Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
An Urban Walk on the Green River
Today I went to the big warehouse store in Tukwila and noticed for the first time that it was directly next to the Green River Trail. (Costco, you heard of it? And no, I really don’t shop here much, too crowded.) Anyway, back to the Trail.
Hmmm, I said. I need a walk today and this will have to do.
Of course, I much prefer the Green River where it flows wild nearer its source further east as seen at the Green River Gorge earlier this year.
But I was here not there and so after my shopping I decided to block out the industrial noise and walk along the river like I meant it.
There were many colorful wildflowers in bloom, and I especially loved the bright yellow yarrow,
and the sweet peas, which for some reason grow more happily here than at home.
Around the bend it was quieter, and I found some shade and a lovely pond.
I even enjoyed the dry grass where lived this little blue flower.
Beauty is where you find it. The Green River Trail right next to the Costco store. It will have to do for today.
~ Susanne
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Sol Duc, Rialto Beach and Sequim
I promised to finish the story and so here we are, at Sol Duc Hot Springs, deep in the heart of Olympic National Park.
It rained overnight and we wake up to gray skies and drizzle. It seems a good bet that more rain is on the way, so we decide to take a chance elsewhere and head for the rugged Washington coast.
We stop by Forks and it’s decision time as there really is a fork in the road: head west or south? South would take us to Hwy 101 and Kalaloch, the more traveled route and most popular beach in the Park. Beautiful yes, but we’ve done it many times before. West will take us on 110 and the promise of new, unexplored beaches. We opt to take the road less traveled and head west to Rialto Beach. We’re glad we did!
Rialto Beach!
How did we miss it all these years? Where coastal forest spills onto the beach and ghost trees stand next to giant drift logs, making you feel you have entered someplace prehistoric.
Yes, it’s off the beaten path; in fact the road ends here; further travel north on the coast will be on foot only. Equipped backpackers make that trek carefully, monitoring the weather and tides.
We walk the beach a mile or so under sunshine and clear skies, ever closer to the giant sea stacks off shore.
Afterwards we drive south to La Push and First Beach on the Quileute Indian Reservation for more rugged beauty.
In the end, we’re glad the dismal weather inspired us to seek out new places. That’s what travel should be; a change from the familiar, a bending with the wind (or the rain in this case.) After our fill of the ocean, it’s back to Sol Duc where we will make the short hike to the falls before dark, rain or shine.
Sol Duc Falls
Less than 2 miles round trip, it must be the easiest hike in the park for the most payoff; a trail through old growth forest to one of the most beautiful and accessible falls in the state. A very light rain accompanies us but only makes everything fresher.
Content with the day’s adventures, we head back to our cabin for a light dinner before turning in for the night.
And then there’s Sequim!
Our third day and it’s time to leave Olympic National Park and head home. But we’re not done yet. We have to pass through sunny Sequim and timed our trip to coincide with the Lavender Festival. Sequim is a lovely community in the rain shadow of the Olympics, receiving an average of 16 inches of rain per year. In the last twenty years dairy farms have been given over to lavender farms, making the area a top grower and home to the largest lavender festival in North America. Did I mention that I love lavender? We take in the street fair and stop by several farms to enjoy the festivities there, but especially the lavender.
This may be too much lavender for some, but I can’t seem to get enough of the wonderful herb’s fragrance and gorgeous color. To me, lavender makes everything better, even a trip to the Olympics.
Thanks for following along.
~ Susanne
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A Journey to Olympic National Park
It’s one of my favorite national parks and why not? It has everything: glacier capped mountains, pristine lakes and rivers, waterfalls, hot springs, wild remote beaches, and the largest track of preserved old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. Time it right and you can also take in the largest annual lavender festival in North America, in nearby sunny Sequim.
And getting there is half the fun; a drive between 3 and 4 hours from Seattle depending on the route you take. We opt to go north which includes the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and shortens the driving a bit. No harm in that.
Clear skies and all the mountains visible as we leave the Cascades behind and head toward the Olympics.
We continue west through two Port towns, historic Port Townsend (for lunch)
and Port Angeles, gateway to Oympic National Park. Next up is one of my favorite places in the Park and one of my favorite lakes anywhere: Lake Crescent, a beautiful deepwater lake with its own historic lodge. And that’s where we stop for dinner.
By now you may have noticed the clouds setting in. Still, that didn’t stop these youngsters from jumping into the lake. (I admit I’m a bit envious; but not enough to join them. Ah, to be young again!)
Later on in our trip I capture the peaceful lake from another angle under morning skies.
After Lake Crescent, it’s on to Sol Duc where we’ll stay the next 2 nights. Much more to come, including a hike to Sol Duc Falls and a trek to Rialto Beach. But I’ll save those adventures for the next post, ok? See you soon!
Susanne
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The Chair We Share
I only have one comfy chair in my office.
Sometimes I even get to sit in it.
~ Susanne, with Benji and Tiger
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A Northwest Hike to Twin Falls
I follow the trail to Twin Falls along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River, leaving Bob behind to fish. There are enough hikers on the trail for me to feel safe hiking alone and few enough to provide me with the solitude I need. I revel in having time in the woods, enjoying the nuanced shades of green, the ferns, the Doug-firs, and moss-covered maples.
The river flows nearby the trailhead and I find hidden pools where some are brave enough to swim (not me.)
Halfway to the falls I stop to rest and take in the view,
then continue on, following the switchbacks upward.
Up, up, up I go and as I near the falls, I’m greeted by a group of happy campers, who assure me I’m almost there and high five my efforts. I’m cheered by the friendly youngsters.
Around the corner I arrive at the bridge and have it all to myself. It’s high above the falls and makes me woozy looking down so I don’t linger long.
