It has been Washington State, Federal and Local Park Week. We visited Seaquest SP, in Castle Rock, then Miller-Sylvania SP in Maytown, then to Carnation and Tolt-MacDonald County Park, then Wallace Falls SP outside Gold Bar, then Beckler River USFS Campground near Skykomish, then Nason Creek USFS Campground by Lake Wenatchee, then Peshastin Pinnacles SP near Cashmere, and finally landed in the town of Wenatchee at Wenatchee Confluence SP, on the Columbia River. The highlight of our trip has been a visit with our niece, who joined us at Nason Creek. It was a delight to spend a little time with her.
I can definitively state that the thrill of a forest without poison oak has not worn off. So many types of non-poison oaky forest to walk in! There’s the mature second-growth fir forest with vine maple understory and ferns underfoot in Seaquest. There are wetlands punctuated by firs at Miller-Sylvania, and wetlands filled with wild roses at Tolt-MacDonald, a mixed conifer forest at Beckler River, and second growth fir along Nason Creek. Once south of Leavenworth, the scenery changes to rolling hills of orchards. We explored some rocky outcroppings on a dry volcanic hillside dotted with lupine and bunch grass. And now we’re in a suburban park of lawns, elms, and maples. The featured photo is from the trail to Wallace Falls, in a moist canyon. It was raining lightly when we started our hike, but we couldn’t tell once we were under the trees. The river spray and the fog keep the canyon evenly moist and the trees seem to drip all the time. Another biome: the constantly wet river canyon. I especially liked how the hundred-year-old cedar stumps would be host to entire mini-habitats of moss, rose, fern, and slug. Shout out to our niece who loves fungi!
I think the reason for the Bend friendliness, other than icebreaker Marco, is that so many people have moved there from somewhere else. Once we started spending time in the parts of the Northwest that have many people born there, the friendliness decreased. But women of a certain age who like nature can be found here. For example, one can visit the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White Tailed Deer. Or enjoy the Hulda Klage Lilac Gardens. And when I come back, be sure to ask for a tour of my Earthworm Refuge.
JohnandJanet'sJourney 