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Washington Trip Report - part 29 - more family stuff
My uncle asked if I'd go out and show him some birds before I left, so we went over to Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. We took one of my younger cousins with us. As usual with my relatives, we left the house much later than planned. The weather was not at all good. We got wet. We borrowed binoculars for both my uncle and cousin but I don't think either of them was particularly successful in using them. It also turned out that my uncle really isn't capable of walking very far. Still, I think he was pleased with the outing. (I think my cousin was bored stiff though.)
This does not look like good weather for a walk at the wildlife refuge, does it?
The birds we saw weren't anything new or different from what I'd seen over the past several days. I enjoyed seeing them again though. My uncle wanted to see an eagle. I checked the spots where I'd seen them on my earlier visit but there were none to see. As we were almost back to the parking area, I spotted a big bird at the top of a tall evergreen tree.
It was indeed an immature Bald Eagle.
Cackling Geese
Northern Shovelers
A pair of Hooded Mergansers
Golden-crowned Sparrows
We went back to the house where my cousin S. wanted to take me out for breakfast (it was lunchtime by then) before I left. I really wanted to get going, but I also liked the idea of spending a little more time with him and I did need something to eat, so I said I'd go but it had to be a relatively quick meal. We went back to almost the same place I'd just come from, eating at the little restaurant across from the entrance to Nisqually. I had halibut fish and chips. They were very good. My cousin, who generally drives like a maniac, drove very slow on the way home. He admitted it was because he wanted to spend more time with me. I thought that was sweet, but annoying. I really, really need to get out to Washington to spend time with my family on a more regular basis. I was planning on going back next month, but that's not happening now thanks to the coronavirus.
After lunch I tossed the rest of my stuff into my car and got going pretty quickly and set off to visit another cousin who lives in Bellingham, a couple of hours north of Seattle. Have I mentioned that I don't like Interstate highways in general and specifically really don't like driving around Seattle? The freeways around Seattle were the first freeways I ever drove on alone, when I was 16 or 17 and working for my uncle's photography studio during the summer, but Seattle was a different place back then. Now it is just a big traffic jam. I hate traffic jams.
The weather cleared up for a while as I was driving, and there was some blue sky for a short time. I took this photo of the blue sky over Tacoma while I was stuck in non-moving traffic.
The blue sky didn't last long. This is what I drove into about ten minutes later.
The rain stopped again before sunset.
By the time I got to Bellingham it was dark. I had the address for my cousin's apartment building but I couldn't find the building. I drove around in circles trying to spot something to identify it by and finally gave up and drove around some more until I found a parking spot where I could leave my car for a while. I called and left a message for my cousin then started walking in what I thought was the right direction. I was in the right general area when she called back so she came out and met me and we went back to my car and moved it to a closer spot where it could stay until 9 AM, by which point I needed to move it again. We talked, ate supper, and talked some more before eventually going to bed.
This does not look like good weather for a walk at the wildlife refuge, does it?
The birds we saw weren't anything new or different from what I'd seen over the past several days. I enjoyed seeing them again though. My uncle wanted to see an eagle. I checked the spots where I'd seen them on my earlier visit but there were none to see. As we were almost back to the parking area, I spotted a big bird at the top of a tall evergreen tree.
It was indeed an immature Bald Eagle.
Cackling Geese
Northern Shovelers
A pair of Hooded Mergansers
Golden-crowned Sparrows
We went back to the house where my cousin S. wanted to take me out for breakfast (it was lunchtime by then) before I left. I really wanted to get going, but I also liked the idea of spending a little more time with him and I did need something to eat, so I said I'd go but it had to be a relatively quick meal. We went back to almost the same place I'd just come from, eating at the little restaurant across from the entrance to Nisqually. I had halibut fish and chips. They were very good. My cousin, who generally drives like a maniac, drove very slow on the way home. He admitted it was because he wanted to spend more time with me. I thought that was sweet, but annoying. I really, really need to get out to Washington to spend time with my family on a more regular basis. I was planning on going back next month, but that's not happening now thanks to the coronavirus.
After lunch I tossed the rest of my stuff into my car and got going pretty quickly and set off to visit another cousin who lives in Bellingham, a couple of hours north of Seattle. Have I mentioned that I don't like Interstate highways in general and specifically really don't like driving around Seattle? The freeways around Seattle were the first freeways I ever drove on alone, when I was 16 or 17 and working for my uncle's photography studio during the summer, but Seattle was a different place back then. Now it is just a big traffic jam. I hate traffic jams.
The weather cleared up for a while as I was driving, and there was some blue sky for a short time. I took this photo of the blue sky over Tacoma while I was stuck in non-moving traffic.
The blue sky didn't last long. This is what I drove into about ten minutes later.
The rain stopped again before sunset.
By the time I got to Bellingham it was dark. I had the address for my cousin's apartment building but I couldn't find the building. I drove around in circles trying to spot something to identify it by and finally gave up and drove around some more until I found a parking spot where I could leave my car for a while. I called and left a message for my cousin then started walking in what I thought was the right direction. I was in the right general area when she called back so she came out and met me and we went back to my car and moved it to a closer spot where it could stay until 9 AM, by which point I needed to move it again. We talked, ate supper, and talked some more before eventually going to bed.