Home 8/11/2011

Our flights and limo pick up went completely smoothly yesterday, and we're back home. What a great trip!

As I look over my notes, I find that there are a few notable things I have not mentioned here before. In no particular order I present them here:

• In Oregon, near Kerbyville, I saw the first "U Pick" flower place ever. I'm amazed that they would let people pick their own flowers. Do they teach you how to cut them before you go out? Do they let kids pick them? 
• People in Oregon and Washington must live on espresso for the number of small kiosks we saw everywhere that seem to sell espresso--even in the boonies.
• When we were at the KOA in Astoria, we met a man and his son (We assumed it was his son, but these days, who knows?) at the free all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast they had there. They had traveled from London to tour the Pacific northwest.  We chatted about how wonderful the national parks are, and asked whether there was something similar in the UK. They told us that natural parks and historic buildings are mostly preserved and offered to the public by private concerns and foundations. They commented on the incredible bargain our National parks offered--$15 for a carful of people for a week--such a deal. When we told them  that the cost of a one-day ticket to DisneyWorld was $80-$90 they were stunned. 
• Everywhere outside the national parks in Oregon and Washington you can see clearcut hillsides. And it is easy to see why--there are huge trees EVERYWHERE. I guess it's like money on the hillsides. I had seen signs that indicated when an area was clearcut and replanted. There are very strict rules in both states about when trees can be cut, and when the areas cut must be replanted. Many of those signs were put up by Weyerhouser, and I had many questions about logging, so I shot them off an email. The Chief Forester for Weyerhaeuser's timberlands in Washington and Oregon promptly responded:
  "The vast majority of units are planted within 18 months and many within a year.  We do not remove stumps, in part due to the cost but also because of the soil disturbance that would be involved.  We don't require it anyway, because every tree is planted by hand with a shovel or hoe (my emphasis--can you imagine it? There are what look like hundreds of thousands of trees in one unit) and we allow our seedling spacing to vary so that the planters can choose the best spots for seedlings to flourish, so they space around the stumps and other forest floor debris. We use a combination of mechanical and hand cutting, depending on the terrain.  Much of our land out here is mountainous, necessitating hand cutting, but some areas can be harvested by machine." Interesting, huh?
• Many Oregon and Washington road are lined with foxglove and another pink flower I did not get the name of. Very scenic.
• My brother, Father Steve, would never survive in British Columbia, where motorists drive EXACTLY the speed limit or maybe a little less.
• In Canada, when signs tell you that something is "ahead", it could be a mile or 2 "ahead". Signage we saw was  unbelievably poor. You shouldn't have to have your reading glasses on, and be driving 15 mph to read road signs. Maybe that explains why everyone drives slow here? In many cases, they just dispense with signs completely. I guess they assume you'll figure it out for yourself...
• Last year we compiled a long list of nominees for the "Bad Parent" awards during our travels. We have one clear winner. While we were waiting for our flight out of Seattle on Wednesday, we were seated in the gate area near a mother and 3 children, the smallest of which was a boy, probably 4 years old. His normal method of communications was to SHOUT. Happy or sad, frustrated or content, the boy SHOUTED. I prayed that we would not be seated near them. It turns out that it didn't matter. The family was seated about 5-6 rows behind us, and the entire Seattle to Baltimore flight was highlighted (LOWlighted?) by this little boy's SHOUTED conversation and babble. His mother didn't seem to mind. The flight attendants did their best to keep the noise level down and the kids occupied and quiet. To no end. It got so bad that one flight attendant came over the speaker system to say that "We are not babysitters. This is public transportation and parents should take care to see that their children respect that fact." Many people (us included) applauded.
• Thank God for a working GPS.

I guess that's it. About 80 gallons of gas at an average of $3.68/gallon, and 2346 miles.

Glass and Friends 8/10/2011

Fluid Steps

Our first stop today was Denny's in Arlington, WA, just as we were leaving the general area of the North Cascades and starting down the interstate back to "civilization--the city.  Our next destination was the Museum of Glass  in Tacoma, a beautiful building with fantastic art glass on display both outside and inside the building. We first explored the "exhibits" outside--an interesting installation called "Fluid Steps" by the artist (maybe a distant relative?) Martin Blank. This has formed glass pieces arranged on a framework over a water tableau. Arresting, for sure, and fascinating how different it looked as the sky changed and reflected in the water.

