Western Washington Land/Seascapes

I've been roaming around Western Washington the past few days.  There are innumerable beauty spots.  Most involve water...either on the ground, on ice, or falling from the sky.  Here, in the North Cascades near Wallace Falls, moss is king.

The trail to Wallace Falls is just off highway 2.  There are several finely built bridges along the way that blend nicely with the forest.

On the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston.  This seagull hitched a ride for awhile.

A sailboat (under power) glides gracefully through Puget Sound, with the Olympics in the background.

A tug tows a barge, with a freighter in the background and the towers of downtown Seattle in the far distance.  Urban and natural settings blend nicely in Puget Sound.

This pic was taken from Hurricane Ridge, in Olympic National Park.  I've been up here at least three times, but possibly not since college, 40 years ago.  There's a visitor center here, a mile above sea level, deep in the Olympics.  This shot shows Mount Olympus, its summit shrouded by clouds, and the Blue Glacier.  In this northern latitude, with tremendous winter snowfalls, glaciers extend down to less than 7000 feet above sea level.

Subalpine firs, mountains, and glaciers.  To me, the Olympics have always seemed exotic and mysterious.  For starters, those of us who live in the I-5 corridor...or west of it...are accustomed to seeing snowcapped, rocky peaks to our east...Cascades or Sierra.  The Olympics, instead, are to the west of Seattle, toward the sea.  No roads pass through them.  They were not traversed by contemporary people until the last decade of the 19th century.  Still, a weeklong backpack is necessary to pass through the range between Puget Sound and the Pacific.  And they're magnificent...wild, rugged, untamed. 

Deer at Hurricane Ridge are accustomed to tourons.  This one strolled nonchalantly past us.  Another deer walked with me, about 15 feet away, as I moved along a trail.  But give them credit...they didn't beg!

Farther along my route, I stopped at Lake Crescent, in the park along highway 101.  Created by glaciers, I have always loved this lake.  It's gorgeous and peaceful.  On the common gray days, it broods in a most tranquil manner.