During our vacation in Seattle at the end of July, we rented a car and drove to Mount Rainier National Park, about 2-1/2 hours southeast of the city. Snowcapped even in summer, Mt. Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Range at 14,410 feet. The day we visited, the mountain was not only “out” but appeared to loom over the road. Just look at it, framed against a blue, blue sky. Magnificent!

We stopped at a pull-out along the highway to admire the view. The air was cool, and last winter’s deep snowfall, thanks to an extended chilly spring and summer, was still piled up along the road, making a mini-mountain in the foreground.

Quite a view on all sides…

…from the grand…

…to the small. The summer wildflowers that Mt. Rainier’s meadows are famous for had been delayed by the lingering snow and an unusually cool summer, we were told. While we missed the big show, we did see a lot of these tiny glacier lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) poking up out of the snow.

After driving up to Sunrise Visitor Center and eating a picnic lunch in the warm sun, with snow all around our picnic table (yes, snow in July!), we drove on to Grove of the Patriarchs, an island of Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock trees, some an incredible 1,000 years old, surrounded and protected from fire by the Ohanapecosh River.

From the grove, we hiked along the Ohanapecosh to thundering Silver Falls, swollen with snowmelt.

We stood and watched it tumble and roil for a while…

…and then it was time to head back. It was a short visit, but an enjoyable one. We felt lucky to have seen the mountain on such a beautiful, clear day.

Up next: A visit to Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, where we saw salmon swimming up the fish ladder. Click here to see the Seattle Japanese Garden.

All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Anhingas and flowering bromeliads in the Everglades, Florida

On telling friends that we were planning to visit Everglades National Park, my husband and I found that raised eyebrows and wrinkled noses were the most common responses. Why visit a bug-infested swamp, they asked.

We have a thing for national parks, though, and we were sure we’d find much beauty, strangeness, and perhaps even a thrill of danger in the Everglades. As it turned out, we were right.

We arrived in the Everglades in late afternoon, and after a quick look at the very nice Ernest Coe Visitor Center (which was about to close), we headed for Anhinga Trail, the “Disney World of the Everglades,” according to one park ranger, because of the abundance of wildlife often spotted there.

The Everglades is not really a swamp but a broad, slow-moving river, which meanders through sawgrass plains and around hardwood hammocks before finding its way to the mangrove-lined estuaries and, from there, the Atlantic Ocean.

It was beautiful in the evening light, with a few raindrops splattering and thunderheads rumbling in the distance. Although it did rain a little and water was everywhere, March is still part of the dry season in the Everglades, when pesky insects are fewer, temperatures are cooler, and fewer water sources drive predators and prey into close proximity in the remaining ponds and tributaries.

The biggest and most well-known predator is the American alligator, and the Everglades are rife with these large reptiles.

Alligators don’t seem to worry anyone in Florida too much, however, and with minimal signage about them the Everglades’ hiking trails are a mixture of ground-level paths and wooden boardwalks that elevate you above the water and marshy ground. The boardwalks offer excellent viewing places for alligator and bird activity.

Another view

Bromeliads, called air plants, live non-parasitically on all kinds of trees in the Everglades.

The Anhinga Trail is named for this diving water bird, which impales small fish on its long, sharp beak and returns to the surface to flip the fish into the air and into its mouth. After hunting, an anhinga spreads its wings in order to dry them.

At dusk, the anhingas and other birds like egrets and herons began congregating in treetops to roost for the night. This anhinga had already tucked its head into its back feathers.

It seemed odd to see webbed feet made for swimming gripping onto a tree branch. It roosts in the trees for good reason.

In the water below, the alligator waits for whatever might come its way: birds, fish, frogs, and small mammals, or even larger prey like deer.

As I said, there were a lot of gators.

We saw this big boy, at least 8 feet long, under the boardwalk, thrashing a decomposing bird, presumably to soften it up a little more.