Museum of Glass Building

One panel of the Chihuly glass ceiling on the bridge

We then walked around the building to a walkway that was lined with all types of fantastic art glass, including two huge columns made up of rough blocks of blue glass. Continuing on, we walked on the Dale Chihuly Bridge of Glass, whose ceiling is covered with Chihuly pieces with the skylight passing through them. Walking beneath the Chihuly glass was like walking into a kaleidoscope--so incredibly beautiful.

The inside of the museum had a mind-blowing installation of a glass forest. We were not allowed to take any photos, and they did not have any postcards showing the glass forest, called "Glimmering Gone". See it here. There are hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of pieces of clear glass in many shapes and hung individually from clear wires that together look like a mountain setting of trees and waterfall. You really have to see it to appreciate the crazy creative talent it took to conceive of and execute this.

There were many other VERY cool pieces that each deserved individual inspection for the thought and artistry involved in each creation.

In addition, there is a theater in the museum in which you can sit and watch the artists in action as a narrator explains what the artists are doing. Great visit.

A teacher whom Ray had mentored had moved with her family to Washington last year. Ray has stayed in touch with her, and she and her husband met us for drinks and dinner. We had a wonderful time.

Then we headed for our hotel, where we offloaded our luggage and cleaned out the car for its return to the rental company. The hotel sent a shuttle to pick us up. Tomorrow we fly back to NH. We can't believe that 2 1/2 weeks have blown by so quickly!

August 8, 2011 North Cascades NP

Scoop's view

We set out to explore North Cascades National Park about mid-morning. The road from Marblemount to the Visitor Center followed the Skagit River up through a valley with farms. The Visitor Center was the start of a few trails, where We took one longer trail that took us down to the Skagit River, and another reputed to end at  Henry "Scoop" Jackson's favorite overlook of the Cascades. Jackson was the  former longtime senator from Washington state and  instrumental in getting North Cascades NP set aside. Unfortunately, the mountain tops were swathed in a large puffy cloud when we first arrived at trails end.
The longer trail took us down to the Skagit River that was still running fast as a result of last winter's superabundance of snow and passed through old growth forest. 

We left the center and headed further into the Park and traveled through Newhalem,a historic town now in the park, but there is not much to it now.  Beyond the town,the road starts winding and is hemmed in by very steep mountain sides.  The scenery was spectacular the way the snow-capped mountains appeared as the road twisted next to the river.  

As late as 1939 no one thought some of its mountain ranges (Pickett) could be crossed.  This is a complex (Stephen Mather Wilderness) encompassing the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas and North Cascades National Forest. The steepness of the mountains and the amount of snow (one of the snowiest places on earth) is actually building glaciers.  (Less snow melts each year than actually falls.)

Lovely view despoiled by power lines

Our next stop was at the Diablo and Ross Lake Dams. In the 20s and 30s, these dams and electric generating stations were built to supply power to Seattle. We were struck, as we toured this area of the park, how the high tension power line towers really deface the beauty of the mountains. And we were reminded of the fight now going on in NH where Hydro Quebec, National Grid, and PSNH, our state power company wants to erect towers in a line that will slice through NH's beautiful north country through the White Mountains. Looking at this, we hope that never happens.

Further along, we stopped at the dramatic Diablo and Washington Pass Overlooks. Diablo overlook boasted winds of at least 40 mph. We were told that this is standard for this particular spot because the mountains are so high and close together. Washington Pass was something of a surprise, and we almost didn't stop there, because of a sign we saw that indicated that the area was closed. We stopped anyway, and, in spite of a lack of any signs showing where to walk, we found a trail that led to an outlook with close to 360 degree panoramas of some fantastic mountain and valley scenes.

View from Gorge Creek Bridge

Near this pass, we walked the 2-mile Rainy Lake Trail which passed some scenic waterfalls on the way.  Rainy Lake sits in a glacial cirque, rimmed with mountains, and accented with waterfalls. It reminded us of Avalanche Lake at Glacier National Park, green water and all.

By now, we had traversed the majority of the northern park road and the hour was getting late, so we decided to turn back. On our return, we stopped at the Gorge Creek Bridge, which crosses a narrow gorge filled with rushing water from a dramatic waterfall.  As the metal pedestrian bridge was very high over the gorge, Ray declined to walk out to the middle.

From there we headed back to the Visitor Center, even though it was closed, to see if we could get a picture of "Scoop's" Picket Range without the obscuring cloud in front of it that was there this morning.  It was mostly clear and after snapping a few pictures we headed back to our motel. 

