Big Huckleberry Mountain

Spotted Coralroot (albino variety). Not all orchids are the showy, pin-it-on-your-prom-date pretty type that grow only in the tropics and in rarefied greenhouses. Several varieties can be found in the western U.S., including a handful in Cascadia, like this one. All the species I've seen have had small flowers, but their shy and diminutive nature means that spotting them can be a fun challenge. I dig it, anyway. Phil and Mark and I hiked to the top of Big Huckleberry Mountain yesterday, and saw a couple of different species and varieties on the way.

The trail itself is a section of the Pacific Crest Trail, the length of which I'd like to hike one of these summers. We met a couple of hikers who were doing long-distance hikes, both separately; one guy apparently came from California. What a trip! I don't know when I'll be able to do it, but I look forward to the day when I wake up on the trail and know that I'll do it again the next day, and maybe the next, before I see another car, or phone, or streetlight. I don't have the equipment to do it right, alone, yet, but I will. I will.

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If this coming election was a matter of issues, I think Obama would have it sewn up by now. But instead, the media have again managed to sideline the issues in favor of a (rigged) popularity contest. I say it's rigged because The Media gladly admits to having one of those publicly secret love affairs with John McCain. Why? Because he kisses ass.

And yet: The man has no principles. The man has no moral compass. The man has no compunction about taking money from lobbyists or special interests. He is Bought and Paid For, and has no time or need for the likes of you, unless you can help fund his campaign. Just- don't expect any favors later.

Would you trust someone with your life, who left his wife for a younger woman while his current wife was recovering from surgery in hospital? Seriously: how could you possibly trust someone to protect you -or anything, honestly-- if he doesn't have the balls to stand by his word? His chosen mate? What kind of "leadership" is that? How could you possibly expect him to stand by his country (a far more abstract concept than "wife" or "spouse") in the face of temptation?