Great report and pics Mike! There sure were a lot of herpers there that weekend. Seems like the migration was more spread out this year. We were still very pleased to find what we did. That area is so unique with the bluffs and swamps and of course the road itself. We also came across those giant puffballs!

The white flowered shrub is Carpenteria. I've seen the dove tree at Sonoma Hort. and it is tiny - I have to wonder if it really is the original seedling as that is supposed to date from 1952 or earlier. Also something years ago - maybe a picture from their web site or a comment there - gave me the impression I was going to be greeted by a large, tetraploid-looking (hence the jumbo bracts) specimen instead of what they have now. Which as can be seen in your picture looks like a dwarfed orchard fruit tree. Presumably grafted propagules on the market here, although maintaining the early flowering habit, seem to have too much horsepower to end up being still so small after so many years. One I planted on Camano Island at most several years ago is probably already above roof height. Another, unlabeled tree that really appeared to be the same selection, in a garden near Portland looked to be as tall as or taller than the supposed original. Of course, if the production nurseries that have picked this one up are in fact grafting onto seedlings of normal habit than those may be invigorating the scions, as often happens with grafted dwarf and slow-growing conifers. When I was there Sonoma themselves had flats of planted or recently sprouted seeds from the tree there labeled something like "Sonoma dove tree seedlings". If many of those get planted around and they do not come out consistently true to type that should muddle things nicely. Same as with 'Bloodgood' maple and 'Royal Purple' smoke-bush.

We did Seward to Vancouver some years ago and enjoyed the route and the stops along the way. In addition to Alaska, over many decades we've taken just under 10 cruises - from LA down to Puerto Vallarta and back, in the Mediterranean several times, the Baltic, West and East Caribbean, elsewhere, and so on. The cruise industry has changed from when we took our first trip in the early 80s. I'm not a formal or fancy person but the standards of service, food, and overall ambiance have dropped considerably. Back then, want lobster every night for dinner in the dining room? Fine. Oh, we remember, you like your Eggs Benedict a certain way - no problem. Yes, you'd like a BLT for lunch again, with a beer? Great. Etc. Ships were much smaller, service was more professional and personal, and all this left passengers with a shipboard experience that was at least as memorable, or more, as the ports of call. Today, most ships are too big (leading to lines and waiting for most things), impersonal service except for the cabin attendants, mediocre dining room food to push you to the premium restaurants. Fine, except those aren't that great either. And so on. After a few experiences like that, we drew the line and when we do go (which is occasionally but not regularly), we drift toward the premium lines which are much more expensive but still offer great service and shipboard experiences as was more common in the past. We've taken trips on Azamara and Seabourn and also with smaller operators that can be found most everywhere. We find those much more to their liking. I know that some of these premium lines are owned by the larger operators but their approach and service are run separately and at a higher standard. If your only option is to take an inexpensive trip on one of the large ships run by one of the mega-operators, by all means, leave home and go, have a great time and gain forever memories of exotic experiences in places you'd never otherwise have seen. If you can afford to spend more, it's worth it to do so.

Pudgeder, I've heard it said that everything in the desert is designed to kill you, or at least poke, stab, impale, scrape, or poison you. It's a beautiful kind of deadliness though, and so true that there is more life than most people realize in that environment. Oh, Jinx -- I wish I had seen them! How beautiful they are! We saw a pair of coyotes on two different mornings, both at around the same place on the road near our accommodation. No way to know, of course, if it was the same two, but they were smallish and could very well have just been making the rounds in their territory. I think they're fascinating animals! Amy, we plan to return this coming spring, for the explicit purpose of seeing the desert in bloom. I'm so excited! I might even take my good camera along this next time.