Category: Scenic
Between a Rock and Hot Place
A lovely palo verde grows beside the large rocks of a boulder field at Pinnacle Peak Park, I am constantly amazed at the places life can flourish. The Sonoran Desert is so lovely bathed in the soft morning light.
Dawn in the Desert
Worshipers of the Sun
Old saguaros, arms raised to greet the rising sun.
Stretched in All Directions
As soon as I arrived in Arizona for my interview in February I was struck by the green trees I saw as I drove around town. The palo verde is the state tree of Arizona, the green in the bark contains chlorophyll so they can use both bark and leaves for photosynthesis. I came across this one shortly before sunrise when I visited Pinnacle Peak Park in Scottsdale. We have accomplished a lot in the past six weeks but there is still a lot to do, I feel a bit like this tree, sprawling in all directions, a bit worse for the wear, but still standing, still growing.
A Gathering of Bubbles
Elephant Skin
There is so much I will miss about the Pacific coast, but there are three places I’ll miss most of all: Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park in Washington, Enderts Beach in Redwood National and State Parks in California, and Cobble Beach in Yaquina Beach Outstanding Natural Area in Oregon. All three are scenic and all three have good tide pools. But the reason I’ll miss Yaquina Head so much is not just that it also has a beautiful lighthouse, but it has harbor seals. Up close. I could watch them for hours, and I have.
It also has elephants, of a sort.
While watching the harbor seals swim near the southern end of Cobble Beach, I turned around and saw an elephant in the cliff wall right behind me, or at least an elephant’s skin. The rock formations of the vertical cliff face are fascinating, to the point that I stopped photographing the seals for a while and started photographing the rocks.
The Solitary Scoter
A solitary surf scoter is dwarfed by an approaching wave at Heceta Head on the Oregon coast.
Hanging On, Holding In
An old windswept tree at Seal Rock on the Oregon coast, barely hanging onto the cliffside and to life. Much of the fragile ground has already crumbled away beneath its roots, leaving them exposed, but its remaining roots still help hold the ground in place.
Summerland Rocket
While hiking the Summerland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, I came across this rocket being built by the animals of the forest. Looking good!
Boolie 