I wish I knew how they do it!

How do they jump from the ground so fast and run up a tree?  I've been watching them, and that's all I can do, watch!  Those squirrels are so gosh darn quick, I don't think I'll ever catch one. This place is teeming with squirrels and chipmunks so I'm not going to give up.  One day when Kathe isn't paying attention and holding on to my string so tightly, I'll get one, maybe.





I promised you some pictures of the campsite here at Newhalem Creek Campground in the North Cascades National Park, so here are a few.  Kathe and Jim went hiking today on a River Loop down along the Skagit River.  It was a short 1.8 mile hike so they walked it twice and on the second loop they saw some bear scat right next to the trail.  Bet that made them walk a little faster!





The campground was pretty crowded last night but tonight we are one of only three campers in this loop.  I walked around all three loops after dinner and none of them have more than three or four sites occupied.  Hope it isn't too quiet tonight, I really don't want to meet up with that bear.  Once you have smelled a bear, you never forget it!

It's All About the Drive

  
Today we drove through the North Cascades National Forest.  It was an 80 mile drive with the most beautiful scenery.  There were glaciers, mountains, lakes and waterfalls.  Kathe took all of these pictures out the window of the motor home at 55mph.

We arrived to find that the site we reserved couldn't accommodate our rig unless we could fold it in half and park at a right angle.  We eventually found a wonderful site under the trees, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to see that one.  Because I can't fit anymore pictures in tonight.


I love this place.  There are chipmunks and birds all over the place. And hardly any people or other dogs.  Paradise.

I'm really tired tonight because I walked around the campground loop 5 times, but I promise tomorrow to have a more interesting story to tell.  Today it's all about the pictures.

Sunny Day in Twisp

It finally stopped raining, and now they are complaining about the heat.  We woke up this morning for the first time in six days to sunny skies and beautiful white clouds.  Tonight it is 87 degrees and the air conditioning is on!  You just can't please some people.

I'm happy to report that howling Howard moved out this morning and has been replaced by a Springer Spaniel named Bentley.  I played with him a little, but when he got a little rough, I bit him on the nose, just to let him know who's the boss in this campground.

With the weather so nice today it was a hiking and biking day for Kathe and Jim.  Jim went out this morning for a mountain bike ride and Kathe did some "pink" jobs, laundry and house keeping.  Then she tossed me in the sink for another bath.  I guess rain water bathing doesn't count in her book.  Since the sun was shining, I dried off fast and was able to relax and take a nap the rest of the day.

As soon as Jim came back from his bike ride, they ate lunch and went out for a hike together.  First they explored the area of Pearrygin Lake State Park and then went back to the area around Sun Mountain for a three mile hike around Beaver Lake.

We are leaving tomorrow for North Cascades National Park.  Most National Parks do not have Internet, so don't be worried if I don't post a blog for the next three days.
  

The Old West

I stayed home today to keep an eye on howling Howard next door.  Turns out he's not a basset hound after all, just a very fat beagle.  Every time we leave the coach he starts howling at us.  So some one had to stay home and guard the fort.  We are all hoping his people will move on tomorrow and take him with them.

While I was on duty, Kathe and Jim went down the road a few miles to Winthrop.  It's an Old Western town that tries to captures the spirit of the 1890's.  The colorful main street has wooden sidewalks, false front buildings, and old fashioned street lights.  

They also stopped at the Shafer Museum which has several pioneer structures and a display of farming and mining equipment from the 1900's.  They toured the school house, doctors office, and the log cabin that was once used by the founder of the town.

After that exciting morning they drove to the Sun Mountain Lodge for a late lunch.  It's a beautiful stone hotel that is 9 miles up above the town of Winthrop.  The view from the restaurant was spectacular.



It was quiet there today, but when the snow falls the lodge will be full of cross country skiers taking advantage of the many groomed trails on the mountain.  In summer the trails are used by mountain bikers, and I think that Jim and Kathe are going to ride bikes tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

Twisp

We arrived here in Twisp, Washington at about 2:30 this afternoon.  It was still raining this morning as we started to leave Leavenworth, but it stopped as soon as we left the campground.  It was dry and almost sunny for our whole trip up here. This much rain is unusual for June and the cherry farmers are very worried about their crop.  Cherries can't be picked if they are wet, and all this rain may be a disaster for them.
This morning they hired helicopters to hover over the orchards to blow away some of the water so they could start picking.

