A Reputable Journal

Well, I think it is time to head East. When we started making our egg scramble for breakfast this morning the sausage had mold on it, and so did one of our bags of shredded cheese! Its nothing that a stop at a grocery store won’t fix, but we are both ready anyway. We’ve been on the road with the camper for 20 days, and it has been quite a trip.

The last few days have been really wonderful. We got to park the camper at Lake Chelan State Park and hang out with our friends Jim and Karen for three days! Jim and Karen are experts on the Chelan and Leavenworth areas having both lived in the area before, so they had lots of great outings planned for us.

Day One, we met at the Wal-mart parking lot to leave the camper until check-in time and headed out for a wine tasting and lunch! We found a great location at Benson’s who also served a great local wood fired pizza. Check out this amazing view of Lake Chelan from our lunch stop!

That pretty much captures the area in a nutshell. Everywhere you go you are treated to amazing views of the lake. By the time we finished lunch and our tasting it was late enough to move the camper to the campground.

With the camper situated, we were able to explore the south side of the lake and see the Holden guest house that Jim helped build many years ago. We had another pre-dinner wine tasting at the Tsillan (pronounced Chelan) winery. The weather was HOT 95+ degrees. The wine was also really good. I’m bringing home bottles of Rosé and Pinot Grigio. Dinner was in downtown Chelan at Campbells, followed by a campfire back at our site. There were two big RV’s next door to us, each with a gaggle of kids and their bikes. The kids were riding their bikes back and forth, no hands, getting as close as they could to Jim and Karen’s car parked in front of our camper! This was making both Jim and Karen very nervous, and they were ready to make the drive back to their place anyway, so they left. Meanwhile the biking and the squeaky bike brakes continued long after dark! We laughed that we are edging ever closer to those old people that yell “get off my lawn!”

Tuesday morning, Jim and I headed out for a ride up the lake. It was perfect weather and a great morning for a ride. My fat tire had to work hard to keep up with Jim’s road bike.

We had bratwurst for lunch at the campground, and then Jim and Karen took off to take care of some family things. We were also awaiting the arrival of Jane’s aunt Joanne and uncle Dale. Her cousin David drove them up from Yakima to see us. This is Jane’s last remaining aunt and uncle and we haven’t seen them in years so it was great to see them and have a chance to chat.

Wednesday, the plan was to head to Leavenworth, where Karen’s parents and cousins live. Karen had a favorite hike for us to do, and Jane’s cousin runs Visconti’s restaurant there. Leavenworth has been remodeled to resemble a Bavarian mountain village and is a charming little town. We enjoyed a lunch at a local Mexican restaurant (Yes, I know, not very Bavarian, but we just had brats for lunch on Tuesday). We visited the local fair trade store that was owned by Karen’s parents as well as the hat shop and toy shop owned by her uncle.

Downtown was really hot, so we headed up the mountain to take a hike along the Icicle river. The snow melt is fast and furious in the mountains so the rivers are really flowing.

Although the water was very cold and the temperatures up on the mountain were much cooler we were still all pretty hot and tired after the hike. So we showed up for our reservation an hour early. No problem we enjoyed some more local wine and eventually ordered our meal.

Karen was going to spend a couple of days with her parents, helping out around the house, so we dropped her off before making the hour long trek back to the campground. By then we were tired so we just spent some time picking up the campsite and preparing for our morning departure.

The campsite was very tight, and in addition, there was a car parked right across from our site, making our exit very narrow. after getting the trailer hooked up Jane nearly had us out of the site except for the large rock blocking the corner of our site. I had tried to move it earlier in the morning in preparation for our exit but couldn’t move it. Luckily there was a burly young man doing his dishes at the water faucet on the edge of our site who said “I can move that rock for you”. together we rolled it over and we were able to get the camper out. Our next move was to wake up the tenters that owned the parked car and ask them to move it. Thankfully that was not needed.

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 🔥.

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!

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.