The next day we drove to the Flamingo Visitor Center, which is as far as you can drive into the Everglades on the south side. We’d planned to rent a couple of canoes and paddle a canoe trail, but winds were high and we were advised that canoeing would be difficult. Instead we walked the park’s other short trails…

…spotting this strangler fig along the way…

…and took a mid-morning boat tour with a rather cranky naturalist, who nonetheless was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the ecosystem of the ‘Glades. We set out through the brackish mangrove canals, which act as nurseries for marine wildlife like shrimp and fish.

Our guide explained that when people came to develop Florida, they viewed the mangroves as worthless trash trees and methodically destroyed them. Eventually they discovered that without the mangroves to protect marine hatcheries, fish and shrimp populations plummeted, affecting the fishing industry. So now mangroves are appreciated for their unique role in the ecosystem.

Among the abundant wildlife living in the mangrove estuaries, we were thrilled to spot three manatees munching on algae. We also saw several bottlenose dolphins racing our boat, but they were too fast to capture on camera.

We had our eye out for crocodiles, which co-exist with alligators in the brackish water of the lower Everglades, but we only saw gators. This one lounged on a sandy bank just below a bike path that ran along the canal. Don’t stop to change a flat here!

Later, on one of the boardwalk trails, we spotted a barred owl, an owlet actually—one of two we’d heard were nesting there. (The bird-watching opportunities in the Everglades and southern Florida must be incredible. Later that week, as we left the Keys, we even saw a pair of bald eagles atop a light pole.)

But most people, including us, wanted to see alligators—lots of them.

The Everglades did not disappoint.

Along roads, along trails, in ponds at the visitors centers—wherever you looked you saw wild gators lounging in the water or sunning themselves on banks.

They are such prehistoric looking creatures, and pretty creepy. But how amazing to see them in the wild in such numbers.

I leave you with an image of “the river of grass,” as the Everglades is known. It is surely one of the most unusual of our many national parks, and well worth a visit to see a delicate and unique ecosystem at work.

All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Aspens, Rocky Mountain National Park, September 2006

Garden bloggers love the great outdoors and are an adventurous bunch. That’s what I learned this week while reading about visits we’ve made to national parks, national monuments, and other special places that have been set aside for the enjoyment of future generations. And what a wealth of natural beauty our country (and others) has to offer!

Thanks so much to everyone who joined in the bloggers’ celebration of national parks. You really inspired me. Listed below, in alphabetical order by park (U.S. followed by non-U.S.) are the posts of those who sent me their links. If I missed yours, please let me know and I’ll add it to the list. I, for one, will be consulting these wonderful posts for future vacation ideas!

Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Maine to Georgia
Frances of Fairegarden hikes a portion of the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina.

Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia
Rose of Ramble on Rose makes a winter visit to windswept Assateague Island, home of the wild ponies made famous in the children’s book Misty of Chincoteague.

Big Bend National Park, Texas
Jenny of Rock Rose hikes the rugged trails of Big Bend and sees spring wildflowers.

Caroline of The Shovel-Ready Garden hikes Big Bend, takes stunning photos of the scenery, and proclaims it her favorite national park.

Pam of Digging posts photos of “Giant” country taken by her friends who visited the park. Later she visits Big Bend herself.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Jenny of Rock Rose takes a strenuous hike to the bottom and back up at Black Canyon.

Linda of Patchwork Garden shows dizzying and beautiful views of Black Canyon.

Joseph of A Round Rock Garden visits Black Canyon and proposes to his fiancee along the way; he also stops to admire the Colorado wildflowers.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Kathy of Gardening for Nature sees Canyonlands as Mother Nature’s rock garden.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina
Carol of May Dreams Gardens visits the Outer Banks on a hot summer day and sees the Cape Hatteras lighthouse being moved.

Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee
Frances of Fairegarden explores Bald River Falls in Cherokee National Forest.

Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
MSS of Words Into Bytes (and Zanthan Gardens) experiences the stark landscape of Death Valley.

Devils Postpile National Monument, California
Ryan of DryStoneGarden shows us the fascinating rock formations at Devils Postpile and the wildflowers at Agnew Meadows.

