the bald eagle

i was reminded yesterday of part of my cape flattery trip that i forgot to include. as i was driving 15 miles per hour on a dirt road up to the trailhead, i had an encounter with a bald eagle. you might be thinking, 'cool, a bald eagle', but for a person who is afraid of birds (me), it is more of a scary experience than anything else. the eagle was sitting on a low hanging branch and was literally about 10 feet away from me. i was driving with all of my windows down and as i approached it, i started frantically stumbling for the buttons to put the windows up. as i came closer, it took flight and flew right over me. i had visions of it flying into the car to attack me. it was HUGE. literally huge. i escaped unharmed.

Cape Flattery

After a crazy week of work, I wanted to escape the city. I decided to take a drive around the Olympic Peninsula with no particular destination in mind. I ended up below at the most northwestern part of the lower 48 states.


As you might imagine, reaching the most northwestern part of the continental US isn't easy or quick. I began by driving to a ferry that took me across Puget Sound from Edmonds to Kingston. Then I drove...and drove and drove and drove along two lane highways with no traffic that make stick shift cars (and their drivers) happy to be alive. The last part of the drive was on a very bumpy dirt road. Then I had to get out and hike about a mile to reach the northwestern point of the US.

The drive was gorgeous. I stopped and bought fresh organic cherries. I enjoyed listening to music as I twisted and turned through Olympic National Park. The smell of the salt water and vocent air was lovely as I drove along the coast. I saw some strange things, too. I pulled over in the town of Sekiu because the fish wearing a skirt with legs was too random to pass by.
Anyway, it was relaxing and enjoyable. I drove over 300 miles round trip. Some more pictures from the drive are below. (Kate, this post is dedicated to you since you reminded me that I hadn't blogged about nature/outdoor activities for a while...)

ode to skiing

o beautiful the purple mountains rise,
in your ski slopes i love to spend my time.
early i wake, my sleep is compromised;
i drive along as the roads gently climb.

no blizzard or wreck will keep me away;
i'll wait in traffic, sip a hot coffee.
"god, get me safely to the slopes", i pray,
at last arriving at The Park to ski.

the snow falls down, it's only eight degrees;
three pairs of pants, gloves, jacket and a hat,
wind blows fiercely, hands, feet, and face will freeze.
up, up the hill where ground will not be flat.

crisp mountain air, the smell of evergreens,
bright blue sky, peaks as far as you can see.
"no other place can have such lovely scenes,
than the rocky mountains!", i scream with glee.

my legs give out, they're tired of all the turns,
back sore, lips chapped, knees torn, my body aches.
i gasp for air my lungs begin to burn,
i'll ski dawn to dusk no matter what it takes.

warm in the car, after a day well spent;
back down the hill, home to a well-cooked meal.
i will be back soon, this is my intent.
to spend life on the slopes, this would be ideal!

o beautiful the purple mountains rise,
in your ski slopes i love to spend my time.
i dream of skiing as my body lies,
tired and spent after a day sublime.