showing the mottled pattern and, if you look carefully, whiskers

The trail again, wet and wintry

The dike

Winter patterns

The dike again

Winter foliage

More winter patterns

A last few coin flowers

A coin flower and the ground

Rose hips

A look west at the dike

A loon

Winter color

More winter color

The last of autumn

Some fallen leaves

More fallen leaves

The railroad bridge

Morse Creek

Keywords: morse creek, port angeles, winter


10/17/23 - First Snow on the Mountains

This was the view from the Safeway parking lot. There was snow on the mountains. It didn't last long, but it's another sign of winter coming. (Also shown, the electric blue trim on the electric car charger, another sign of things to come.)

Keywords: winter


07/27/23 - Obstruction Point - Part 1

Ever since the lodge at Hurricane Ridge burned down, only a limited number of cars have been allowed to drive up to the ridge. There is the city bus, but we wanted to get out to Obstruction Point, so we rose early and had only a short wait at the entrance gate.

The drive out to Obstruction Point was its usual spectacular self with tight turns, a narrow road and vertiginous drop offs. There were also amazing views of Mount Olympus, the other snow capped mountains in the Olympic range and the green river valleys below.

We headed out on the trail and slowly got more used to the altitude. Usually, by late July, we're comfortable at 6000', but we haven't been getting up to the high country much. We made our way up to the plateau then down the staircase and across the fields to the ridge with its cirque of winter snow still melting and the lakes forming below. We headed up and on a bit, out to Eagle Rock where we soaked in the view before heading back.


The high country, at last!

Greeting us was a grouse.

The start of the trail

A typical view

Alpine flowers, we missed you.

More along the trail and some distant snow

More trail and clouds

Clouds playing with a mountain ridge

A peek at Mount Olympus and the Blue Glacier

The little lake we always check as we descend the staircase was doing well.

A stone garden

Our first few lupines of the year

More along the trail

Not shown, but we found a last bit of phlox with a touch of its wonderful scent lingering..

Another look at Olympus

One of the seasonal lakes

A high ridge

Lupines!

More lupines!

More lakes!

Paintbrush

A deer, an unusual sighting up here

Another mountain view

Keywords: high country, hurricane ridge, obstruction point, winter


11/15/22 - Elk Along Route 112

Here's another sign that winter is coming. The elk are back down in the lowlands. We spotted a herd along route 112 and stopped to take a few pictures and let some of them cross the road.

An elk, posing for us

The scene

Another elk

Ready to cross the road

Elk crossing

More elk

The elk scene

Keywords: winter


11/14/22 - Autumn at the Arboretum

We had an errand to run in Seattle. We left lots of extra time, but we lucked out with no Hood Canal Bridge closing, ferries running on time with lots of free spaces and minimal traffic, so we stopped and explored the Seattle Arboretum. They have a great winter garden, but we were a bit early for that. The witch hazels were still in waiting, but there was a lot of great fall color.

Fall color

More color

Even more color

The have a great collection of trees.

An unusual color

More trees as one would expect in an arboretum

The path

Autumn color - thank you, thesaurus

And more

And yet more

And even more

There was quite a show.

A mix of colors

Another great tree

Some of the first wItch hazel to bloom

Keywords: seattle, winter


11/03/22 - Marymere Falls, Late Fall, Early Snow

We haven't been getting out to Marymere Falls lately. The recent rains reminded us that the falls are worth a trip. The signs were good. We were greeted by a rainbow across the lake as we headed west on route 101. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground when we pulled into the parking lot. We headed along the trail, under route 101, and entered the old forest, dark and bright with a dusting of snow.

There was a woodpecker in one of the trees, so we stopped for a while and watched as the bird hammered away at the side of a tree totally unfazed by an audience. Then we walked on. There was snow on the floor of the forest, but brilliant yellow foliage almost glowed around us. It was the last of autumn and the start of winter.

Barnes Creek was in good flow with its icy currents, and Marymere Falls itself roared heartily. This trail is always a wonderful walk through northwest pacific forest, but with the snow and rain it was almost magical.


