All 63 National Parks

Back in the mid to late 1990s, as the World Wide Web was becoming popular, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, said something like this: “In the future you will discover things on the web that you never could have imagined.” Over the years since then, I have often thought of Bill’s words when I, indeed, discovered something truly amazing on the web. 

Today I discovered an excellent example to share. Those of you who follow me will know that one of my favorite places in the world is Yellowstone National Park. So, imagine my fascination when I learned today that a 3-year-old has visited all 63 US National Parks. Yes, she has done that and even has her own website documenting all of her visits. Her name is Journey.

Journey at Yellowstone National Park
Journey's Website

I could never have imagined Journey’s accomplishment and, of course, being as curious as I am, I had to dig into the details. I questioned that there are only 63 National Parks. I did not realize the National Park System has 423 national park sites, but only 63 of them have the "National Park" designation. Go down the rabbit hole to discover what is necessary to have the words “National Park” in a Park’s name. Going down that rabbit hole, you will discover neat websites and maps like the one below. 

Map from Earth Trekkers website

So did you know a 3-year old has visited all 63 National Parks?

Solar Eclipse 2023 Seattle

My photo of the eclipse in Seattle at about 9:20AM, maximum ...

Clouds prevented a clear view, but allowed this
photo without a solar filter.
Saturday, October 14, 2023

A more professional capture 😊 ... courtesy of NASA ...

Were you able to see the eclipse at your location?

Replaced

Hummingbird Feeder Replaced

I've been feeding hummingbirds for 3 years now. Exposure to the weather, and especially direct sunlight, has taken a toll on my feeder. It worked well, but it's time for a new one.

Here are a few photos taken during the last 3 years while using my first hummer feeder.

Female Anna's Hummingbird

Lucky capture. Hummers don't like to share a feeder.
Occasionally they will and it's unusual to see 3 at once.

My favorite photo snapped at sunset.

And now, my new feeder ...

In use now for about 3 weeks and it does seem to
be popular with the little birds.

How do you like the looks of the new feeder?

Linking up with Saturday's Critters ... check it out.

Power of Nature - Tides

 Power of the Tides

Looking out my window, in the morning,
 I see a ship anchored in Puget Sound.

Looking out again, mid-day, the ship has
 turned about 90 degrees. What moves a big
ship around like this? There isn't much wind.
Answer: the tide.
Looking at a chart, I see the tide is falling and the
water is flowing out of Puget Sound.

One more look ... late afternoon.
The ship has turned 180 degrees.
The tide is rising, the water is flowing in
 and moving the ship around the anchor. 
Just another example of nature at work.

For orientation, here is a map of the region. The tidal flow
is from the Pacific Ocean into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and
then into Puget Sound. It all reverses when the tide flows out.

With and Without Clouds

Which do you prefer?

With clouds ...

Clouds are pretty but no mountains.
October 3rd
(First picture in my previous post.)

No clouds ...

Looking west over Puget Sound
to the Olympic Mountains
October 5th

A little of both ...

Clouds and mountains ... October 6th

Colorful

Last night's sunset.

Looking west from Seattle over Puget Sound
October 3, 2023  6:58PM

A neighbor's tree.

Driving by, I thought this tree to be a real beauty.
Had to go around the block, stop, and snap a pic.
October 4, 2023

Downsizing

 Keep it or toss it?

I've got a stack of 45RPM records.
Remember these?
This one is a favorite. 😊

Back in the days, this is how it looked.
Maybe she is listening to 
The Wayward Wind
by Gogi Grant

It's hard to just toss these old records in the trash, and it's time consuming to try selling them online. The decision is even more complicated by knowing I can simply use a few clicks to listen on YouTube. Any suggestions?