It’s the journey anyway, not the destination.
Going down is easier and I encourage the tired ones coming up. Yes, it’s worth it, I say. You are almost there.
At the bottom again I find out Bob has caught two trout.
We both leave content.
~ Susanne
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Benji – Hiding in Plain Sight
This is Benji. Sue doesn’t like me to sleep the day away and so I must hide.
How am I doing?
Benji
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A Fruitful Summer Day in the Garden
Endless sunny days and so far I have worked very little in the garden. Things grow and produce despite my neglect, but still it’s time for some maintenance. Even an hour or two will accomplish a lot.
First, the Strawberries
Although I’ve been harvesting them for a month I still see a few stragglers remaining. I always imagine they are anxiously waiting for me to come pick them, afraid of being left behind.
“I’m here, ” they call out. “Don’t forget me. I’m juicy and red. Look just under the leaves and you will see me.”
I did and found many more than I expected.
Next up, the weeds
Once in the garden I see more work to be done and tackle the most glaring and obvious: the tallest of the weeds to be pulled, the volunteers to be moved or disposed of, the empty spots to be filled in. The dahlias I planted last year didn’t come up again so I pulled the weeds that had taken their place. This opened up a spot for a zealous rose and traveling lavender, both of which had sprung up unbidden nearby. They earned it!
The Pollinators
Some of the work is best left to others, the pollinators for instance. The bees busily worked the lavender like those on a mission but still left something behind for the moth.
The blooming and the ripening
I wander about the garden, stopping here and there to admire the flowers
and anticipate the promise to come; the ripening of these tomatoes for instance,
and biting down on one of these apples in the fall, the first I have ever grown.
And don’t forget to pet the cat
And what’s time spent in the garden without a furry friend? Invariably I am joined by one or the other of my two cats who follows along and begs my attention. I always oblige. Today it was the handsome Tiger.
A cool drink and it’s time to go.
A day well spent in the garden.
~ Susanne
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The Many Faces of Mt Rainier, or 4th of July Part 2
In the last post I told you of our 4th of July adventure at Mt Rainier National Park, which included a ridge hike at Sunrise and a forest hike through the Grove of the Patriarchs on the Ohanapecosh River. I will complete the story with the second half of our day and a much shorter but lovely walk at Box Canyon and a stop by one of the most famous views of the Mountain at Reflection Lakes.
After our hike in the Grove, we continued south and west on the Stevens Canyon Road. Neither of us can remember taking this way before so we enjoyed fresh and new vistas of Mt Rainier. Oh yes, we did!
Box Canyon
Here we stopped to walk the short trail to view the deep canyon carved by the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz River. The area also reveals what is left behind when a glacier retreats: polished slabs of rock where lichens and mosses slowly take root, eventually decomposing into soil to support new forest.
Brilliant blue delphiniums also blanketed the area.
It’s hard to tell how deep it is but the rushing water is 180 feet below.
Continuing on the Stevens Canyon Road, we were led to the beautiful sub alpine Reflection Lake, which proved true to its name.
After a full day, we exited through Longmire on the southwest side of the mountain, passed through small towns on our way home watching the firework displays around us, and eventually settled for our final picture of Mt. Rainier under sunset hues.
Home again, home again.
~ Susanne
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Sunrise at Mt Rainier
Sunrise at Mt. Rainier but no need to get up early for I speak of the Sunrise side of the Mountain and not the time of day! I hope you are not tired of Mt Rainier but the 4th of July proved a perfect time to visit again while others swarmed more local parks below for firework displays. This may have been one of our best trips ever, as we covered more of the Park in a single day, enjoying 3 short but amazing hikes and incredible views of the mountain from all sides.
Normally we take the southwest entrance at Longmire into the National Park as it’s open year round. But this time we entered on the northeast side at the White River entrance headed for Sunrise, and it turns out, many new vistas!
We got our first surprise at an overlook where we had great views of the lesser known, but equally beautiful Mt. Adams. The poor thing came up short as the second highest mountain in the state at 12,281 feet and so lives in the shadow of its more famous neighbor. It’s not easy being number 2. Still isn’t it a beauty?
Sunrise
We arrived at the Sunrise Visitor Center at 6,400 feet, the highest point in the Park reachable by car. Here we found close up views of Emmons Glacier, the largest American glacier outside of Alaska, and source of the White River.
Of the many hikes available in the area we chose the 2 mile Silver Forest Trail, with continuous views of the mountain and meadows full of wildflowers, all under brilliant sunshine. It didn’t seem fair to get so much for so little effort!
After lunch we headed down towards Stevens Canyon and the Grove of the Patriarchs for an easy hike through old growth forest. The trail took us along the Ohanapecosh River and across a suspension bridge (one at a time, according to the sign.)
After a short walk on the other side, we were in an island of ancient Western red-cedar, Douglas-fir, and Western hemlock, some of them, a thousand years old. We walked quietly among these giants, marveling at their size and beauty.
After leaving the trail, we continued on Stevens Canyon Road, stopping by Box Canyon and beautiful Reflection Lakes. But this is running long so I will save that for Part 2 of my 4th of July Rainier adventures.
See you soon.
~ Susanne
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The Handsome Benji
Benji, I said. You look so reflective today. What’s on your mind? 
Well, he replied. Today I was thinking that I have probably stopped growing. I will never be big like Tiger. And more than that. I thought my ear would grow back but it hasn’t. I will always be different.
Oh Benji, I replied. You are wrong about the ear. It’s part of your story and makes you, YOU! Honestly, I have never seen a more handsome cat! (But don’t tell Tiger I said so.)
Thank you, Sue, he said. I will try to believe it.
I will believe for you, I said.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 