Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Humbug Mountain State Park

(+8 insets!) Preparations are Afoot For Covid Trip Part 2! Steve and I are gearing up for our next trip and everything is falling into place! We Got Our House Sitter Again! We were worried about getting someone to watch our house while we were away because we didn't think the fellow who usually stays here could do it. This trip doesn't have a firm "end date" so we expected that to be a really big problem. However, it turns out that since Covid's turned the world upside-down, our friend's company has changed to allow the majority of its employees to work from home. So, instead of working in town, he can stay in our house and work full time! All of us are so happy! Projects Are Nearly Complete! When we got home, Steve had a list of important projects that he needed to get done…and one by one he's been finishing them and ticking them off the list! Pictures of My Morning Walk Around Humbug Mountain State Park I'd mentioned in an earlier post that I love to immerse myself in a state park's campground by strolling around its loops every morning. The show is a highlight of each day! However, I don't take my camera because I'm out for exercise and it gets in the way of my movement. So instead, I go on my walk again later with camera in hand and slowly cruise along, snapping away at everything that caught my eye earlier. So many pretty things to see!! My main picture shows the very last flowers of the season for the Western Azalea. How lucky I felt to get pictures before they'd petered away! When I discovered this one remaining bush that had flowers, I crossed my fingers for at least one blossom that was still in good condition--imagine my joy when I found a number of them to take pictures of! I loved the pair of flowers hanging down like pendants to create a wonderful natural floral bouquet. Insets Include… …a trio of perfect Western Azalea blossoms …three pictures which show the electric-pink blossoms of the Redclaws shrub (Escallonia rubra) and also called Red Escallonia,...I initially thought these were Red Currant flowers but Ron Hanko pointed out that they couldn't be because of the blooming time and looking closer, the blossoms are all wrong. After hours of searching between us, we began to wonder if the plant wasn't native. I came up with a plant I thought might be close but Ron was the one who figured out the answer to this vexing puzzle! YAYYYYYY!!! ALL HAIL HORTICULTURIST HANKO!! :D By the way, this plant is native to Chile and Argentina and has been naturalized in many other countries. It is now considered to be invasive. …a Himalayan Blackberry blossom and leaf …a pair of pictures showing Cow Parsley flowers and buds..they are so delicately beautiful up close, aren't they? …an artistic study of leading lines and texture that stars a dried blackberry cane with a blade of grass falling into bokeh and another cane in the background which softly leads the eye back to the dried cane! Thank You and Stay Safe! All of your visits and comments are so deeply appreciated! I hope everyone is doing well in these virus-filled days and keep your guard up! Have a lovely rest of your week and enjoy your photography if you can! <3 Explored on 8/6/20; highest placement #22.

(+7 inset!) (please view large!) Injuries on the Road I mentioned that just before our trip, Steve hurt his knee and ankle and was forced to rest his leg. It took a lot longer for his injuries to heal because he needed to be up and around to tend to various trailer/truck jobs, but once he finally became a "potato", his body responded rapidly and within a week he was much better, and by the end of the trip he was able to resume most of his mobility. Wisely, we took it very slowly and it paid off. He still has a bit of soreness and stiffness from time to time but for the most part he's completely healed. As for me…about a week from the end of our trip I noticed that my right foot was a little sore on the top and also a bit on the bottom. It felt like one of those times your foot hurts oddly and then it goes away inexplicably. Only, this time it didn't go away. Since I thought it was just that routine soreness that happens once in a while, I ignored it. After a few days I couldn't deny that a) it wasn't going away and b) it was getting worse, to the point of actual pain. I couldn't imagine what I'd done to hurt my foot--no hard impacts, trips, falls, or obvious accidents. Nothing landed on it and I didn't twist it. That's why I'd initially ignored the slowly-increased ache. But it became obvious when I couldn't walk without a limp that I'd certainly done something to my foot and I'd better start focusing on healing. A Very Slow Recovery Unlike Steve's injuries, however, my foot didn't respond as well. I admit that I did use it more than I should have *shame-face*…I limped my way on a slow 3-mile macro photo walk the day before we came home and it was very annoyed with me by the time I got back to the trailer. Thus, I barely felt any improvement by the time we'd gotten home. Then I spent umpteen hours back and forth from the trailer to the house unpacking, etc., and that certainly didn't help whatsoever. It was only when I'd finished my necessary trailer-house activities that I finally began to feel some improvement. I've been a proper (couch) potato whenever possible, keeping my foot elevated and being very careful to stay off my foot unless necessary. Now, in the week before we leave, the soreness has mostly abated and I'd say I'm at about 80-85% healed. So what the heck happened? I did some reading and it turns out I most likely have an "overuse injury," along with a minor fracture somewhere in my foot and with some pulled ligaments caused by compensation. This injury is not all that uncommon in high-impact sports or dancing such as ballet. The strange thing is that I haven't been all that active during our trip. I purposely haven't gone overboard but apparently my foot felt otherwise. Anyway, I'll continue to take it easy and hopefully by the time we're off on our next trip I'll be back to normal, though I will certainly be very careful to baby my foot for a while. Just because it doesn't hurt does not mean it's 100%. So cross your fingers that I am successful at achieving completely healed foot! Today's Pictures: Another Set From Humbug Mountain State Park Beach! What a lovely, serene experience it was to visit this wonderful