Hover Captions—and, as a little treat for you at the bottom of this page—Haiku
Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail Return to The Pacific Northwest
Underway in Quinault Valley, in the Olympic National Park, Grays Harbor County, Washington. Early morning and late evening, the sun's low angle back lights the huge leaves and the forest, displaying every shade of green imaginable.
1:1 - Olympic National Forest, surrounded on three sides by salt water, offers terrific interpretive footpaths for the public to enjoy the notable marine climate, verdant rain forests, and rocky, mountainous terrain inhabited by Roosevelt elk.
1:2 - Jay and Daddy stroll a portion of more than 250 miles of pathways in Olympic National Forest. We're glad over half lie at low elevations, available for year-round enjoyment.
1:3 - Joe and Ruth in a cavernous tree trunk on the half-mile loop nature route. This special rain forest community has developed on avalanches and other coarse soils. Elk & deer as landscape architects contribute to spacious openness.
1:4 - Mother & Anita trek the trail toward a young Sitka spruce (named for tribal citizens and town of Sitka, Alaska), by far the largest species of spruce, and 3rd tallest conifer species on earth (after the Coast Redwood and Coast Douglas-fir).
2:1 - These "guests" draping from limbs derive support — not sustenance — from their host tree. Air plants or epiphytes instead absorb all they need from the air. Maple branches send adventitious roots into moisture-laden clumps of the true mosses and clubmosses to tap water and nutrients.
2:2 - Jay looks up at moss as hanging as far down as he is tall. These towering trees in the northern hemisphere's only temperate rain forest are some of the largest in the world.
2:3 - Close-up of moss in photo on left. In the Quinault Valley, maples—with clubmoss draperies—mingle with spruce and alder trees, more than in most rain forest communities.
2:4 - Massive mossy old-growth forest, understory view. Mild temperatures, summer fogs, and abundant annual rainfall nurture the giant trees, ferns, and carpets of moss here in Olympic National Park's magnificent temperate rain forest.
3:1 - Youth on Age (Tolmiea menziesii), the only member of the monotypic genus Tolmiea, also known as Piggy-back Plant or Thousand Mothers; to the left blooms a common yellow monkey flower (golden monkey flower), Mimulus guttatus.
3:2 - Close-up of foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, June 25, 2007. William Withering pioneered digitalis, a clinical use for the common foxglove, native to most of Europe, and now naturalized in pastures along the Pacific Northwest.
3:3 - Foxglove grows at the historic Kestner homestead and barn in the glacial carved Quinault Valley. Anton Kestner, arriving in 1889, lived with his family on the North Shore, claimed the land, and homesteaded here for many years.
3:4 - A coastal hedgenettle (Stachys chamissonis Benth.), Lamiaceae (Mint Family), an herb native to the U.S.A.
4:1 - The Pacific Northwest's humid-temperate weather zone, the annual drizzles to downpours exceeding 140" (3.5 m), is an ideal climate to nourish a lavish coniferous rain forest.
4:2 - Joe, Anita, and Amber pass under a mossy big leaf maple mid-morning. Afterwards Anita, Jay, Amber, Tim, and Ruth hiked the Quinault Lodge Trail and Loop above the lake.
4:3 - The moss-crested wooden sign identifying an indeed very big leaf maple tree, the biggest of all maples, having 5-12" leaves with 5 lobes, and often hosting lichen, clubmosses, ferns, and true mosses on their expansive branches.
4:4 - Statuesque big leaf maple specimen in photo on the left. Woodcarvers prize maples that develop swirled grain inside protuberant lumps on their trunks called burls.
5:1 - The impressive base of a gigantic Western Red-cedar, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family, not cedar, has stringy bark too acidic to encourage lichen, fungi, or moss growth; it may well live more than 1000 years.
5:2 - The canopy of this same towering Western Red-cedar, with small and scaly leaves on branches often hanging like fronds, bearing tiny cones about a half inch long.
5:3 - Canopy of the western hemlock in the photo on the right, with feathery foliage bearing cones about an inch long. A young tree can be easily identified by its drooping top.
5:4 - Mature western hemlock, Washington's state tree, is a common understory tree.
6:1 - A crown of ferns at the base of a tree helps protect it from strangling climbing vines. The word "leaf" refers to the entire frond on the fern.
6:2 - We crossed over Kestner Creek at the trail beginning and end. Ample ferns, which produce spores, carpeted the earth long before flowering seed plants came to dominate.
6:3 - Sitka spruce, growing only along the Northwestern coast of the USA and Canada, with highest strength-to-weight ratio of any lumber.
6:4 - Canopy of the Sitka spruce identified in photo on the left. Identifying features: 2-3" papery cones; thin, scaly bark; and stiff, sharp, dark glaucous blue-green needles.
Lake Quinault - First Sunrise Return to The Pacific Northwest
Sunrise in the Quinault Valley at 5:39 a.m. on June 25, silhouetting the foothills in the Olympic Mountain range.
1:1 - Ruth started photographing the radiant horizon, 5:39 a.m.
1:2 - A gradual golden glow glistens on Lake Quinault 5:41 a.m.
1:3 - 5:41 a.m., bright & early, from a patio deck vantage point.
1:4 - First glimpse of sun rising above mountain range 5:44 a.m.
2:1 - Luminous skyline follows the previous evening rain shower.
2:2 - Soft colors of dawn, mirrored subtly across Lake Quinault.
2:3 - Shining sunrays reflect off the lake as surface fog lifts.
2:4 - Sunlight beams begin suffusing the valley's cloud blanket.
3:1 - Brilliant orb, up over Olympic Mountain Range at 5:44 a.m.
