We’ve been walking through Pt. Defiance Park for two to three days a week for the last two months during our state’s lockdown. When you walk that often, you inevitably end up covering the same trails repeatedly.
No matter how many times you walk the same path it never gets boring if you spot seldom-seen birds like this Pileated Woodpecker
or encounter patches of Foxglove.
Even without birds or flowers, there is always something new to see if you take the time to really look at your surroundings.
Sometimes it’s so quiet and peaceful here that the walk becomes a walking meditation, lost in a world of green
Long-time followers of this blog probably remember that Loren’s favorite part of the Pt. Defiance Rose Garden is the Dahlia section. I’m sure that the links that automatically shows similar posts will reveal that I have already posted shots of the these Dahlias, certainly the one with the two bumblebees, but I can’t resist trying to capture there transitory beauty every time I see them.
I’m always gobsmacked by how many different varieties of Dahlias there are:
I’m hard-pressed to pick a favorite, but I think I’d agree with the Bumblebees that this is the most attractive of them all.
How do you follow up a recent visit to the most extensive Rhododendron garden in the State? If you’re me, you take a vigorous (exhausting?) walk in Pt Defiance Park with stops at the Rhododendron Garden and the Iris Garden.
I prefer exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise, i.e. bird watching or visiting extensive gardens, because I don’t notice how tired I am while looking at birds or flowers. Sometimes I don’t notice it at all, but, at worst, I only notice it after I’m at home in front of my computer and have trouble getting up after sitting for too long.
Though my favorite place to see Rhododendrons is in the Cascades near Mt. Hood, the Pt. Defiance Rhododendron Garden is a close second because they are so well integrated into the Old Growth Forest that they seem entirely natural, even if they’re really not. In fact, I’m not sure there’s a single native Rhododendron in the garden.
It’s hard not to appreciate the beauty of Rhodies like this red and yellow variety
or this purple beauty.
In the last few years they’ve even integrated Azaleas into areas with more sunlight.
The Rhododendron garden is about a mile and a half from our front porch, so it provides a great rest stop. Another mile on the loop is the Iris garden which is quite beautiful this time of year. I think I tend to favor more traditional-looking Iris like this one,
but they also have some very original, and modern-looking, varieties, too.
After pausing to admire the iris, it’s a “mere” mile up hill, back to our house and I manage to get my 30 minutes (or more) of aerobic exercise without driving all the way to the Y.
