The North Cascades (America’s Alps) is a beautiful stop on our journey. Not to mention the warmest temperatures (72 degrees) since Indio! It is also Memorial Day weekend, and the place is a zoo! Cars are everywhere, people are everywhere. Its almost as if friends and families have been freed from a pandemic and are now happily gathering together again after more than a year of quarantine and social distance.

Case in point, our camping neighbors, with double the allowable tents on their campsite, two dogs (Luna and Lance) and countless children. My guess from looking at all of them on the trail is that they are all young tech workers who have made the trek to the National Park to enjoy a holiday together. I really wanted to poll everyone who passed us on the trail “Computer Science degree?”

After arriving and getting the camper situated we decided to hike the Thunder Knob Trail. The info Jane had on the trail said it was 425 feet of elevation gain. The park brochure said 625 feet, but my feet and legs were claiming even more! We had about a quarter of the trek up left to go when a pair of young girls skipped past us and announced “You have a LONG way to go to get to the top!”. Thanks for killing my spirit I muttered. It would not be a proper vacation without at least one hiking turning out to be way more challenging than you thought.

Nevertheless it was a spectacular view of Diablo Lake. The kind of place you could just sit and contemplate the beauty of nature, and remind yourself that there is a lot of good in our country.

It was a perfect night for a campfire🔥 unfortunately we were lacking 🪵 🪵 The National Park prohibits gathering 🪵 as well as the sale of 🪵. We should have bought 🪵 in Marblemount from one of the friendly people on the side of the road! We made due with what our predecessors had left us in the fire ring and a little bit of kindling that was laying next to the 🔥 pit. The leftovers consisted of three large 🪵 that refused to really burn. Jane did her best to whittle down the 🪵 into smaller chunks but really only made more kindling. We managed to enjoy it all for a couple of hours anyway.

This morning we had many options! Jane had a very long list of hikes we could do. We decided to head for the furthest one called Blue Lake. Alas when we arrived at the trailhead the lot was still under many feet of snow. We hiked through the lot and attempted to find the trail itself, which did not look at all inviting.

OK, for plan B we drove back toward camp thinking we would stop at Rainy Lake. It looked snowy as well, but the sheet we got from the ranger said that it was “A wheelchair-accessible paved trail to a mountain lake” How hard could it be? Our first clue should have been the couple and their dogs on skis! It turns out that when a wheelchair-accessible trail is under anywhere from 5 to 20 feet of snow it makes for a lot of ups and downs! Lots of slippery climbs and feet sinking six inches into the snow! In short, it was a snowy adventure (in shorts!) just trying to figure out where the trail was.

If Jane hadn’t downloaded the trail on her All-Trails app we would never have found the lake! We would trek a ways forward then stop and consult the map. inevitably we were off to one side or the other of the official trail. We were completely by ourselves, and I immediately thought about the warnings that there were bears and rattlesnakes about. Well, I was not worried about rattlesnakes! I wasn’t really worried about 🐻 either but the thought did cross my mind.

After all of our work to get to the lake it was definitely worth it, all the more so because there were only a few people there. A real contrast to the campground!

By the time we finished the hike Jane’s feet were soaked! We were both way more worn out than anyone would ever imagine after a simple two mile hike on a wheelchair-accessible trail 😂 On the way back to the campground we discussed our options. Jane had made a second reservation for tonight at Pearrygin State Park, in case it was too cold in the National Park. Its not cold, but we decided that we might as well make another 60 miles of progress this afternoon as another hike was not in the cards. Who knows how busy this campground will be but we might as well find out.

It turned out great! We have a great site right next to the lake, and it was a beautiful night to grill some steaks and enjoy a campfire. This time we stopped and supported the “neighborhood kids” outside of Winthrop by purchasing several bundles of 🪵 for our upcoming 🔥.

Yesterday was laundry day and hang around the park day. Jane headed into Oak Harbor to wash a load of clothes while I stayed at the camper to catch up on a some emails and Runestone issues. She brought me donuts.

To work off the donuts we decided to do a nice long hike to the bridge and up to the summit. It was a great hike and a good chance to break in my new hiking boots. I don’t like them as much as the Salomon’s so I think there will be another trip to REI when we get back to Minnesota.

Here is a view of the bridge from the north beach. One fun fact about this bridge is that it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1934 and 35, one year to build the bridge! It has been a two year project just to repaint the bridge in 2020/21! I’m not sure I’d call that progress.

Here is another shot from the bridge itself.

After the bridge we had a little more climbing to do to reach the summit where we had a fantastic view of Whidbey Island, the San Juan Islands and much more.

Back at the campsite it was fajita night. With chicken fajitas cooked over an open fire, and some Kirkland margaritas.