3:2 - Daybreak focus on the far side of Lake Quinault, 5:45 a.m.
3:3 - Sun highlights, dissipates ground clouds, 5:49 a.m.
3:4 - Winged reveille of the sun-up symphony jumpstarts the day, 5:53 a.m.
Lake Quinault - First Morning Return to The Pacific Northwest
Our first morning, relaxing on this pristine glacier-carved lake in the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, June 25, 2007.
1:1 - Our escape into nature's refuge, a few hours from Seattle.
1:2 - Rejuvenating, brisk air beckons for an invigorating swim.
1:3 - Panoramic views greeted our every gaze across the lake.
1:4 - We explored Lake Quinault's serenity, beauty, and history.
2:1 - We enjoyed spending a full day around this spectacular region together for relaxation, unwinding, and recreation.
2:2 - We touched both lake shores, hiking Olympic National Park (north shore) and Olympic National Forest (south shore).
2:3 - A morning fog, shrouding shoreline treetops, temporarily accents the Olympic National Rainforest's natural wonder.
2:4 - We strolled through the ancient rainforests of the western lowlands, and later, the alpine meadows of the high peaks.
3:1 - Our cozy cottage sat on the shore of picturesque Lake Quinault at the edge of the beautiful Quinault Rainforest.
3:2 - Lake Quinault’s clear, clean, glacier fed waters lapped at the beach bordering the back yard of our little lakeside chalet.
3:3 - On the Olympic Peninsula at the northern end of Grays Harbor County, the Quinault Rain Forest frames the Quinault Valley with ridges that rise over 3,000 feet.
3:4 - The southwest corner of the Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, surrounded by the Olympic National Forest at the Quinault Indian Reservation.
Lake Quinault - Rainbow Return to The Pacific Northwest
View toward the historic Lake Quinault Lodge, South Shore of Lake Quinault, with Olympic National Forest illuminated.
1:1 - This was a welcoming sight on our arrival, June 24, 2007.
1:2 - Double rainbow: a second rainbow on the outside of the first, brighter rainbow, from raindrops higher than those causing the "primary rainbow", and special—they internally reflect the incoming sunlight twice rather than just once.
1:3 - Rainbow arching over the Quinault Rainforest canopy. Canopy trees include evergreens (Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar) as well as some deciduous trees.
1:4 - Rainbow over the shoreline of Lake Quinault frames the site of the World’s Largest Spruce: circumference of 58', 11", diameter of 18', 9", height of 191', about 1000 years old.
Quinault Rain Forest Big Cedar Return to The Pacific Northwest
Ruth, Jay, Anita, Amber & Tim, and Mother enjoying a hike through the Quinault Rain Forest's illustrious and imposing ancient forest stands on Lake Quinault's northwest shore.
1:1 - Joe ascends the stairs to see a Rain Forest Champion Tree, the world’s largest known Western Red-cedar. Back behind is an amazing aerial example of the nurse log phenomenon of the Sitka spruce forest, new life beginning out of the old.
1:2 - The Quinault Valley in Grays Harbor County, Washington, one of three major drainages on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, is renowned for the immense ancient trees of its unique and majestic temperate rain forest.
1:3 - Joe on the Quinault Big Cedar Trail, an environment of stately Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar which reach gargantuan proportions.
1:4 - Daddy and Mother enjoy hiking by groves of red alder, which enrich soil by fixing nitrogen in their root nodules. Red alder, the area's most common deciduous tree (losing its leaves every year), is often mistaken for birch.
2:1 - Olympic National Park with its lush temperate rain forest is recognized internationally as a Biosphere Reserve & World Heritage Site and is a magnet for rain forest enthusiasts.
2:2 - The Quinault Big Cedar, the world’s largest known western red cedar, at 174’ tall and 19.5’ diameter DBH [Diameter at breast height; the average diameter (outside the bark) of a tree 4.5 feet above mean ground level].
2:3 - Jay and Ruth humbled by the lofty trees. The western red cedar is somewhat intolerant to dry intense heat, thus flourishing in rain forest wet regions, usually in mixed stands of Douglas fir, Sitka spruce and western hemlock.
2:4 - Anita on the path amongst the ferns of Quinault: sword fern (Polystichum munitum), licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza), deer fern (Blechnam spicant), lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina), bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum), oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris), maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum), wood fern (Dryopteris austricaca).
3:1 - A temperate rain forest is recognized by the following combination of hallmarks: the presence of Sitka spruce, nurse logs (upon which seedlings of trees grow), big leaf maples with clubmoss draperies, trees standing on stilts, colonnades (trees standing in a row, a result of their head start on nurse logs), and a profusion of mosses & lichens.
3:2 - The western red cedar was the canoe cedar and the most important “tree of life” to the Northwest Coast Indians.
3:3 - Trees of Quinault: Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Douglas-Fir (Psudotsuga menziesii), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), red alder (Alnus rubra), vine maple (Acer circinatum).
3:4 - Vine maple is a hardy fast-growing maple frequently found in bushy masses, with 7 - 9 lobed leaves that midsummer start to turn a brilliant red to orange. Deer browse this and the alder; the Native Americans also relied on both trees.
4:1 - Fern growing on a tree trunk, June 25, 2007. Even with less animal and plant life diversity, the sheer quantity in a temperate rain forest is much greater than in a tropical rain forest ...or anywhere else on Earth.
4:2 - Can you see the same fern growing low on the tree trunk, shown in photo on the left?
4:3 - Looking at the roof of the rain forest toward sunlight of emerald-green hue, filtered by a canopy of tree crowns.