Everglades National Park, Florida
Pam of Digging explores the mysterious waterworld that is the Everglades.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Pam of Digging rides a mule to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Jenny of Rock Rose rafts the rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

MSS of Words into Bytes (and Zanthan Gardens) travels the Colorado River by dory for two weeks.

Janet of The Queen of Seaford shows a dramatic view of the Grand Canyon.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Pam of Digging admires the majestic mountains of Grand Teton.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina
Christopher of Outside Clyde visits Cataloochee in the Smokies and muses about the ghosts of gardeners past, two houses of early settlers, a Cataloochee church and school, and wild Cataloochee.

Carol of May Dreams Gardens gets lost and finds a vegetable garden in the Smokies.

Inyo National Forest, California
MSS of Words into Bytes (and Zanthan Gardens) shows us the otherworldly beauty of Mono Lake.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Meredith of Great Stems explores the ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde.

Linda of Patchwork Garden visits Mesa Verde through the years.

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Brad of Rooted in California backpacks in Mt. Rainier in the rain.

Pam of Digging sees beautiful views of Mt. Rainier on a clear summer day.

Olympic National Park, Washington
Tatyana of My Secret Garden marvels over the mossy forests and misty shores of Olympic National Park.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Pam of Digging hikes to mountain lakes in the Rockies.

Susie of Poppy and Sage leaf-peeps and hears bugling elk in a fall visit to the Rockies.

Les of A Tidewater Gardener takes in the scenic views of Never Summer Ranch; drives to the top of the world on Trail Ridge Road; and hikes the Ute Trail.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming and Montana
Pam of Digging goes on safari in the American West in Yellowstone.

Jane of Mulchmaid shows the beautiful wildflowers of Yellowstone.

Jenny of Rock Rose compares a past visit to a more recent one and shows the wonders of the park.

Yorktown Battlefield, part of Colonial National Historical Park, Virginia
Janet of The Queen of Seaford enjoys a quiet Sunday afternoon with swans and admires the Yorktown onions (alliums).

Yosemite National Park, California
Pam of Digging raves about the beauty of Yosemite.

Ryan of DryStoneGarden climbs vertically at Tenaya Lake.

MSS of Words into Bytes (and Zanthan Gardens) makes the stunning and strenuous Half Dome hike.

Town Mouse of Town Mouse and Country Mouse examines Yosemite’s freeloader plants, admires wildflowers, hikes among redwoods, explores Hetch Hetchy, and celebrates her anniversary.

Multiple park visits
Cheryl of Conscious Gardening takes a western road trip and sees Mesa Verde, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Zion, Joshua Tree, and Saguaro National Parks, plus White Sands and Natural Bridges National Monuments.

Linda of Patchwork Garden takes a vintage tour of national parks and monuments across the west, including Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Sand Dunes, and Petrified Forest.

Jocelyn of The Art Garden visits a slew of national parks, including Yellowstone, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain, and her all-time favorite, Mesa Verde.

Annie of The Transplantable Rose take a time-machine journey to numerous national parks, including Mammoth Cave, Smoky Mountains, Badlands, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Mt. Rainier, Olympic, and Hawaii Volcanoes, plus Devils Tower, Dinosaur, and Mount St. Helens National Monuments.

Vertie of Vert takes a Christmastime road trip west with her dog and visits Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks, as well as Montezuma Castle National Monument.

Katina of Gardening in Austin recalls dutifully visiting national parks “on the way to someplace else” during her childhood. But in the last four years, she and her husband have made numerous destination visits to various parks around the country.

Chobe National Park, Botswana, Africa
Jean of Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog goes on safari in Chobe National Park.

Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area, South Africa
Elephant’s Eye admires the disa flowers in Groot Winterhoek.

Namaqua National Park, South Africa
Elephant’s Eye shows the blazing wildflowers of Namaqua.

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Africa
Pam of Digging gives a photo safari tour of the animals of Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater; she also posts about the people she met on safari and the plants, wild and cultivated, she saw.

All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.