The giant flowers of cow parsnip fill the lower altitude meadows of the Rockies. With the plants reaching four to five feet tall, it can be quite intimidating to walk through. Grizzly bears love grazing this environment. I can't begin to count how many bears I have scared out of meadows similar to this, all much too close for comfort before we each noticed one another.
Over the years, I have grown to enjoy winter. Like anyone else, I still much prefer the warm summer months, however I will admit I do take a fondness to winter. A few years back I had my first encounter with tracking down a wild Canada Lynx through the snow. Since then, I have made an effort to attempt to repeat my success each year. In that time, I have begun to relish snowshoeing through the forest with a fresh blanket of snow. Even if I don't find any forest critters, it’s hard to not appreciate the scenery even if it is freezing cold outside.
I just loved wandering through the tidal pools and finding interesting sandstone formations while visiting Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon coast. If you get a chance, I highly reccomend this area. The Oregon coast has quickly become one of my favourite places to visit when I can get some time off. There is simply so much to see and do in this part of the world.