We drove a little over 100 miles today along the Columbia River.  We past miles and miles of cherry, apple and pear orchards before reaching the River Bend RV Resort.  We have a nice site that fronts into the river, and except for the howling basset hound next door, things are great.  We sat outside in the sun this afternoon, something we haven't been able to do for the last three afternoons!

Here are some pictures of our campsite, lots of grass and trees and a great view of the river.  I have been able to run around on the grass anywhere I want and they have put away my short leash.  Paradise!

Rainy Day Blues

It's still raining!  Doesn't bother me much, but Kathe sure takes her time getting ready for my walks.  All I need is my leash, no jacket, no hat, socks or shoes, she sure is slow in the morning. 

I thought they were going river rafting today.  They didn't! In addition to the rain, it was 60 degrees outside and the river temperature was at least 40 degrees.  I don't know why they didn't want to go.  Water is water, right?

Here is a picture of what the town  looked like this morning.  Those are rain clouds over the town. Not a very promising day, so they came back to the motor home, took out their books, lit the fireplace, and there they sat.  All day long.

I never did tell you how Leavenworth became a Bavarian Village in the middle of Washington.  Back in the 1890's Leavenworth was a big railroad town with seven sets of tracks and a roundhouse.  It was a boom town with saloons, brothels, and an opera house.  The main industry was timber and the Great Northern Railway.  In 1925 the railroad relocated to Wenatchee and a year later the sawmill closed.  Those events and the two World Wars were a blow to the economy and the town died.  In  the 1960's the towns people got together and came up with the idea for "Bavarianization" to boost the economy. 

Almost every thing in the town is designed to look like an alpine chalet.  Buildings are painted to look like a scene from the "Sound of Music."  The names of the shops are, Tannenbaum, Das Lounge, Die Musik Box, and my favorite, the Heidle Burger!  The hotel names are just as nutty, Jim's favorite was the Bavarian Ritz.  Just what is a Bavarian Chiropractor? Yes, that's what the sign out front says. 

Kathe and Jim left to have dinner in Cashmere tonight with Rebecca.  They went to a barbecue place called Cowboy's and I hope they bring back a little doggie bag.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Boy, am I  soggy mess.   It rained all day today here in Leavenworth, and I do so love the rain.   Of course I wanted to go out again, and again and again.  I love to run through puddles and get completely wet.  I now have really curly hair, but no one else around here appreciates it!   My curls or the rain!

They left me about 11:00 today to go to the Upper Valley Museum in Leavenworth.  When they found out it was closed today they went back to the car.  It just so happens that they were parked in front of King Ludwig's authentic German restaurant.  You know Jim just couldn't pass that up!

After a pork schnitzel and sauerkraut lunch they needed a dessert, so they set out for Cashmere, Washington to visit the Aplets and Cotlets candy factory.  They took a tour through the kitchen and learned how the fruit and nut candy is made and packaged.  The company started making candy in the early 1900's with apples and nuts from the orchards they owned. Aplets was a candy made from apples and nuts and Cotlets was made with apricots and nuts.  Now they make candy using all kinds of fruits and berries.  There were LOTS of free samples!

If it doesn't rain tomorrow I think that Kathe and Jim are going river rafting.  I hope they have wet suits!  It looks very cold out there.

Into the Woods

I finally found a great place to walk here at the Icicle RV Resort.  There is a beautiful field of daisies and clover just outside, past the dumpster.  It took a little exploration, but now I am a happy doggie camper.  They still yell at you if you even come near the grass in the Resort, so this is great!

I wasn't expecting it, but today we moved again!  Jim found that someone had vacated site #18 one of the prime spots on the river this morning and ask the office if we could move into it.  I am thrilled, not only do we have a beautiful view of the Wenatchee River, but I no longer have to be parked next to that annoying Pomeranian.

This afternoon after the move, Jim and Kathe ventured back into the Bavarian Village.  It was drizzling, so it was much less crowded.  In their quest to find obscure and unusual museums, today they outdid themselves!  The American Museum of Nutcrackers is located here in Leavenworth.  There are over 6,000 nutcracker from over 45 countries displayed here.  The only other Nutcracker Museum in the world is located in Erzgebirge, Germany.