There, we found a note stuck in our door. Apparently, we had left our room key on the bed. The owner of the motel, after coming in to wash our dishes, and freshen up towels, left the room unlocked for us, so we could get in at whatever time we returned. She mentioned in the note that the power had been out for 8 hours because of a tree that had fallen on the main electric line by the road to the west. She had kept an eye on our room during the day. Nice place, nice people.

August 7, 2011 Back to Washington

After a good night's sleep, we rose, got breakfast and coffee, and headed out to catch the noon ferry out of Sidney, B.C. Instructions told us to be there by 10:30 a.m., and we had no problem arriving at 10:23. As we waited in line to get on the ferry, and be checked by customs, I saw 2 little red-headed birds, probably finches, nibbling on the seeds of a bush by a fence. They were so cute, I thought I'd snap a close-up picture. But my camera wouldn't turn on. Uh-oh. Why won't the camera work? Uh-oh. I left the camera battery in the charger in the motel we just checked out of. I bolted to the officer checking cars in to ask if we would be in time for check in, if we returned within a half hour to check in. Since we had a reservation for the ferry it was no problem. We left our place in line, U-turned and high-tailed it back to the motel to retrieve the battery and charger, and were back in line within 15 minutes.

It would be appropriate here to note a few oddities about British Columbia. Their road signage is awful. Coming into a rotary, there were no printed road signs, just painted arrows on the pavement depicting 3 arrows going in different directions. Which way goes where? Guess. we also noted that the people who live in B.C., unlike those in most parts of the US, drive EXACTLY the speed limit or less. All I can say, is that my brother, Steve, would NEVER cut it here.

The ferry itself got off 1/2 hour late, and was pleasant. We passed the San Juan Islands,and arrived in Anacortes, WA at about 2:30. By the time we made it through US customs, it was 3:10.

We set off east to Marblemount, the site of our next accommodations, the Totem Trail Motel. On the way out of Anacortes, we noted that this would be a lovely spot to own property--so much of the area is surrounded by water. But first we stopped in Burlington, WA to pick up some groceries. Marblemount is not what you'd call a hub of urban activity, aka restaurants and services. As a matter of fact, The totem Trail Motel does not have internet access. Verizon is the only carrier that has mobile service here, and there is 3G here as well.

What a nice surprise the Totem Trail motel is. The room we reserved has a king and a queen bed. There were fresh flowers in the room, and clean wine glasses, dishes and cups and a microwave. The room itself had just been renovated a few months ago, with new bathroom fixtures, a new mattress, box spring and pillows, furniture and lighting. When we reserved, we were told that the only room they had available for 2 nights was their largest (with a queen and  also a king bed), but that they would give us the rate for a single queen. when we checked in, the owner told us that we should just leave dirty dishes in the dishpan, and that she would clean the dishes, and replace them when she cleaned the room in the morning. Everything here is neat as a pin. We got a kick out of the notice in the office when we checked in. They have a "Wall of shame", noting patrons who had stayed there, and had not heeded the "No smoking" clause of the motel's requirements. The owners subsequently charged those people an extra $100.00 for cleaning. When we checked in, another couple rolled in behind us. They had the room next to ours (Did I mention that there are only 8 rooms in this motel?). They mentioned that they had left Knoxville, TN this morning, flew into Seattle, and arrived here this afternoon. We chatted with them for a bit, then sat outside our room, and enjoyed a glass of wine (maybe 1 1/2), had dinner, and just relaxed for the evening.

To Canada 8/7/2011

Unlike all the other days we have been traveling, we hauled ourselves out of bed at 6 a.m. so that we could make the early ferry from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC. Everything went fine, and we debarked from the ferry at 9:30 a.m., a 1 1/2 hour ride. We read during the trip, as the morning was foggy, and there wasn't much to see.

The capitol

When we arrived in Victoria, our first order of business was to find somewhere to park. We were lucky enough to find free on-street parking close to the center of the city, and Ray used his legendary parallel parking skills to snag the space for us (he really is a pro). We headed for the provincial capitol building, a huge building facing the harbor, and diagonally across the street from the Empress Hotel, a 477 room luxury hotel. As we approached the front of the capital, we were asked if we'd like tickets for the next morning tour. We accepted and a few minutes later, we were brought into the capitol building where a guide explained British Columbia's government, and some of the more interesting historical and architectural features of the building. As part of her explanation of the room where the parliament sits, she introduced "Queen Victoria", a actress portraying the queen. Her performance really added to the tour, as she joined us at two other parts of the tour.

