2008 – Week 9


Tuesday, June 24, 2008:
When I was taking Daisy for her morning walk, I happened across 2 Park Rangers and asked them for a good breakfast spot and what the weather was going to be. The answer to the first was perfect and the answer to the second was “Dark gray in the morning followed by light gray in the afternoon”. That answer was completely wrong for when we left for breakfast the skies had begun to clear and by the time we started our bike ride, it was absolutely beautiful. It had to have been one of the best 5 days of the trip. We started our bike trip by going to the beach to put our fingers in the Pacific Ocean and to see the wreckage of the English sailing ship the “Peter Iredale” that went ashore in 1906 about 2 miles south of the mouth of the Columbia River. We then rode north about 200 yards inland

from the Pacific Ocean to see the South Jetty of the Columbia River that was built during the period 1885-1895 and renovated within the last decade. I did not find any information about how much land has been added as a result of the jetty, but from the maps it appears that the South Jetty starts at Point Adams near the site of Fort Stevens, an active military installation from the Civil War through the end of WWII to protect the country from an invasion up Columbia River. Sand deposits from the ocean and sediment from the Columbia River have combined to extend the land approximately 2.5 miles north and reducing the width of the entrance to the Columbia River. This concept fits with the information we received at Fort Clatsop that the river was more open to storms in the early 1800’s when Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805-1806 at the mouth of the river. We then rode back to Fort Stevens to visit this historical site, but were disappointed because all the old buildings were gone and the only remnants were the outlines of the WWII facilities. There was even a tour around the site (which we declined) in a “deuce and a half” truck used in WWII and later. For the sailors, Olin Stevens, who turns 100 this year, and is the father of the Lightning Class, took the “deuce and a half” truck and turned it into the amphibious DUKW that was used in the invasions of Europe and Pacific theatres. We return to the SP and had a good rest. Susie gave a Daisy a good brushing, and I am hoping that the people downwind didn’t get too much hair. We leave Oregon tomorrow and start our trek north along the WA coast.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008:
Once again we started out with very cloudy skies and 55 degrees temperature but by 11:45am, the skies had cleared, and the temperature started to climb. We stopped at the RV repair place, but I must have done something, because all seemed well. We took off across the Columbia River to visit the last of the Lewis and Clark exhibits. On the way across the bridge, there is a large sandbank that is visible only at low tide. We saw 3 bald eagles sitting on pilings waiting for the tide to change and the fish to come in. We stopped at “Dismal Nitch” where Lewis and Clark were stuck for 6 days before the storm passed and then at “Station Camp” where Captain Clark took detailed latitude and longitude measurements plus bearings to the geographic features in the area. A reproduction of his map confirmed what I had believed about the jetties modifying the coastline. We continued on to Cape Disappointment and toured the last Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

We then started driving north on US101 intending to go to the World Kite Flying Museum in the town of Long Beach WA. The town is typical seashore one, and the entrance fee was too steep for what we could see through the windows. We continued our drive north through wildlife preserves, forestry operations, processing facilities for oysters and Dungeness crabs. It was an informative look into the industries and way of life of the residents of this area. Along the route, we saw an ever-increasing numbers of silhouettes made from sheet steel depicting the earlier times in the region. If we had more room in the RV, we might have brought some of them home. We had seafood dinners in the Beehive Restaurant in Montesano WA; in truth, probably too much. We checked in to the Lake Sylvia SP north of the town of Montesano WA, about 35 miles west of Olympia WA, the state capital. We plan to visit there tomorrow and then go on to Tacoma WA for 2 nights. We are in a bit of a quandary about where to go next to make sure we get to the San Juan Islands on July 6. The current thinking is to try to get reservations at a campground in Mt Rainier NP and then swing east and then north through the Cascade Mountains before going to the San Juan Islands. The mountain passes through the Cascades should be finally clear of snow, but we need to get on the internet to confirm.

