Exploring Washington

 I'm finished with my break now, it was a great one, and four weeks long, and now its back to work!
I spent a lot of time on boats this break, what with the Hobie Cat and going on Gran Milonga, and I think that is the best way to spend time in Bellingham; to have a boat.  I took a very small craft out surfing with my sister last week and we found a beetle clinging to the surfboard...
I also took my truck down to the Nisqually delta to look around at the bird watching area there and discovered that in addition to the birds flying around (see the Caspian Tern below) there were a lot of military folk going for a social walk together.  I think it was interesting that they tromp around in groups, and most of them were walking double time and even in step with each other.  Work reflects into play time, it seems.  Indeed, I play by exploring around in the woods and that is exactly what I do for work as well.  The pity, I felt, was that the soldiers on break were affecting the area around them by being talkative (loud) and walking fast, thereby scaring birds away from the boardwalk, but not really paying attention to them at all.  In a park, where it is a place for humans to recreate, I can understand this, but we were in a Wildlife Refuge, where I think the birds should come first.  I think it should be that people can go and look at them, but quietly and respectfully and this is mostly a place for the birds to rest and live and get away from us.

We manage everything, it seems to me, for humans.  There was an article in the Bellingham Hearld a little while ago about the Orcas around here and how they are starving, partly because we manage the fish populations for our consumption, not for the fishes well-being.  If we were trying to rebuild fish stocks rather than catch the maximum of fish (both of which involve growing lots of fish, but one involves catching more) then the Orcas could eat more, but we don't.
I also went to Mt Rainier National Park and discovered that it was also very crowded.  The parking lots were full and the pathways were packed with people and children, screaming and shouting into the peaceful woods and keeping the animals a long distance from the paths.  I sneaked off path to investigate the woods and found it better to be quiet.

 On the paths there are signs that say no pets, and since I'm on a rant, I might as well continue.  Dogs and nature don't really get along too well.  I think that they are good friends of humans because humans quickly destroy nature and peace and quiet.  Dogs do this too.  They keep us our attentions away from the birds and the quiet and chase things and poop on the trail.  We love them, but they affect the feeling of wilderness that the park is trying to give us on the trail.  So they are not allowed anywhere in the park, really, just in your car.
Rules are to be broken though, and so there were some really cute puppies a few people brought out.  Nobody could bring themselves to tell these people they were doing wrong, however, so the puppies stayed on the trail.  I think its another example of how easy it is for us to manage the trail for human delight, rather than as a window into the natural world of the park.  The puppies brought most people's attention to the trail rather than to the park beyond the trail.

 I did try to extend my vision beyond the trail and went up to the top of a peak to look, and saw a marmot!

 And a really big mountain

 There are some really big trees around as well, and in continuing on to Olympic National Park, I found some HUGE douglas firs.  Here is a croc-focused picture of the tree, just to prove my point about focusing on the human side of things, rather than the nature side of things, even when we are out in it.

 And a patch of shamrocks?

 There was a snake sitting in a sunny patch looking for warmth

 And a fawn crossing the road.  This is the kind of cute baby that I'd rather look at, the kind that you don't get a chance to see at home.

 The fawn here is showing us how to look at wildflowers.