Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Wanting to again be outside but avoid the Mt. Rainier crowds, we took a lovely stroll through the refuge on a 10K volksmarch.  This nature refuge is a popular destination for all ages and ethnicities, yet has enough trails for everyone to share without stepping on each others toes.

We walked along trails through the lush riverside past estuaries for fish and invertebrates.  A few flowers were even around.

These frogs were the only ones who were visible for photographs.  Look carefully for the outline of the whole frog.

The wooden boardwalk took us out toward Puget Sound, an area of extreme tidal changes.  The tide was low as we walked along.

This heron was feasting on whatever was in the water.

Further along another heron stood on a branch preening.

This walk was a great way to start a drive to our next location.  We had smoke almost to the coast.  At one point we saw about six fire vehicles headed east toward the forest fires.  We noted in our travels through the state that yards and fields were brown.  In an area that normally has a lot of rain, this is most unusual and a great contributor to the fires that are in the area.