Thursday, June 26, 2008:
We walked the trails around Lake Sylvia SP this morning and witnessed more destruction from the December 2007 storm. Susie talked to some of the crew doing the cleanup who told here that there had been another big storm in the early 1960’s but there was not nearly as much damage then as now. I talked to the folks at Mt Rainier NP, and we should be able to campsites for Saturday and Sunday nights. We left the campground and headed east to Olympia WA to visit the Capital Campus and tour the Supreme Court and Legislative buildings. The House of Representatives and Senate were not in session so we could pretty much go where the guides wanted to go. Interestingly, the legislature is in session for 60 days, in recess for 122 days, in session for 60 days and then in recess for another 123 days. A few interesting facts about the legislative building: the building foundations were in place for a number of years, but an agreement on the requirements of the building could not be reached for several years. The area within the foundations was used as a swimming pool before 1922, when the building superstructure was started the building was completed in 1928, the 287 foot masonry dome is one of the largest in the world, most of the marble came from Alaska with some from Italy and Germany, there is a very large chandelier in the rotunda that was constructed by Tiffany Lighting and weights 10,000 pounds plus another 3,000 pounds of chain, this chandelier is large enough to fit a VW Bug or king size bed inside it
, there are 2 smaller chandeliers in a large reception room with at least 10,000 glass beads in each as ornaments
, the building has survived 2 earthquakes without any major damage. The Supreme Court was about to hear a case and so we couldn’t stay long. We took the free shuttle known as the DASH and headed downtown to the Farmers Market where we had lunch of oysters and crabcakes. We were also able to buy cherries, strawberries, bread and breakfast rolls. Onto the DASH to return to the RV. We took Daisy for a walk and I took pictures of the legislative building. We then headed northeast towards Tacoma to get ready for tomorrow. We are in a RV park a bit out of town with no public transportation nearby. I don’t want to drive the RV downtown so we’ll look for another way into town. A small beagle lives in the adjacent trailer and started howling when we came in. He seems to have settled down and maybe we’ll have peace and quiet.

Friday, June 27, 2008:
We were facing the sun when it rose at 5:00am this morning. It was an absolutely clear sky and would remain that way all day. We napped until 7:00am, and then got up to prepare for the 9:00am taxi that would take us into Tacoma to visit the Museum District. Daisy was walked, and we were almost ready at 8:15am when the taxi arrived. He waited for another 15 minutes while we finished up and drove us downtown. The first stop was the refurbished Union Station that is part of the US District Court facility. We wanted to see the building, but especially the glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly, a native of Tacoma. Especially striking were the glass flowers displayed in the east facing windows on the 2nd Floor because of the sunlight. There was also a glass sculpture hanging from the center of the dome where a chandelier would have been in the past. A wall of glass panels was mounted on the north wall and a series of glass tubes in 2 tree trunks. Security was tight because of Homeland Security, but we had the picture ID’s. From Union Station were went to the Visitors Center, that opened at 9:00am, and were overwhelmed by the amount of information and brochures that were pushed at us. We must have been the only clients in the last 2 weeks! We left there at 9:30am, returned to ask for a good coffee shop (they knew) to review the info before heading to the Chihuly Glass Bridge. There is a 50 foot covered section. The ceiling is a display of Chihuly glass pieces and the wall is an exhibit of larger glass pieces. Both the ceiling and the wall displays are protected by a flat glass surface to deter vandalism. The purpose of the bridge was to lead us across I-705 to the Museum of Glass where the featured exhibition was the life (still living) of Lino Tagliapietra, and the effect he has had on glass blowing in the US. Lino is a native of Murano Italy (near Venice) and came to the US in the 1960’s to teach but didn’t speak English. He was flabbergasted by the poor equipment here in the US, but also overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the students. He kept returning and eventually moved to Seattle WA. His fellow glass artisans in Murano were annoyed at him for giving away their secrets, but eventually came to believe that having glass blowing done well in the US would benefit them also. Included in the exhibit were pieces by students of his from his time in the US, and all say that he is the best and without his help, they would be nothing. After walking through the exhibit, we went into the Hot Room, actually a room with numerous furnaces and annealing ovens, and watched Fritz Dreisbach; working with 6 students of the Museum of Glass, make a glass sculpture that is part of his latest series. Evidently it took 3 days for the prep work to be done and then 2 hours for Fritz (everyone seems to call him that) and the 6 students to make the piece while listening to Ray Charles sing. People kept coming in to watch, but I don’t think anyone left. It turns out that Fritz taught glass blowing at Penland School in NC where our daughter was a core student for 2 years. As I sit here writing this, I think there must be a better name for this art than glass blowing as that is just a small part of the process. There is design, color selection, shaping and much more. We went to lunch at a small spot named the Renaissance at 2:30pm (just before it closed) and realized that we had 2 more museums to visit: the Tacoma Art Museum and the Washington State History Museum. We decided to do the Art Museum because it had more Chihuly glass and was smaller.
We checked out the History Museum and found that if we arrived before 9:00am there would be parking for the RV. We also bought a ceramic Native American horse for Susie. We took the free light rail and then found a taxi to bring us back to the RV Park. Daisy was happy to see us, and we have done our usual paperwork. Susie is issuing her updated blog as I am typing this.

