September 14 – Friday – Northern Cascades Highway FIRE!
We leave Pat’s at 7 and head up 18 to connect with I-90 West. We stop for gas and coffee before we get to I-90. I try to put a lid on (the coffee, of course) and spill the whole thing on my door. I avoid getting burned, but am upset with myself. What a way to start the day!
The GPS is not helping with the confusion. First it says it will take 8 hours to arrive at our destination – then interrupts itself and says it will take 4 hours. What is going on? Bill worries and asks it kindly to get us to the Liberty Café (then we’ll be on 97 north). It worked – plus we have a lovely breakfast there in that cozy little place jammed with locals. Eggs for $5.99 – what a find.
On the road in Washington |
On the road in Washington |
We drive through lots of haze and smoke. Big, bad fires are near and expanding quickly. We see lines of fire trucks and a couple of signs pointing the way to “Incident Center.”
It is getting hard to breathe when we stop at Cashmere Information Center / Museum. The little old, very dignified, lady at the desk tells us the pollution level outside is at 497 (out of a possible 500) – Now that’s serious. Back fires add to the level – They are set to combat the big bad fire – hope it works.
Since we like the little old lady and the museum guide, Fred, and want to get out of the dangerous pollution levels for a bit, we pay for two senior tickets to explore the museum Fred gives us a great overview. He is very a brave warrior-testosterone type Indian – with ¼ of German blood accounting for his very blue eyes. He was born in Rosebud – Wounded Knee country.
The museum, once a mission, houses some real treasures. The first room is full of Indian artifacts up to 9,000 years old – sling spears (atali), beaded work, and arrow heads. There are other rooms dedicated to
- geological wonders;
- stuffed animals (coyote, bears, eagles, etc.) displayed in their natural habitat scenes;
- interior of a trapper cabin;
- pioneer artifacts (wedding dress, toys, furniture, etc.); and
- replica of the mission built by the boy scouts (in truth, probably built by their parents)
Outside, in the haze, sits a collection of old cabins, stores, and wood sheds, moved to this area. Wish we had more time to savor such a wonderful museum.
We listen to Indian Fred’s advice and take the road east of the Columbia River to avoid the fire activity. We drive on into smoke and haze that mask the surrounding beauty -- apple orchards, vineyards, farms, forests, and Columbia River.
We stop at Wells Dam to see Petroglyph Rock. The rock was moved next to the parking lot when the dam was built. We are disappointed in the rock, expecting more petroglyphs. (We are jaded – have seen too many amazing petroglyphs in our lifetime.) We are in awe knowing that Lewis and Clark traveled down the river below.
Wells Dam |
Wells Dam |
Petroglyph Rock |
Petroglyph Rock |
We catch 153 to the little old cowboy town of Winthrop. Invaded by artists, the place has delightful stores and carries such soul. Almost bought Zi a butterfly hammock, but was overwhelmed by too many choices.
Winthrop |
Winthrop |
At 1:30, we walk down Main Street to lunch at the Old School House Brewery, which was once the town’s school house. Each table had a chalkboard and chalk to entertain the kids. We are hungry and on the grumpy side. None of the waitresses seem to notice us. A loud group of cackling women, downing bottles of wine, are seated close by, adding to our annoyance. Out of desperation, I pick up the chalk and write on the little chalkboard – “Shoot me quick!” That brought instant service with a smile – exactly what I was going for. Bill and I split a huge grilled turkey sandwich with fries. Don’t even want to think about the calories. On the way out, we buy cool Old School House Brewery shirts for Brian (and Bill, too). Nice. Tummies are full and spirits are high. We get gas and leave town happy travelers.
Old School House Brewery |
Old School House Brewery |
Winthrop |
Winthrop |
Old School House Brewery |
Old School House Brewery |
Not far out of Winthrop, the skies clear up. Without the haze and smoke, the magnificent Cascades reveal themselves. From the windy road with not much traffic, we soak in the dramatic scenes. There are lots of warning signs “Watch Out for Deer.” A warning Indian Fred echoed as well. I decide to rename the scenic loop – “Scenery Gone Wild.” What a treat!
I see lots of aging motorcyclists and lots of “Bump” warning signs. It is a most peaceful valley. However, my ears buzz from the drop in elevation.
At 4:30, we stop at the Visitor’s Center in Newhalem, just 30 minutes before closing time. A happy Ranger guy with very rosy cheeks knows all about the trails and shares his knowledge freely. He also knows about the eateries in Marblemount (a town with services) closest to our little motel.
