Sunday August 27 2017 Wenatchee National Forest, Forest Road 4928?, near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington A mountain stream crosses an old road. A pool forms in the old road during the day, but emptied at night. The stream also passes under the road, and that channel continued through the night. In the morning, three bees appeared to be drowning in the pool in the old road. I rescued them, letting them climb onto rocks I held near them in the pool. Two sat on dry land breathing hard, tail pumping, for a minute or two. One kept running its front legs over its antennas, as if drying them. A few minutes later they had flown off. An hour later, I repeated the rescues with some moths and an ant. The ant promptly fell right back in the water so I fished him out again and put him far enough away from the water. Up the road, yesterday morning, I saw a grouse or partridge or something, a fairly large bird. He stood by the side of the road eyeing me, then started darting looks into the brush and warbling very low and rhythmically. A very pretty sound. A smaller grouse or whatever came out from under the bushes briefly. I also saw a brilliant yellow tiny goldfinch, who sat on a branch and eyed me keenly for a few seconds. Another small finch-like bird with black spots on a brown chest sat on another close branch, eyeing me intently before flying off. --- Monday August 28 2017 How long till I get thrown out of this spot? It's my birthday today, Officer, you can check on my driver's license ... The pool in the old road drained again yesterday afternoon, perhaps earlier than the day before? It was back by mid-morning though, and I rescued several flies, a bee, gnats ... I saw a snake yesterday, and likely the same snake in the road pool today. He slithered around in the shallow pool, poking his head above water to eye me. He tucked himself under a piece of bark on the bottom and became invisible ... Later the snake came out and slithered around, then stayed motionless for a long time, long enough for me to count about fifty red dashes along one side. The red markings were on a black stripe, which was separated from another black stripe along the other side of its topside by a thinner yellow stripe. Presumably the alternatng black and thinner yellow stripes continued along its bottom side ... The snake started moving suddenly, and moved away among the rocks by the side of the road, darting a red tongue out of its mouth repeatedly. Researching, it was likely a red-spotted garter snake. --- Tuesday August 29 2017 I spent a third glorious night. The pool in the road did not form this morning. Farther up the stram continued strong. A junco hopped across the road, pecking at gravel, eyeing me. He had a dark head. He hopped into some bushes, then darted out again to face me, then moved back under the bushes. Mysteries: rocks in the road with haphazard short linear white markings. It looked as if hay had been pressed into the surface of the rocks. I think these rocks came from a rock quarry somewhere. Three or four times over the three days I heard movement in the bushes and then a snorting sound, quick, not repeated. I also saw quite a few purple globs on nearby rocks. A guy at another camp spot, near White Pass, told me this time of year bear poop is purple because they eat berries. I wondered if the purple blobs were bear scat, but they seemed too small and far apart. Do bears snort? The last two nights, I heard a sound up the trail from where I was sleeping, then a sound like a deer bounding away. A chipmunk would make a sharp noise in the bushes, then let me see him. A mouse scurried around very fast, giving me but glimpses of his dark fur. I think the mouse came close while I slept. I also found small mouse poop in the car, but he didn't get into any food. Up the trail there were a couple "saddles" where the old road went between rock outcrops on either side. The second had a stream near it but it was hard to get to, through trees and bushes. Near the second stream there was a big sheer rock face, to the south of the old road. One outcrop on this face looked like Homer Simpson's head in profile ...