Visiting the Hoh Rainforest On a Sun Day

We spend Sunday and Monday on the Olympic Peninsula, beginning with a visit to the Hoh Rainforest on Sunday. Leslie was struck by this phone booth outside the visitor’s station,

Hoh Phone Booth

Though I was distracted by a visit from a pair of “Robber” Gray Jays, who seemed eager to greet me, even if they had moved by the time I got back with my camera. Luckily, they were so habituated to visitors they weren’t in the least camera-shy.

Gray Jay

Though I’m usually eager to head out into the heart of the wilderness, I’m glad that Leslie convinced me to first walk the trails close to the headquarters.

I was so fascinated by the pond at the beginning of the trail that if we’d had more time to spend I could have spent hours trying to capture it’s subtly shifting beauty,

Pond

with Fall leaves floating across waves of green.

I’m not sure whether the bright Fall sunshine made getting good shots easier or harder, but the extreme light and shadows required luck and much time in Photoshop adjusting highlights and shadows,

Leslie Walking Trail

Even my widest angle lens couldn’t capture these giants,

Tall Tree

which had to be spliced together in Photoshop. Of course, you’ll have to supply additional imagination to appreciate how tall they really are.