Ray on the Pallada

The Pallada--Russian tall ship

After our tour of the parliament building, we headed over to check out the Empress, one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Victoria. While lounging in the upstairs lobby, we perused the local newspaper, to find that the tall sailing ship we had seen in the harbor when we arrived was open to the public for free tours. That was our next stop. After waiting in line for about a half hour, we were allowed to board the ship, a Russian ship for training sailors. It also promotes the contributions Russians made through their cosmonaut program, and to the exploration of and settlement in North America. The Russian sailors looked so young--a reminder of how so many of the soldiers and sailors around the world are really kids.

By this time, we thought that we'd head to our lodging for the night in Saanich, a town about 20 miles north of Victoria, and about 10 minutes from Butchart Gardens, our final stop for the day. We checked in, had a bite to eat, and then set out for the Gardens.

One of the perfectly designed and manicured beds at Butchart

We judge most gardens we have visited by comparison to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, a gorgeous oasis. Butchart Gardens is the absolute equal of Longwood, and a  different kind of garden. Butchart is truly a classic garden, planted beds EVERYWHERE. We heard that they employed 600 gardeners during the summer. The expertise with which the garden was planned is startling. Each bed has been carefully designed to incorporate complementary colors, textures, sizes, shapes of flowering plants. Every walk is lined with a dazzling array of flowers. The begonias were amazing, the rose garden spectacular. This place is absolutely exquisite.

The Sutcliffes--Beatles tribute band at Butchart

Today the garden also had entertainment in the form of a Beatles tribute band that played on a bandstand fronted by banks of benches and lawn. The band was a treat--joking with the audience, and inviting participation. A bunch of kids were dancing near the stage. We laughed and sang along, and generally had a great time.

Fireworks

To cap the day, the Gardens were hosting a fireworks display in the evening. Their fireworks turned out to be a combination of low and high level pyrotechnics. Many of the effects were unique--we had never seen anything like them: fireworks that were fixed in place and that incorporated movement, shot off to accompanying music.

By the end of the day, we were pooped, having had a full and fabulous day. Tomorrow we head to a ferry that will take us out of British Columbia back to Washington via a different route.

Relax 8/6/2011

The theme of today: relax. We took a few short hikes along some beautiful trails, one of which took us to a lovely waterfall, and all of which feature old-growth trees. We spent a large amount of time sitting in adirondack chairs in front of the Crescent Lake Lodge, just chilling out. This was the view from the chairs:

The first trail we took was a little walk to Marymere Falls. The falls were picturesque, and we tried to imagine what they'd look like in the spring.

Along the way, the trail invited you to really look at the little things that made it special--the way the sun filtered through the trees, the large (really large) mossy rocks, the impressive old growth giant trees, the smell of the forest, a small tree growing from atop the decaying stump of a giant. What could have easily taken 45 minutes probably took us 2 hours.

Not much else to report. We hung around the front of the lodge for quite a while, and then headed back to our cabin , but not before picking up a bottle of wine to enjoy on our return.

Here's a photo of our typical lunch preparations in the morning before we set out to hike. Fancy digs, huh? Gourmet lunch, huh? It works for us...

Tomorrow we go north by ferry, across the Juan de Fuca Strait to Victoria, B.C. where we will visit Butchart Gardens.

Olympic--Hurricane Ridge 8/4/2011

Over the snow

Today's hike took us to the Hurricane Ridge section of Olympic National Park, whose trails take you up on ridges that display the mountains and their meadows. The first hike was the Cirque Rim trail to the High Ridge Trail via Sunrise Point, about a 1.5 mile loop. The first part of that trail was snow covered in areas, and we had to tread carefully on the slippery snowpack. As there are all around this area of the park, there were spectacular views of the mountains as we hiked.


We stopped for lunch and then headed out to the 3.2 mile round trip Hurricane Hill trail. This trail climbs for 1.6 miles to panoramic views of the snow capped mountains, and unbelievable flower meadows. Both sides of the trail were blanketed in columbia lily, lupine, larkspur, avalanche lilies, scarlet and magenta paintbrush, glacier lilies, hawkweed and more. It truly looked like God's garden.

A riot of color

Lupine on the trail

At the top of the trail we encountered lots of deer and a couple of groups of mountain goats.  We took our time both going up, and coming down, to savor the experience. So beautiful!

