Recent WA trip

I recently went out to Washington State to visit my brother. This is quite possibly the most beautiful state I've yet been to. I was only there a few days, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I had the opportunity to go to the Point Defiant Zoo on Friday, see a Beluga whale (simply amazing), a 3200 lb walrus (graceful underwater, not so much on land, I'm sure), and several other animals. They had a fantastic wildlife exhibit, although it was only a "practice run" (not tourist season yet). Got to spend lots of time with my niece & nephew there.
Saturday, my brother took me wheeling in his jeep. We went to some place near Mt. Rainier, in a forest harvesting area. I will post a pic up here; feel free to check my album link though. And, before someone harps on the cruelty of deforestatiuon, I want to point several things out; first, the company that owns most of the forestry industry in the PNW does the environment pretty good. They buy the land from the state, harvest the trees (mostly pine & hemlock, I think), then plant 2 trees for every 1 tree cut down. On top of that, they then GIVE the land back to the state, to allow the forest to re-grow. Being softwood, they grow to maturity in about 40 years or so. This allows land to be harvested, left alone for several generations, then re-harvested. This is actually good for the environment, as it allows smaller plants to grow, providing food for the abundant wildlife. Now, on to a couple of pics. Enjoy!!