This evening they drove to the town of Wenatchee to have diner with Rebecca K., a friend from Los Angeles, who works here.  After dinner at the Pybus Market, Rebecca took them for  a tour of the town of Wenatchee. 
She promised to come here tomorrow for dinner with us.

Roll Out the Barrels

Here we are in Leavenworth, Washington, the little Bavarian Village nestled at the foot of the Cascade Mountain Range.  At least that's what the guide book said.  This place is like Solvang on steroids! Apparently they have a "Festival" every weekend and we happened to arrive during the Accordion Festival.

Kathe and Jim went into the town this afternoon but it's so crowded they came back to be with me at the quiet, Icicle River Resort.  They will probably wait until the polka music dies down before they venture back into town. 
There are all sorts of interesting things in town like pretzels, beer, and sausages!

They aren't very doggie friendly here, so Kathe is keeping me on the short leash.  It seems like the dog walking area is miles away, but we did walk down to the Icicle River and took a couple of pictures.  The water is COLD!  I just hope they don't plan to take me with them when they go river rafting.

Got to make this short, they are going out for some schnitzel!

Petrified in Vantage

The rain and wind kept us awake last night, but this morning there were little patches of blue sky and soon it was sunny and warm.  Kathe and Jim went for a hike in the Petrified Forest after breakfast, but I couldn't go with them because of the rattlesnakes!  Wow, first it was poison oak and now it's rattlesnakes, not exactly a fun place for doggies.  I did get a few loops around the campground as the ranger said that was safe.  They only see two or three snakes a year down in the campground. Yikes!



The Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is three miles from where we are camped.  There are 7,500 acres of fossilized trees dating back some 10 to 17 million years.  Unlike other petrified forests, these trees were encased in lava.  There were 30 species of trees identified here, but it is the only place in the world where petrified
ginkgo has been found.  After watching a film in the visitors center, Kathe and Jim took a two  mile hike to see some of the "trees."  The visitors center also had a display of petroglyphs that were found in 1959 when the Wanapum dam was built.

Next, they went to the Wildhorse Wind and Solar Farm where they toured the facility and got to walk inside a windmill.  There are 149 wind turbines on top of  Whiskey Dick Mountain and they produce 273 megawatts of electricity.  That's enough power for over 700 homes.

Well, that's about all there is to do in Vantage, so I guess we'll be on the road again tomorrow.

Rainy Day in Vantage WA

I was sad to leave our beautiful site in Yakima, but it was time to get on the road again.  As we left town I saw a sign that said Yakima was the Palm Springs of Washington State,  how about that!

We only drove about 60 miles today, an easy day for all of us.  We climbed up out of the Yakima Valley and stopped at a Vista Point to take a picture looking down into the next valley toward our destination.

Because it was a short drive today we arrived in Vantage, Washington, population 74, by 12:30 this afternoon.  They wouldn't let us check into our site at the Wanapum State Park  until 2:30.  While we were waiting, we ate lunch and Jim cleaned the motor home.  Just when he finished it was time to check in.  When we drove up to our reserved site we got hit with two giant rain bird sprinklers and the entire coach got wet.  No worries, about 10 minutes later it started to rain!  That finished the job.


The rest of the afternoon we just relaxed in front of the fireplace, napped, and watched the rain fall.  We have a great site, overlooking the Wanapum River. 

Hops are Tops in Toppenish

My morning was spent chasing robins and sticking my nose down gopher holes.  I was so tired by 11:00 that I told Kathe and Jim to leave me at home while they explored Yakima.  I took Kathe's nice soft white fleece jacket and curled up in it for the afternoon.

First, they drove to the small town of Toppenish where there are over 70 larger than life murals splashed on buildings throughout the town.  The murals are a visual history of the town from the early pioneer days to the present.  They add a new mural every year on June first. 

This is one of the murals on the side of the American Hop Museum.  The Yakima Valley is the nation's largest hop producing area due to the rich volcanic soil and Cascade mountain water.  Kathe and Jim learned all about the growing and processing of hops in this very unusual museum.

Next, they visited the Northern Pacific Railway Museum which was located in the 1911 brick depot that is being restored. This museum features tools, trains, photographs and railroad memorabilia.  Kathe enjoyed the collection of dinnerware from the National Park Lines while Jim was fascinated by the old steam engines.

