Natural History Journal

This is it!  We have finally reached the last stop on our summer road trip through the Pacific Northwest: Crater Lake National Park.   Way back in June, Eric and I spent a couple of [largely rainy] weeks exploring the Pacific Northwest's forests, mountains, beaches, birds and historic sites.  As summer is rapidly fading away, I clearly need to get it together and finish this series of posts!   Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part II:  Birding the Pacific Northwest Coast Part III:  Inland Valley and Lowland Forests Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park We reached Crater Lake National Park after a long and rather soggy sojourn through Olympic, North Cascades and Mount Rainier National Parks.  After being rained on for at least part of the day for something like eleven or twelve days in a row (which, by th...

In Part III of our Pacific Northwest adventure, we'll explore the lush, green lowlands between the rugged coast of the Pacific Northwest and the mighty, snow-clad Cascades.   From prairies and wetlands to riparian and coniferous forests, the Pacific Northwest staggers the mind with its endless kaleidoscope of shades of living green!  Is there anything more lovely than the sun filtering through a lime green leafy canopy of delicate vine maples?  Or a meadow of grasses and daisies shining brightly in a forest clearing?  Or fog-drenched forests clothed in mosses and carpeted with ferns?  I think not!  Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part II:  Birding the Pacific Northwest Coast Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park Male Lazuli Bunting at William L. Finley NWR Traveling from place to place in a state of awe, we v...

Brooding seas, turquoise waves, dark spruces, raindrops on maple leaves, dripping ferns, and incredible ancient rainforests filled with more birds and unique shades of green than even seem possible...   Welcome to the Pacific Northwest!   Join us for the second part in a series on our recent adventures in Oregon and Washington! Part I:  Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock Part III:  Inland Valleys & Lowland Forests Part IV:  Olympic National Park Part V:  North Cascades National Park Part VI:  Mount Rainier National Park Part VII:  Crater Lake National Park After our puffin triumph at Cannon Beach , we headed north up the coast to the mouth of the Columbia River to explore the region made famous by the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-06.  For birds, nature and hiking (as well as history), I recommend visiting Fort Clatsop and Fort Stevens, south of the Columbia River, and Cape Disappointment on the north side.  (The Lewis an...

Rugged, rocky shorelines and wave-dashed cliffs shrouded in fog and dark spruce forests; temperate rainforests of towering maples and conifers verdantly bedecked with mosses and ferns; majestic snowcapped peaks rising above a resplendent landscape mosaic of cool, dark forests and brilliant wildflower meadows.   This could only describe one place: the Pacific Northwest. Eric and I recently returned from two weeks of camping, hiking, historic site-visiting and birding in Oregon and Washington, following a meandering loop from the rocky coast of northern Oregon to the rugged mountains of Washington's three National Parks.  Along the way, we encountered nearly 130 species of birds, making the acquaintance of 15 new feathered friends, and a handful of mammals as well! Come along with us as we travel up the Pacific Coast, through inland valleys and forests to the mountains of the mighty Cascade Range! Our first stop: Oregon's famous Haystack Rock. Part II:  Pacific Northwe...