Water Ballet

Day 218: Water Striders (Gerridae) have fascinated children for eons. Their unique ability to walk on the surface of the water comes by virtue of thousands of microhairs on their legs and a joint system which permits them to distribute their weight in a manner which keeps them afloat.

Today, I decided I would drive up to Mt. Rainier National Park to see if the Calypso Orchids had emerged. They had not, so I decided to keep walking on a service road which led out into National Forest lands. There, the service road connects with a seasonal road which I believed to be closed. Sneaky, and I figured I'd have the place to myself.

As I was sitting on a favorite rock photographing the water striders, a truck went by. "Service personnel," I said to myself. "They're clearing the road so they can open it for Memorial Day." Another truck went by. Both of them were white. "Maintenance," I muttered to myself, a bit miffed at the abundant traffic.

There was a long pause during which time I shot some photos of the pond from various points along the shore and peeved a pair of nesting geese. When at last I decided to leave, I started down the road and a woman with a couple of kids in a station wagon whizzed past me, obviously not part of the road crew. Yep, they opened the road this morning! But I think the way I got there was more fun.