Taiwan 09-17-2011

Morning, I took high speed train from Taipei back to Taoyuan to meet one 
of my old friend from college. 

We went to a sunflower farm to take pictures of sunflowers.  In the sunflower farm, I learned that were about 9 different kinds of sunflowers.  Due to the sunflower seasons were over, we can only see three kinds of sunflower.

Afternoon, we are heading to Jiufan (九份).  Jiufan is a former gold mining center, mountains facing the sea, with a great variety of mountain and sea views, is a small mountain town.  Gradually in the gold industry decline, Juifan also went in history. Today, due to the rise of the tourism industry, has returned to its previous Juifan prosperity, everywhere is crowded on the streets.
 
Juifan is similar to Tamsui, they both offer beautiful ocean view, amazing sunset, tasty food, and night markets.  No wonder, Juifan and Tamsui are the most popular tour places in Northern Taiwan.


Come!  And enjoy the sunset, food, and people!

 

Taiwan 09-16-2011

After 12 hours of non-stop flying, I arrived in Taiwan at 5:15 AM.  With the fast custom process, I was out of airport and on the taxi heading to my friend’s house at 5:45.  I had ever experienced such fast custom process.  30 minutes from my seat in the airplane to a taxi including the time passing through the custom and waiting for my two luggage.  Amazing!

After meeting my friends, we went to Tamsui (淡水).

Tamsui is a sea-side district in New Taipei City in northern Taiwan. It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water".  Tamsui is home of two universities, Aletheia University ( 真理大學), and Tamkang University (淡江大學).

Tamsui has beautiful sunset and night markets.  Many locals and visitors gathered together around the Tamsui River for viewing the sunset. The sunset was truly amazing beautiful.

The night market is also a popular location for locals and tours.  They are many food stands and interesting stores. 

Good friends, tasty food, wonderful view of sunset, and very interesting store will be in my memory of Tamsui for a long time.

Travel to Taiwan 09-15-2011

I am heading to Taiwan tonight for three weeks.

I do not know exact places that I will visit because this is typhoon season in Taiwan right now. I will try to run away from typhoons and bring the best pictures to you.

Please join my Taiwan trip with me and see you in my cyberspace.

Columbia Gorge in Oregon 05-06-2011

It was a cloudy day after a morning rain.  I decided to go Columbia Gorge before I head back to Washington State.  Two friends of mine agreed to be my guide.

There are two ways to get to Columbia Gorge: I-84 and US Route 30.  I-84 is the fastest road through the Columbia Gorge, but it is not the most scenic route. We decided to take the US Route 30, a scenic route.  We believe the Gorge is best appreciated at a more leisurely pace by driving on this scenic route.

The Columbia River Gorge spans two states, southern Washington and northern Oregon.  Up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over 80 miles (130 km) and runs from the mouths of Sandy River to the Deschutes River.  The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area encompasses 292,500 acres.  It is unique in both its natural and cultural history.

There are more than 40 falls within Columbia River Gorge.  The most popular falls is the Multnomah Falls.  It is listed official height of 611 ft., the 2nd highest “year-round” falls in the United States after Yosemite Falls.  

The Gorge is simply a must-see place if you like waterfalls.

Juanita Bay Park, Kirkland Washington 04-22-2011

Today is a sunshine day.  It is a perfect day to visit a park on the eastern shore of Lake Washington.

Juanita Bay Park is a great place to see wildlife right in the middle of town. Juanita Bay Park is known for its dedication to preserving the natural beauty of the environment.  The 110 acres of preserved wetlands and marshes, the animal population within this habitat includes songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, amphibians, turtles, beavers and other small mammals. 

The park's trails consist of a paved pedestrian causeway that runs north-south along the east edge of the lake, and two boardwalks that offer additional access to the shoreline.

It is a wonderful place to see and listen to birds.  

 

Blue Heron Nest Sites in Seattle and surrounding areas 04-17-2011

After back from my Florida trip last December, I grew my interest in blue herons.

I searched many different websites and surprised to find that there are many blue heron nests sites in Seattle and surrounding areas.

Blue heron is the largest North American heron, with a head-to-tail length of 91–140 cm (36–55 in), a wingspan of 167–201 cm (66–79 in), and a weight of 2–3.6 kg (4.4-8 lbs). Notable features include slaty flight feathers, red-brown thighs, and a paired red-brown and black stripe up the flanks; the neck is rusty-gray, with black and white streaking down the front; the head is paler, with a nearly white face, and a pair of black plumes running from just above the eye to the back of the head. The feathers on the lower neck are long and plume-like; it also has plumes on the lower back at the start of the breeding season. The bill is dull yellowish, becoming orange briefly at the start of the breeding season, and the lower legs gray, also becoming orangey at the start of the breeding season. Immature birds are duller in color, with a dull blackish-gray crown, and the flank pattern only weakly defined; they have no plumes, and the bill is dull gray-yellow.

I am so happy that I had a chance to visit blue heron nest sites this weekend. I went 4 different blue heron nest sites.  There are: Medina Park in Bellevue, Kenmore Library in Kenmore, Black River Riparian Forest in Renton, and Ballard Locks (West Commodore & 33^rd Ave W) in Seattle.

I hope you can go and find them yourself.  Very interesting!

 Medina Park in Bellevue 

  Medina Park in Bellevue 

Kenmore Library site

Kenmore Library site

Kenmore Library site

 

Kenmore Library site

Black River Riparian Forest in Renton

 Ballard Locks in Seattle

 Ballard Locks in Seattle

 

 Ballard Locks in Seattle

Ballard Locks in Seattle

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge 03/25/2011

After a few rainy days, today is a beautiful sunny day.  I decided it will be a good day to visit Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1974 for protection of migratory birds.  It is located on the Nisqually River Delta in southern Puget Sound near Olympia, Washington.

Managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of the Interior, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is one of over 544 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States. 

Over 20,000 birds, made up of 275 different migrating species, use the freshwater marshes and grasslands for breeding, resting or wintering. 

It is a wonderful place to learn many wildlife species and appreciate the wonderful nature place that our creator has provided us.

 

Florida Trip Video