4:4 - Temperate rain forests support more biomass than tropical rain forests, which have a greater variety of plants and animals. Temperate rain forest trees tend to be taller and bigger in girth than typical tropical counterpart trees with their sizeable, swollen bases called flying buttresses.
Pacific Coast - South Beach Return to The Pacific Northwest
The short Spruce Burl Trail leads through a spruce forest to the beach; some Sitka spruce have developed bloated nodules of knobby growths in their trunks, called burls.
1:1 - Common bulging, knotty swellings in coastal Sitka spruce.
1:2 - Inspiring coastline descends abruptly to the sand, June 25. (The Cascadia fault under the Pacific Ocean could create a tsunami from Alaska to California that would carry more clout than Hurricane Katrina clobbering the Gulf in 2005.)
1:3 - A beautiful but invasive species, the bull (or, spear) thistle, Cirsium vulgare, an introduced biennial (Sunflower family).
1:4 - Massive sun-bleached log jam meets sandy colluvial sediment right on the gorgeous rocky-cliff coastline.
Pacific Coast - Ruby Beach Return to The Pacific Northwest
A most interesting beach, with pristine stunning ocean vistas, famous rock formations known as seastacks rising above colorful sand and round rocks worn smooth by tumultuous waves, and hundreds of logs washed ashore.
1:1 - Cow parsnip overlooking a dramatic view of Abbey Island, an enormous sea stack rock formation with several trees growing on its surface, at the mouth of Cedar Creek.
1:2 - Anita (on left) and Mother pass a sea stack (a marvelous rock sculpture etched by the wind), walking on smooth, flat, round rocks, and on fine greenish-gray sand including sandstone, shale, quartz, brown siliceous rocks, & feldspar.
1:3 - Sun-bleached beached driftwood points toward sea stacks off Ruby Beach, Olympic Peninsula, Jefferson County.
1:4 - Green algae-covered rocks at the mouth of Cedar Creek on Ruby Beach, just a few footsteps down a winding lane.
2:1 - Close-up of yellow blooming beach flowers, grass, and lichens, first in this series of four images of a sea stack.
2:2 - Gull sits atop sea stack rock formation adjacent to the oceanside forest, June 25, 2007.
2:3 - A sea stack is a coastal rock island or pillar, a steep isolated pinnacle that has resisted the sand-blasting force of waves.
2:4 - A neat cap of ferns atop a rock formation, an outcropping called a sea stack, isolated from the shoreline by erosion.
Lake Quinault - End of First Day Return to The Pacific Northwest
Our home base for a couple of days on the North Shore of Lake Quinault in the Olympic National Park, Washington.
1:1 - I started our first full day with a 5:30 a.m. sunrise. Our family trod corridors of Lake Quinault's North and South Shores and the Maple Glade Rain Forest Trail, and took an outing to 2 Pacific Northwest ocean beaches, all in 1 day!
1:2 - Ancient trees shelter wildlife beneath craggy peaks in this spectacular wilderness forest bordering Lake Quinault in the Olympic Peninsula, with over 20 unique plants & animals.
1:3 - We would have loved to taken to the water! After supper, Anita & I took a walk, munching en route on multitudinous, juicy, wild, plump salmonberries (my first), and blueberries.
1:4 - The Olympics, rising from the sea 10-20 million years ago, were designated a national monument in 1909. Our snug rented holiday house lay in a U-shaped valley chiseled by ice-age glacier action that nurtured a wealth of biodiversity.
Columbia River Gorge Return to The Pacific Northwest
Chanticleer Point overlooks Crown Point on a sheer basalt cliff remnant of volcanic rock the Columbia River has worn down through the Cascade Range to nearly sea level. 30-knot winds make some of the world's best windsurfing.
1:1 - The mighty Columbia River gashed an 80-mile-long Gorge through black basalt cliffs, cutting ribbon-like waterfalls that cascade down steep-sided hills lined thick with luxuriant firs.
1:2 - We selected “America's Fjord” to be the highlight and the mid-point of our family vacation, traveling together to see North America's record concentration of high waterfalls.
1:3 - Congress recognized the unique beauty of the Gorge in November 1986 by making this region the nation's first National Scenic Area, a remnant of molten basalt gushing from cracks near Idaho to inundate 80,000 square miles.
1:4 - Crown Point sits atop a lava flow laminating the landscape, deluged by shearing floodwaters surging nearly 1000' deep through the Gorge to scour the canyon maybe 100 times.
Multnomah Falls Return to The Pacific Northwest
At 620 feet, the second tallest year-round waterfall in the USA (Yosemite Falls, California, is North America's tallest).
1:1 - Our extended family visited Multnomah Falls, fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain, on June 26.
1:2 - Benson Bridge, built in 1914, crosses Multnomah Creek between the Upper and Lower Multnomah Falls.
1:3 - The two drops of Multnomah Falls over the Grande Ronde Basalt of the Columbia River Basalt Group occur due to a more easily eroded zone at the base of the upper falls.
1:4 - Lauren, Mark, Dena, and Brandon were splendid tour guides, and took our extended family to see Oregon's number one tourist place, which has nearly two million visitors a year.
Latourell Falls Return to The Pacific Northwest
Mark and Joe stand next to Daddy on his 85th birthday, as Latourell Creek plunges a sheer 249 ft. over a rocky cliff.
1:1 - During the last ice age, 1000' high floods swept through the Columbia River Gorge and the river carved a sea level gorge through the mile-high Cascade Mountain Range.
1:2 - Ruth and Daddy on his 85th birthday, June 26, 2007, in the Guy W. Talbot State Park, at Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area of Oregon's Multnomah County.
