This is Lake Crescent in Olympic NP, Washington.



Near the lake was a short trail through some rain forest that ended at Marymere Falls.







The next day, after my visit to the Hoh Rain forest, I checked out Ruby Beach. It is very different to our Florida beaches. For one, instead of sand, the beach was made up of these amazing stones.



These massive rock formations were like giant sentinels on the beach.









Destruction Island, named for the massacres that took place there in the late 1700's.



I drove on to Ocean Shores, a small tourist town, its beaches known for abundant shorebirds. These beaches were about 50 miles south of Ruby Beach and were completely different. They were composed of very fine sand and extensive dune systems.







The next part of my trip took place in Oregon and eastern Washington. Stay tuned!

Last week I was doing an inspection of the swamp and noticed that the air was alive with the sounds of warblers. Fall migration is well underway!





Barred owls were also very vocal, even in the late morning



Young bald eagle seen on the way to the swamp. The streaky appearance indicates that it is a young bird, probably 3 years of age. The adult plumage, all white head and tail, does not fully develop until age 5.



Orb weavers were also abundant.



I am excited about the arrival of cooler weather and wintering birds! Just hoping that we do not have a cold winter like the last two years.

The other big news is that we have switched from iphone to android. Yes, this is big news. I struggled with it a little bit at first but I like it now that I have gotten used to it. The android offers many more options and functions than the iphone did.

Wishing everyone a happy Harvest Moon this week!

Having just gotten back yesterday from the hell fire and brimstone (heat, nearby wildfires, ozone) in Austin, TX, it was a relief to come home and look through my pictures of the Hoh Rain Forest. The place has such a serene magic about it. Maybe it was the early morning mist, or the fact that it was practically deserted of people, but there was a profound mystery about being there that I can't really describe. I won't bother waffling on about it anymore- here are some pics.



The Hoh River just after sunrise when the air was misty and cool



My first views of Roosevelt's Elk









The paths were thick with moss and ferns and ancient trees







The dim light and mossy shapes added to an overall unreal atmosphere. And views like these show where Sasquatch sightings can come from. Can you see him, slightly lower left of center?



Banana slugs were abundant



More views of the Hoh River.







Back into the woods

















More to come...