Category: Olympic Mountains

Blue Mountain

The View

Thanks to three wonderful friends, I made my first trip (in six years) to nearby Blue Mountain via Deer Park Road last July. Notably, the mountain has an elevation of 6,400 ft and is of course, located in Olympic National Park. It got its name because of the blue haze you see in the distance in summer.

Access is via the 19-mile Deer Park Road, and the summit can be reached by walking the half-mile Rain Shadow Loop Trail which gains 170 feet of elevation from road’s end. And although I’d heard horror stories about the drop-offs and opposing traffic along the way, I found both to be more than tolerable. Once at the summit, the views were well worth it.

Since the weather was so cooperative (and typically it is in summer), we had 360-degree visibility of the surrounding mountains, including what appeared to be the tip of Mt. Baker in the distance; and we found wildflowers (including the endemic bellflower) and butterflies in the foreground, deer grazing along the hillsides, and chipmunks waiting to grab our lunch as we picnicked.

So what are you waiting for?!

The Eberle Barn

I don’t know the history or the current status of this Sequim icon, but I certainly enjoy seeing it everyday, and because I see it more as a work of art, I decided to treat it as such.

I hope you enjoy the end result and if you have some knowledge of the owners, etc., please share it with me, and thanks much!

Tornado Ridge?

I talked with a cousin this afternoon who relayed that she had 22 degree temps in Atlanta this morning. That got me to thinking about the wacky weather occurring throughout the country, and this image of what resembled a funnel cloud.

When I spotted it, I almost believed that Sequim was experiencing a tornado – which could result in renaming the ridge, at least to my estimation.

The View from Helen’s Pond

Ahhh…the joys of winter on the Olympic Peninsula

The view of Helen’s Pond off of 3 Crabs Road, with Canada geese dotting the sky, offers a warmer approach to January than the snow on the ridge, at least for me.

And the return of the Trumpeters at Kirner Pond is the icing on the cake!

More Snow on the Mountain

Hurricane Ridge on a spectacular winter day…

Hurricane Ridge Winter
Snow scripting

When a Facebook friend posted video of snow at her house yesterday, I was surprised that we didn’t see it as well. With our temps well into the 30’s I dread that it won’t be long until we’re shoveling the driveway – but I delight in the chance to capture the amazing snowboarders who turned this hillside into such a calligraphic expression of joy!

Lenticular Clouds, Hurricane Ridge

Another image from my day at Hurricane Ridge (with the dreaded snowshoes)…

Not only were the snowdrifts amazing, the sky was getting darker and more intense by the moment. Soon waves of clouds swirled across the mountains threatening even more snow, wind, and COLD.

After removing the snowshoes, I grabbed my sled, headed off to a section of hard packed snow, quickly landed on my butt and captured this shot shortly thereafter. In my world, success comes at a price!