Friday, March 27, 2020

In Search of Clean Air, The Races, Costly Error and "The Hills Are Alive"......!


 Beautiful Washington State!
From the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, Washington to the wheat fields of Eastern Washington! A trip to Mt. St. Helen's.


August/September, 2018

LEAVENWORTH, WA.

Following the Columbia river from British Columbia into Washington,  the smoke/visibility gradually worsened.  There were major fires burning in both countries with smoke settling between the surrounding mountains. The road was barely visible as we ventured our way to Leavenworth, Washington. 
The Columbia River obscured by smoke
Driving into the small Bavarian town was not as I remembered decades ago.  It had grown in size but just as cute with its' Bavarian stores, hotels and restaurants.  The RV park was one of our favorites,  nestled among the trees with a river running through with deer as neighbors.  

One of our "wild" neighbors

Many activities were planned during our stay here including hiking, shopping, visiting a local brewery, eating German food, visiting Aunt Shirley and
 "The Hills Are Alive….."                          a local production of  "The Sound of Music".

In Search of Clean Air!
The heat and smoke lingered at the 1,100' elevation of Leavenworth.  We hiked (seeking relief from the heat and smoke) to a place several miles up the Icicle Creek Road along the Wenatchee river.  Climbing an additional 1,000 feet brought welcomed relief in the temperatures and giving us cleaner air to breathe.  My ongoing fear of bears continued as we hiked several miles through the Wenatchee Forest.  No bears in sight, just more beautiful tall pine trees, streams and photo "ops" of Gracie plopping in the silt blue river to relieve her arthritic knees.  Another beautiful day of hiking in God's country.
The refreshing Wenatchee River
Cooling off while soaking arthritic knees

cool refreshment on a warm day


The RV park was a short walk from a theater camp where someone mentioned a great restaurant/bar nearby.  Our neighbors were from Arizona and after a short friendly conversation, we joined them for a fancy drink given by an entertaining server. 



Aunt Shirley
Not far from Leavenworth is the city of Wenatchee where some of Perry's family once lived. Only 91 year old Aunt Shirley remained.  Our short, sweet visit made us smile as she entertained us on her harmonica.  At 91, she still drove to church, hairdresser and the local grocery store while living alone in her tidy house. 
Aunt Shirley

The Hills Are Alive!
Each summer in the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, locals perform "The Sound of Music".  Perry knows I love musicals and "The Sound of Music" was one of my favorites, if NOT my favorite!  He surprised me with tickets to the semi-professional outstanding performance. The outdoor theater was against a mountain overlooking the scenic Cascade mountain range.  My heart was full with "The Sound of Music"


"Loving Leavenworth"










As much as we love the trees, rivers and mountains, it's time to move east towards rolling wheat fields in Mansfield, Washington, Perry's home town.


Mansfield, WA.
Friends, Tom and Nita invited us to park our fifth wheel in their quiet peaceful home outside Mansfield with the occasional hoot of an owl and visits from the neighborhood deer.    As we passed miles of wheat fields, I couldn't help  reminiscing the first time I was introduced to the small town/farming community back in the 1980's.  Perry's Dad was one of the original farmers in the community and I remembered this kind man sitting on a bench in overalls with other farmers watching the few cars go by on main street.   Mansfield is a town of no more than 280 people and though I could never live in a town this small, it depicts what America is all about.  The small town hard working people help make America what it is. 

Local Mansfield deer
Working our way to eastern Washington state,  the scenery changed along the Columbia river.  This is one of the more enjoyable scenic drives leaving the tall pine trees to rolling hills of wheat fields in Mansfield.  


Tough and expensive lesson!
We pulled our fifth wheel outside Tom's 3,000 square foot shed which housed their toys (snowmobiles, side by sides, etc.). We were impressed not only by the toys but how neat everything was organized by season and/or activity. Their cat claimed the shed as her home and let Gracie (our dog) know it was not her territory.  After the grand tour, the guys plugged the electricity into the 220 volt electrical unit.  We had 110!  The voltage was too powerful for the fifth-wheel and while trying to set up the inside, I could smell burning wires.  The guys realized the mistake after losing our electrical.  We stayed in Tom and Nita's fifth-wheel that night and had to bring ours in to Wenatchee the next day to be serviced.  It was a costly error but three days in the shop, we were happy to have our "home on wheels" back. 

