Red Columbine on Sauk Mountain (Photos by Narca) At the end of our stay in the Pacific Northwest, Alan and I join our friend Jim for a hike in the North Cascades, up Sauk Mountain. End-of-summer flowers cloak the slopes, attended by many worn butterflies. … Continue readingSauk Mountain
What could be more fun than accompanying a 5-year-old on his first whale-watching trip? Puget Sound off the coast of Washington is famous for its Orcas, or Killer Whales, and regular whale-watching daytrips run out of Port Townsend, on the tip of the Olympic Peninsula. … Continue readingOrcas!
Last week in Washington State, our friend Jim introduced us to two really good websites for traveling tricks-of-the-trade. One is a blog, View from the Wing, and the other is FlyerTalk, an on-line community of frequent flyers. Both provide a wealth of information on travel-related … Continue readingTwo Great Travel Websites
Just now, the nest of a Berylline Hummingbird graces Cave Creek, next to the Stewart Campground bridge. The nest was discovered by a couple from Michigan (if you read this, please tell me your names!), then refound by Raymond VanBuskirk and Michael Hilchey. We’ve made … Continue readingA Berylline Hummingbird
When you’ve birded for more than 40 years, the thrill of finding a species you’ve never seen before becomes a rare event indeed, unless you venture far from home into rainforest or remote oceanic islands. Yet most of the time we are right here, at … Continue readingA Lifer
Each monsoon season brings the marvelous Gila Monster out of its underground burrow in search of protein, usually bird or reptile eggs. Here in Portal near the eastern edge of its range, the beast is rather rare––or at least seen only occasionally. It was an … Continue readingThe Jeweled Lizard
Today Alan, Noel and I seek out a spot recommended by Carol Boggs, a butterfly expert at Rocky Mountain Biological Lab. We return to Crested Butte, then head over Kebler Pass (where the myriad flowers are strangely devoid of butterflies) to Erickson Springs, a national forest campground … Continue readingBlack Canyon of the Gunnison
Noel, my sister Lisa, and I venture up Nellie Creek today in a rental jeep, under brooding skies. The summer rains hold off for the entire time we hike in the alpenfields at the foot of Uncompahgre. For most of the day, the tip of … Continue readingAbove Timberline
Alan, Noel and I take the intrepid Highlander up North Henson in the San Juan Mountains today. All day it is partly cloudy and cells of rain are drenching nearby regions, although the rain never falls on us. After about four miles, the road becomes … Continue readingNorth Henson Creek
Big Blue ––a watershed flowing from Uncompahgre Peak to the Gunnison River––and the nearby Alpine Plateau score high on several points. For one, they offer about the levelest hiking anywhere in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. Count us in! Big Blue Creek flows from Uncompahgre’s northeastern … Continue readingThe Big Blue