Happy 104th Birthday to the NPS!

Today is the 104th birthday of the National Park Service.  Founded on August 25, 1916, the National Park Service manages 419 units within the system, of which 62 have the highest designation of National Parks.

The National Parks Services has over 20 designations for the sites they manage, including National Monuments, National Battlefields, National Historical Parks, National Parkways, National Recreation Areas, National Seashores, and more!  I have been fortunate enough to visit 34 National Parks, and at least 127 of the 419 units (although I’m probably missing a few here and there).  One day I would like to say I have visited them all!

In celebration of NPS’s birthday, here are a few of my favorite National Parks photos!  As you can see, it is hard to choose just a few!

Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park

The beach at Avalanche Lake – Little Matterhorn is the mountain rising on the right side

The hump!

Acadia National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Beehive Geyser with another in the distance

Yellowstone National Park

Another view of Lake Yellowstone

Grand Prismatic Spring

A bison walking through steam

Mountains along the Inspiration Point Trail

Pika!

Grand Teton National Park

Cunningham Cabin

Moose in the Snake River

Joshua Tree National Park

Teddy Bear Cholla

Skull Rock

Mount Rainier National Park

As we say in the PNW, the Mountain is out!

Me on the trail

A Bald Eagle at George Washington Birthplace National Monument

Mesa Verde National Park

Long House, Mesa Verde National Park, October 2018

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Faraway Ranch windmill

The mighty Mississippi River from Effigy Mounds NM

Do you see it?

Badlands National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

I hiked up all those!

A closer view of the Tower

Prairie Dog! Look at those claws!

Wild horses on the hill

The view of the badlands from the Ridgeline Trail

A lone tree at the Buck Hill viewpoint

A partially submerged snapping turtle

Partway through the hike – the view back towards Medano Creek and the “trail head.”

The view of the river below the Painted Wall

Devil’s Kitchen in Colorado National Moument.

The sun setting through the South Window arch.

You get this spectacular view from Scout Lookout

Mesa Arch with the Canyon Formations in the Background

View of the Canyon through a window at Hungo Pavi

The partially recovered valley below the volcano.

A view of the dunes, with North and South Manitou Islands in the background

A View of the Point Reyes Lighthouse from the Top of the 308 Steps

Male California Quail at Point Reyes National Seashore

 

2019 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

April 13, 2019, Skagit Valley, Washington

The Skagit Valley, just south of my home is one of the most productive agricultural areas in Washington.  Specifically, for flowers.  Even more specifically, for tulips and daffodils.  Every spring, the tulip fields are awash in color as the beautiful flowers peek out through the soil.  Every fall, these same fields are dug up, so the bulbs and their associated baby bulbs can be sorted; the bulbs large enough to flower are sold to people around the world who want beautiful tulips in their gardens.  The rest are replanted to grow bigger!

There are two main growers in the Skagit Valley who have beautiful display gardens.  In the spring, when the flowers are blooming, they charge an admission fee to see the gardens.  They are gorgeous!  Roozengaarde plants about a million bulbs each fall to create their display gardens, and each year the displays are different.  Yes, you read that correctly – a million bulbs!  In addition to the tulips, there are daffodils, narcissus, muscari and hyacinth.

Katy and I went down to see the gardens before continuing on to our other friend’s house further south.  The weather was dark, rainy, freezing and windy, but we didn’t let that stop us from enjoying the bright pop of color!  You can see in some of the photos just how windy it was.  The gardens are planted to create patterns; stripes and waves, and there are always a few surprise features.  This year it was the Seahawks football team logo!  Enjoy the tour!

After our visit, we stopped at the Porterhouse Pub for a bite to eat.  I had the salmon fish and chips and a cider, which were both absolutely delicious!

The Dock

I had a super fun and busy weekend, so I have had no time to catch up on blogging! I just wanted to share this photo, from my walk with a friend on Friday evening.  I am so lucky to live where I do; I can walk down to the water and have this view!

I hope you all have a great week!

Road Trip Photo Faves: Bass Harbor Light

On my trip, I visited Acadia National Park for my birthday in September.  The Bass Harbor Lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses on the East Coast, and for good reason.

 

Today is my father’s memorial service.  Just trying to breathe.

Road Trip Photo Faves: Lighthouse

Here is another of my favorite photos from my trip.

This is the South Pierhead Light, in South Haven, Michigan.  It was built in 1872 and is still operational, including its above the pier catwalk that connects the light to shore.  My cousin and I visited on an afternoon trip in September, 2018.

Road Trip Photo Faves: Horses

Here is another of my favorite photos from my road trip.

It was cold, rainy, and oh-so-muddy (you can see a couple of errant rain drops on my camera lens) when I took this photograph of horses huddled outside the barn in the Fruita Rural Historic District, in Capitol Reef National Park.  I want to get back there on a better day for hiking.  And that pie, of course!

Road Trip Photo Faves: The Road

Here is another of my favorite photos from my road trip.

I was in Badlands National Park one evening in July looking for Bighorn Sheep when a rainstorm rolled through.  I was leaving the park, driving back to my campground in Wall, South Dakota when I was greeted with the sheen from the rain on the road and the blue sky coming through the rain clouds.  It was stunning.

 

Road Trip Photo Faves: Bryce Canyon Natural Bridge

With the countdown to Christmas and all its associated chaos/busy-making, I haven’t had much time to write…

So I’ll entertain you over the next few weeks with some of my favorite photos from my road trip.

This is Natural Bridge viewpoint at Bryce Canyon National Park.  Even though it is named Natural Bridge viewpoint, it is actually an arch, not a bridge, geologically speaking.  Bridges are formed by water; arches are formed by wind and other forces.

Natural Bridge (although it is actually an arch) at Bryce Canyon National Park

 

Waterfront Walks

The weather here has been absolutely amazing – sunny and hot.  It has allowed for some mid-morning walks down to the waterfront in a tank top and shorts (and mosquito spray) to enjoy the park.  Boulevard Park is right on the bay, with an over-water boardwalk, which makes it tough to beat on a beautiful day!  Round trip it makes for a 5 mile walk with a challenging hill workout.  I love weekends like this!

 

A February Sunball…

It was sprinkling Friday morning on my way to work.  That’s the norm in winter.  So I was delighted when it came time for my lunch walk, and I was greeted with this view!  That dazzling orb in the sky!

 

I admit, when Google photos had its way with the picture, I decided that I liked the effects.  For the sake of full disclosure, it is edited…

I hope all of you are enjoying this long weekend!  Happy Birthday to all our best Presidents!