tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285382712024-03-05T00:36:57.611-08:00Northwest RamblingsHikes, birding, paddling, biking, wildflowers, camping, places and nature in the Pacific NorthwestCathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-49895201818058933232015-07-17T07:48:00.001-07:002015-07-17T07:57:14.310-07:00In My Own BackyardOne of these pictures was shot on the Big Island of Hawaii, one was taken at the Trail of Two Forests south of Mount St Helens, in Washington. Can you tell which is which?
Here's an explanation of what you are seeing in these photos:
Hot lava flows around a standing tree, which erupts in flames, but cools the lava sufficiently for it to harden. The tree burns away Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-49200128213169775072014-05-26T10:35:00.000-07:002014-05-26T10:38:17.533-07:00To the Dry SideLife west of the Cascade Mountains is moss (it grows everywhere!), moisture and moderation: it rarely gets really hot or cold. Crossing to the east side of those mountains changes vegetation, climate and the view; the very air feels different. We like to visit those arid places, but I'm always happy to return to the velvet of the west.
Returning this blog to our travels of last summer, we now Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-15633157255774784312013-12-25T13:36:00.003-08:002013-12-25T13:36:44.615-08:00Merry Christmas!We went for walk in the Tualatin Hills Nature Park today.
Some kind person had walked through the park leaving treats for the wildlife!
What a great idea!
Making life a little easier for the critters one day out of the year.
Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-32229288553891912152013-11-14T11:53:00.000-08:002013-11-14T11:53:25.858-08:00Little Sun at Sunrise - East Side of Mount RainierPerched on the northeast side of Mt Rainier at White River Campground, we had easy access to the beautiful Sunrise area, where the wildflowers and birds gave us a good excuse to take it slow. (The fact that we started out at over 6000 feet and went up from there had nothing to do with it. . .)
Our goal was Dege Peak, elevation 7,006 feet. Cal was "happy" to get to the top, where he Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-24948153545747255302013-09-26T15:00:00.000-07:002013-09-26T15:02:11.443-07:00Moving Day and A Solo HikeWe moved from the southwest corner of Mount Rainier to northeast: White River Campground. We wanted to arrive early because we had no reservations. It took us a few attempts to find a spot we liked, but there seemed to be several available. Could it have anything to do with this sign?
Well, I'm sure I'll sleep better tonight.
This old patrol cabin is in the campground, aCathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-68461665063601979012013-09-24T08:46:00.001-07:002013-09-26T15:01:28.939-07:00Paradise on Mount Rainier and Trees To Look Up ToWhat does Paradise look like? Seen from the Nisqually Vista Trail, it looks like this:
Lupine
Avalanche lilies
Such a beautiful place, even the wildlife is having fun!
The Nisqually Glacier itself was a bit of a scenic disappointment.
It's hard to tell which is mountain and which is glacier, except for the Nisqually Trickle flowing from the glacier.
And hard to Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-64163663060186922372013-09-19T10:58:00.000-07:002013-09-26T15:01:09.238-07:00The Big Trip - Day 1, Mount Rainier National Park
What is the difference between fantasy and a great road trip? With the trip, you come back with pictures!
Saturday the 27th of July saw us on the road to Mount Rainier National Park. Set up in the Cougar Rock Campground still left us time for a short hike.
Mount Rainier frosted and fluffy
The trailhead for Carter Falls is almost directly across the highway. We followed the Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-22648261655789331192013-03-26T16:23:00.000-07:002013-03-26T16:23:19.105-07:00Blooming Good Time
It's been more than two weeks since we began our personal wildflower viewing season with a trip to Catherine Creek, on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge
We are still learning wildflowers and not as confident on identification as with birds, but here goes our best guesses.
Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) were numerous and toward the end of their peak.
Western Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com3Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Washington, USA45.715374362645761 -121.3699540519530745.626653362645762 -121.53131555195307 45.804095362645761 -121.20859255195307tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-15371085117794918982013-01-30T19:27:00.000-08:002013-01-30T19:27:19.582-08:00Ice is Nice, Last Installment (for this winter, I hope)
Because our winters are relatively mild, I haven't had much experience with the different forms in which ice manifests itself. For example, ice seems to push out of the soft ground in long columns. I don't know how this works.
The two following photos are examples of rime ice. We all thought water froze at 32 degrees, but surprise! Pure water can be much colder than that Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-84427040029788882712013-01-25T18:08:00.000-08:002013-01-25T18:08:07.240-08:00Ice is Nice, Part 3
The footing was bit treacherous in places.
Water not moving fast enough to avoid the freeze.
Near South Falls, Silver Creek Falls State Park
Behind Upper South Falls
Who knew ice could be so much fun?
Or so dangerous?
Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-55072351672849168362013-01-22T18:04:00.001-08:002013-01-22T18:04:13.558-08:00Ice is Nice, Part 2
A cold morning at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
The yellow gold morning sunlight tints slightly pink as it shines through the frost collected on winter's vegetation.
The boardwalk had a nice glaze, which up close was fuzzy.
Early January's sunny days coming to an end and the poor waterfowl wait for the thaw.
Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-72620331712988910862013-01-20T10:38:00.000-08:002013-01-20T10:38:22.833-08:00Ice Is Nice, Part 1
Mima Mounds in Washington
Generally, winters in our area of the Pacific Northwest consist of gray days, above-freezing temperatures and lots of water in the air and on the ground. This year, we've enjoyed(?) many cold, clear days and the water has taken on a form we don't experience often.