1:3 - Mark, Daddy, and Joe will get a good close look at the falls.
1:4 - The striking Columnar Columbia River Basalt at Latourell Falls, exposing portions of basalt thousands of feet thick.
Wahkeena Falls Return to The Pacific Northwest
Mother and Daddy on his 85th birthday, June 26, in front of Wahkeena Falls, on its 242' tumble down the mountain. Wahkeena means "most beautiful" in Yakama Indian.
1:1 - After Chanticleer Point we visited four waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. The maidenhair ferns, lady ferns, and golden monkey flowers added to the fluid beauty.
1:2 - Joe and Jay. A mile and a half uphill, Wahkeena Springs gushes intact out of the ground. Five yards uphill from that one spot, no stream at all; five yards down, safely view nearly the complete plummet of Wahkeena Falls.
1:3 - Mother & Daddy in front of the "tiered" falls on Wahkeena Creek—not a sheer drop, but the waters hurl themselves over a series of fantastic cascades down a steep declivity.
1:4 - Ruth and Joe 1½ miles past the source where Wahkeena Creek surfaces and the waters race headlong over the cliff.
Horsetail Falls Return to The Pacific Northwest
Daddy, Mother, Anita holding Lauren, Mark (Dena took their newborn Brandon home), Amber, Tim, Jay, Ruth, Joe
1:1 - Daddy on his 85th birthday surveys the sweeping cascade of 208-foot-high Horsetail Falls in the cool mossy miniature canyon of Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge.
1:2 - Joe, and a last look at selected waterfalls we came to visit, located in metropolitan Portland's backyard, on June 26.
1:3 - Ruth at Horsetail Falls; next we drove to Mark & Dena's for Daddy's 85th birthday dinner and a visit, then to the hotel with breakfast in Portland where Anita made reservations.
1:4 - Family photo by the beautiful horsetail-shaped waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Multnomah County, one of 77 waterfalls in Oregon's side of the Gorge.
Johnson Ridge Observatory - Eruption Trail Return to The Pacific Northwest
We learned a lot about the May 18, 1980 eruption (also previous eruptions in A.D. 1500, 1800, and 1831-1857).
1:1 - Each of the 5 world-class visitor centers in Cowlitz County, gateway to Mount St. Helens, provides unique perspective & insight into the mountain, with history & lessons learned.
1:2 - The on-going eruption is startling, in terms of its longevity (2½ years) and the largely non-explosive spine extrusions pushing up through the crater floor, growing the dome.
1:3 - A 9-hour vertical plume reached 15 mi. high. 50-80 m.p.h. pyroclastic flows 1380-1560°F (ave. 570-1350°F) for 5 mi. 130' deep—and 90 m.p.h. lahar mudflows—razed the area.
1:4 - October 2004 Mt. St. Helens erupts after 18 years of quiet. By October 2006, seven massive spines were extruded (114 million cubic yards) to reach 1300 feet; mid-2007 the "new" lava dome is taller than the Empire State Building.
2:1 - Deep beneath the Cascade Mountains in the Northwest, molten magma heats the earth's crust and occasionally bursts through cracks and fractures into violent eruptions. Harnessing geothermal energy may help power the region.
2:2 - Ruth stands in the heart of the blast zone with views of the lava dome, crater, pumice plain, and the landslide deposit. 500 miles of trails through Mt. St. Helens landscape await!
2:3 - In less than 10 minutes, the eruption leveled 230 square miles of forest as it blew off 1300 feet of height.
2:4 - Cement-like lahars—glacial melt water & boulder slurries— scoured & buried streams draining away from the volcano.
3:1 - Beautiful bright summer wildflowers like Indian paintbrush and penstemon begin to flourish, evidence of the earth's tremendous power & the mind-boggling resiliency of life.
3:2 - Natural revegetation—like a little patch of oxalis—started in a month after the eruption; fireweed, braken fern, thistle, pearly everlasting, and groundsel now commonly grow at elevations between 1,500 to 3,000 feet above sea level.
3:3 - The eruption of Mt. St. Helens in southwest Washington, a brutal disaster, turned 150 square miles of countryside into gray wasteland. Sorrel & penstemon establish a foothold here on top of the tons of spewed volcanic ash and gravel.
3:4 - Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, with additional 300,000 acres of surrounding National Forest, is one of 3 units in the 1.4 million-acre Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
4:1 - Valleys scoured with lahars sprout carpets of wildflowers; plants & animals re-colonize the recovering volcanic slopes where forests had flourished in the rich volcanic soil.
4:2 - Penstemon, at the observatory posthumously honoring David Johnston, a federal geologist who perished there seconds after radioing the 1980 blast to the USGS base in Vancouver, Washington: Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!
4:3 - The 1980 eruption transformed the land: gravity, water, and wind are gradually reshaping the dynamic natural landscape together with re-established plant and animals.
4:4 - The 1980 volcanic disturbance of Mount St. Helens shaped an acute array of landforms; today's ecosystems teem with plant & animal life in the shadow of an active volcano.
5:1 - The native pussypaws (Portulacaceae - Purslane family), an attractive low, mat-forming perennial with flowers in dense pink clusters resembling upturned pads of cats' feet, grows here on open subalpine ridges & sandy to gravelly slopes.
5:2 - When the mountain showed increased seismic activity the spring of 1980, scientists flocked to the area to study the awakening. Few could have predicted the effects of the Sunday, May 18, 1980 eruption that started at 8:32 a.m.
5:3 - The volcano's unstable north flank collapsed, crashing into the valley, forming the largest landslide in recorded history.