Welcome to Lake Crescent.

Snow on logs, a hint of coming attractions

Clouds over the lake

Our cooperative woodpecker

That woodpecker again

and again

and again in a great profile

Autumn meets winter

The magical trail

More trail magic

and more again

Water meeting stone at Marymere Falls

Barnes Creek from the foot bridge

The falls meet water

Marymere Falls

The falls again from higher up

Snow in the forest

A view down at the creek

Another river view with the footbridge

Barnes Creek yet again

More seasonal magic - and it's almost time to reset our clocks.

The forest trail in transition

A last look up the creek

Keywords: autumn, barnes creek, marymere falls, winter


11/01/22 - Halloween

We take Halloween very seriously. The fall is when the trees lose their leaves and their needles thin revealing their skeletons, some in fantastic shapes. The colors change as the world readies for the quiet and retreat of winter. It's also the harvest with one last round of fresh local produce. All of that, and it's a great warmup for the holiday season.

Lenore in her web - We have no idea whose brain that is in the cauldron.

Halloween dinner

Pumpkin and oyster soup

Tomato eyeballs stuffed with bacon, arugula, tomato and mayonnaise

Bat burgers with melted gruyere and kimchi

Keywords: halloween, autumn, winter


02/14/22 - Starwich Cookies

These are our favorite cookies. That's an almond pastry with a raspberry preserve filling. We missed them for Christmas, but there was no way we were getting through the winter without them. (The recipe)

Starwich cookies

Keywords: recipe, winter


01/11/22 - Dungeness Spit Near High Tide

We usually avoid Dungeness Spit at high tide, but, in January, just about every low tide suitable for hiking is at night. This will be the situation until February. We recently took advantage of a falling tide during the day and walked down to the spit. The tide was high, and the beach was full of driftwood. There were large logs which can be dangerous, but they were all securely anchored on land. With the tide going out, they were unlikely to cause problems.

The going was rough. We didn't have to clamber over any logs. Usually, we could time the waves breaking on the rough winter sand and scoot around them. As we neared the stake at the one half mile mark, there was less driftwood but the beach was rough and rocky. It was beautiful with the wild gray skies and the breakers crashing into the spit. There were few birds on the water.

We didn't get all that far, maybe a mile out all told, but what we saw was wonderful. On the way back, there were the mountain views. We still prefer hiking the spit at low tide, but it's nice to know it is passable even in less than perfect conditions.


The spit

The view from the ground, rather daunting

Driftwood and salt water

Some more driftwood blocking our path

A chunk of a big log

Some artistic driftwood

Our hiking trail, not as bad as it looks

The half mile stake in the distance, to the left of the spit

Another view of the spit

The view back

Another view out

Strait meets sand

Another look back

Just a bit past the half mile stake

Another mountain view taken while balancing on a driftwood log

Keywords: birds, dungeness spit, tides, winter


01/09/22 - Marine Drive - Eagles and Swans

We took a walk along Marine Drive in Sequim. The air was clear. We could see Mount Baker, a giant meringue, in the distance, and people were out in kayaks in the waters below the bluffs. There were two eagles in what we call the "eagle tree", an adult and a juvenile. There were also swans in a field of East Anderson Road. They come every winter, and the field was full of them.

A juvenile bald eagle

An adult

Mount Baker

Kayakers near Dungeness Spit

The swans

A swan closeup

Another closeup

Keywords: birds, eagle, mount baker, sequim, winter, marine drive


10/14/21 - 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


10/03/21 - 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


03/08/20 - Last Winter Hiking on the Lake Angeles Trail

We hiked the Lake Angeles Trail a few times this winter. By late February, there was only a little snow on the lower reaches of the trail. That's as far as we went, though others we met on the trail had made it all the way up to the lake. It's one of the easier trails to get to from town, but with all the rain and cold weather, we haven't been getting up there lately.

The footbridge about 700' above the trailhead

Running water

Snowy scene

The boardwalk

Despite the snow, there was lots of green.

