Distant wildlife and distant walking

Today was the first day of my road trip that I knew it was going to be a sunny day...for sure! Sunny AND warm! I got an early start, leaving my hotel in Spokane by 7:30 am. I drove south to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge just outside of Cheney, WA. The abundant wetlands in this refuge were caused by the ice age 15,000 years ago and the land features are known as the Channeled Scablands.

The best way to see the refuge is to drive along the 5.5 mile Pine Creek Auto Tour Route. The last time I visited this refuge was with my ornithology class at Washington State University...over 35 years ago! In case you didn't know, ornithology is the study of birds. I believe we were there specifically to see the Yellow-headed Blackbird. Did I see one on this visit? Well, read on...

The first thing I noticed was the lack of waterfowl. I mean, I was expecting to find a lot of ducks and geese there, but that was not the case. It was hard to get any decent photos because they were too far away. The Canada goose pics are fairly decent, but the Ruddy Duck and the pair of Redheads tested the limit of my point and shoot camera.

I did see other types of wildlife, too. The wild turkeys were too quick to get a pic, and the mule deer turned her back on me. At one point, I saw movement and it turned out to be a coyote! And, the mischievous little Yellow-pine Chipmunk was trying to get my attention. As for the Yellow-headed Blackbird? Yes, it was very far away, but I think I got a pretty good pic considering.

I spent the afternoon at Fort Spokane, which is part of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. There are very few of the original buildings left, but I walked the grounds anyway to see what was there and to read the interpretive signs. Two miles of walking! Here are the quartermaster stables...it housed mostly mules...and the guardhouse. And, as I drove to my pit stop for the night, I stopped to snap pics of the always impressive Dry Falls.

Tomorrow is my last sightseeing day of my road trip. It looks like another sunny and warm day in the forecast. But, I'm ready to go home. I miss my cat!