beach. Who doesn't love a secluded beach experience without hordes of people?! The wind was pretty fierce later in the day but when I visited earlier in the day it was just blissful! :) The main picture is a view of the jagged rocks tumbling into the sea from the left side of the beach. I shared a similar picture in my last set of pictures but this one is a panorama and shows a flock of seagulls who were relaxing there. I stood and watched them for a bit as they cleaned their feathers, pecked at the seaweed and walked around. It was nice to share this scene with them on such a lovely morning. Insets include… 1) With focused determination, a little girl marches with intent to the edge of the water… 2) A super-wide panorama shows the lovely coast from the other direction shows a darling little girl running to join her sister who is digging in the wet sand… 3) The pair of girls crouch together as a nestled pair with the magnificent coastline in the background. They would soon stand up and return to the sand castles and moat they were working on and I got to watch surreptitiously through my Sony's wonderful zoom lens. 4) A still life starring a lovely bull kelp with its characteristic gas-filled bulb (this is called a pneumatocyst) and large, flat blades; this is an edible seaweed which can grow as large as 120 feet long!! On the right is a different kind of seaweed in lustrous green. 5) Another natural still-life with a strongly-textured rock and an open mussel shell that looks like angel wings 6) Monkey Flowers grow lushly alongside the magnificent driftwood in Brush Creek, which empties into the ocean near the left side of Humbug Mountain State Park beach. 7) The driftwood and Monkey Flowers were so beautiful, adorning Brush Creek as it flowed out to the sea. Thanks to all of you for your visits, comments and stars! I hope that you all have a safe and wonderful week! Explored on 8/4/20; highest placement #6.

(+8 insets!) (Please view large! It's a wonderful zen view! :D) (Please scroll down to Today's Pictures for image details!) Fewer Locations with Longer Stays = Happy Campers! Part one of our wonderful Covid Trip lasted 26 days and yet we only stayed in four locations: Humbug Mountain State Park (7 nights), Bullard's Beach State Park (7 nights), William Tugman State Park (two 4-night stays), and Hecata (pronounced Huh-see-tuh) Beach RV Park (4 nights). We learned our lesson last season that short stays = cranky campers! Truthfully, this trip DID have 3 shorter stays of four days each but they were close to each other and that made them reasonable enough. The juggling of short stays allowed us to meet up with Steve's sister and two sons for our first RV trip with them and it was wonderful! Humbug Mountain State Park Nestled at its base, this park is a lovely gem with several picturesque trails and a gorgeous beach just five minutes from the lower campground. The mountain was originally named Me-tus by the indigenous Tututni people, though first known by Sugarloaf Mountain by American settlers. It was renamed Tichenor's Humbug --eventually shortened to Humbug Mountain --by the founder of nearby Port Orford, Captain William V. Tichenor. The name served as a permanent reminder of the exploring blunder when the party sent by Techinor got lost and headed north of the port instead of south. (The mountain has also been called Mount Franklin .) Our stay was a relaxing one in which we settled into the happy reality of our new fabulous trailer and discovered what it was like to stay put for more than a few days. What a joy! The only bummer was the fact that Steve had badly hurt his knee and sprained his ankle just before we left for our trip. This forced him to stay in the trailer and off his feet as much as possible, something that he really didn't want to do, of course. We both felt very depressed and worried about his leg and the future, and all of this weighed on our mood. However, once he got serious about resting his leg, it began to heal and we felt better in turn as the days passed. I got out for walks every day and had many photo adventures. The trails, the beach, the trek around the lower and upper campground loops--even though melancholy often colored my creative energy, the time we got to spend at this park was enough that I was able to photograph my experience there really well! Ultimately, we hope to come back and stay for another week so that Steve and I can hike all of the trails together, go beach-combing, and allow him to experience the park's grandeur too! A Lovely Morning on Humbug Mountain State Park Beach I went out to the beach many times and got to wander around, soaking up the beauty of the place. The wind was pretty fierce and maybe that's why there weren't many people on the beach most of the time, though families could be seen here and there each day. The scenery was magnificent and I enjoyed taking pictures of the craggy coast as well as macros of the things I found washed up on the shore. Today's Pictures You have to count your lucky stars when you see such a perfect scene for a picture. Arriving at the beach one day, I immediately noticed the pair in my main picture, seated on a log and enjoying the incredible view. I got lots of shots from many angles but I liked this one the best, creating a panorama from the image to give a sense of what they were experiencing. A slice of heaven. :) Insets include… A pile of prayer stones with a soft-focus boulder off in the distance… A magnificent craggy coast line where rocks of all sizes met the crashing waves next to the beach… Layers of sand with a granite rock jutting up for a focal point… A seagull flying overhead, just one of the many that often wheeled about overhead or gathered on the shore… A colorful crab carapace on the sand, glistening from the water that washed over it… A close-up of the shell to see the gorgeous texture… Kelp that lay in a Rastafarian jumble with a shallow dof so the end faded to artistic softness… And finally, a natural still life with a feather stuck to a bit of seaweed. That feather was very stubborn and though the wind tore at it, the feather merely waved around and would not be swept away! :) Here's hoping all of you are safe and healthy and having a wonderful day! :) Thanks so much for your visits, comments, stars, and for your never-ending encouragement and interest in my photography and our adventures! :) You're the best. <3 Explored on 8/1/20; highest placement #2.

