Spring on Whidbey

The calendar may still say winter but it is spring on Whidbey Island.

Daffodils in Skagit Valley

The daffodils are out in Skagit Valley.

Arizona Desert Hiking: Granite Mountain

The Granite Mountain Trail is in the northern region of Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve. There are lots of granite boulders, huge saguaros, and views of the surrounding desert. 
To the west are Cone Mountain and Brown's Mountain, shown below. Can you spot the two hot air balloons to the right of Brown's Mountain?

Arizona Desert Sunrise

We began our hike around Granite Mountain near Scottsdale before sunrise. It was a longer hike and we were avoiding the heat of the later part of the day.

How old is this cactus?

There was a sign at Pinnacle Peak informing us how old some of the cactuses were that we saw on our hike. This one would be around 175 years old since it has a woody base.

Cloud Art

I caught some mammatus (mammatocumulus) clouds the morning of February 21. The sagging pouch-like clouds lasted just a few minutes and evened out quickly. Below is a photo I took in December of 2014.

Hiking Arizona: Pinnacle Peak

We took an afternoon hike at Pinnacle Peak, a Scottsdale park. My niece volunteers at this park so it is one of her favorites. The views were great.

My niece and sister on the trail.

Cascade Dawn and Sunrise

Dawn and sunrise from my neighbor's second story deck, February 21.

Olympic Mountains

The Olympic Mountains yesterday morning over Swan Lake and Sunset Beach on Whidbey Island.

Bajada Nature Trail

We took an informative stroll through the Bajada Nature Trail at the Gateway Trailhead. A bajada is the area between the steep mountain slopes and the flat valley floor. We saw many saguaro.

The spines of the saquaro are tough and can be used as walking sticks.

The teddy bear cholla was my favorite as its spikes seemed to glow in the sun.

Here is a fish hook barrel cactus and below is a buckhorn cholla.

Teddy Bear Cholla and a Packrat's Midden

This is a teddy bear cholla, sometimes called a jumping cholla because the segments that fall to the ground will stick to legs, seeming to jump onto them.

Under this tree is a midden, a packrat's home. They carefully carry the cholla segments in their mouths. The packrat's urine hardens to a crystalline coating and the interior is often twenty degrees cooler than outside. 

Desert Hiking in Arizona

Our first hike was an early morning one at the Gateway Trailhead of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

The Preserve is a large protected desert habitat next to Scottsdale and has lots of trails. This view is to the west and Scottsdale.

This view is to the east and the McDowell Mountain area. 

Sea-Tac Airport

On the way to Arizona for some winter desert hiking February 8.

Everett and the North Cascades

The view from the Clinton-Mukilteo ferry February 8.

Olympic Mountains

Olympic Mountains from the east side of Oak Harbor on January 19.

Swallowtail

I caught this swallowtail as it was passing through last July. I'm still cleaning off a memory card and finding new images.

Cascade Morning

Oak Harbor and the Cascade Mountains on the morning of February 5.

Mt. Baker Dusk

Mt. Baker from Oak Harbor January 9.

Olympic Mountains from Coupeville

A January view from Coupeville on a stormy day.

Sunflower

The beginnings of a sunflower blossom, from last summer.

Pink Rose

From June of 2015. Still cleaning off an SD card that's been sitting around too long.

Stormy Olympic Mountains

The Olympic Mountains on yesterday's stormy morning from near the entrance to Joseph Whidbey State Park on the west side of Whidbey Island.

North Cascades from Oak Harbor

An afternoon view on the last day of 2015 from the west side of Oak Harbor.

St. John's Wort

I'm cleaning off an SD card from last summer and came across this close-up.

Windjammer Park, Oak Harbor

My favorite Dutch boy.

Hydrangea

A hydrangea from last summer, an image I found while going through a memory card I'd been meaning to look at and reformat for a while.

Sailing on a Windy Day

I was near Joseph Whidbey State Park on a blustery day, watching this fellow have a great time. One man's trouble is another man's joy.