The Calanques National Park, France - May 17, 2023

 Kay and I were able to visit three bays along the coast of this unique geological area south of Marseilles via a boat excursion from the picturesque  village of Cassis. The beautiful white limestone rock formations were a stunning  part of the French Riviera..

Kay enjoyed a leisurely lunch in Cassis after our excursion.

 

Krka National Park, Croatia - June 9, 2023

 This delightful stretch of the Krka River made a splendid walk. It was a  scenic bus ride from  our port in Split to get there.

  

Skradinski Buk is the largest and most commonly visited waterfall in the park. It was created by travertine barriers, islands and lakes.

Travertine is limestone which has settled out of the water and accumulated on mosses and algae creating various geomorphological forms.

Olalla Flower Walk - April 29, 2023

 I wanted to get my Balsam Root fix for the year so Bode and I took an afternoon stroll up the Olalla trail. Although the bloom appeared past its peak it was all I needed.

The lupine was robust as well, but was dominated by the brilliant yellow.

The trail up was quite warm so Bode appreciated the cool breeze at the bench.

Heading back down

Potholes Reservoir - April 28, 2023

 It was exciting to be back in the boats for the first paddle of the year, and in a body of water we had never paddled in before. This was a unique paddle because of the total lack of topography. There were no hills or cliffs. Even the water was totally flat. This was made up for by the abundance of wildlife.

Our Perceptions were entering their 20th season!

The reservoir is huge but without a ripple the whole time we were out.

There was an abundance of water fowl and Red Wing and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

We encountered these three deer making their way to one of the many low lying islands.

There was also an abundance of large carp  swimming beneath us.