Just Walking in the Rain

At this point of John’s vacation, we were resolved that rain was going to be part of it, particularly today.

We decided we would hunt for orchids in the rain. Oh the places he takes me…

The day began with John having his usual cereal, but at Siesta Park, it’s in a big dolphin bowl.

His face just seems to say, “Here I am eating my breakfast very sensible like, and I will have to get Barb something later on the road.” After 5 years of marriage, he has learned my stomach refuses to wake up at his 6 am wake up time.

We traveled to a reserve where we hoped to find orchids, and almost right where we parked, we found more than a few King in His Carriage orchids. This one had a spider…

This king had an insect.

Mixed in with the kings were a royalty of another kind, these lovely purple enamel orchids.

These seem another color, but I do think they were still purple enamel orchids.

Where John’s Pentax camera can get a little wet, my Canon has to stay more dry…Here John is using his fisheye lens to demonstrate how many King in His Carriage orchids there were in one spot, can shows me in the shot, on my belly on a log, under the umbrella. (Supplied by Jeff for Father’s Day.)

At one point in our walk around the reserve, John and I separated. I had to put my camera away, as the rain was just coming down too hard. I looked beyond, and got my Phone’s camera out to take a shot of my view.

I could see that the rain was really coming down, as the background of my view was near whited out.

After our walk, thinking we saw all of the orchids were were going to find, we went across the road a bit and walked until we came to this bridge. Neither of us were game to cross. A shame because the soil across from it, looked perfect for the kind of orchid we were looking for,

We tried another path, and we got a side view of that bridge.

The places he takes me!

At this point we give up on this area, and go towards Nannup. There is always the hope that we might travel away from the rain.

We didn’t. John using his camera, shows how wet the woods was and how it was really coming down.

The rain came down at even a harder pace.

This place had 3 trails. We chose the Wildflower trail.

Perhaps I was tired of being wet, perhaps I was hungry…I am sure I was tired (it doesn’t take long with 15 pounds of camera gear on my back). Either way, when it became clear to us that the trails weren’t marked quite to our understanding we started wishing I had taken a camera photo of the trail map at the start. We started asking ourselves, why didn’t we bring some drink with us? That’s a rule in Australia, right? Take water with you always!

We did find some jug orchids…

And some snail orchids.

But how happy we were to find…The Warty Hammer Orchid! Two of them!

Drakaea livida – Warty Hammer Orchid.

The wiki on this orchid…

Drakaea livida, commonly known as warty hammer orchid is a species of orchidendemic to the south–west of Western Australia. It is pollinated by a single species of male thynnidwasp using sexual deception. The orchid’s labellum is similar in shape and scent to a flightless female thynnid wasp. Although the species was formally described in 1842, the description was often later overlooked and other hammer orchids were given the name Drakea livida. It is now known to be, along with Drakaea glyptodon, one of the most widespread of the genus.

As excited as I was to see a warty hammer orchid for the first time. I think hunger, tiredness, and feeling a bit lost was starting to get to me. Perhaps I have read too many horror stories, perhaps I had seen too many news stories…but walking around and seeing no marker showing which path we were on or where was the way out was starting to play on my mind.

THIS did nothing to help me.

A big thank you to the person who put this on the post.

John figures it was a kangaroo skull. Well, it was now clear we were no longer on the Wildflower trail but the woodsman trail.

The places he takes me!

One more orchid find, a spider orchid.

We finally found our way out. My phone was happy. I had exceeded my step goal. We had gone about 5 miles for the day.

Back at Siesta Park, the sky just told the wet story for the day.

I really do love, the places he takes me…