This morning we woke up to a bit of broken sunshine at our campground. The water was as smooth as glass. A bit of rain left over from last night was dripping down on the top of the camper. We got packed up and headed out to Port Townsend to catch the ferry to Whidbey Island. When we arrived the man working the booth warned us that due to high winds and the tides today there was a pretty strong chance that our ferry would not run as scheduled. A quick check of the weather app confirmed that the high winds were due to get worse as the day progressed. Sure enough as the time to board came closer the announcement came that the ferry would not run. A quick consultation with the man working the booth advised us that Kingston was not having any of these problems and that we should head there as the next ferry was also likely to be cancelled.

So, here we are at the Kingston Ferry waiting our turn to load. As we wait I noticed a ferry worker measuring the clearance of all of the campers. Jane had read that at low tide there can be an issue with getting on and off the ferry if you don’t have enough clearance. But, we are safely on the ferry now ready for the trip across. When we arrive in Edmonds we will take advantage of our new drive to stop at REI to exchange my defective hiking boots, then hit Costco to refill the tank and finally head to our campground. What should have been just an 80 mile day is turning into 160 mile day. The campsite was a bit of a challenge to get into and get the camper level, but we are getting quite good at it now.

For dinner we had a real treat! We met Jane’s cousin Jeff and his wife Barb, whom we met a few years ago in Seattle, and another cousin David and wife Mary for supper tonight at Nell Thorn’s Waterfront Bistro in the nearby town of La Conner. Yum!

I had a delicious crab pasta, but my favorite was the crispy polenta with gorgonzola sauce! It might be the richest thing I’ve had to eat in a year. We had a wonderful dinner and great conversation. We also learned that another of Jane’s cousins owns a restaurant in Leavenworth called Viscontis. I hope we get the chance to try it as the reviews and food look very good!

On the way back we were treated to a bit of rain and a beautiful sunset.

This morning we went through all the weather in about 30 minutes! We started out at our Salt Creek campsite, where the forecast was for 60 and overcast most of the day. But as we climbed toward Hurricane Ridge we got into the low clouds and rain. The temperature was dropping quickly as we went up, but then we emerged from the cloud into beautiful bright blue sunshine and we had the joy of looking down at the top of the clouds!

In our fun quest to retrace our steps were trying to find the place where we took a couple of pictures on Hurricane Ridge. I apologize for the short shorts! It was the 80’s after all.

Here are today’s photos:

We did a little more hiking to enjoy the spectacular views!

Then we were off to find Marymere falls!

I’m not sure who took the photo in 1986, but they managed to make it a little blurry. This time it was very sweet. We were getting ready to do a selfie at the falls when the young couple behind us asked if we wanted them to take our picture. Sure, I said, we are trying to recreate this photo from 35 years ago I said. It is from our honeymoon, Jane added. This young couple had just gotten engaged. So they took our picture and added that 35 years was a long time and certainly something to aspire to. Oh my.

As we were headed back down the trail, I noticed that the bridge we had just crossed looked pretty familiar. It is the bridge below.

With my darker clothes it was impossible to even see me, when zoomed out. So here is a slightly zoomed in version of the same picture.

And last but not least, here is Jane crawling through the tree. As John Carlis used to say, never let the facts get in the way of a good story, so we are going to say that this is the exact same tree, with 35 years of growth and reshaping of the hole!

The opening has changed, but Jane’s sense of adventure is still the same as it always has been!

Ok, here ends the nostalgic photos from 1986. We have had a blast the last two days trying to find the right spot and angle. It is amazing how similar some things are and how much some things have changed! Ruby Beach is nearly identical to what it looked like 35 years ago. The moss covered log at Marymere is nearly identical! Yet the branch that was sticking out and up is gone with no sign of it.

Tomorrow we leave the peninsula and take a ferry to Whidbey Island!

Thunder Island Brewery in Cascade Locks

The plan had been to bike around crater lake. Then we learned that the road was not open yet. Although it is May 22nd, they had not yet opened the rim road due to heavy snowfall this year. The Rim hike was also closed due to snow, so we ended up walking the part of the road that was open to hikers — Discovery Point to the Wizard Island Overlook.

It was cold! We are not used to temperatures in the 30’s! I personally did not pack well for this trip. I usually bring way too many cold weather clothes and not enough warm weather. But this trip is the opposite. So I have on my biking base layer, a long sleeve T shirt, a vest, a sweatshirt, and my rain jacket! After our hike we did stop at the gift shop and I scored a nice wool camping shirt. That will help, but I think I’m going to miss my puffy jacket.

We did enjoy some great sights on our two mile hike.

After our Crater Lake hiking we stopped at Beckies for lunch. Its amazing how smells bring back memories. Sitting outside this walkup restaurant waiting for my burger I was transported back to the drive-in in Storden Minnesota. Yeah, its just hot grease, but still.