We drive on, stopping at a convenience store in Marblemount for beer and ice and bread (our standard supplies). Marblemount is a small town in a great environment – horses, barns, country roads nestled in the valley of the mighty Northern Cascades.
(I added the comment in the margins of my journal – “Gee Whiz / Wowie Zowie / Ohmygod Can’t Believe it – Those are some words I came up with to substitute the former mundane “beautiful, wonderful, amazing …)
We check into the Totem Trail Motel in Rockport with its 8 little clean as a whistle cabins. Friendly Sonya (a Kathy Bates Look-Alike) owns the place. She tells us all about the plants and apologizes profusely about the dying lawn – a result of no rain. From our perspective, the lawn was lush.
Totem Trail Motel |
Totem Trail Motel |
Totem Trail Motel |
Totem Trail Motel |
Our cabin was perfect – cozy and clean. Whoever maintains the place must have a bad case of OCD – probably the “Kathy Bates Look-Alike” owner. The chord on the hair dryer was coiled in a perfect circle. Bill loves it – I find it a little freaky.
We down a beer while watching the CBS news. The U.S. Libyan Ambassador and his 3 body guards, killed in a terrorist attack, came home to rest today.
We have soup and salad in town at the Buffalo Run. The owner is a little strange and the waitress does not approve of our healthy choices – but we are happy with the veggie soup. (However, I am having some withdrawal from my fries fix.)
We go back to our clean cabin, have a shower and go to bed. Love it here.
September 15 – Saturday – Hiking in the Cascades
Beautiful, Indian summer day with no sign of rain in the works.
We make coffee in the room and then go down the road to “The Eatery.” ‘The Eatery,” funky and real, is still run by the original family owners. Tootsie (now 89) makes the cinnamon buns. The three overweight young waitresses, probably descendants of Tootsie, seemed so depressed by their work. The wait was long … but the oatmeal was outstanding. Seated next to us was a table of 6 very BIG EATERS speaking in a foreign language that I couldn’t guess – always something to make you curious.
With tummies full of oatmeal, we’re off to a big hike – a hike to Cascade Pass. We drive 23 miles from Marblemount to the trailhead with the last 10 miles on dirt roads and no one in sight. But when we arrive at the end of the road, we find a big parking lot overflowing with vehicles. Oops – it must be the weekend! We find a parking spot that looks like it could pass for legal, park, and then make our way through crowds of tough hikers with just a few old folks mixed in (ourselves included).
It is a tough, 8-mile trail. We grind out the 4 miles of uphill switchbacks, which become relentless after a while. We begin in an ancient forest, shaded with killer views of the Cascades with background sounds of marmot whistles and one crashing avalanche. The trail emerges onto a ridgeline hugging the side of the mountain / cliff -- a little narrow at times, enough to kick in Bill’s mild case of acrophobia. We see the last of the wild flowers, but nothing like we saw on Mt. Rainier.
We observe one very obese marmot and lots of healthy, happy hikers. We make it to the Pass. I follow a sign to the toilet which leads me up into the woods which I find only some shovels and a simple sign, “Pee Here Please!” So I did.
We eat our peanut butter sandwiches at the pass with a group of happy college students. They share their snacks with us, then we head straight down, 4 miles, to the car – took forever. About 2, we are back at the car. The hike took 4 hours – that was with lots of photo stops. The photos are well worth it – See for yourself:
Cascade Pass Trail |
Cascade Pass Trail |
We drive 23 miles back to the road and at the junction decide to go back to the Newhalem Visitor’s Center to see the orientation video we missed the day before. What a stupid waste of time – a woo-woo, touchy feely production with no information. But we did talk to Ranger Daphne who knows all about the town of Newhaven.
Newhalem was remote and wild in the 1910’s when the power of the Skagit River was just being harnessed by a series of dams. Newhalem was built in the 1930’s as a company town for dam workers and their families. The buildings are still intact today. I’m strangely attracted to that town. We walk through the old company town and see the mark Superintendent Ross left on the place. He turned the place into a tourist destination doing some serious PR work to show the world the wonder of dams and electricity. Seattle City Lights still owns the place.
We walk through the old Powerhouse to see the remains of Ross’s gardens on an island, where monkeys and albino deer once roamed. He installed a rainbow of colored lights over the waterfall for more hokey fun in the 1930’s. Amid the remains of Ross’s carnival, we cross over the footbridge and look down into the water to see the first of the salmon who have returned to spawn. Nothing like spawning salmon.
