PEARRYGIN LAKE PARK

We were happy this morning to see that the rain had finally stopped. It wasn’t a bad storm, just light rain all night long. The sun never came out today, but it didn’t stop the humans from their plans for a bike ride in the State Park.  Well, at least 3 out of 4 planned to ride, but my Kathe decided to just hike in the park. She wanted to avoid another crash after her last encounter with the pavement. At least she can still stay upright while walking!

The bike trail started out on gravel and then turned into a single narrow track. It was difficult for Warren as his electric bike wasn’t working at all and Kathy’s controller stopped working several times causing her to fall into the bushes. Seems like Jim was the only one who enjoyed the ride. His bike has lots of gears in addition to an electric motor. They were all disappointed except my Kathe who walked for about an hour and then sat on a bench reading her Kindle while waiting for the riders to return.

 While she was hiking she stopped to take some pictures of the lake. The terrain was very dry and there was recently a fire in one area of the park. There were still lots of green pine trees and grass around the lake. A good lake for the paddle boarders.

If you’re wondering what I’ve been doing I’ve been taking very slow walks around the campground and along the river. So far I haven’t seen any wildlife. No chipmunks, no squirrels, nada. I did find a feather this afternoon, but no bird. I’ll keep looking!

AT LAST A RAINY DAY

It’s been so hot everywhere we’ve gone that a little rain was welcome this morning.  In my opinion it wasn’t rain, just a few sprinkles here and there, I didn’t even need to shake it off when  I came inside. But you know humans, a little rain and out come the windbreakers and rain coats. They have such short fur it really does seem necessary to me. All this worry about rain cancelled out the plans for fishing and bike riding today. It took all four of them sitting around this morning to decide what to do in the “rain.”

First they visited the number one thing to do in Twisp, the Cinnamon Twisp Bakery. Eight pastries and four coffees later, it was time to explore the town of Winthrop.

Driving to Winthrop with everyone telling Jim different directions, they almost missed the town. My Kathe remembered being here before and finally convinced him to drive over the bridge into the historic area of town.  They spent the whole afternoon shopping in the various shops. Jim finally bought a new pair of hiking boots after years of shopping for the perfect pair. We shall see!

The town has a western theme and wooden sidewalks and many of the store fronts look like they are the original stores from 1924 when the town was established. The Kathies looked at all the kitchen gadgets and clothing, but the guys did a lot of bench warming. 

Later, they finally found the ACE hardware store and purchased fishing licenses. Looks like the Taylor’s and Jim plan to catch our Friday dinner. My Kathe is taking no chances, going to the grocery store just in case. Looks like it’s bike riding tomorrow if the weather clears. 

TWISP

A short and scenic drive today to the town of Twisp, our home for the next four nights, the Riverbend Resort. The highway was steep in many parts and a lot of sharp turns. Our drive was interesting, we left behind all the orchards and vineyards along the river and we started to see more fields of hay and horses. Once we got set up at the campground we had sites facing the Methow River. They are long sites with some grass and lots of trees for shade. It is very warm here but not as hot as previous spots at Summerhill Farm. 

This afternoon we just watched the river go by. It’s shallow and there are lots of rocks. There is some talk of fishing, as there are several lakes nearby. Will it ever be more than talk, I wonder? Jim wants to find a hike, but it’s still very warm for that, at least if we went fishing I could dip my paws in the water and cool off.

The “She Shed” was finally set up this evening. Dinner was served inside the screened in shed. While they were eating dinner they thought they saw a black bear across the river behind a tree! Then all of a sudden there were 10 or 15 of them coming down to the river to drink! Only they were cows! 

ONE LAZY DAY

It was so hot today that everyone slept in until after nine o’clock. It was a lazy day for all of us. After my second breakfast, I went back to sleep. I got tired of watching Jim on his phone and Kathe with her nose in her Kindle, so I curled up and got some shut eye. 

Then around eleven o’clock Kathe pulled out her needlepoint and Jim went over to the Taylor’s to chop up some oak wood for the barbecue.

Kathy T spent the morning organizing kitchen cabinets. The biggest excitement all day for the humans was their trip to Walmart. Told you it was a lazy day.