5:4 - Fiery avalanches of pumice and hot gasses (pyroclastic flows) poured into the valley north of the crater.
6:1 - Start of the Eruption Trail, with interpretative signs describing how the complex volcanic event shaped the surrounding landscape, sterilizing everything in its path.
6:2 - Ant within a Cardwell's penstemon (beardtongue) floret.
6:3 - Caterpillar munching in Cardwell's penstemon blooms.
6:4 - Boldly marked Dark-Eyed Junco—adult male, Oregon form —a bird that nests beside logs & thus loves Mt. St. Helens, sits atop a shattered tree stump splintered to smithereens.
7:1 - A massive landslide (debris avalanche), burying 14 miles of river valley to an average depth of 150', released trapped magma and gas, producing a sideways explosion (lateral blast) that killed trees 17 miles north of the volcano.
7:2 - Johnston Ridge Observatory, elevation 3,091'. We saw live seismographs & a 16-minute movie, learned how scientists monitor the mountain, perused geologic exhibits, enjoyed a ranger-led program—and supported the bookstore.
7:3 - Some trees, killed instantly by hot gases, remain standing; others point the direction they were toppled by the blast.
7:4 - Johnson Ridge Observatory, 7 miles north of the volcano, features interpretative talks, eyewitness eruption accounts, a wide-screen theater presentation, geological exhibits, and astounding proximity to the crater & emerging lava dome.
Johnson Ridge Observatory - Lookout Return to The Pacific Northwest
May 2007 (no explosive eruptions in a year): lava extrudes from the crater floor at a rate of a small pickup truck load every two seconds—down from one dump truck load per second in October 2004—and is building a new lava dome.
1:1 - A close-up of the penstemon, sorrel, and showy sedge visible in the next two photographs on the right.
1:2 - Penstemon, sorrel, showy sedge, and two young conifers sprout life and color against the bleak, stark devastation.
1:3 - Mount Saint Helens is an active stratovolcano situated in Skamania County, Washington (96 miles south of Seattle, and 53 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon).
1:4 - Sedges and grasses proliferate among penstemon blooms juxtapositioning the still steaming cone from the most deadly and economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States of America.
2:1 - 180-mph, 160-212°F debris avalanche flowed 14 mi W and 5 mi N (depth 640' max, 150' ave). A 120-390°F lateral blast traveled 225-730 mph (450 mph ave).
2:2 - An Indian paintbrush blooms above penstemon blossoms & fresh greenery on the volcanic floor of the former forest.
2:3 - Purples of penstemon and sorrel flank an Indian paintbrush alongside bright white budding yarrow, arising from ashes.
2:4 - Northern yarrow (Achillea borealis) & Cardwell's penstemon (Penstemon cardwellii) add fresh color to the lifeless gray.
3:1 - The Johnston Ridge Observatory offers close-up mountain and lake views, as well as the horseshoe-shaped crater and its still-desertified pumice plain lying directly below.
3:2 - A young noble fir towers above penstemon; a low green growth of vegetation begins to reclaim the blast zone of Mt. Saint Helens and the adjacent Toutle River Valley.
3:3 - Skeleton stumps and logs from a formerly fertile forest, blasted and avalanched by the May 18, 1980 eruption.
3:4 - Over a quarter of a century has passed, and Mt. St. Helens shows no signs of calming down anytime soon.
Coldwater Lake; Coldwater Ridge Visitors' Center Return to The Pacific Northwest
Daddy, Mother, Jay, Amber, Tim, Anita, Ruth, and Joe after filling up on lunch in the Visitor Center's restaurant.
1:1 - A sidewalk & a boardwalk post descriptions along the edge of Coldwater Lake, formed by the 1980 volcanic eruption.
1:2 - Lupines along Coldwater Lake, length 4.5 miles; elevation 2472 feet; area 800 acres; maximum depth 203 feet.
1:3 - A view across Coldwater Lake to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (110, 000 acres in size); the ~40,000 year-old is the most active volcano in the Cascade Range.
1:4 - Daddy and Mother at the Coldwater Ridge Visitors' Center.
2:1 - The steaming lava dome on June 27th from the fascinating Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center at SR 504 milepost 43, two ridges and seven miles away from the volcanic mountain.
2:2 - Ruth & Joe on the deck with a safe view of Mt. St. Helens.
2:3 - Our extended family marveled how the 5.1 magnitude earthquake at 8:32 a.m. took down a 9,677' mountain to its present height of 8,363', removing 2/3 cubic mile.
2:4 - 8-mile view from Coldwater Ridge, elevation 3110', to the crater: dimensions east to west, 1.2 miles; north to south 1.8 miles; depth, 2100'; dome height 1000', width 3450'.
Paradise on Mount Rainier Return to The Pacific Northwest
Mount Rainier National Park, fifth oldest national park in the U.S.A., offers vast expanses of pristine old-growth forests, subalpine flower meadows, and spectacular alpine scenery.
1:1 - Clouds hid simply stellar panoramic scenery of ice-capped mountain peaks and a field of glaciers, yet we marveled at dense evergreen forests & wildflower meadows of Paradise. 97% of Mt. Rainier National Park is designated Wilderness.
1:2 - Mother ambles up to the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center on our first morning at Mount Rainier, June 28, one of more than two million sightseers to the park annually.
1:3 - Located in Pierce County, Washington, the Center helped us explore the secrets of Mount Rainier and its very fragile native flora & fauna wilderness ecosystems, and provides excellent geology, glacier, and mountain climbing exhibits.