After our hike, we drove back down to Port Angeles, filled the gas tank, and picked up some food at Walmart for dinner. We couldn't wait to have a cold beer!

Beach and mountains 8/4/2011

Sea stacks at Rialto Beach

At Rialto Beach

Last night we stayed at a motel in Forks, WA, just down the road from the Hoh Rain Forest. After breakfast this morning, we headed for Rialto Beach, part of Olympic NP. It was mostly cloudy when we set out, but it looked like it was clearing, and while we started out wearing our jackets, those were shed a short time into our walk. Down on the beach, the fog thickened and thinned for the entire 3 miles of our walk up to and back from the "Hole in the Wall". But what a jewel this beach is! You can't actually see the beach from the parking lot, but you can hear the waves crashing. You walk a short distance, make your way through a few pieces of driftwood, and the view opens up to a beautiful beach. There are hundreds of unique, sometimes massive pieces of driftwood, and the beach is literally covered with smooth, oval blue-grey pebbles. We spent our time exploring the driftwood and starngely shaped rocks sculpted by the sea, and marveling at how the light was always changing with the fog movement. We saw tide pools with lovely sea anemones, and starfish. We managed to leave the Hole in the Wall rock formation just as the tide was starting to come back in.

Hole in the Wall at Rialto Beach

On our way back, we met a man who was just starting his walk. He asked if the beach had been foggy all afternoon ( we had been there for about 3 hours). When we answered that yes, the fog had been there all day, he was amazed, saying that just 100 yards inland, it was a clear, sunny day.

After our beach excursion, we headed for Sol Duc Falls, a short 2 mile hike through old growth forest, and over cascading streams to a lovely waterfall.

Sol Duc Falls

We ended our day by checking into the Port Angeles KOA. We'll be here for 3 nights, as we explore more of Olympic NP.
PS: One last bit of housekeeping: We did laundry tonight, hoping that we can last without doing another til we get home.

To the rain forest 8/3/2011

Having coffee this morning

Today, our ultimate destination was Forks, WA, via the Hoh Rain Forest section of Olympic National Park. On the way, we stopped at the Quinault section where we visited the largest spruce tree in the world.(photo on left, below)

The largest spruce

The cedar--immense!

It is, according to the plaque by the tree, 58'11" in circumference, 191 feet tall, and about 1000 years old. This particular tree is on private property; the Quinault area is very commercialized. We continued on, stopping at a large cedar tree on the way.(photo at right)

The rain forest

By the time we reached the Hoh Rain Forest section of Olympic, it was late afternoon. We set out on the trails to explore. This place is like Jurassic Park revisited. There are monstrous trees dripping with moss, huge and plentiful ferns, and, my favorite, gigantic nurse logs everywhere. Nurse logs are fallen trees which, as they decay, provide nourishment and support for other vegetation. Frequently other trees grow here, and frequently those trees themselves become giants. As time goes on, the nurse log may be completely consumed and/or eroded, and the trees that grew on the nurse log appear to be on stilts. You can tell trees that have grown on a nurse log, because they are all in a line (see below). The rain forest is a magical place. Tomorrow, we head to the ocean--another section of Olympic--where the  beaches are not for swimming, but for escaping. I can't wait...

Trees on a nurse log

August 1, 2011 Lewis and Clark

At Fort Clatsop

Touch-me-not

After a leisurely breakfast, we set out for the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park at Fort Clatsop in Warrenton, OR. Fort Clatsop, on the banks of the Netul River (now called the Lewis and Clark River), was the winter encampment for the Lewis and Clark expedition members from December 1805 to March 1806. We spent the day on hikes with rangers who showed us the unique features of the landscape here that helped the Lewis and Clark party survive through a nasty cold, rainy, winter here. We learned how to distinguish elderberries from huckleberries from salmon berries, why not to eat twin berries, and that salal berries are good tasting. We felt horsetail, learned how sword ferns can help a mosquito bite, and had a surprise when we learned why one plant is called "touch-me-not" (see the video)  we saw a demonstration of a rifle of the type that Lewis and Clark used, and listened to stories about life at the fort from a another ranger. This ranger told us that during their stay at Fort Clatsop (roughly 4 1/2 months), there were not more than 12 days when it did not rain, and only six days when it was clear. Visiting places like this, reminds us of what a great country this is, and what a fabulous historical legacy we have been given.


Our day here was gorgeous, the hikes easy and relaxing, and the conversation enlightening. A wonderful day!