The trail with a light dusting

More of the trail

The footbridge again

Wood and snow

Another trail scene

There was snow, but the lower trail was easy going.

Light snow and a fallen tree

Very little snow on the lower part of the trail

Icicles

The frozen curtain of drips

More frozen drips

Almost vernal

No snow at all down here

Lower part of the trail

Keywords: lake angeles, trails, weather, winter

Keywords: lake angeles, trails, weather, winter


02/19/20 - Seattle Winter

We took a short trip into Seattle for the SIFF Noir City Film Festival. We took our usual trip up to Ballard Locks where the water was running at full force. The fish ladder was closed for repairs as was one of the locks, but the winter and early spring flowers were already in bloom. As a bonus, there was a tree full of nesting herons. We've never seen them there before, but this time there were at least six and possibly more.

Seattle in the evening

Daphnes in bloom

Early crocuses

Water at full flow

A more distant view

Herons in the tree

More herons and their nests

Herons and nests from a distance

Frothing water

An empty lock

The view downstream

Edgeworthia chrysantha with a wonderful scent

Berries

Evening in Seattle

Another evening view

Post Alley at night

Pike Place Market at night

Another market view

Seattle streets

Keywords: flowers, seattle, spring, winter

Keywords: flowers, seattle, spring, winter


02/05/20 - To The Altair Bridge and Beyond

We took advantage of a relatively sunny day to head up along the Elwha, starting at Madison Falls and past the Altair Bridge. The Elwha was the big attraction. With the recent rains, it was in full flood. We took the detour, climbing up past the water tank. As we approached the river, we could see it had overflowed its banks. Trees were standing in rushing water. A part of the trail was flooded, so we took the little wooden foot bridge for a dry passage.

As we approached the road again, we could see water rushing by. The side channel that destroyed the old Elwha campground was borrowing a bit of the road. The detour took us out dry shod, and we continued along the road towards the bridge. There were signs of wind damage with twigs and branches on the ground, all the little streams were full of racing water, and here and there, in shady places, there were patches of snow and ice.

We crossed the bridge and walked a few minutes farther along the road, past the gate, for a view of our favorite little waterfall across the river. It was easy to spot even with the trees along the road blocking it. We headed back with our eyes open and were rewarded with the first skunk cabbage shoots of the year. It was not a particularly spring-like walk. It was a winter walk, but we could tell spring would be coming sooner or later.


A fallen branch

Olympic Hot Springs Road

A view of the Elwha

The little waterfall

A close up of the waterfall

The Elwha seen from the bridge

The view downstream

Another downstream view with snowy mountains

Snowy mountain closeup

Snow and frost - still winter

The mossy forest

Skunk cabbage

The flooded road near the old campground

The little foot bridge

An old log

Flooded river

Trees standing in running water

Water over a tree trunk

Another view of the flooded river

Keywords: elwha, waterfall, winter


01/04/20 - Marymere Falls and the Barnes Creek Trail

Marymere Falls is always at full flow during the winter as is Barnes Creek. We made our way up to the falls, then, on our way back, took the side spur up the Barnes Creek Trail. We didn't get very far. The trail was completely flooded. This has been a wild year for the weather.

Marymere Falls

Forest view

Barnes Creek

A side stream

Another Barnes Creek view

The bridge over Barnes Creek

The flooding on the Barnes Creek Trail

A log enjoying the weather

A more typical puddle

Barnes Creek again

A less happy log

Keywords: barnes creek, marymere falls, weather, winter


03/08/19 - A March Day in Seattle

Text of entry goes here

Mount Rainier as seen from the Bainbridge ferry

Winter blooms at the Ballard Locks

A big flock of docks at the locks

Hellebores

One of the sea ducks

Winter berries

Early, hardy pansies

Mahonia

Crockett and Tubbs - 1980s Miami VIce retro

An honest accountant

Bateau's frankfurter, but the steaks are better.

Keywords: ducks, seattle, winter, mount rainier


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