We are just about the only campers here today as most everyone left on Sunday. It’s really, really quiet here with just us and the coyotes at night.

Kathe and Jim went out to the u-pick raspberries this afternoon only to find that the vines had all been cut down. Never fear, they picked some giant blackberries, and bought a watermelon at the farm store.  

If you ask me, it was really a nice restful day. Tonight we watched the farmers kids on their motor bikes chasing the deer away from the apple trees. Perhaps something more exciting will happen tomorrow when we get to Twisp, Washington.

Here are some pictures of the farm, it was really a great four days here.

LAKE CHELAN

It’s very hot today. Over 100 degrees and there are no trees to shade us in this big metal box we live in. Luckily, we have 3 air conditioners going at full blast so staying inside is the ticket for me.

The humans decided to explore the area of Lake Chelan this afternoon. First, they started to drive around the lake. They drove for miles and never reached the end of this giant lake. It’s over 50 miles long and at its widest point it’s two miles across. There were lots of boats on the lake and hundreds of homes built on the shore. They were thinking about renting a boat tomorrow but decided to do that at a smaller less populated lake.  There were so many boats, paddle boards, and kayaks in the lake today, I think that a good call.

They drove into the historical town center and watched a dozen or more teenagers jumping off the bridge going into town. There is a sign that says “no jumping off the bridge” but that didn’t seem to stop anyone. There were several interesting shops in the town. A few clothing stores, a kitchen store, a health food market, and several real estate brokers in one city block. The Kathies purchased some fudge and my Kathe bought some kitchen gadgets. Then it was time for lunch. They stopped at a bar and grill and ate huge salads before heading back home to nap before dinner.

This evening they had dinner at the Siren Song winery. A beautiful setting high above the lake. They enjoyed the wine and the dinner and took this photograph before the sun set tonight.

JUST CHILLING

Another day on the farm! While I was taking my after breakfast nap, Jim and Kathe walked to the edge of the farm to check out the Farm Store. Goodness knows we don’t need anymore fruits or vegetables but they couldn’t resist. There is a raspberry patch in front of our coach and this morning they were harvesting the berries. Jim and Kathe got the last box for $6 at the farm store, they look delicious. Apparently, they have a u-pick option and for $4 you can pick a pint for yourself. Maybe they will do that before we leave the farm on Monday.

Today was mostly chores for the humans. Jim paying bills and Kathe doing laundry. I have been enjoying this place on my many short walks during the day and longer walks when it cools off in the evening. Kathy T said she heard coyotes last night, so we better be careful.

This afternoon Warrens daughter and grandson arrived for the day. They went kayaking this morning and arrived after lunch. Tawny, Warren’s daughter knows a lot about the wineries in this area. She suggested they make a trip to one of her favorites, Tildio Winery. It was a beautiful setting overlooking the lake. Warren stayed home with his grandson and started cooking the ribs he plans to serve for dinner tonight.  

Right now it’s time for Margaritas, chips and guacamole, over at the Taylor’s. I’m going too, you never know when the chips may fall. 

DOWN ON THE FARM

Interesting drive today. We passed miles and miles of pear orchards just ripe for the picking. Of course at 60 miles per hour my pictures are a blur. We know that all those pears are ready to be picked because there were large wooden boxes set out by the orchards waiting to be filled. Once we passed the city of Wenatchee we drove north all along Lake Entiat, a 17 mile long reservoir. Lots of water skiers on that smooth water.

Finding our destination, Summerhill Farm RV Park was really difficult.  We drove past the city of Chelan, past the Lake, and up, up, up to the top of steep hill before we finally found the place. We were thinking that we would be camped by a Lake, but instead we are camped on a farm.  

It’s not what we expected but it’s really pretty special. It’s a working farm and we have full hookups facing a field of raspberries and the apple orchards. There are several tent sites in between the rows of apple trees where families have set up camp, but our sites are more traditional. There’s a farm store where we can purchase all kinds of fruits and vegetables on the honor system. 

It was super warm today when I went to visit the billy goats, but now it’s cool and so quiet. Since we are so far away from the city tonight the stars  amazing!