Not quite live Explorer Mazlatan to Vancouver.

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks again for your effort in posting photos and commentary of your voyage, particularly impressed with the Columbia River section.

 

 

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[drron29]

Thanks for the encouragement.Hopefully this is showing a different side of USA tourism.

Back to Dungeness.The excursion was to have a walk on the Dungeness spit.The longest sand spit in the USA.However there was only about an hour so you could not possibly walk the whole length and truthfully that looked a bit boring.We had a different plan.A little research showed a few nature trails on the top of the cliff so we would walk to the path leading down to the spit,I would descend and take a few photos then come back and we would explore the nature trails.I felt it was a good decision.

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That could be Victoria,BC over the water.

[drron29]

Now down on the sand.

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[drron29]

A lot of lumber on the beach.

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The trails were beautiful with flowers-

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and serenity.

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[drron29]

Trees and birds.

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Mosses and lichens.

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[drron29]

People taking pictures of each other.

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Fallen trees springing back to life.

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And just the beauty of the forest.

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[drron29]

Funghi.

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And then what I had been hoping to see.

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Terrestial orchid.They are an interest of mine.

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Once you see the first the others are easily seen.

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[drron29]

The second part of the excursion was going to a farm for tastings.Turned out to be ciders and pizzas but they were both pretty good.

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Then you got to walk around the farm.It is a community farm with a covenant that it is always to remain farmland.

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[drron29]

I started talking to this goose and he invited his mates over to join in.

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As it is a cider place there were several varieties of apples.

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A nicely set up place.

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Fortunately both these places were easy to understand because the local guide was just on work experience.She knew nothing.Her answer to any question was-that's a good question.

[drron29]

The scenery as we left Port Angeles was great.

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Time for dinner.A problem with B2B cruises is the menu repeats.The benefit though is you know which menus dont measure up so you order from the room service menu.

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[drron29]

We passed the Spit.

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Then sunset.

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[drron29]

The next morning we were well down Puget sound anchoring a couple of miles short of Olympia.The day was overcast and cold and rain was forecast.The main excursion was Mt.Rainier.We had been 30 years ago and got good views so decided against that.I went on the Mima Mounds tour whilst Rojaan had a day off.

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I was on the first zodiac so had to wait a while for the next group.There were some nice gardens.

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They were also setting up for a Farmer's Market.

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[drron29]

Some different signs around the market.

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Then there was this little fellow hopping around.Turned out he was making his rounds and collecting donations.

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And a restaurant I wouldn't have minded trying.

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[drron29]

The Mima Mounds are an extensive area of mounds the cause of which isn't known.However the people who lived here for thousands of years have a story of a great flood and the mounds appearing afterwards.The mounds were part of a vast prairie.The natives had regular burns that kept it so.When they were displaced and regular burning ceased the forest gradually took over.The Trustees of this area now do regular fall burns.This also stimulates the wildflowers.

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[drron29]

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This fellow had a really beautiful song.And he posed for me.

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[drron29]

At the mounds there was a short walk of 1 mile or a long walk of 1.9 miles.I realised that the number of species of wildflowers were limited and a mound is a mound so I decided on the short walk.It was signposted and maps were on signs at intervals.I now rejoined the main path and was waiting for a bird to appear(the one in the last post).The stragglers accompanied by the one expedition staff now appeared from the main path.Unfortunately the one staff was the dipsy Historian.She asked where the local guide was.I said he has gone on the long pathway but as there is only about 30 minutes left here you should take the short path and showed them.No we must catch up to the guide.But it is an extra mile and you have taken over 30 minutes to do half a mile.No we are going to catch the guide.Idiot.

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So the main path is obvious.The short walk is the small unformed track.I was standing at the signpost.

Another bird who posed.

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Now there were volunteers at various spots around the mounds.I asked one how many species of orchids were there.He said just one.I said I must have seen it.He then said but it is only leaves now and is called the painted rattlesnake orchid.It wasn't what I had seen.Here are those leaves.

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I then showed him what I had seen.

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A classic microtis orchid with typical small flowers in a spiral up the stem.

So I doubled the number of known orchid species at Mima mounds.It pays to look down.

[spinnaker2]

Fascinating flora and fauna.

What a great trip!

 

 

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[Stumblefoot]

They were also setting up for a Farmer's Market.

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Mmmm... nothing quite like fresh asparagus in the spring. Looks great!

 

 

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[drron29]

So because of our dipsy staff member we were 40 minutes late leaving the mounds leaving that much less time at our next stop at the Nisqually wildlife reserve which was a much more interesting stop.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Frank_Jr._Nisqually_National_Wildlife_Refuge

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With lots of birds.

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This one was my favourite-the song sparrow.He just sat there continuously singing.This is a different one.

[drron29]

Evidence of beavers.

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And tortoise and funghi.

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Reflections and frogs.

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[drron29]

There were lots of big frogs.

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And salmonberries.

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And little creeks.

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Even a couple of barns.

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[drron29]

Because we had run out of time we now had to turn around and go back.We saw more birds.

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And a squirrel who was so unconcerned by our presence that even when I got closer and sat on the railing he wouldn't even turn around.

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Even a bunny rabbit.

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[drron29]

A couple of ducks flew in.

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And flowers but no orchids this time.

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So if you are ever travelling I-5 between Olympia and Tacoma take a short detour and spend some time here.

Now a couple of shots from the bus back to the dock.

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[drron29]

Another area where logging is important.From the zodiac-

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Rojaan had remained on board and caught me leaving-

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She was amused by the number of craft that came out to look over the Explorer.This was the Thurston Sherrif's Department boat.It circled a few times.

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And a couple of elegant wooden boats.

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[drron29]

They continued coming.

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But then I was coming back.

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But there were a couple more yachts before I got back to our suite.

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