A City Girl in the Country!
The nearby town of Waterville was having the annual County Fair.  All of us were meeting up with Tom and Nita's friends Malissa and Lee to listen to a country band and enjoy the 4H animals, chickens, pigs, cows….we saw it all!  The friendly small town country feel abounds in this city girl!
Enjoying country music
at the county fair

making friends with a goat....

and the pigs? cute but not my favorites 












More time was spent visiting old friends and driving past many homestead houses from the 1800's.  I loved seeing the deer at dusk each day and the eastern Washington sunsets are stunning but it's time to move on to the coast where we'd meet Tom and Nita at the sprint car races in Elma, Washington.

Sprint car races
We were given ear plugs to muffle the sound of motors and glasses to protect our eyes from the dirt.   This was a new experience for Perry and I but an annual event for Tom and Nita.  After, we saw the sprint cars close up and met some drivers.  Our favorite driver was a California local boy that took a picture with Perry.   Sprint cars are small so the drivers have to be small in stature. 

Sprint car driver from California


Sprint car race in Elma, Wa.


















Our adventures with Tom and Nita had come to a close. I eagerly anticipated our stay in Washington knowing we were getting closer to the arrival of our three kids in Oregon at the end of September. 






COPALIS Beach,  Fort Stevens (Mount St. Helens)

A lot of time has been spent in Washington State with still much more to explore. 
Pulling into a so called "resort"  in Copalis Beach was not at all a resort!  The "good" was that we had a large RV space and it was a short walk to the beach.  Driving a few miles down the coast, a few areas could be accessed by driving on the beach.   A driver didn't read the "do not enter" signs placed at various spots for obvious reasons.  The woman was stuck deep in the sand. We offered to help as she explained it was her birthday and was there to celebrate on the beach.  An unhappy park ranger came by ticketing her and giving her a  "tow".  The fog slowly crept in creating a wall along the coast. 
first attempt at sand surfing

Fog...not smoke

A drive on the beach avoiding soft sand areas

Fog bank at Quinalt Reservation


We ventured out to explore the neighboring areas including The Quinault Reservation along the Quinault River, the cute growing New England style town of Moclips and a day hike along Lake Quinault.  There are miles of hiking trails along the lake that we took advantage of.  Another breathtaking area of Washington State.

Our next stop was Seaquest State Park outside Mount St. Helens. 
 



Seaquest State Park is the epitome of abounding nature with its tall pine trees, wildlife, wildflowers and an occasional ant pile along the many trails.
Clouds rolled in the day we visited Mount St. Helens.  The once 9,677 ft. mounted erupted in May of 1980 killing 75 people and spewing ash as far as Perry's home town, a mere 300 miles away.  The active volcano is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and its eruption in 1980 sheared off the top of the mountain reducing it to 8,300 ft.  This day we weren't able to see the top of the volcano but once again enjoyed a day of hiking and learning about the history in the visitor's center.
Our drive towards Seaquest State Park
A hike at Seaquest


A cloudy day at the volcanic Mount St. Helen's

Stopped to hike and admire the bridge towards Mt. St. Helen's
























NEXT-  Anniversary Dinner, Fort Stevens and THE VISIT!







 


Saturday, March 7, 2020

Adventures in friendly British Columbia!