(+2 insets) This is the Life! We are nearly through our second full-week of camping now and life is great! Everything we'd hoped this trailer would be for us has been realized. It's spacious, well-made (ok, within reason…heh…trailers = shoddy builds), totally comfortable and has more storage that we need so we aren't having to repack everything when we are getting an item we're after. Happy Animal Family! Our animal family is doing great! Pumpkin, our darling parrot, is as happy as a clam with mom and dad usually close by whenever we're in the trailer. One way to tell that she's at ease is the amount of food she eats. Perhaps she needs a piggy tail as she's chowing like a 700-pound porker, yay! :) Meanwhile, our near-20-yr old frogs are content enough that they are hooting at one another and eating crickets with wild abandon. We are joyfully amused that they take turns soaking in the little pool we have for them, it's such a cute sight! And last but not least, Snakey McSnakerton started the trip in pre-shed condition with a gray sheen and opaqued eyes. We offered him a mouse a few days ago but as we expected, he didn't eat it--he rarely eats just before he sheds but we wanted to give him the opportunity. Yesterday Steve turned Snakey's light on and found a bunched-up shed up against the glass--for the next while he stood cooing beautiful, gleaming sentiments at our lovely boy. Snakey really is extra pretty just after he sheds! At lunchtime I got a mouse ready for him (they are frozen so I thaw and warm one for him before offering) and after dancing it around in front of him and placing it nearby, I was happy to find him swallowing the last of it when I checked in a bit later. So it's official--all of our animals think the RV lifestyle is fantastic, just like we do! :) Steve's Injured Leg is Nearly 100% Better! I didn't mention that just before we left on our trip, Steve seriously hurt himself. A ladder he was on shifted and fell in the gravel driveway and he sustained a terrible sprained ankle and badly-twisted knee. For the entire week at Humbug Mountain State Park, Steve was barely able to walk around without being in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things he needed to do which kept him from resting his leg, all of which prolonged the injuries. However, as he was able to rest and elevate his leg, it very slowly began to get better. In the past few days the rate of recovery has really sped up. In fact, for the first time this trip, we went on a bike ride a couple of days ago! It was such a gentle trip around the three campground loops that Steve added another mile down one of the bike paths! And last night he was able to walk up and down the three stairs inside our coach without using the handrail or going down one step at a time. We lit up the coach with our beaming smiles of relief and happiness, isn't it just wonderful?! Time to Relax and Enjoy our Stay We learned last year that short stays at a campground are a bummer. Just when you've really relaxed and begun to feel at home, it's time to pack up and leave for the next spot. These 2-4-day stays made us feel hurried, unhappy and stressed-out. We decided that the perfect length of stay would be a full week if possible, with five days being a preferred minimum. So, for this trip, we've aimed at 7-day stays at our chosen campgrounds and the result has been fantastic! We have time to do what we want to without feeling like we must plan our days carefully to fit everything in. We just enjoy ourselves and whatever happens, happens! Time to be lazy and take naps, swing in the hammock or sit in our lounge chairs just watching folks walk or ride by. Time to read, do crosswords or cruise the 'net (if it's available). Time to go on my daily morning walk, or go out later with my macro lens and creep around for cool shots. Time to listen to the birds singing or maybe even watch them doing their thing. Time to cuddle Chicken (Pumpkin) and look at our frogs and snake. Time to go on bike rides or go on hikes. There's even time to play video games if we want! Finally, Steve and I can stay in these beautiful places and really relax and soak up all they have to offer. We are at peace. Today's Pictures I've got piles of processed pictures building up but today I've decided to share the blue jay pictures I captured last week. One day when we were at Humbug Mountain State Park, Steve saw a flash of blue and looked out to see that a Steller's Jay had landed next to the trailer. He called to me so I could see and then exclaimed, "Oh wow! It's sunning itself!" I looked out and we stood watching the beautiful bird warming its wings, a second bird landing nearby a moment later. I didn't think I'd be able to get pictures before the birds flew away but Steve reminded me that it's worth a try. I'm so glad I got my Sony because I was able to get a whole bunch of pictures before finally the pair flew away. I'm sharing two insets as well--one shows a nice side view and the other is a feather close-up! ENJOY! I hope everyone is doing well!! I'll be posting again in the next few days with some really neat finds! *BIG HUGS ALL AROUND* Explored on 7/12/20; highest placement #1.