Newhalem |
Newhalem |
We drive back to Marblemount (our adopted town) to get gas and milk for tomorrow morning’s cereal. The old guy at the cashier tells me that my team (University of Texas Longhorns) are playing football tonight.
We arrive back at the Totem Trail Motel in Rockport to find our beds unmade. All I can think is that maybe the OCD owner had a breakdown.
We drink a beer and watch NBC news. After a shower, we drive back to Marblemount for dinner. Not a soul was in the place we picked for dinner. Not a good sign, so we promptly leave and go back to the hopping Buffalo Run. We go crazy and order the massive Buffalo steak for 2 ($33). Back at the motel room, we moan and hold our poochy tummies while we watch University of Texas beat Old Miss. YEAH! Our Horns are going all the way! (I say that about all my teams the first of the season when HOPE rides high.)
September 16 – Sunday – Orcas Island
We eat cereal in the motel and then drive 2 hours to Anacortes. We call Janice to hook up at Starbucks (on the commercial section of the town). We drive to the quaint section of the old town and go to a café called A’drift. We gab while we wolf down the veggie scramble. A’drift is an appropriate place to talk – Janice just retired from a job in San Diego. We were neighbors and long term friends. She and her husband, Don, just moved to Anacortes -- residents for only one week – but a week of challenges and changes.
After breakfast, Don drives us to a beautiful view of the shoreline and then through neighborhoods in Anacortes where they are considering calling home. Janice is not happy with any of the options. They are nice neighborhoods where housing prices are cheaper than they are in San Diego – but they are not San Diego. It is clear that Janice made a mistake in packing up and leaving her beloved San Diego.
Anacortes |
Janice and Don |
Janice and Bill |
Janice and Nancy |
About noon, after our trek through the potential homes in Anacortes, Don and Janice drop us at the Ferry landing for Orcas Island. The 1.5 hour ride is beautiful, passing between tree-lined islands, but the hills are flat (what could I have meant by that?!?). The sun is not good for photos, so I put away the camera and write in my travel journal – and spare you of extra, uninteresting shots. However, I do document the new ferry boat experience.
We arrive at Orcas Island about 1 or 2. We both can’t believe this magical place. It is quaint, beautiful and happy -- no trashy road signs or other schlock allowed. The island’s got good vibes.
We stop in Eastsound for lunch. Our #1 choice, Island Grill, was just closing. The beautiful young hostess recommended a BBQ place called Fire Smokehouse and Grill. It was cool with the best BBQ anywhere! Unfortunately, it has since closed. The BBQ is the North Carolina BBQ brand and cooked in a smoke house out back. We split a pulled pork sandwich – everything was perfect, right down to the bun and dill pickle. For only 2 bucks, we added a pint of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer! Ohmygod we are euphoric.
Fire Smokehouse
and Grill |
Fire Smokehouse and Grill--Now closed |
We shop at the Market in Eastsound. Beautiful market -- the veggie and fruit cases are adorned with bouquets of fresh flowers. “Farm to table” was invented here. These happy Orcas Island people are very serious about their food – which is nutritious and delicious!
We find our way into the remote, eastern part of the island, just beyond Doe Bay. GPS knows where Cow Hill Road is and takes us to the Winterpond Guest House, our home for the next 4 nights. Euphoria rains down again when we see our wonderful new abode -- so peaceful, so lovely. Feng shui hovers over the grounds and certainly did its magic to us -- instantly turning 2 type A personalities into barely functioning D’s. Each window in the house frames an amazing view – the forest and water in the distance, the rolling hills, the country road, the healthy garden, and the pond. The birds hanging out by the birdbath were also under the spell, barely making a move. The place is so quiet that I can really hear the constant buzzing in my right ear. Where are the distractions when I need them?
Bill and I drink a beer on the porch and continue to gush about our new home. I’m living in a magazine and don’t want to turn the page.
We make a little dinner and then veg out on the couch to watch the news, “60 Minutes” and an OK movie on HBO -- “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” The movie is about a little boy with Asperger’s whose father dies in the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center. The director tried too hard to pull at your heartstrings.
We phone home to learn that Zi missed a question on her algebra test that she knew. It is HOT in San Diego and the kids have been hanging out at NiNi and Papa’s, using the air conditioner (glad we got it). Brian left for Las Vegas for a week-long business trip. Zion and Amy cut church to go to Juanita’s for lunch.
We turn out the lights about midnight and settle in our dream bed in our dream house. God we love it here!
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