Decamping is down to an art now and we have a big breakfast - the last of the eggs and bacon -, are packed and on the road early again. Kay has discovered wheatless pancake mix that she discovered in Olympia and it is delicious - Pamela's Pancake Mix. It is made with rice flour and we swear to buy more before we head home to Vancouver.
It is hot. We are driving through the Scenic 199 in Northern California. It is dry, Okanogan like country as we follow the Smith River valley.We stop early at a nature walk that is advertised on the highway and discover a grove of very odd plants. According to the information boards the mineral content of this part of the Smith River contains elements unfriendly to most plants. The river occasionally floods this area, creating a swamp-like environment inhospitable to all plants except those that have adapted.
We are guided to the swamp and find an insect eating Pitcher Plants which has a large head to attract insects, then drowns them and digests them for nutrients. There are very few nutrients in the swamp. Watch a Video.Further on down the highway we discover a "Beach Access" point to the river and it looks so inviting that we join another family for very refreshing swim in the clear pool near the sandy access point.
It is frigid, but with my goggles on I can see clear to the bottom, and I float with the curious small trout and salmon that come to inspect the strange white bodied creature creating a large shadow on the bottom. Swimming upstream into the current is difficult, but I find shallow water and over turn a few stones looking for crayfish - but no luck. Kay stays on shore in the blistering heat. I am now ready to drive for the next 4 hours to Ashland.
No comments:
Post a Comment