Crescent Moon

The crescent moon last night over the Olympic Peninsula. I was at the Hastie Lake Road boat ramp on the west side of Whidbey Island.

Enjoying the View at Fort Ebey State Park

I wasn't the only one enjoying the amazing view from Fort Ebey State Park on the west side of Whidbey Island. The Olympic Mountains are in the distance.

Mt. Rainier from Windjammer Park, Oak Harbor

This was the view last night from Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island.

Race Week at Whidbey Island

Sunflower

Fort Casey State Park and Olympic Mountains

Another beautiful place on Whidbey Island to enjoy a sunny afternoon.

Ebey Historical Reserve and Mount Rainier

Another great place to hike on Whidbey Island is from the Prairie Overlook at the Coupeville cemetery to the bluff. The trail is relatively level and the views spectacular, like this one. You can see Mt. Rainier, shown here, Mt. Baker and the Olympics from this trail. You also pass by the Ebey House which has great displays full of historical information on the area.

Pink Rose

We're having a few days of rain. Yesterday I saw this tiny spider get some work done during a break in the downpour.

Hiking at Fort Ebey State Park

If you haven't been out to Fort Ebey State Park on the west side of Whidbey Island, you are missing a great opportunity for bluff hikes with beautiful scenes.

USS Nimitz

I was out at Ft. Ebey State Park on the west side of Whidbey Island and noticed the USS Nimitz coming north from its home port in Everett.

There were many of us enjoying the show.

Lavender

Water from the sprinkler caught the sun as I watered the lavender.

Sunset Clouds

Sometimes the view to the east at sunset can be amazing,

as it was a few days ago.

The sunset itself was rather uneventful. It always pays to look around.

Fort Ebey Afternoon

A sunny afternoon at Fort Ebey State Park, on the west side of Whidbey Island. Mount Rainier is on the horizon.

Sunset Flight

This was the view last night from Joseph Whidbey State Park on the west side of Whidbey Island.

Cloud Art

I love it when God puts on a cloud show.

He seems to incorporate contrails too.

Hydrangeas

The three plants in my neighbor's yard show how the blossoms can vary so much in color.

Sucia Island State Park

I recently went on a group tour to Sucia Island. It is called the crown jewel of Washington State's marine park system.

It is accessible only by boat and we took the Viking Star, leaving from the Bellingham Cruise Terminal.

Sucia (pronounced su-see'-ah) means "dirty" in Spanish and was named so because of the reefs and rocks around much of the island.

Our tour guide showed us the wave action on sandstone as we hiked over a peninsula. We ended up at Fossil Beach.

And we did see many fossils.

It was low tide and we also saw starfish and anemone.

Our guide said this red one was a bit rare to see.

As we were nearing lunch time, I think some of the star fish were already having theirs.

The geology of the island is varied.

Our boat trip gave us some glimpses of refineries and other commercial endeavors north of Bellingham,

and the Lummi Island ferry.

Here is a map showing the location of Sucia Island.

Hummingbird

This is a young one, I think. He sat for several minutes, content to be still.

He'd fly a bit and then sit a spell.

July 12 Moonrise

This is the moonrise from last night, as seen from SW Founders Place, on the west side of Oak Harbor. To the left on the horizon is Mt. Pilchuck. In the foreground are Oak Harbor Bay and Maylor's Point.

Knowing the compass heading in advance, I had driven around earlier in the day trying to find a location where the moon would rise next to a notable object. I found nothing extraordinary so stayed nearby for the actual event.

Fairbanks, Alaska

On the last day of my Alaska adventure we drove to Fairbanks.

This is the view from the George Parks Monument. The Alaska Range is in the distance and the Tanana River in the valley. In Fairbanks, we took a ride on the Riverboat Discovery.

One of the stops was at the sled dog training center operated by a daughter of Susan Butcher.

Another stop was at a display of the Athabascan people.

A couple of the mountains in the Alaska Range from Fairbanks, with the Tanana River in the foreground.

Talkeetna, Alaska

One rainy day in Alaska we drove to Talkeetna to do the tourist thing. It has quite a history, beginning with gold miners. You can read about it's history here. 

It is the town south of Denali where climbers check in with the National Park office to get permits and have their equipment inspected. We went to the museum and were treated to a virtual climb of Mt. McKinley.

We ate at the Roadhouse, a hundred years old. It is a family style restaurant so you wander around until you find enough seats for your group. You meet some interesting people that way!

Of course, on the road between Denali and Talkeetna is the famous igloo. It has certainly seen better days.

Tonglen Lake, Alaska

This is another beautiful lake near my brother-in-law's cabin.

Horseshoe Lake, Denali National Park

My sister and I took the short hike to Horseshoe Lake.

The trail head is next to the rail road track about a mile into the park.

A long beaver dam formed the north side of the lake.

On the hike we caught a glimpse of Denali Village and some of the many lodges along the George Parks Highway.