Saturday, June 28, 2008:
Up again early this morning to get into the parking lot at the Washington State History Museum parking lot as recommended by the people yesterday afternoon. We arrived around 8:45am, and there were less than a dozen cars in the lot. We positioned the RV, placed the reflective window shields and turned on the 12V box fan that sits on the window ledge. Then we went to breakfast at the Renaissance. We had plenty of time so we walked to a shop that has 2 sections: the first focuses on emerging glass artisans, the second on established artisans in various mediums (however, there seemed to be a focus on glass). Susie found a book on Lino Tagliapietra she liked. All of a sudden it was 10:30am, a half-hour after the History Museum opened so off we went. The entry floor to the Museum had a permanent exhibit of the history of Washington State, including a geological display of how the land was formed including volcanoes, shifting plates and floods. The exhibit explained how the state grew and what industries were critical to its growth: timber, farming, railroads and shipbuilding. It was a very interesting display, and we came away very impressed. We then had lunch in a small deli and walked through an outdoor exhibit of Native American crafts. We returned to the RV, drove out of Tacoma and headed to Mt Rainier NP. We came across the north side on WA410 and then south on the same road until we reached WA123 that continued south. We had one really spectacular view of the east (generally) face of Mt Rainier,
and Susie spotted a trail through the snow. A bit later there was road construction underway, and at the end the sign said “End of Construction” and 50 yards later another sign “Rock Slides Ahead”. We tried to camp in the Ohanapecosh Campground in the NP but they were full. I admit to having a sinking feeling in my stomach that we should have spent one more night in Tacoma to avoid trying to find a site on a Saturday night. We continued south on WA123 until we reached US12 and after trying to find a spot north, we turned around and headed south. We found the US Forest Service La Wis Wis Campground and there were places available. There are lots of families, and the kids are having a great time. I learned that one of the four loops in this Campground was washed away during the winter storms this year. Other campgrounds are still not open, as the damage from the winter has not been repaired. We also learned that the road that winds its way up the east side of Mount St Helens has yet to be cleared so we’ll not be tempted to make that trip. We signed up for 2 nights and will spend tomorrow driving the south side of Mt Rainier and scoping out the area from where Jon Guth and friends will start their climb to the top of Mt Rainier in a few weeks.

