Hole In The Rock at Papago Park, Phoenix Arizona

A co-worker and I make a visit to Papago Park, where we explore a large rock formation know as "Hole In The Rock"

Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, Washington & Space Needle

I had a few hours to explore Point Defiance Park early in September. It was a beautiful day in Tacoma and I was lucky to get a free upgrade to my rental car and ended up with a convertible mazda mx 5 and drove top down around The Five Mile Drive that runs thru the park. Along the road there's a handful of pull over scenic overlooks of the Puget Sound which include Gig Harbor, Vashon Island, Dalco Passage, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. There's raccoons all along the road and there not shy about checking you out, There's signs everywhere warning not to feed the animals but the raccoons here are somewhat used to food handouts.

 I didn't have the time to complete a single trail here, but I was able to pull over here and there and walk a little bit, including a makeshift trail thru a water wash way that lead me to to top of a cliff. The road takes you past Fort Nisqually, this was a fur trading and farming post and now a living museum.

 At one overlook I watched a bald eagle hunting for fish and getting into a tussle with a sea gull. I didn't get great footage of the two birds but I did manage to get the sound of the eagle's calls.

 I stopped at the Gated NW Native Plant Garden and walked around. This garden is divided into several sections representing the North West region.The Garden was really well taken care of, plants were marked/labeled thruout and there was even a treasure hunt of plants (more directed towards kids) I found most of the plants on the hunt and show you the pointy leaves of a  Oregon Grape plant and what I think is wild strawberries.

 I didn't have nearly enough time to explore this 765 acre urban park. But I was amazed at the softness of the ground in this old growth forest and the moss that seams to grow and cover everything. I also checked out Owens Beach. Its covered with smooth rocks and there's a section where tree sized driftwood has washed up to shore.

 I had just enough time to ride into Seattle and see the Space Needle before I had to head to the airport.

Abandoned Domes in Casa Grande, Arizona

 On my recent trip to Arizona, I took a drive south to Casa Grande to check out a site of abandoned desert domes. These dome structures were built in the 1980's and never finished. I believe It was a planed for them to house a manufacturing plant for computer chips, but today it's available for rentals. As I arrived here there was a carload of a few other people just getting there too. One guy in the group told me he used to party here back in his highschool days and he was bringing his friends to check it out.

I go stomping thru one of the domes. There's a really cool echo effect made inside the dome. As I walk out the other group starts to yell at me because I'm walking near a rattle snake! If you listen closely you can hear the rattle of the snake. This is the first time I've ever encountered a rattler in the wild, I admit I was a little freaked out.

The sun was setting and it was getting dark so I decided it was time for me to split.