AH CANADA, Eh?!  July/August 2018

There were happy memories of our family's visit to Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. , several years ago. Now the long awaited return to British Columbia was here but this time we were to explore parts of The Fraser Valley and Hedley (near wine country), the southern part of the province.  
Passing through customs into B.C. was mostly a breeze, having to discard an avocado, newly purchased blueberries and an artichoke (no produce allowed from the U.S).  Okay, no big loss knowing we were arriving in a top producing blueberry and corn growing region.  Suddenly we were converting kilometers and meters. The dollar in Canada was softer than the U.S. dollar giving us more buying power.  Diesel was noticeably higher in Canada (roughly $5.00/gallon vs. U.S. $3.35).   Passing by corn drive-thru huts, I knew this would be an interesting stay.  If you're needing to have a piece of corn-on-the-cob, you didn't have to go far to find a drive-thru.
It was a short three hour drive to the RV park, outside the town of Boston Bar.   I was skeptical as we pulled in to the park after passing through the tiny town of Boston Bar. We barely had phone service in this mountainous rural area.  However, we were soon greeted by the very friendly owners putting our minds at ease!   The day we arrived the idea was to rest and plan our stay.  Our adventurous ways wouldn't let us rest, so off we went to explore our first day in beautiful British Columbia.   It was extremely warm and the mercury was expected to reach well over 100 degrees (38 c) over the next ten days. 

First Day in Boston Bar, B.C.

This area was rugged and mountainous but very beautiful.  A road led us to the Nehatlatch River where the silt water was green and the pine trees were extremely tall.  It was not an easy drive down the poorly maintained and primitive forest roads but the views were worth it.  We passed a white water rafting resort on the way to the (whitewater class 3/4) river which peaked Perry's curiosity.  Later, that would be his adventure!   Our introduction to B.C. was a good one and the next day we were going to the neighboring town of Lytton to check out the Farmers Market. 


Lytton

It was a very hot day (upper 90's)  and the air quality was quickly deteriorating due to surrounding wildfires.  We needed to make a currency exchange and didn't have to walk far to find a bank.  The Visitors' Center offered many brochures of things to do within an hour drive of Boston Bar.  All the driving fell on Perry since the mountain roads in The Fraser Valley were windy with disturbing drop-offs, but nothing bothers him, thankfully!  
Lytton is a small and somewhat struggling town on a Indian Reservation.  The natives here are referred to as Aborigines.  A few small purchases were made at a local farmer's market enough to get us by until we could get to a grocery store. This wouldn't happen for a few more days on a trip to Lillooet, a much larger town.   Many of the street signs were in the  "Bands" native tongue and some locals dressed in traditional dress.  This tiny town was bigger than Boston Bar and there was a strong possibility we'd be seeing Lytton again. 
Town of Lytton-Street signs in Native language

Lytton's VERY small farmer's market



















Lillooet

 There were warning signs to watch for mountain goats down a steep and winding road. 
The crazy drive down to Lillooet

"excuse me, you're on my road"!

The 1,000 foot drop-off to the Nehatlach River led us to the town of Lillooet.  I was amazed at the homes speckled against the mountains, imagining how difficult reaching these homes during the winter time would be.  The "large" town of Lillooet has a population of approximately 2, 400 and big enough for us to find a decent grocery store purchasing fresh blueberries and local butter.  We enjoyed cooling off at the large, glacier made Seton Lake surrounded by mountains so large they mimicked the Alps.   We took in a light lunch at a local winery after the lake "cool down" .  The trip back up the steep, winding mountain towards Boston Bar gave us a brief encounter with some mountain goats along the side of the road. 
Add caption

Beautiful glacier made Seton Lake













Hope, smoke, is there "hope" for fresh air? 

The cute town of Hope was highly recommended by many locals as a place to see. The short hour drive to Hope was scenic and the mountains were majestic.  The blue sky soon was taken over by smoke from the Canada and U.S. fires.  With no winds, once again the smoke from the many fires was beginning to settle in all the valleys that were surrounded by mountains.  Hopes' local streets donned hanging baskets with colorful flowers on every block and interesting carved wooden sculptures.  A short hike to a waterfall was good for exercise and that was it.  It was uphill with fallen trees and no falls to speak of but there was more hiking to be done at a later time in the beautiful Fraser Valley.
Add caption
Add caption

Taking a dip in the Fraser River
Hiking to the falls.....that was it?  Good hike!




















Stunning Stein Valley, crossing the river and special hikers!

Nothing was close to the RV park, but the next day we made the scenic hour drive to a hiking spot at an area called Blue Sky Country.  The trail was a steady three mile uphill climb in hot temperatures,  passing bear scat.  I carried my bear whistle and walking sticks hoping they'd deter any bears we might encounter.  The fresh bear scat had me on edge during our hike but thankfully it was even too hot for the bears! 
Bear spray -just in case! 


