SMOKE AND ALMOST FIRE

I’ll get to the smoke later, but first the “almost” fire part of my story.  Last night we were all sitting around the campfire (propane of course) and I decided to walk over and stick my nose in the fire ring! Not too bright. My Kathe jumped up to save me from becoming a canine torch and promptly fell on her buttocks. Luckily, Warren jumped over and pulled me to safety.  It was very scary for all of us. Note to self: don’t do that again!

Okay now for now the smoke part. Today the humans set out for a hike the Ross Dam trail. As they started driving east the sky started getting darker, and darker. By the time they reached the North Cascades National Park they smelled the smoke. The Ranger told us that the closest fire is about 25 miles away. We are only getting the smoke today because the wind shifted but she advised us not to continue to Ross Dam. 

The Ranger gave two suggestions for hikes where they would not be impacted (inhaling) smoke.  The first hike was the River Loop Trail which was right in the National Park.  It was a very peaceful gravel trail with forest of old grove redwoods and a great view of the Skagit River. 

After returning to our campsite, they took another hike right here in Rockport. The Ranger also recommended this hike in the Rockport State Park. By this time the winds had changed making hiking in this park really enjoyable.  The Sauk Spring Trail had many very tall Redwood including one called the grandmother which was over 400-year-old. The last hike of the day was another view of the Skagit River walking through a forest of beautiful redwoods and ferns. Everyone is tired and happy tonight. 

UP AND OVER THE MOUNTAIN

The drive today was gnarly. We drove highway 20 from Twist to Rockport, Washington. It was a hard drive for Warren and Jim but everyone else enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The Mountains were so high that we thought we were in Canada again. We drove up and over Washington pass at 5,477, then down and across Rainy pass at 4,855 ft. All around us were even higher mountains! Mt. Logan at 9,087 ft, Gardner Mountain at 8,897 ft, and many other mountains over 8,000 ft in the distance. 

And the trees! Forests of western red-cedar, big leaf maple, ponderosa pine, red alder, and lodgepole pine for miles and miles around us. There were a few waterfalls, and we even saw snow on some mountain tops. As we approached the end of our drive we could see Diablo Lake, a huge glaciated green lake with lots of people on paddle boards. My Kathe tried to take pictures through the windshield, so pardon the bugs!

Our home for the next three days is Glacier Peak Winery and RV Park. It’s a beautiful setting with lots of trees and blackberries bushes. Of course, Jim doesn’t like our site, but I reminded him that it’s Labor Day weekend and we’re lucky to have any spot! There are several hiking trails. I like it here as we have a big grass area between our two sites for Lady Bella and me to sniff and relax. We might be the only doggies here in the park, so we have the whole place to explore. 

There is a possibility that we might go fishing while we are here. There’s a river across the highway from our campground which is a beautiful clear green, but too shallow for fishing without a boat. 

FISH ON

The sun is shining today, and our RV park is filling up in anticipation of the Labor Day weekend. There’s been a lot of talk all week about finding the best place to go fishing here in Twisp. Jim and Warren ask the people in every sporting goods store and picked up some maps of lakes in the area. After much deliberation they decided to buy fishing licenses and travel to Blackpine Lake today where the fish were supposed to be ready for the taking.

After packing the car with fishing gear, camp chairs, and lunch and set off for the lake. Even with GPS they couldn’t find the right road. After several false starts, they finally drove on Twisp River Road for 11 miles before they found a faded sign on the side of road with an arrow pointing left. “Blackpine 8 miles ahead.”  They drove the first 4 miles on pavement, the next 4 miles on gravel, and finally found the lake.

It was a beautiful lake, but the fish weren’t exactly easy to catch. After trying all hooks, lures, and bait, Kathy T caught the first fish. It was a really large trout, big enough to take home. They continued to fish for hours trying different equipment and didn’t get another bite. 

A couple of kids joined them on the dock and started pulling fish out one after another. After watching them catch 4 in a row, Jim asked what method and type of bait they were using. He then followed their directions and right away he caught a large trout. 

It was a great day even if they only went home with 2 fish. The fish are in the freezer for now. Our fish dinner will have to wait. It was sausages and cabbage with apples tonight.

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 the raincoats and windbreakers come out. 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 black 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 help 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.