Astoria Column

By the time we were done our hikes, it was 6:00 p.m., and we hadn't gone to the Astoria Column yet. So we took the 10 minute drive over there. This was erected in 1926 to commemorate the discovery, exploration, and settlement of the Pacific Northwest. It is a 125 foot tower whose outside surface is decorated with scenes from Oregon's history. It stands on a hill over the Columbia River. You can climb the 164 steps inside, as we did,  to the top balcony area to get an absolutely breathtaking 360 degree view of the entire area around the mouth of the Columbia to Saddle Mountain in the distance. I'm so glad we didn't miss this.

View fro the top of the Astoria Column

We then headed back to our KOA cabin for dinner, and a walk around the campground. This place is huge! There are 46 cabins here, and hundreds of sites for RVs. Most of the KOAs we've been to have 10-15 cabins. But, as with all KOA sites, the place is impeccably clean.

Tomorrow we head to Forks, WA and the Hoh rain forest of the Olympic National Park.

Just driving 8/1/2011

Today was a travel day--the trip from Cave Junction to Astoria, OR takes about 7 hours. We got up, had breakfast, gathered our stuff and left. We were on the road by 9:30. When we travel, we are not in a great hurry--it makes for a very relaxing vacation.

Ray made an observation this morning that ran so true: When we traveled in the 70s (cross country in 1975), we had no cell phones, no computer, no internet. We set out, and decided day to day where we wanted to go, and where we'd stay (which campground). Funny that now we feel cut off if there is no cell service where we travel, or if there is no wireless access. Things are most certainly more planned now. But it still feels like an adventure.

Our route today took us up through the Willamette Valley, the "Grass seed capital of the world". Further investigation on the web told us that indeed, Oregon growers produce essentially all of the U.S. production of annual ryegrass , perennial ryegrass , bentgrass , and fine fescue . Who knew?

Other valuable information came from listening to the radio: I never was aware that there was such a thing as replacement custom triggers. "Triggers for what?", you ask? Guns, of course! Who knew?

Man, they must drink an awful lot of espresso in Oregon, because we saw more signs than you'd imagine advertising Espresso or White Espresso (?!).

We discovered that our  rental car has XM radio, and we listened to Fox News for a while until our ears started to bleed listening to the ugly machinations of the debt limit debate.

Around about Portland, we ran into a nasty bumper-to-bumper traffic jam that had us stalled out for about 40 minutes. After that we were on our way again, arriving at our KOA cabin at about 5:30.

No pictures today. Tomorrow, we will visit Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

Big trees, caves, and a BIG dog 7/30/2011

We set off this morning with the thought that we would take the cave tour this afternoon, and do some hiking this morning. That's exactly how things worked out. We scheduled a 3:00 p.m. tour, and then started up the Big Tree trail at Oregon Caves National Monument. The trail heads uphill for 1.1 miles and leads to a giant Douglas fir, the largest in Oregon, then descends to make a loop. The trail up went through a forest of giant  Douglas firs and cedars, and Pacific Madrone trees. The madrones are broadleaf evergreen trees with rich orange-red bark that peels away on the mature wood. Around every switchback were huge firs, most easily 6 feet in diameter. The giant tree for which the trail is named is the largest Douglas fir in Oregon, 40 feet in circumference (about 13 feet in diameter). They estimate that it is 800-1000 years old.   At one point, as we walked along the trail, a grouse flew up from the bushes at the side of the trail. He may have been startled by our passing, but we were as well! The day was beautiful, warm and dry with a cool breeze in the shade. This hike was truly a joy.

After this hike, we went back to the car where we had a cooler packed with sandwiches for lunch. Then we set off for another short hike before our cave tour. For 1 1/2 hours, the cave tour takes you through tunnels and halls of cave formations. Ray had to hunch over for probably half of the tour, to fit through those tunnels.Our tour guide was very informative, and we saw formations there that we had never seen in other caves (Mammoth, Jewel, and Wind Caves). Very cool.

Rather than take the direct route back to the visitor center, we decided to take another short hike that took us up to a beautiful view of the Siskiyou mountains, a lovely exclamation point to our day. On our way back to the parking lot, we stopped to speak with a man whose dog caught our attention, a Tibetan Mastiff, 33" tall (his owner said). The man had another dog with him, a newfoundland puppy, another beautiful dog. Can you imagine this guy's dog food bill?