1:4 - Mt. Rainier National Park encompasses 378 square miles, elevation rising up from 1,880' at the unique inland Carbon (coal deposits) River rainforest to 2,531' at the summit.
2:1 - Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, exquisitely opens up its bright golden blossoms at the base of a rock wall, making itself at home among many natives like the Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum), & other flowers we saw here.
2:2 - Pollination of a western anemone [western pasqueflower] (Pulsatilla occidentalis), from subalpine meadows to alpine elevations, one of the first flowers that appear as the alpine snows begin to melt, exposing patches of soil to the sun.
2:3 - If you gravitate to a wonderful sky blue of lupine, look to be blessed by eye-catching brilliancy of blooms and beauty of foliage. This native broadleaf lupine (Lupinus latifolius) is one of the Park's 3 perennial and 1 annual lupine species.
2:4 - Avalanche Lily (Erythronium montanum)—white petals and yellow centers—grows in masses in subalpine meadows & open woods, one of over 893 species, subspecies and varieties of plants identified in Mount Rainier National Park.
Steller's Jay at Narada Falls Return to The Pacific Northwest
Steller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri, is a fairly common bird, with striking deep blue & black plumage, and a long crest.
1:1 - An intelligent and opportunistic bird with a high avian IQ typical of corvids, quick to take advantage of new food sources—including bird feeders, especially full of peanuts.
1:2 - A Steller's Jay has complex social hierarchies & dominance patterns, and is the only western jay that has a crest.
1:3 - A Steller's Jay forms a monogamous, long-term pair bond. Both members of the pair help build the nest and feed their young. They remain together year 'round. We came 6/28.
1:4 - The Steller's Jay, a member of the Jays and Crows family Corvidae, is a pretty bird, & not particularly shy of people. Protecting the park's wildlife naturally, we didn't offer lunch.
Longmire - Trail of the Shadows Return to The Pacific Northwest
Mother, Daddy, Joe, and Ruth in front of the cross-section of the Douglas-fir, sprouted in 1293, cut 697 years later.
1:1 - Several species of Usnea, a lichen, hang from trees in tufts. These pendant lichens are popularly called Spanish moss like in Florida, although they are neither Spanish nor moss.
1:2 - A pose in front of Longmire Museum. We learned a lot in the museum, in particular from one very knowledgeable park personnel by the name of Ruth, about this section named for pioneer James Longmire, who capitalized on the thermal springs percolating through this meadow in 1883.
1:3 - A plaque designates the venerable heart of a Douglas-fir, and markers commemorate historically significant events during its life until cut down on national forest land in 1963.
1:4 - Daddy, Joe, & Mother marveling at the tree cross-section. Then we enjoyed our visit inside the Longmire Museum, with exhibits that tell the story of early days, at the site of Longmire's Medical Springs, now a national historic district.
2:1 - We watched the doe and her two fawns, who watched us from the middle of Mineral Spring Meadow, Longmire; this site housed the headquarters of Mt. Rainier National Park.
2:2 - Follow the leader.
2:3 - Doe leading fawns into the forest. We saw an elk calf, too. Park wildlife: 159 birds, 63 mammals, 18 native fishes, 16 amphibians, and 5 reptiles; and, over 800 vascular plants.
2:4 - With constant cloud cover and rain showers we didn't see Mount Rainier from Longmire today, but were captivated by the close-up crossing of a doe with her two fawns.
3:1 - At Longmire Springs, white & black pines grow side by side; common and Alaska cedars meet on quiet, sloping ground. Douglas-fir & white cedar begin to give way to other types.
3:2 - Joe got wet in some of the 87" from the orographic effect. Elevations 2,800-4,000', the upper forest is characterized by trees covered with gray hanging forms of lichens, smaller trees, and a gradual transition to alpine types.
3:3 - Longmire's cabin stands by the ferrous Iron Mike Mineral Spring. High iron content precipitates as the water cools, tinting mossy rocks a vivid orange between the stone walls built in 1920. The Longmires' road, lodge, and baths drew tourists, eventually generating support for a national park.
3:4 - A copious quantity of Mount Rainier's precipitation shapes the surroundings, like dense stands of Douglas-fir, western redcedar, & western hemlock beside the bubbling waters.
4:1 - Near the boardwalk a travertine mound bubbles & oozes, formed by only the warmest springs in this meadow from soft, white calcium carbonate minerals (primarily calcite and aragonite); traces of iron-rich minerals lend a brown color.
4:2 - Joe in Al's poncho pondering the Pacific Northwest intense green, the result of moisture-laden weather systems at Longmire, June 29. (Paradise receives about 126 inches.)
4:3 - The Trail of the Shadows is an easy .7 mile round trip with interpretive signs describing the early homesteading and development of the mineral springs—and beaver dams.
4:4 - Close-up of horsetail (Equisetum), one of four species of horsetail growing in Mount Rainier National Park, and common in the marshy soils of the Longmire meadow.
Nisqually Vista Trail Return to The Pacific Northwest
The trail we took in the rain loops through high meadows and leads to an overlook of Nisqually Glacier, one of the 26 advancing & receding glaciers on the slopes of Mt. Rainier.
1:1 - Rugged glaciers radiate from the summit and slopes of Mount Rainier, its Pacific maritime climate—changeable mountain weather, like our intermittent rain on June 28— characterized by rainy, mild winters & cool, dry summers.
1:2 - Nisqually Glacier feeds the Nisqually River, named for the Native American tribe in its valley. Mt. Rainier's most potent and conspicuous geologic features include its glaciers.
1:3 - The main Nisqually glacial valley eroded deeper than its tributary valleys, thus left "hanging" as the glaciers recede: our Ranger guide, Ian, explained dynamic facets of the geologic and climatic forces continually shaping Mt. Rainier.