Sunday, June 29, 2008:
Today was the day to visit the south side of Mt Rainier NP. We left our USFS Campground that is outside the park on the southeast corner on US12 around 9:30am and headed north on WA123 into the park before turning west on WA706 at the Stevens Canyon Entrance. The plan was to follow Stevens Canyon Road (WA706) to Paradise, visit the Visitor Center and then continue west on WA706 to the Nisqually Entrance at the southwest corner of the park. We wanted to view the park from west to east but so much for plans. The elevation at the southeast corner of the park was 2,100 feet, at Stevens Canyon Road 2,800 feet, at the head of Stevens Canyon 4,000 feet, at the Visitors Center 5,400 feet and at the Nisqually Entrance 2,000 feet. With these changes in elevation, great scenery should be expected and we were not disappointed. There was still significant amounts of snow from 3,500 feet and higher. If I read the information board in the Visitors Center correctly, the amount of snowfall on the top of Mt Rainier this winter was 87.9 feet and about 29 feet remain. As we traveled WA706 both east and west, we were able to see many climbers on the way to Camp Muir (10,188 feet) on training trips in preparation for a trip to the top which is more than 14,100 feet. Even with binoculars, they looked like ants.
Later in the day we saw people returning down the slope, maybe they had been to the top and on the way back. We saw numerous areas of recent destruction where small avalanches had swept down the slopes, across the road and continued to the bottom. The largest area of destruction that we were able to approach was the bed of the Nisquilly River where, in 1947, the Nisquilly Glacier had an unusual melt and the water roared down the river, carrying boulders, ripping trees from the banks and generally raising havoc. While 39 years may seem a lot to us, it is a mere tick in the time it takes for nature to recover. There are numerous active small waterfalls along the road, and we saw one being used as a car wash and another as a human shower. We declined both, much to Daisy’s disgust. Susie had a great conversation with a lady from England who was here with her 81-year-old mother to cheer on her 52 year-old brother who was training for a fund raising climb for clean air in mid-July. She told us that he had climbed Mount St Helens yesterday with a geology team. He almost made the Mt Rainier summit last year, but the weather turned bad, and the team turned around near 13,000 feet. We also talked to 2 older couples who live in Seattle. One man was the Honorary Consul for Iceland, and he promised to send Susie information in case I get to visit.We were told that this was a terrific day for viewing the mountain, and we believe we took good advantage of the opportunity. We took more pictures than any humans should, but that is the advantage of digital pictures. Numerous roads and trails are still closed with snow and downed trees so we have not been able to hike due to a lack of the correct equipment. The Tatoosh Range is to the south of Mt Rainier NP. These mountains are 25-30 million years older than Mt Rainier and, while lower, are stark and rugged. They remind us of the Tetons in Wyoming, south of Yellowstone NP. We crossed the Nisqually River on our way back and looking at the picture you might think this is all water, but it is actually boulders left over when the glacier retreated.
The clouds came in later in the day and finally the thunderstorms arrived with lots of lightning. That must be a problem to the people on the mountain. We filled up the RV with gas at a price of $4.559/gallon, a new record I believe. On the way back to the campground we saw an elk with velvet covering his growing antlers. He was standing beside the road eating grass and gave us a brief look as we passed.

Monday, June 30, 2008:
Today turned out to be a travel day. We had a phone call from Kimberly and Brian with a garbled message so we went to a place with cell phone reception and called them back. Kimberly’s Dalmatian was sick with a large tumor and was at the vets. We left the campground late and headed to the city of Yakima WA. The drive through the Snoqualmie National Forest and more specifically the Norse Peak Wilderness and the William O/ Douglas Wilderness was green, rugged and beautiful. We traveled along WA12, across White Pass and along Rimrock Lake before joining WA410. We stopped at the USFS District Office in Natches WA to find our more about campgrounds in the Okanogan and Enatchee National Forests (located to the east of the Cascade Mountains at the north side of the state. As soon as we left the National Forest, the land turned brown, a shock from the luscious green of Mt Rainier National Park. Unfortunately, as we have experienced before, if the office you stop in isn’t the one that monitors what you want information on, you can get nothing. With this lack of information, it is impossible to plan ahead. We stopped in Yakima, the land of fruit and wine. There are 40+ vineyards around Yakima, but the temperature was expected to be above 100 degrees so we move on north to the city of Ellensburg WA. We followed WA 821, the road before the Interstate was built. It follows the Yakima River valley and is between 200-300 foot high cliffs. We had hoped to see some mountain goats, etc, but it was much too hot and they must have been hunkered down to stay cool. South of Ellensburg, the cliffs disappear and irrigated fruit orchards and vineyards reappear. We slipped in to a KOA in Ellensburg, washed our clothes and were about to settle in when a couple pulled in nearby with a new Winnebago diesel RV. It is the same length as ours, but we don’t like the layout. However, they get 18-20 mpg depending on whether they are in the mountains or on the flat. They had a German Shepard so we talk for a bit. Sometime after we went to do the laundry a pickup truck with a slide in camper unit pulled in next to us. They were a young couple and had 2 Golden Retrievers. We put away as much stuff as possible and went to bed. The temperature had started to drop, and the wind picked up. With the wind blowing across the cold Yakima River water, the temperatures kept dropping and we expected a great night’s sleep.