Stunning mountain views outside Lytton

The heat was a dry heat and didn't  bother us that day. On the way back, we stopped at Lytton curious about the ferry in town.  The beautiful Stein Valley was across the Nehatlach river and the only way to get there was by ferry.  The ferry carried one or two cars at a time secured by a cable, operated by three local natives.  The river current was swift and I could only pray the cable could carry our 3 1/2 ton truck. 
The ferry carrying us across the river
One of the most spectacular places


The Fraser River
Across the river we drove once again along the dirt, rocky road to an amazingly beautiful area called Stein Heritage Park.  The falls were violently beautiful and this was a place where river rafters began their journey down the Fraser River.  After a three hour long hike, we weren't too inclined to do more hiking but we crossed over the falls and up the mountain a little way to view the rushing river and ancient petroglyphs.  It was at this spot we encountered two hikers who just completed an eight day hike through the rugged mountains.  They were tired and eager to get back but had to wait for two more in their party. 
The 8 day "unbathed" hikers
















Once thunder and lightning started, we made our way back to the truck seeing the four hikers who were waiting for a ride.  Perry offered the four young people a ride into town and appreciatively they took us up on our offer.
Two hikers sat in the bed of the truck while "Greg" and his girlfriend sat in the backseat.  Greg was excited to share their experiences with us including seeing a Grizzly bear and having the bear spray go off in his face.  They cleaned themselves in the river and the only hiking markers were rocks.  Unlike the states, hikers don't check in with a ranger so no one knows if you're lost.  They were proud of their adventures and enthusiastically shared pictures.  The backpacks with freeze dried food, tents and clothes weighed over 60 pounds and at times traveled with them for more than eight hours.  We parted ways in town and they thanked us for the ride.  Poor hikers desperately needed showers and WE desperately needed to air the truck!  Hearing about their hiking adventure made me wonder if I would have been brave enough to attempt a hike like that in my youth?  Probably not but I admired them!

White Water Rafting, 100+ temperatures, smoke, smoke, more smoke and a winery!

After a brief discussion and encouragement from his wife (me), Perry decided to take the risk of white water rafting.  Of course someone had to stay with the dog and I would gladly make that sacrifice.  All kidding aside, I had no desire to go.  I reminisced of the time Perry and Kaylyn whitewater rafted in Oregon, toppling their raft and nearly drowning.  No thanks, Gracie and I would stay back!  Perry had a lot of fun and said he was the oldest by a couple of decades but was grateful for getting that check on the bucket list.  I'm also grateful he came back in one piece as I'd be stuck near "Hells Canyon" in B.C. by myself, stranded!!
The calm before the storm

The class 3/4 rapids of the Nehatlatch River











The last few days of our Fraser Valley trip were fun and memorable. We enjoyed a tram ride across the river in "Hell's Canyon", and went to "Blue Lake Resort" (trying to stay cool) in the 103 degree temperature a short distance away.  Once again, along a very steep, rocky and narrow road we arrived at the lake. Trying to escape the heat we watched kids jump in the lake and oddly enough there were thousands of frogs migrating.  They were fun to watch. 
The tram ride in "Hell's Canyon"
The fast and furious
Fraser River

The tram over the Fraser River












I will miss the trees that surrounded us in our campsite in Boston Bar 

We enjoyed our stay in Boston Bar with several fun experiences , but…… we were READY to go to our next destination of Hedley, B.C.











Hedley, B.C.
Floating on the Similkameen

It was a nice feeling knowing the RV park was a little closer to civilization.  The friendly owners escorted us to our spot and once settled, we walked a short distance to the Similkameen River where several people were floating on inner tubes or rafts trying to stay cool.  Excited to join them (and stay cool), we purchased our floaters in the tiny town of Hedley (pop. 200) .  Once inflated, cooler and towels packed, away we went to the river.  We talked with many friendly people, but one gal warned us to be careful as a baby rattlesnake popped up in the shallow water where she was.  That was ALL I needed to hear!  Leaving the towels on the shore, we tied our inner tubes together , anchoring them to a large rock. This would prevent us from floating down the river.  It was comical, especially with Gracie on Perry's tube and me paranoid about snakes in the water….eek!  It helped cool us down but it was more comical trying to get footing in the rocky river bottom which caused me to fall and swallow water.  More laughs!  The next day, with our river/inner tube experience,  we floated in the river talking to the same gal.  "Tiara" was her name with her husband "Brandon" and a few friends stopped by that night with a bottle of wine.  We talked about differences in our government and compared American/Canadian cultures. Our fun, younger Canadian friends stayed past midnight.  Yes, it's true that Canadians are very friendly people!
Floating on the Similkameen River in Hedley, B.C.

