7 May 2018 Rural Cemetery in West Virginia

On my way to North Carolina, I stopped to find a multi at a rural, church cemetery in West Virginia. While there I entered the grounds to read the history on the stones. This sprawling redbud was nearly in ful bloom on that day.

6 May 2018 Phoebe

For years, we have hosted a phoebe nest between a bend in a downspout and our siding. We can usually see them fly back and forth as they build the nest. Today, we were able to spot one stopping at a chair on our patio with nest material in its beak.

We enjoyed the wealth of wild flowers in our woods this afternoon.

5 May 2018 Woods, Water, and Wildflowers on Twin Lakes Trail

We were back in the Allegheny National Forest for a walk along Twin Lakes Trail. Our last visit here was cut short when I developed a migraine. Today we were hiking a wooded area bordering Wolf Run. There were wilflowers everywhere and plenty of geocaches on our hike. It was a very pleasant outing.

3 May 2018 Hiking Iller Creek

I was waiting for a friend to arrive for a Iller Creek hike. This sweet 320i was parked in front of my rental on the road by the park.

I hated looking for the cache at our first stop. The area was filled with wildflowers and showed a fair amount of off-trail traffic and trampled flowers when we arrived. I gave a half hearted look while trying to avoid the wildflowers. When my batteries died, it was a sign to write this one off and move on.

My friend hiked about a mile into the park and up toward the ridge before heading back for dinner with his family. I was flying a red-eye out of Spokane so I had all the time until sunset to hike and cache. It wasn't long before I found a long abandoned vehicle. This one was an interesting old Jeep wagon.

I left the old Jeep and continued uphill toward the ridge. I spent a long time looking for the next hide and was ready to move on when I stooped down to look at a flower. I was quite surprised to spot my first calypso orchid in years!

I left the orchid and moved a few feet in my renewed effort to find the nearby cache. I quickly spotted a shed moose antler in my path. I had been wondering about the large droppings on the trail...

I've never seen a moose in my Spokane hiking, but at least now I have seen a shed antler.

The trail toward the ridge eventually became part of a mostly dry creek bed.

When I reached a large blow-down area, I was ready to call it a night and turn back. I had no desire to climb through this mess before getting on a flight.

I decided to navigate the mess when I spotted western skunk cabbage for the first time in seven years.

I continued on to the ridge trail where I spotted two more calypso orchids at my last find before turning back. I enjoyed the sights in the fading light along the ridge trail on my return.

2 May 2018 Visiting Morrow Park

It seems a little odd that Spokane parks are home to so many rusted, junk cars.

It was my first visit to Morrow Park. I had just entered the park when I spotted what looks like a long dead '72 Chrysler New Yorker. It looked like someone rolled it off the dirt road and left it to become a shooting target. After a visit off trail to look at the carcass, I resumed my hike. I made the first turn on the trail and spotted what appears to be the rusted hulk of a 70's GM station wagon.

The rusted, shot-up car surrounded by blossoming trees created an interesting contrast.

I wasn't here to see the old cars, but they were too close to pass by. Apparently Morrow Park was donated to the city in the early 60's and remained a passive park. It also became a party palace for the youth in the 70's. Today, it is gated but remains undeveloped for any use other than hiking. Eventually, I did get back to the trail. It was worth the walk.

The trails took work and the paths with caches were overgrown from few visits. Tough trails on a hot evening made this the perfect place to be after work.

I left a few unfound caches for a return visit.