Crater to Caves 7/29/2011

Up early, today we head south to Oregon Caves. The road out is long and straight, bordered with pine (spruce, fir??) trees. The craziest thing was that the road had large stretches where the trees that bordered the road were actually at the top of a steep bluff. The side of the bluff (hill) appeared to be eroded, and the roots of the trees above were severely exposed. How many of the trees were actually held up is a mystery. We're talking about 90-100 foot firs that tower above the road, and have a sizable portion of their roots exposed.

On the way, we stopped at a place where the Rogue river rushes through a rocky gorge.There was a stump there that even though the tree had been cut years ago, was still alive. Apparently, the roots of the cut tree, and those of a neighboring tree had enmeshed, and the roots of the neighboring tree kept the stump alive.

We stopped at a Walmart to pick up a few groceries, and then motored along to the Country Hills Resort in Cave Junction. I had expected that this place would be rustic, and with no services. It turns out they have a full complement of Direct TV stations, wireless internet, and a very clean, very comfortable motel. There is no cell service here at all, though. This is the closest accommodations, other than a campground up the road, to Oregon Caves National Monument.

Once we had settled in, we decided to take the trip up to the Monument just to check out the cave tours, and what available hiking trails are there. The road from the motel to Oregon Caves is a doozy. The best way I can describe it is to explain that on the way back, I was watching the direction sensor on the rear view mirror. In the course of the 11 miles from the park to our motel, the compass showed that at any one time, we traveled, N, NE, NW, E, S, SE, SW, W--all multiple times.

Tomorrow, we will tour the caves, and take some of the trails that take you through old growth forests, and mountain meadows.

July 28, 2011 Bluer than blue

Our plans today were to get out early, and go to the ticket concession for the Crater Lake boat tour.  There are a limited number of tickets available the same day, so we wanted to ensure we got them. We arrived at the ticket booth at 8:00, and then doused ourselves with insect repellent to ward of the swarming mosquitoes. After purchasing our tickets, we headed to the Garfield Peak trail. Our intention was to follow the trail for a while, then track back in time to have lunch, then head to the boat launch. The views along the trail were beautiful. On the way back, I slid on the loose gravel on the trail, and ripped the skin off my toe. Thank god, I had tissues in my pocket that I could wedge under my toe that was bleeding profusely. Back at the car, a bandaid took car of the situation.

We ate lunch, and headed to the boat launch. The only way to get to the boat launch is to take a 1.1 mile switchback trail down to the lake. It takes 20 minutes to descend the trail after you find a place to park.

The boat tour of Crater Lake was a pleasant surprise. It was a great way to get a new perspective on what you have only seen from the road that encircles the rim of the crater. The ranger that narrated the tour was very informative and interesting.  And the views from the lake were fantastic. You would think that the lake that appears SO blue from a distance would look more "normal" up close. But it is as blue up close as it is from a distance. And that blue is not just from a reflected sky. It is perfectly clear. The ranger told us that they check the lake's clarity once a year, and there is a test they perform that involves dropping a black and white patterned disk into the water. Thet then lower it into the lake and mark the point at which they can last see it. At its best, they could see the disk at 140 feet under the surface of the water. Now THAT's clear.At its deepest, the lake is 1,923 feet deep. By contrast, at Lake Tahoe, they perform the same test, and the vanishing point is 60 feet. After the 2 hour tour, we started up the "magic mile" as the ranger put it. "Magic", because what is really only about a mile long trail back to the parking lot, seems like 13 miles. The ascent is steep, and the switchbacks many. And the mosquitoes were on their way back for the evening.

We enjoyed a beer when back at our motel room. We then set out to the restaurant across the street that we went to yesterday. The food and the music were just as good as they were last night. The picture above shows the restaurant. What a great little place.

July 27, 2011, Crater Lake

We have not had internet service for 2 days, so we are posting this on 7/29.

We tried in 1975. The water in the park was contaminated, and they closed the park.
We tried in 1989. The lodge was condemned, so we opted to try another time.
We tried in 1999. Ray's prostate cancer was being treated with drugs that kept us from traveling.
But we finally made it!

Part of the difficulty of visiting Crater Lake is the fact that it is located 50 miles from nowhere. You really have to want to come here. And we did.
What's so great about Crater Lake? It is one of the most pure bodies of water in the world, and one of the deepest lakes in the world. The purity of the water makes it appear unbelievably blue, and it is set in a landscape whose backdrop is snowcapped mountains, and spruce forests.