On the way back to the campground there were two more opportunities to see the beauty of the Rogue River.

Meanwhile, back at the campground, the plan was to make some soup for supper in the instant pot. But it seems that the electrical cord has gone missing! Another stop at Wal-Mart or best buy I guess…. I don’t know where it could have gone as it has never really left the camper, and I’ve used it at least once before. But we looked everywhere, and by we I mean both Jane and I so it wasn’t just “man looking”

Tomorrow we have a fairly long day heading North to Cascade Locks.

Crater Lake

8:00 This morning we are getting an early start and I’ve decided to record this in real time, or at least near real time. We have another 50 miles on Highway 1, so more slow going on twisty winding roads. I’m writing this as we go today. We have left the coast and are amongst the redwoods. The road is super narrow but lined with trees, its just beautiful the way the sunlight filters through creating shadows all around us. There are few turnouts , so no real opportunities for taking photos.

9:25 still a few more miles to go before we get to the 101.

9:39 Just saw our first advertisement for the “Drive Through Tree”! We will not fit, but hopefully we will see it.

9:45 We are on the 101, but a sign advises us that there are sharp curves for the next 9 miles and we are advised to slow down. 😜. Lots of tourist traps for “tree houses” and Confusion Hill House, and the “one log cabin!” An entire log house made out of a single log. It looks like more of a hobbit house or a culvert with a door, but whatever.

9:52 We are on the freeway, at least for a short time…

10:03 - the legend of bigfoot! complete with three highway patrol officers with their lights flashing. I guess we will not stop to buy any bigfoot souveniers.

10:20 We are now on the Avenue of the Giants. We are heading for Founders Grove to make a stop and enjoy the Redwoods for a bit. Some of the Redwoods in founders grove are over 350 feet tall!

Lots of pictures looking straight up today!

11:08 Just finished the nature walk at the visitor center. Amazing! There is no way our pictures are going to capture the size and beauty of these trees!

12:00 Just finished our walk at Founders Grove! Amazing, Amazing, Amazing. The Founders tree is 349 feet tall! More than a soccer pitch! The diameter is over 12 feet and the circumference just over 40

12:10 pull over by some big trees for a picnic lunch along side the road. A most picturesque lunch spot!

12:24 back on the road — 2:17 minutes left to our destination. The rest of the day will be on Hwy 101.

1:30 Gas stop in Eureka! Last stop before our campsite…

2:25 Arrived - Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

2:45 We have determined that our campsite and our camper are incompatible. The site is steep and it is impossible to get our camper anywhere near level. Jane seeks out the Ranger to see if there are any cancellations.

3:00 they have two possibilities for us. After a little walk around the campground we determine that one is super small, and level, but there would be no room for the truck. Luckily the other will work great for one night. Its a bit exposed with the slide hanging right out to the road. But most sites near us are already occupied so we don’t expect much traffic.

3:45 we are finally in our campsite with the trailer leveled up and the solar panels plugged in.

4:00 we take off for a hike, having abandoned the idea of a 20 mile bike ride.

4:20 we arrive at Fern Canyon for our hike. It is for the best that we didn’t try to ride our bikes here after all. Its a steep one lane road with the barest of turnouts for when you meet someone. Thankfully the hike makes it all worth while. Fern canyon is a coastal bluff left behind by the retreating oceans years ago. The steep walls of the bluffs are covered with ferns, and the little steam running down the middle makes for a beautiful hike. Again the pictures surely do not do it justice.

5:25 depart Fern Canyon for Lady Bird Johnson Grove. This is completely different than Founders Grove as it is higher in elevation, on a ridge top where the winds challenge the trees all the time. Its great that this is named after Lady Bird Johnson, who fell in love with this grove when she came to dedicate Redwoods National Park in 1968, but it is pretty humbling to consider that when many of these trees have been here for 1,000 years!

7:00 Back at the campsite! Time to make some dinner and relax. Tomorrow we head to Crater Lake where we will stay for two nights.

This morning began with Coffee and a quick, but promising, Zoom meeting with the folks from ProjectSTEM.org, about how Runestone and ProjectSTEM can work together. After that energizing call I quickly transitioned to camper loading mode, before heading out for our final nine holes of golf with the couples league at 9AM. In the meantime the guys showed up to start laying the Pavers in our new courtyard area! Talk about a busy last day in the desert!

Our latest journey will take us up the california coast following Highway 1 and 101, through Oregon and into Washington state where we will retrace the steps of our honeymoon from 34 years 11 months ago! We’ll call it 35 years. when we finish our visit to the Olympic Peninsula we’ll head east and meet our friends Jim and Karen in Chelan Washington, and then make a beeline for Minnesota across the barren north! We are looking forward to 3 weeks of beautiful scenery, eating seafood out, hiking, biking and our little camper.