When they drove back into Yakima they took a quick tour of the Yakima Valley Museum.  There they saw a large collection of carriages, coaches and wagons and stopped for a late lunch in the  restored 50's soda fountain. 

Yakima Sportsman State Park

We deviated a little from the original plan and left the Bridge River RV Resort this morning.  We were supposed to stay there for four nights, but two nights and about a thousand freight trains was enough for us!  Thank goodness for Internet!  Kathe found a State Park in Yakima and booked the next two nights here at the Yakima Sportsman State Park. 

We drove out of the town of White Salmon  on Highway 14,  connected to Highway 97, and then picked up the Interstate into Yakima.  Along the way we stopped at a Lewis and Clark Historical marker, a place where they had to lower their canoes 400 feet down a cliff with the help of the Indians. 

Along the way we passed lots of fruit orchards and snow capped Mount Adams which is almost 13,000 feet high.  Once we got to the park we were amazed at how beautiful it was.  California could learn a thing or two about how to run a State Park System from Washington.  We have full hookups, 50 amp power, water, and sewer all for less than $35 a night.  Did I mention it's also really beautiful?  We are camped under some huge Sycamore trees.




Kathe and Jim went for a hike after lunch, I couldn't go with them because of all the poison oak, but they had an exciting adventure without me.  They were walking along the trail when all of a sudden three skunks walked right in front of them.  Luckily, Jim spotted them before Kathe walked right into them.  Now that's exciting!

I spent the evening sneaking up on robins and blue jays!

Windy River

Woke up this morning to find out that everything was getting washed today.   The windows, the clothes and me!  Well, I was getting a little scruffy looking, so I suppose I needed it.  This was me wet, but after a blow dry I'm beautiful again. 


After they finished all their chores, Kathe and Jim went out to the Columbia Gorge to watch the wind and kite surfers.  Those guys were fantastic, only the best come here, doing 360's and flips while flying through the air.  Jim tried to get some pictures but they were soaring past so quickly it wasn't possible to get a good picture.


They  went back across that scary bridge to the town of Hood River for lunch.  After ordering lunch, Jim reached into his pocket and found that his wallet was missing.  He remembered having it in his lap when paying the toll, but it must have fallen out when he got out of the car.  He went back to place were the car was parked and there was his wallet, lying open on the street!  Everything was still in it including all his money.  Lucky that didn't happen in Los Angeles.

We can see Mount Hood across the river, but haven't been able to get a good picture without the clouds in the way.

Into Washington, the hard way

We left Salem this morning and connected back up with the I-5 towards Portland.  Lot's of Father's Day traffic until we reached the I-84 where we drove along the Columbia River for many miles. The scenery was awesome, tall cliffs and huge pines everywhere we looked.  We drove past the spectacular Bridal Vail and Multnomah Falls, but we were going too fast to get a good picture.  Just another beautiful place we will have to come back and see on another trip.




The scary part of the ride came just before we reached our destination, the Bridge RV  Park campground in White Salmon, WA .  We had to cross the Columbia River on a narrow two lane bridge with barely enough room for our big fat motor home.  Kathe was hanging on to the sissy-bar for dear life all the way across.  We only had inches to spare on either side of our rear view mirrors.  Quite a ride.  Needless to say we won't be going back that way! EVER!

I am enjoying the RV park, but haven't see any wildlife yet except for the 3 Yorkies in site #30. 

We have a better site than they do with a peek-a-boo view of the river.  We planned to stay here for four days until we saw the train track which runs right past the park between our site and the river.  I've counted about 10 trains so far tonight. 

Oh well, "On the Road Again", as the song goes!

Silver Falls State Park

After a quick trip to the doggie park Kathe and Jim left me for the day to go to Silver Falls State Park, the "gem" of the Oregon State Park System.  The park is in Silverton, about 25 miles from where we are staying in West Salem.   To get to the park you have to drive past an area where Christmas trees are grown.  There were thousands of them in varying sizes, all very green and beautiful.

Silver Falls Park has over 9,000 acres of spectacular scenery.  The park's most famous feature is the Trail of Ten Falls, an eight mile hiking trail which passes by and under the waterfalls of the north and south forks of Silver Creek.  The old folks didn't hike the eight mile trail, but they did two shorter hikes to the most popular falls, North Falls and Souths Fall.
They bought the T-shirts to prove it.

