I really should have been a park ranger.
When I started to think of pics for this post, I immediately thought of the images I captured at Olympic National Park (ONP) in 2013. It truly is an amazing place. It doesn’t get much more “natural” than in a rain forest.
The hallmark of ONP is its diversity. It covers nearly a million acres and includes several very distinct ecosystems: wild coastline, temperate rain forest, and glacier-capped mountains.
Of the three, I think I enjoyed roaming among the rain forests best. It was just so green, and was teeming with life.
Even the slugs are interesting.
Annelies hit the nail on the head when she said she’d never seen so many different shades of green. And look at all of the different shapes textures.
The beaches were amazing, too. There are lots of tide pools.
I could wander a beach looking in tide pools all day.
That shot was taken from Hurricane Ridge. That’s a glacier below the peaks of that mountain.
it wasn’t as cold as you’d think.
I captured the butterfly shot at Hurricane Ridge, too.
I’m not sure if large, freshwater lakes are their own ecosystem, but there are several of those in the park, too. Not to mention rivers. That picture was taken from the shore of Crescent Lake.
The next day, we went back into the rain forest. The Hoh Rain Forest to be exact.
That’s a stream you’re looking at. The water was crystal-clear!
Doesn’t that look calm and peaceful?
One of many waterfalls in the park.
A lovely little spot, right?
We ended that day with a picnic on the beach.
Cities have their advantages, but nothing beats a natural setting when it comes to walking for relaxation.
Only one more day left in this year’s challenge. Take a look at how others did…
I’ve past by ONP many times but never stopped there. One of these years. It looks beautiful!
Richard, it is absolutely stunning. And huge. You can’t just pop in for a day trip and see it all. We spent about three days doing a lot of driving around the Olympic Peninsula. I’d love to go back one day.
Oh my, your photos are spectacular! Olympic National Park is one of the top places on my list to see.
If a little tide pool is an ecosystem, then a freshwater lake is absolutely its own ecosystem! (technically, my compost pile is its own ecosystem, although it’s dormant at the moment) Thank you for all these daily prompts! It’s been an effective stick, I’ve made much time for writing over the past few weeks (although I’ve only handed in half of my assignments and rarely on time) and I’ve enjoyed getting to know the BBBC crew!
Thank you for getting us to the keyboard so often this month!
Thanks for joining in! It was nice getting to know you a bit, too. It’s always fun seeing how other Motobloggers live, get their kicks, etc.