We are now experiencing LA traffic, sitting on the Ventura HIghway, going slow., the free wind is not blowing through our hair as we have the AC on. We also haven’t been hit by any purple rain, so we got that going for us. Only 98 miles to go to our campsite but the estimated time of arrival keeps holding steady so I guess all this traffic was anticipated. I’m happy to report that the temperature here on the 101 is a good 20 degrees cooler than when we left Indio just a few hours ago. That is down 20 degrees from 100!

We are now happily in our campsite at El Capitan State Beach! It is only 65 degrees here so its starting to feel like Minnesota, but we are so happy to be on the road and are already enjoying this new adventure! We got the camper set up and went for a short hike! Next up happy hour, dinner, and then some rest after a very busy day.

Almost to vail

Snow flurries in Utah.

Vegas

Katie Kukulka, an information officer with the California Energy Commission, takes photos during a tour of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nev. Feb. 13, 2014. The project, a partnership of NRG, BrightSource, Google and Bechtel, is the world’s largest solar thermal facility and uses 347,000 sun-facing mirrors to produce 392 megawatts of electricity, enough energy to power more than 140,000 homes.

3.5 hours on the road

Two hours on the road

Glad to see the official announcement of Apple’s “Spring Loaded” event next week. I’ve been living with a cracked screen on my iPad long enough.

A really nice round this afternoon at Heritage Palms!

And yes, I can still put it in the water from here…

I never thought of myself as a Snowbird, but even with COVID-19, our second Winter in Indio is amazing! In college we used to joke about getting condos in the same building when we got old, so we could party together every night and have fun after we had worked hard and raised kids and … But who knew that something like that would actually start to happen?

Here we are in our mid-50’s; living a retirement lifestyle, while still working a balanced workweek. What do I mean by that? Well here is our basic daily schedule. Of course this may vary due to visitors or other events.

• 5:30 AM wakeup, wait 5 minutes for the water to get hot and then get out of bed and make a delicious pour over coffee to start the day. Read the news and do Sudoku or The NY Times crossword until 7:00AM
• 7:00 AM Be productive.
• 8:00 AM play pickleball — unless I have an early tee time on Monday or Friday with my wonderful TGIF group.

• 10:00AM Be Productive
• 2:00 PM If it is Jan — March, take a bike ride (unless I’ve already played pickleball and golf!). If its April or May it may be too hot to ride now.

• 3:00 PM — Occasionally this is happy hour time over zoom with friends back in the midwest.
• 5:00 PM almost always happy hour out here. Unless you are still on the course for a late round of golf.

• 6:00 PM cooking time!!!
• 8:00 PM Done with cooking and dinner time to veg with a movie or TV show. If it was not COVID times we could imagine playing cards with any number of couples we have met! Our favorite shows are:
  • Ted Lasso
  • Chicago Med/Fire/PD
    • The Voice
  • Handmaids Tale
  • For All Mankind
  • Mrs Maizel
• 10:00 PM Bed Time. — read until you can’t anymore, then fall asleep.

Today was a rough day. The hills were steep, the good people of Galena seem to hate bikers, and I was chased by a goat.

First, the hills. There were a lot of them, and some of them were steep, really steep. 16% grade on one of them steep. This makes for pretty difficult riding if I do say so myself. Overall, today was not very scenic and it was all on roads, sometimes with shoulders and sometimes not.

The people of Galena. So here is the thing, coming into Galena there is no shoulder on the road so I have to ride in the lane. People are in a hurry so rather than waiting to pass me when there is no oncoming traffic as one would do when passing a car, people decide to crowd the center line and see if they can’t get by. This creates a situation that is extremely dangerous for the guy on the bike! The roads are filled with cracks and other obstacles that cause us to swerve that drivers of cars don’t even notice. when you only give me a foot of riding space that is not much room to maneuver.

My strategy is to simply claim the lane, which of course does not win me any new friends. I’ll move over when it is safe for them to pass. Really it is not that much time out of your day to wait for the oncoming traffic to pass so that you can pass me like any other vehicle. And it sure as heck will save you a lot of messy time explaining to the police why you caused an accident.

The goat…. What can I say, I was just coming up a hill, admiring the Halloween decorations at yet another country store, when all of the sudden this big goat comes at me. Where did he come from!?? I guess he escaped his pen, or maybe he was put there to guard the pumpkins? I wish I had our little episode on camera but his horns looked quite nasty so I didn’t hang around to get that Kodak moment!

Despite all of the annoyances, I made it safely to our campground at Mississippi Palisades. The park is huge and our campsite was way back away from everything. We grilled some pork chops from Fareway over an open campfire and had a good night.