A new "floating" experience for Gracie!















Keremeos
Stranded in town but not for long!

Each day the smoke got worse, settling in the canyons making it more difficult to breathe. It didn't stop us from exploring .  A short twenty minute drive from Hedley is the town of Keremeos which had over a dozen fruit stands and a grocery store that couldn't be passed up.  While getting diesel in the truck to head back to Hedley, Perry said  "well, do you want the good news or the bad news?"  The bad news was the road back to Hedley was closed due to a wood chip truck catching fire and spreading to the side of the highway (wasn't sure what the good news was).  The road wouldn't be open until the next morning meaning finding a hotel?  Earlier we purchased food that needed refrigeration but thankfully had a cooler bag.  The Canadian fire website informed us what roads were closed  giving us hourly updates.  We found a local place to have dinner and talking to some locals who were also "stuck"  suggested, like them, we take a forest road back to Hedley (the only other way back to our fifth-wheel).  Being familiar now with Canada's' forest roads, we opted to wait it out.  Thankfully, the highway was opened earlier than expected and we didn't have to worry about finding a place to spend the night (the two hotels were full anyway). THIS was the good news!  Off the side of the highway, the truck and outlying grass area were still burning but traffic was able to get through.  Our nice RV neighbors hearing about the fire, were concerned about their American friends returning to the RV park safely.  
The smoke closing in!

The town's ambulance 
















A Day in Penticton!
Para-sailing a popular sport on the lake


The popular Okanagan Lake is 83 miles long with a
depth of 761 feet
Gracie graciously gave us a day to play near Okanagan Lake while she played with other furry friends.  There was a festival in Penticton that resembled our county fairs.  We spent time enjoying the beautiful scenery of the lake while listening to live bands.  This region is known for their wines and of course we had to compare them to the California wines.  We did souvenir shopping and enjoyed a nice Italian lunch in the beautiful and friendly city of Penticton.
 
Okanagan Lake



Church in Princeton, B.C.
Friendly and welcoming congregation!

We talked about checking out the town of Princeton, which possibly offered more hiking areas.  I really missed going to Church and Perry said he'd drop me off while he went to the store.  The church was very nice but simple.   In the beginning, the priest wanted to know who was visiting and from where.  Like others, I introduced myself and said I was from California. Everyone in the congregation clapped.  My guess is they were shocked I'd be visiting their remote small church all the way from California.  The beautiful service concluded and a nice man invited me to join them in the church hall for coffee.  Perry was waiting for me so I politely declined but as I was leaving the friendly church,  five different people were waiting to talk to me.   They made me feel like I was a celebrity asking questions like "how did you end up in Princeton,  what was it like in California?,  how are the fires in California?, " .  The people in the congregation were so friendly and if time permitted, I would love to have visited longer.  
The smoke in Princeton was so thick making breathing difficult,  that hiking was out of the question!  Instead, we picked up burgers at the local A & W  to eat by the river.  It was a quick lunch because hundreds of yellow jackets were flying around wanting our burgers! 


Last few days in B.C.

Our time in beautiful British Columbia was winding down.  One last visit to a  local wine region for wine tasting followed by a nice dinner in the small historic town of Hedley.  We will miss B.C. and all the nice people we met but it was time to head "back home". 
The only restaurant in Hedley
food was great!

 Leaving the RV park with the
 best memories!


Orofino Winery outside Karameos


After a short drive to  the U.S. border and the usual interrogation, we were told "welcome home"!  It felt good!



Next- The Bavarian town of Leavenworth, Washington.  Could the fire conditions get any worse?