Taking the "any excuse to get out" approach, we've spent several days in the cold, relishing the Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-82138268846547046652012-12-20T20:59:00.002-08:002012-12-20T20:59:45.577-08:00The EndGiven that this is the last day before the destruction of the Mayan civilization, or the last day of autumn, or the end of something....yes, a new post! And as far as I am concerned, today was just the end of a long period of nature deprivation. We needed a day outdoors.
First stop to see some elk
On the way to Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area, we climbed into the Coast Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-92177061735873756732012-05-10T20:14:00.001-07:002012-05-10T20:14:49.825-07:00Camassia - Wow, is it spring again?We've seen it in the fall and we saw it again last spring, when sunny days in Portland happened only above the clouds. Now we've seen sun and flowers together.
Is it better than last spring? No, only different.Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-1908793328063083492012-04-25T15:54:00.000-07:002012-04-25T15:54:03.009-07:00Gorgeous!Our great weather on Monday prompted us to get to the Columbia Gorge. The wildflowers and falls were fabulous.
Fringe Cup (Tellima grandiflora)
Western meadow rue (Thalictrum occidentale)
Fairy bells (Disporum hookeri)
View from behind Ponytail Falls
Overlooking Triple Falls (that little blue dot on the bridge is me)
Photography by Cal CrandallCathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-57345011697150884492011-12-30T17:41:00.000-08:002011-12-31T18:10:05.624-08:00Ferry LandTaking a small ferry ranks in my top ten list of cheap thrills. On our two transits of the Columbia River via the Wahkiakum Ferry, we have seen scaup, ring necks, western grebes and double crested cormorants. The last ferry operating on the lower Columbia, it travels between Westport, Oregon and Cathlamet, Washington. Besides a fun ride, it's our favorite way access the Julia Butler Hansen Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-37559135115438434782011-07-09T08:21:00.000-07:002012-05-10T20:19:41.454-07:00Camassia-SpringLast autumn, we took a walk at Camassia Natural Area. We knew that the little island of nature was not in its prime during the fall, but wanted to check out the location so we'd be ready for spring. When spring rolled around, we almost missed the show, but snuck over there right before leaving on a trip. These photos were taken on May 17th.As it was many days this spring, the sky was overcast Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-16395634222485410522011-05-11T19:23:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:26:05.572-07:00Willapa Hills TrailFlat and fast across farmland, this rails-to-trails is a great way to spend a morning, and eventually, a long day. Now, only a few sections of the trail are paved. In the future, a 56-mile ride from Chehalis to South Bend, Washington will be possible. We started out at the Chehalis trail head (GPS N46.64750, W122.97419), just west of I-5 at Hillburger Road on the Saturday before Easter. The Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-18549306324236546242011-05-04T17:31:00.000-07:002011-05-05T16:29:42.605-07:00Rainbow Falls State ParkAs waterfalls go, this one is barely a ripple, at least this time of the year. Perhaps as water levels drop? We did, however, spot two raccoons racing along the bank opposite the highway. We parked on Highway 6 and walked the barely two miles of trail on the south side of the highway on April 21. Lots of trillium were in bloom, as were a few skunk cabbage, and Cardimine nuttalli. Bleeding Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-27757451744818651222011-03-29T17:57:00.001-07:002011-03-29T18:06:49.316-07:00Signs of Spring in the Pacific NorthwestCathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-41183007246281926992011-03-08T14:23:00.000-08:002011-03-08T14:52:11.757-08:00Eagle Creek WaterfallsOn our recent hike, in this canyon that's a small branch to the Columbia Gorge, melting snow cascaded down the canyon walls, watering the moss that was everywhere and occasionally watering us. In addition to the impromptu waterfalls, both Metlako and Punch Bowl Falls were roaring.While we were surprised to see so much snow on the trail, signs of spring included this western saxifrage just Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-74425087510754248812011-02-22T17:07:00.000-08:002011-02-24T16:38:00.695-08:00Astoria, Oregon: Columbia River Light ShipAfter living in Oregon, sixty miles from the coast for most of my life, I am surprisingly ignorant about the maritime lifestyle. I feel much more enlightened after our visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum.Before entering the museum, I looked at the Coast Guard boat displayed in the huge glass window; it's almost standing on end. Did they have trouble fitting it in the space? Inside I Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-37884640728310056842011-02-12T16:32:00.000-08:002011-02-14T12:15:23.810-08:00International CrossingTwo years ago, we took the ferry from Port Angeles, Washington to Victoria, BC. The crossing was an experiment in “pelagic on the cheap.” Sadly, our avian expectations were severely bruised. We saw very few birds from the ferry.On the other hand, we had a beautiful view of a single valley in the Olympic Mountains bathed in sunlight under an otherwise overcast sky. Once in Victoria we toured theCathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-89839312317030969352011-01-26T16:39:00.001-08:002011-01-28T19:01:45.567-08:00Why Birding is Never BoringOut for a walk one day, I just happened to have a camera when I saw this large flock of geese doing a little grounds maintenance in the baseball field. Canada Geese are one of the easier birds to catch with a camera, so I snapped a few pictures without pausing too long to look them over. They're just Canada Geese, right?When I pulled the photos off the camera, I looked a little closer. Some ofCathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28538271.post-3220483149539720312011-01-05T11:55:00.000-08:002011-01-07T20:05:50.214-08:00Downy DisconnectLast month, this lovely lady was a frequent visitor to the suet feeder. I haven't seen her for awhile, but now, this fellow coyly creeps through the brush before deciding to check out the food.As I watch twenty or thirty bushtits zip in and away from the suet, I'm fascinated by the variety of bird behavior. Birds of a feather flock together [bushtits], except when they don't [woodpeckers].Cathy Crandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908280414499913149noreply@blogger.com0