This year Crater Lake had 673 inches of snow--that's 56 FEET. There is snow on many of the trails that makes them unpassable, and there are banks of snow everywhere in the park. Today we arrived at about 1:30, and took the opportuntiy to drive around the lake, stopping at turnouts to snap some pictures.

We checked into our accommodations later in the day. We're staying at a nifty throwback motel about 15 miles from the entrance of the park (about 25 miles from the lake rim). This is the closest place, other than the Crater Lake Lodge (that had no rooms available). The people who run the motel are very friendly and helpful. The room is large and clean, and has a refrigerator and microwave, 15" TV and VHS. There are barbecue grills out front of the motel for your use. And since there are only 6 stations on TV (we ARE in the middle of nowhere), they have a cache of hundreds of videotapes that you can borrow to watch. The beds are comfy (and did I mention, clean?). What more could you want?  We were advised that the restaurant across the street was quite good, and reviews of this place had mentioned the same. We could choose that, or go another 10 miles down the road to Chemult. So we headed there for dinner. Good choice. They served up meals that were fresh and in gigantic portions, and the background music playing was awesome (Allman Brothers). Places like this are the reason we love to travel.

Family Visit 7/27/2011

Up a little later this morning, we read a bit, had coffee and breakfast, then set out for a visit with Uncle Sonny, Ray's mom's brother. Ray's cousin, Sonny's daughter, Theresa was there as well. We hadn't seen her or Uncle Sonny in about 20 years. We spent a nice afternoon catching up with both of them. Sonny is 91 now, and lives by himself, as his wife, Lillian, is in a nursing home. He is able to live alone with daily help from Theresa.

We had remembered the area where Sonny had lived as a bucolic rural area. Portland has grown tremendously since then, and that area is now teeming with housing developments where the homes are within spitting distance of one another. On Sonny's former property, there are now 3 homes. Times change, and not always for the better. Late in the afternoon, we checked in to our hotel in Salem, OR, went shopping for food (the area we are heading to tomorrow is really rural), and went to a restaurant for dinner.

Barren to Beauty 7/26/2011

After treating ourselves to a hot breakfast at the hotel, we packed up to head out to Mt. St. Helens. Old hands at maneuvering city roads with the help of our trusty GPS, we plugged in, and discovered...that the touch screen wasn't working. At all. Even after several reboots. Hmmm. Just pull out the map. That we can't find. Hmmmm. OK, I do have a smartphone. After looking up AAA , we discovered that there was an office up the street, stopped in, and collected a few state maps, and tour book. Ray got us pointed in the right direction, and we headed south. About 45 minutes later, I found the reset button on the back of the GPS, and after a few resets, it WORKED.

The day we woke up to was very cool--50s-- and cloudy. During the approximately 2 hour ride down to Mt. St. Helens, the temperature increased to the low 70s. Once we got off the interstate to head east into Mt. St. Helens Monument, we noted by the outside thermometer on the dash, that the weather was getting progressively cooler as we gained altitude. By the time we arrived, it was 55 degrees and cloudy. Mt. St. Helens is a fascinating place (at least to me) because this monumental change in topography happened in my lifetime. What used to be an old-growth forest surrounding a snow-capped peak is now an ash-filled landscape around a crater. The approach to the mountain is covered in what appear to be spruce trees that were planted since the eruption in May 1980. The patches of new trees are odd in appearance. Usually forests are composed of trees of varying heights. All these trees are the same size. And the limbs of this particular species grow fairly horizontally, so when you see the trees from a distance, the effect is almost like a pointillist painting. At the visitor center, we saw a movie that was put together with still photos taken at the time of the eruption, and featuring some awesome cgi effects that were very realistic. The force of the blast from the eruption blew down or scorched 230 square miles of forest. Amazing. Photos of the area immediately surrounding the mountain don't show any tree remains. They are buried in up to 230 feet of ash. Wow. Unfortunately for us, the caldera was not visible--it was hidden in low clouds. The picture to the right was taken looking directly at the mountain. But being witness to the effects of the forces that took place in 1980 was impressive. We'll be back.

We then headed further south to the Portland, OR area. After checking into our hotel, we drove over to the International Rose Test Garden, the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States. Started in 1917, in the beginning, even though World War I was raging in Europe, hybridists sent roses from around the world to this garden for testing and to keep the new hybrids safe from being destroyed by the bombing in Europe. There are thousands of roses, all gorgeous to walk among and admire. It is a beautiful spot. we can't believe that the last time we were here was in 1975--only 36 years ago!