The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Rain, sun, wind...insects, birds, flowers...meteorites, rocks...seasonal changes...all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
The Salish Sea is a body of inland water surrounded by mountain peaks in every direction. Recently we were out in our boat pootling around off the south end of the San Juan islands, and being a pretty windy day the birds I'd come out to see were mostly elsewhere. So instead of scanning the water surface for scoters and murrelets and such I just gazed into the distance. The skyline was variously sharp and rolling, dark with forest or brilliantly glowing with new snow. Between my personal knowledge of the area and a cool new app I just discovered (
PeakFinder), I can give you a little tour of the mountains.
Let's start with my favorite, Mt Baker, a smoldering volcano NE (northeast) of the San Juans. This view is actually from the ferry where Baker can be seen in all its glory. At 10,800 feet or 3300 m, Mt Baker is snow covered all year. This photo was taken July 1,2014.
The rest of the photos are in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, off the south end. We will go clockwise from Mt Baker, and at ENE (east northeast, meaning more easterly than NE) we see the rolling hills of Fidalgo Island and north Whidbey island. The tallest hill along this stretch is Mt. Erie. Photo: 12/7/2014.
ESE (east southeast) the old peaks of the Cascade Range come into view. From left to right, these are White Horse mountain, Mt Bullen and Three Fingers. Photo: 12/7/2014.
More mountains....
(All photos by me. In Lightbox...click to enlarge)
SE (southeast) we're looking at the steep rapidly-eroding bluffs of Whidbey island. That's an orca between us and the channel marker. Photo: 7/7/2014.
Way way off in the distance sometimes we can see Mt Rainier to the SSE (south southeast), the tallest mountain in Washington, and another volcano. The early winter morning of 12/11/2013 had some eerie mirages toward Puget Sound:
Directly south across the Strait are the Olympic mountains. Peakfinder has a list of them but I can't differentiate individuals in this uplifted mass. No volcanoes in the Olympics, but they are as high as 8000 feet. Summer and winter views are markedly different in snow cover. These photos were taken on 12/7/2014 - at 2 in the afternoon!
There's not as much snow on the mountains as usual. Toward the SW (southwest) we are looking at the Olympics beyond the Cattle Point lighthouse on San Juan island one year ago (12/11/2013). The snowpack was low then too. Hope we get more snow this winter. We need it for summer runoff.
Directly west is Vancouver island. Its highest elevation is 7200 feet or 2200 m. The island is in haze so I can't see any snow, if there is any. Photo: 11/13/2014. The ship along the shore here is the NOAA vessel Rainier, doing bathymetric measurements to update charts.
NNW (north northwest) beyond the sea lions on Whale Rocks we can see the ridgeline of Turtleback mountain on Orcas Island. See the turtle?
Photo: 10/20/2014
Lopez Island is to our north and NE, but in some places, we get a peek at Mt Baker. We have come full circle.
Photo 12/7/2014
Surrounded by mountains...the Salish Sea. The freshwater runoff, narrow channels and weather created by this combination affects living creatures here dramatically. But today we're gazing into the distance. Hope you enjoyed the tour!
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Time for your observations of nature from your part of the world. Hills, mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, rivers, lakes...what's going on where you live?
"Spotlight on Green News & Views" is posted every Saturday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time and Wednesday at 3:30 on the Daily Kos front page. It's a great way to catch up on diaries you might have missed. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.