After the hike they drove 10 miles in the other direction to the Left Coast winery for a little tasting of the famous Willamette Valley Pinot Nois and Pinot Gris.  Hiking apparently makes you thirsty.



I think Kathe felt sorry for leaving me home alone all day.  When she got back she took me for a hike on the trail in the wooded area around the perimeter of the park.  Lots of good rabbit and gopher sniffs back there.  Then she took me to the big grassy dog run where I ran around in circles till my tongue was hanging out.

Tomorrow we leave for Washington and the Hood River.

Down by the Old Mill Stream

I like to wake Kathe up at 5 AM every morning  just to keep her on her toes.  I get her up, make her get dressed, take her outside for 5 minutes and then after I'm sure she's wide awake and can't possibly go back to sleep, that's when I go back inside, curl up in her bed and go back to sleep!  It works every time.  This morning I felt sorry for her and I let her sleep till 6:30.

Today they left me behind ( I wonder why) and went into Salem to the Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill.  They have buildings dating back to the early mission settlement of Salem in 1834.  Methodist ministers were sent here to bring Christianity to the Native American people of Oregon.   A docent  in period costume took them on a historical tour of 4 buildings including a church built  in 1858.  Here she is showing us a picture of her late husband Jason Lee, one of the missionaries.





These buildings were all placed in a park-like setting on the grounds of the Thomas Kay Woolen  Mill.  This mill produced woolen fabric and blankets from l889 until it closed in 1962.  Exhibits inside the mill include all of the original machinery used to card, dye and spin wool into the finished goods.  Jim  was really interested in all the machinery and Kathe enjoyed learning about the process of making wool into fabric.

A little rain must fall

Well, it can't all be sunshine and roses can it?  It rained most of today.  It was a traveling day and we went through some pretty intense showers for most of the trip.  Passed a lot of small farms and ranches along the way.  Even the cows were huddled under the trees to stay dry.  As we got closer to Salem we began to see some sunshine and the famous Willamette Valley vineyards.  There are over 126 wineries in this area.  Wonder how many Jim and Kathe can visit in three days!

Not much exciting happening today.  I watched Jim clean the mud off the motor home as soon as we arrived and it stopped raining.  Kathe did the laundry and grocery shopping.  Guess, just because it's called a vacation you still have some work to do.


We are camped in a really pretty resort right along the Willamette River.  Lots of beautiful trees all around us.  Think I'm going to like it here!  

A relaxing day

It was nice this morning just to sleep in and not have to pack up and move again.  I know we are on our way to Washington and can't stay here forever, but it sure is a beautiful place.  I'm glad that we stayed two nights.  I heard them talking about extending our stay, but I think we are moving to Salem tomorrow as planned.

It was really cool this morning, I curled up in front of the fireplace and took a nap while they went out exploring in the little town of Canyonville. 

They found a very large antique store in town. Kathe picked up a treasure and Jim found a Louis L'Amour paperback that he hadn't read.  After that  they drove to the Pyrenees winery in the town of Myrtle Creek and stopped for a tasting and purchased some local Umpqua Valley wine.  That's where they found the covered bridge and took this picture.

Seventh Heaven at Seven Feathers

It took us about 4 hours today to drive from Mount Shasta, California to Canyonville, Oregon.  Our trip took us past miles cattle ranches in California before entering the green forests of Oregon.  There were several steep grades to go up and down and up and down again before we reached our destination.  We arrived at the beautiful Seven Feathers Resort in the late afternoon, and I think it is one of the best places we have ever stayed.  The sites are large and beautifully landscaped and there are walking paths and features all through the park.  It is rated a 10-10-10 Superior by Trailer Life and we definitely agree!  Even the dog park is beautiful, with nice fresh redwood bark and no weeds.




The casino and RV park was built by seven families of the Umpqua tribe, thus the name, Seven Feathers.  The casino has a beautiful sculpture of an eagle at the entrance that must stand 30 or 40 feet tall. After cocktails and barbecuing steaks Kathe and Jim tried their luck at the slot machines.  They came back early so I guess we didn't strike it rich.  There's always tomorrow.