Kaleberg Symbionts

06/24 - Mountain Sheep on Klahane Ridge

Yes, they are actually goats, but they're back, and they're traipsing, or is it capering, around the Klahane Ridge Trail. We saw this fellow on the Switchback Trail just a bit below the junction with the Klahane Ridge Trail. We were perhaps six feet await from this guy, but he seemed a lot more interested in his meal than in us.

06/22 - Some Kind of Dove?

We actually saw this guy on the Spruce Railroad Trail a few days ago, but have been lazy about posting our pictures. It looked a lot like a very large dove, but it wasn't inclined to fly away. Any guesses?

(Click the picture to see where we found this guy).

UPDATE 06/20/2007 - According to online informant EF, this is most likely a juvenile Band Tailed Pigeon. This seems quite likely. Wikipedia has a pretty good article on the bird, and their picture shows the distinctive tail band and the neck band.

06/20 - Clear Trails, Almost, To Klahane Ridge

The Klahane Ridge Trail, via the Switchback, is more or less clear of snow. There are a few patches left, but nothing serious. We qualified this using the Kaleberg scale as a milli-adventure.

The hanging gardens are getting green, but most of the blooms are avalanche lilies, until the ridge proper. There, the phlox is coming out, and a fair bit of it.

(Click some of the pictures for closeups)

06/19 - Cheese Comes to Clallam

We tried out a couple of Mount Townsend Creamery's cheeses. They've been using milk from Dungeness Valley Creamery's Jersey cows to make their cheeses, and we've finally tasted them, straight up, and in a souffle. For Kaleberg rankings and the recipe, read our special report.

06/17 - Dry Creek Farm Stewing Hens

While we were buying eggs at the Port Angeles Farmers' Market, Harley informed us that Dry Creek Farm will be selling stewing hens this coming Friday, June 23rd Monday, June 26th, after 3PM at the farm on Rife Road. These are tough old birds, literally, but properly braised they are amazingly flavorful. They also make wonderful chicken stock, so get one while you can.

06/13 - Return to Rialto Beach

We have been missing Second Beach, which is still closed due to a failure of our government to complete a sensible land swap with the Quillayute tribe. So, we decided to go back to Rialto Beach, and it turns out that we have forgotten just how beautiful it is there. We explored up past the first headland and had a little jungle journey, and we took lots of pictures. While we still miss Second Beach, Rialto Beach has a lot to offer, even to us Kalebergs.

UPDATE 06/21 - We've added a panorama of the beach for those who have wondered what the seastacks must look like from a helicopter.

06/11 - Spring Comes To The Hurricane Hill Trail

The last time we were on the Hurricane Hill Trail, it looked quite different, but spring has arrived. The snow is melting and the flowers are blooming. The air is redolent of phlox. The trail is passable, but as you can see below, there are a few snow covered patches left.

06/05 - Our Own Ricotta Cheese

Now that we have our own local creamery to provide us with whole, raw Jersey cow milk how could we resist making our own cheese. We started simple, with a home brew ricotta, and the results were spectacular. Who says you need a six ton cooling unit and gigantic stainless steel tanks to make your own cheese? We cooked this one up on our stove top, and we tell you how in our Dungeness Valley Creamery web page.

06/04 - Jak's Grill for Beef

Now and then we need to eat beef, so we tried out Jak's Grill in the University District, and we got what we needed. We didn't sample all that much of the menu, just the 20 oz. porterhouse steaks, three of them for the two of us. That's how much we needed to eat beef. Jak's Grill is a good, old fashioned steak house, and they can deliver the goods. For more, see our review.