Musings

I arose not quite as early in the dawn sequence as yesterday, yet the golden-yellow tones are lovely.

Still saw a few snow-caps as we motored south, and they tapered off as we continued.

Without a doubt, the most dramatic landscape was at White River Narrows.

After long miles of a downward trending road (which lead to overall mileage of 53mpg, at a speedy pace), we ended up creasing Las Vegas. We saw no meadows.

Yeah, we made a burger stop, which happened to be in the middle of the lunch rush. Wow, what a crowd, including dozens of vehicles in the drive-through lane. They even sent a guy out to take orders from those in line.

Back out in the country, we saw several solar panel fields. This one almost looked like a lake. In contrast, in the city, we passed dozens of housing units, almost zero with solar panels. I can’t fathom the logic.

We did get several glimpses of the reservoir called Lake Mead, and the level is low low low, just as you may have read.

After crossing into Arizona, in contrast to this morning, we drove on a generally rising trajectory (mileage was a hammered 42mpg).

There was roadside rotten snow coming into Flag (much diminished from our westbound leg), but none around the hotel.

Unexpectedly, our hotel had a two-plug electrical charger. The car is now fully charged and moved away from the charger. The other space has a handicapped parking logo on it, so I can’t imagine it gets used frequently.

Posted at 9:52 PM | Comments Off on Nevada means snowfall

Stunning orange-gold and pink sky to wake up to.

Some overcast as we rolled down the road.

Switched drivers in front of the only parking meter in Owyhee County. You better have the right change if you park there; it only takes pennies and nickles.

Still high overcast; still mountains in the distance.

Striking erosion patterns; overcast is mostly gone.

Must be an Easter Sunday requirement in this area: run the irrigation system.

Open high terrain. The snow is closer. The sky is clear.

Driving through a canyon; the sunlight has reduced the snow more in some places than others.

Snowy high flat. Dry road.

This flat: not so high and not so snowy. Clear, clear sky.

Big lead and silver mining on the slope by the town of Eureka. The boom really didn’t last long, yet the community survives.

A higher pass, so more snow on our level.

Again: lower and less snow at the road’s elevation.

My brain tried to make these horizontals into terraces (shades of the Mixteca Alta), but they are geological layers.

A bit higher again.

We watched this peak to the right for quite a while. Then as we kept motoring along and could see more of the ridge to the left, we noticed the spoor of (open pit?) mining in regular piles. MaNachur melds awkwardly with human terraforming.

Here’s Ely! This is US50. We started the day on US20 and US30. That seems quite an accomplishment for one day.

I think we crossed four and perhaps five passes over 7000 feet and maybe five more between 6000 and 7000 feet. Yup, we got high today.

Posted at 10:03 PM | Comments Off on We got high

We crossed a brige (truth: several), leaving our good times with family in SEA. We had “seen everyone,” and, a bit sadly, it was time.

The most direct route toward the east is up to a gap/pass. It wasn’t long before we could see snow above us through rain drops.

Then, we saw snowbanks eye-to-eye.

The skier head-count at the pass ski area seemed low, probably because of spitting rain.

Descending, at first we saw more mountains, more snow.

Soon enough, we zoomed through no snow and a very different landscape.

Several hours later, another ascent and pass. Rinse and repeat.

Note: yes, we are still carrying our Winnemucca chains. Unopened; hopefully, they’ll stay that way, and we can return them for a full refund.

Posted at 7:38 PM | Comments Off on Pass passing

First stop. No lie: this is John Sam Lake.

Snow geese migrating…although here they‘re hanging or wheeling.

Show daffodils.

Oyster nursery on Samish Bay.

A deer (!!) in Fairhaven.

A park on the shore at Bellingham. The ducks are buffleheads…or are they Barrow‘s goldeneye?

Posted at 11:13 PM | Comments Off on In which they venture north

I snapped this during my morning walk.

And this was late afternoon.

It’s been a Seattle-y day, drippy from pre-morning through, well, into tomorrow. Thus, the Olympics are completely shrouded, and the view across Puget Sound is ghosty.

I am not Monet and the view is not of Rouen Cathedral; however, I do like the idea of pondering the same view (ish) at various times.

Posted at 8:39 PM | Comments Off on Garbage day

I touched the Pacific today, that is, if you believe Puget Sound is the Pacific.

And I learned that my favorite (well, truth: only) plant ID app did not recognize this as a star magnolia, or even as a magnolia. I think the algorithm interpreted the scale wrong (as there were no other plant parts visible), and had the flowers much smaller, and hence matched them to very different species than magnolia.

Posted at 7:15 PM | Comments Off on Matters of perspective

If one enters Carkeek Park, that means one descends. The focus of this area of public land, it seems to me, is this bridge across the railroad to the beach. One time we were here when low tide was exceedingly low, and we went out to the edge of the water and stood something like 30 feet below sea level on temporarily dry ground.

The park embraces this creek, which flows across the beach in the distance. This shot is off to the left of the RR in the upper photo, and (duh) upstream. Some mallards were sleeping (not shown). Others were watching the man watching them; I think they were hoping for a handout.

Up in the woods, on my returning ascent, I found this denizen “wearing” moss and ferns. Beats all the Paris fashion, if you ask me.

Posted at 7:07 PM | Comments Off on A park on foot

Grape hyacinth forest.

Moss forest.

Not-a-forest.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Forest, what forest?

My finger was descending to catch this rabbit in the grass, nice profile, when s/he realized there was a big dog across the road. Ah, well, this way, you get a better view of the cottony tail.

A bit of internet investigation…and I have learned that this is Ribes sanguineum, or red-flowering currant, and native to this area, although this specimen may be a nursery cultivar.

Watching rain come across Puget Sound. It’s slow moving. I’m typing this almost an hour later, and it still has about half the sound to cross to reach us.

Posted at 8:17 PM | Comments Off on Fast, flower, slow

Just me and one gull checking the weather and the light at 7:18am. And just me enjoying the puddle reflections.

Coffee stop appropriate to the fact that we are Seattle-bound.

First sunshine find of the day.

First dairy stop…well, only dairy stop…Tillamook, of course.

Cloud/precip return…and, yes, that’s snow on that upper slope.

Another “vote” that today’s theme should be dairy.

Downtown SEA, looking overcast and bright at the same time.

Welcome flowers. We had no wind when we arrived and I found the scent intense and lovely.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Northbound venue-shift