1:4 - We traversed the 1.2 mile loop trail (200' elevation gain) over slippery snow to see Nisqually Glacier, one of Mount Rainier's most accessible glaciers—yes, Joe & I fell (& fell).
Our Home Sweet Home Site For 3 Days Return to The Pacific Northwest
Tim, Amber, Jay, Anita, Daddy, Mother, Joe, and Ruth: we loved the spacious, beautiful, new cabin near the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park in west central Washington.
1:1 - A lovely rushing stream borders the back of the property. Formerly populous Native American tribes resided around Mt. Rainier [the Yakama, Puyallup, Nisqually, Muckleshoot, (Lower) Cowlitz, Taidnapam ("Upper Cowlitz"), & Klickitat]. As Whites came it was unlikely they would move eastward in the face of the invasion, & impossible to move westward.
1:2 - Bountiful ferns grow along the river valleys together with masses of moss, liverworts, and lichens, forming a beautiful, delicate, intricate cover for the forest floor.
1:3 - Ruth ate a delicious salad with her tasty, tender dandelions, and enjoyed terrific dandelion tea [http://www.dandeliontea.org].
1:4 - The extended family gathers around the fireplace on our last evening, June 29 (in front of the camera on self-timer).
2:1 - Over the kitchen countertop a welcome sight greets our eyes for our wonderful stay at the foot of Mount Rainier, highest peak in the Cascades, highest point in Washington.
2:2 - A rhododendron in full bloom behind our delightful cabin, built to enjoy this region of the Northern Cascade Range.
2:3 - We loved our too-brief stay in this fabulous cabin, as locals say, "close to heaven because it's so close to Mt. Rainier".
2:4 - Super picnic spot, with a fire pit and cascading fountain near the hot tub we enjoyed lounging in every evening.
3:1 - Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus var. parviflorus), an attractive shrub common on roadsides. As with other raspberries, it is not a true berry, but an aggregate fruit of numerous drupelets around a central core; carefully removing the drupelets leaves a hollow fruit which bears a resemblance to a thimble, and thus the plant name.
3:2 - Oxeye daisy, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, a common introduced invasive (noxious) weed, is a perennial member of the Asteraceae family, the same family as sunflower.
3:3 - The oxeye daisy is a prolific seed producer; one healthy, robust plant produces up to 26,000 seeds. Imported into the USA from Europe as a contaminant in seed—and as an ornamental with a long-admired, beautiful flower—it quickly escaped cultivation and is considered a common pest.
3:4 - Cow Parsnip, Heracleum maximum (Heracleum lanatum), the largest species of the carrot family in North America, common from sea level to subalpine elevations.
4:1 - Tiger Lily, Lilium columbianum (also known as Columbian lily and Oregon lily). Yes, soft rain drizzles down on us again.
4:2 - Vibrant orange spotted tiger lily flowers hang with petals reaching up, one of the most popular western wildflowers.
4:3 - A leaf hopper perches on the stem of a tiger lily blossom.
4:4 - Tiger Lily (more formally known as Columbia Lily), a native perennial with the the sparkling luster of speckled blooms.
5:1 - An heirloom plant from our cabin owner's grandmother.
5:2 - A Great (or, Coastal) Hedgenettle (Stachys chamissonis), an herb in the Mint Family (Lamiaceae), native to the U.S.A.
5:3 - Six views of a showy tiger lily wildflower growing out front. Lily gives us a feminine name from Hebrew: Susan (Sue).
5:4 - Slender tiger lily stems support luxurious, nodding flowers.
6:1 - Beautiful rhododendron blooming in the back of the cabin.
6:2 - The genus Rhododendron (which includes azaleas) can be grown almost anywhere in the world—from the tropics to the Himalayas—and includes many cultivated hybrids.
6:3 - Rhododendron [> Greek "rhodo" (red, rose) & "dendron" (tree)] is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae.
6:4 - Most rhododendrons tolerate shade, are not shade-loving.
Christine Falls and Vicinity Return to The Pacific Northwest
Christine Falls, a hanging-valley waterfall in Mount Rainier National Park, Pierce County; typical of mountain-glacier landscapes, its beauty far exceeds its forty-foot-high-size.
1:1 - 6/28-Bear- or squaw-grass (Xerophyllum tenax), lily family, looks like grass, & is often dominant on open alpine slopes.
1:2 - The beautiful Indian paintbrush indigenous wildflower, a Castilleja in the Figwort Family, bursts with fiery color.
1:3 - Cliff penstemon, Penstemon rupicola, in eye-popping pink is one of the West's most beautiful, and native, wildflowers.
1:4 - The final—and tiered—waterfall on the Van Trump Creek; landscapes spilling glacial melt evoke a sense of wonder.
Paradise Revisited Return to The Pacific Northwest
Paradise Inn, one of two National Historic landmark Inns in the Park in the prestigious Historic Hotels of America register, is a rustic retreat with antique Northwest decor.
1:1 - Ski pole chandelier at Paradise we saw on June 29th—Ruth admires the beautiful ingenuity and talent incorporated into the lamps at the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center.
1:2 - Park rangers offer guided snowshoe trips at Paradise twice daily Dec. 26 - Jan. 1, and Saturdays & Sundays Jan. into early Apr. — snowshoes provided: first-come, first-served.
1:3 - Artistic evidence of the prodigious amount of snow Mount Rainier wrings from air currents flowing incessantly off the Pacific Ocean, that bury the three-story Inn up to its roof.
