Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge Trip Number Two!!

A bird came down the walk:

He did not know I saw

He bit an angle worm in halves

And ate the follow raw.

~~Emily Dickinson

It is in the hopes of seeing birds and more of God's creatures that I often feel strongly drawn to get outdoors and go.  Preferably somewhere I can drive and see different sights and sounds than I see every day in Sacramento.  

I feel so blessed to have the National Wildlife Refuges to soothe my soul, fulfill my passions for nature, wildlife, and birds, educate my mind, and provide me with countless opportunities to take photos.

And the Klamath Basin complex is just absolutely one of the best.  

In the last post, I saw coyotes, bald and golden eagles, and hawks galore!  And the last time I was there, I had close up encounters with eagles, ducks, and even a bobcat eating breakfast!

Next I was headed to Tule Lake, just down the road.  The last time I was there, it was a little later towards Spring and I saw some amazing grebes, ducks, and geese galore!   This time, I wasn't sure what to expect since it was still technically winter.  

The sky was still amazing!

The first bird I saw was a Great Blue Heron on a telephone pole. 

And another one on this farmer thingie.  

I was a little disappointed that the lake wasn't covered with birds as it had been in my last visit.  But the lake itself was even more beautiful. And I do love the opportunity to get some good landscape shots!

Practically mid-shot, one of the heron's flew alongside the lake.  I'm so glad I got a half-decent shot!

And Oh. My. Goodness.  I love weird things.  Beautiful, weird things like these Hooded Mergansers which I had never seen before!

Then on my way back home, I had to literally stop in the road to let an entire herd of deer cross in front of me!

They were bound and determined to get to these pine trees in someone's yard.  Their butts peaking out were so cute!

I wasn't the only one stopped for a few minutes.  But I don't think either of us were complaining since we had such a nice, fun view. 

Some were obviously youngsters and they were especially cute.  

They all looked so velvety and gorgeous.  

It was funny, but the stream of deer seemed neverending! About 15 had crossed the road and there were more in the field on the other side.  They didn't seem in a hurry though, so I moved along myself. 

I stopped by the Visitor Center where I had seen the bobcat the year before.  No bobcats this year, but I did see this cute ground squirrel.  

And then, just as I was pulling out of the parking lot, I had the feeling of being watched.  I looked around and then up.  And saw that I was indeed the target of a pair of baleful eyes!

Did I say baleful?  I meant to say beautiful! A big and beautiful Great-horned Owl!

I thought I couldn't possibly be more blessed on this trip.  But I couldn't be more wrong.  I stopped at the vista point beside Lower Klamath to take one more photo of Mt. Shasta. 

And in the farmer's field on the other side of the road, I saw many, many birds apparently full from their morning meals and enjoying the sunlight!

Four Bald Eagles and countless Ravens and Hawks. 

And then they started swirling like an avian tornado!

In this next shot I count at least five Bald Eagles, a Golden Eagle, and at least seven Ravens. 

Here's another Golden.  Or they could be juvenile Baldies.  

So incredible!!  These birds are so huge and so powerful.  To see them in nature, up close and personal, is such a dream. I need to start planning another trip up there.  And I still need to get to the Upper Klamath!  Each time I've gone, the Upper Klamath had too much snow on the ground for my little car to navigate.  Maybe next year.  :)

xoxo

Nikon D3300

Going Back to Cali! - Road-tripping Home from Washington State

Here we are at the last post of my trip to Washington State last summer.  To easily catch up, click on this awesome link!

I got up fairly early to drive back because I wanted to spend some time driving down the coast, which is a longer route. I made a brief stop by the Grays Harbor light station hoping for a cool pic.

It actually wasn't at all as expected.  When I think of a lighthouse/lightstation, it's usually on a rocky beach somewhere.  Here the harbor is about 3-4 blocks down the street and the lighthouse is surrounded by trees and grass.

As I was heading back threw town, I passed Blackbeard's brewery where we had eaten a few days before.  If you are ever in Grays Harbor County, this place in Westport is definitely a must!  Delicious pizza and excellent beer!

The pic above is of the more family-oriented pizza/bar and the one below is their second building across the parking lot where they have a stylish brewery.

Okay, I really can't post these long road trips so late.  Too much is going on in life and now I can't remember what river this was!  I know it was between Westport and Astoria because of the sequence, but even a long look at a map isn't refreshing my memory.  Wah, wah.

Oh well, it doesn't make the scenery any less amazing!  

I just loved this old, decrepit boat.  Such character!

And now we interrupt this road trip for an art break.

Now you know art is subjective, but I definitely love these two photos!  In a town along the road, whose name goes unremembered, I stopped at a Safeway to use the restroom and buy a sandwich.  

Scattered throughout the main part of town were these cool art installations of metal people doing various things and poses.  I decided to shoot this happy woman out for a walk in the sun's bright rays.  She protects herself and blocks the sun.  Meanwhile...

This man soaks in the sun's golden rays.  

And, finally, I reached the mouth of the Columbia River!  

Next stop was Cape Meares on the outside of Tillamook Bay, Oregon.  It's a lovely drive and I saw lots of deer!  So many that I really had to drive a lot slower than I normally would.  

It's a cool place to walk around, which I took advantage of to stretch my legs.  One of the very interesting things on this site is the Octopus Tree.  This is a 250 year old Sitka Spruce and no one really knows how it came to look so odd. 

Here is an excellent, quick read to introduce you to the strangest tree in Oregon!

And of course this site, which hosts the shortest lighthouse in Oregon, sits on a cliff high above the beautiful Oregon Coast. 

It's situated in a fairly heavy pine forest with a downhill path (on the way to the ocean) which views the top of the squat lighthouse with it's beautiful red glass.

One of my favorite shots is this black and white/sin city edit.  
The ripples on the ocean look amazing. 

The sun was beginning to set into the Pacific, which made the glass gleam.  I just love this photo with the sun directly behind the tip top. 

Did I mention this lighthouse is short?  It's only 38' tall, but I assume that the brilliant Fresnel lens with it's alternating red and clear glass surround made up for it's lack of height.  And the cliff too, of course. 

The crescent moon was high in the sky behind the lighthouse which I thought looked pretty cool even though it's not that clear. 

From the south trail (which has convenient benches for catching your breath on the hike back to the parking lot) there is a gorgeous view of Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge.

Just past Lincoln City, the sun was almost set so I decided to stretch my legs one last time and then head inland to I-5 to cut down on some driving time (hopefully).

Similar, but two different photos with different lighting settings and editing technique. 

I like them both.

FLASH FORWARD! 

Approximately 10 hours later, the sun was rising somewhere to the East in Northern California!

And I was just about home after a wonderful trip filled with family, nature, music, fun, and happiness.  

Can't wait for the next long trip!

xoxo

Nikon D3300