1:4 - Above the timber line: gray rocky ridges and pumice fields. The fine dark gray rocks are andesite lava, the coarse light gray rocks are Tatoosh granodiorite (calcium-rich granite).
2:1 - Myrtle Falls on Edith Creek by Paradise Inn, at the highest and most prominent peak in the Cascade Range: Mount Rainier stands nearly 3 miles higher than lowlands to the west, and 1½ miles higher than adjacent mountains.
2:2 - High on Mt. Rainier stands an extravagant old lodge called Paradise Inn, a national historical site hotel, built in 1917, and aptly named for its stunning views of the wilderness.
2:3 - Such lovely ancient tall trees in beautiful old-growth groves (some stands 1,000 or more years old) and marvelous (cloud-cloaked) mountain views...some of the park's alpine heather communities have persisted for up to 10,000 yrs.
2:4 - Mature forests with noble fir (Abies procera), Tannenbaum ("fir tree") of the Northwest. These tall, beloved Christmas trees could well be "Brian-Tannen”, the masculine name of Celtic origin, Brian (Bryan), meaning "strong, noble, high".
3:1 - Magenta paintbrush (Castilleja parviflora), of five species of paintbrush in the Park—and one of the most showy—is endemic and plentiful throughout the Cascade Mountains from Mount Rainier south to the Three Sisters vicinity.
3:2 - Pink mountain heather (Phyllodoce empetriformis) blooms; intense summer sunlight brings forth some of the most breathtakingly beautiful wildflower meadows on earth, surpassing perhaps in sheer color, number of species, and luxuriance of growth all other alpine regions of the world.
3:3 - Close cousin to the white-blossoming Avalanche Lily, the Glacier Lily's yellow flowers gloriously transition the harsh wonderlands of winter into the cool lushness of summer.
3:4 - Stunned by the flowery expanses of Paradise, currently world-famous for its awe-inspiring views and exquisite wildflowers like delicate Partridge Foot (Luetkea pectinata), Martha — James Longmire's daughter-in-law — is said to have exclaimed, "This must be what Paradise is like!"
4:1 - The largest tree native to Washington, the Douglas-Fir, is not a true fir. Mature trees have thick, deeply furrowed bark and 2½ to 4-inch cones with long pitchfork bracts. Needles that cling to the twigs long after the conifer is chopped down makes this an excellent Christmas tree.
4:2 - Mt. Rainier National Park preserves over 235,000 acres of remarkable alpine scenery: vast expanses of dense pristine old-growth forests, mostly Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar, havens of grandeur and peace.
4:3 - View from Glacier Bridge up toward the Nisqually Glacier. Valleys that radiate from the mountain are of glacial origin, broad at their lower ends, but approaching the mountain becoming more narrow and their sides more precipitous.
4:4 - Joe—& Jay & Tim—took us everywhere we wanted to go.
5:1 - Marvelous mountain wonderland of tremendous dazzling snowfields & austere glaciers interspersed with breathtaking subalpine flower meadows & dense forests in volcanic soils.
5:2 - Mount Rainier is relatively young in geologic terms, forming about 500,000 years ago in the Cascade Range, that was volcanically active for millions of years due to its location at the western edge of the North American tectonic plate.
5:3 - We shivered through a picnic at (not so) Reflective Lakes on Mt. Rainier, part of the thousand-volcano Ring of Fire with its earthquake faults surrounding—and shrinking—the Pacific Ocean.
5:4 - Reflection Lakes to cloud-covered Mt. Rainier, one of the stratovolcanos, steep sided cones composed of thousands of ash & lava layers, from erupting a predominant rock type—andesite—during their million-year current life spans.
Mount Rainier National Park - at Longmire Inn Return to The Pacific Northwest
Joe, Ruth, Mother, Tim & Amber, Anita, Jay, and Daddy. After 3 days, our first clear glimpse of the snowy colossal and a White River Valley view ends our visit on a high note.
1:1 - Our third & final morning we got sight of Mount Rainier, the highest, & most hazardous, volcano in the Cascade Range. Mount Rainier and other Cascade mountains hold a latent potential to erupt again (& again), like Mount Saint Helens.
1:2 - June 30 view, across to Trail of the Shadows. The road to Longmire from Nisqually, the Park's south Entrance (our gateway), is one of the world's most beautiful forest roads.
1:3 - Joe and Ruth against a backdrop of Mount Rainier with the glitter of sun on snow in the morning, & home that night. Seatac International Airport lies about 65 miles north of the Park; driving back from our airport takes 15 minutes or so.
1:4 - The Northwest's tallest mountain, being geologically active (geothermal activity evidence) with recent volcanic events (last eruption ~ 150 years ago), meanwhile merely sleeps.
2:1 - Mount Rainier, an episodically active volcano, began to grow between one half and one million years ago. It encases over 35 square miles of glacial landscape and looms nearly 8,000 feet higher than anything nearby.
2:2 - Ruth found ripe wild strawberries right in front of the Inn, bringing the earth's beauty to interact with all five senses.
2:3 - Mount Rainier's current summit, Columbia Crest, lies on the rim of a recent lava cone, the upper portion likely removed by explosions and landslides, a reminder of earth's power.
2:4 - At Kautz Creek by Nisqually Entrance (elevation 2023') we bade farewell to the park and Mount Rainier near its center, with a descent into dense forest that yields a varied and extensive ecosystem, and a landscape born of fire and ice.
Return to The Pacific Northwest
Japanese-style poem with 5 syllables, 7 syllables, and then 5 syllables:
"A tiny little
surprise at the end of our
very long webpage".
[Return to Ruth's Haiku]