A SURPRISE VISIT

We have made our way to Ferndale, WA where we just wrapped up a few days with friends.  It was a great time and we really enjoyed ourselves.  Today the last of them left and we were on our own.  Every time we are here I like to drive out to the home my parents built and retired to that overlooks the San Juan Islands.  They bought the property in the mid 1960's and when they did their good friends and neighbors bought the lot next to them.  One of their kids, Colin, and I were the same age.  We attended the same schools from Kindergarten through High School.  Although my parents sold their lot and moved back to Seattle, I suspected that Colin's family still owned their lot so every time we do the drive by I try to see if anyone is there.  Up to today I had no luck with that and had not been successful in contacting Colin in other ways.  We pretty much lost contact over the years and were busy with our own families and careers.  Today was different, we almost ran into each other as Colin drove out his driveway on the way to the hardware store.  We greeted each other as I blocked the road and then we went on and did the hike we had planned nearby while Colin did his errand and later we had a delightful visit with Colin and his wife Leah while we enjoyed the view and the great weather.  It was a great day for us.  Here is a composite of Colin and me with what is most likely our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, probably about 1952 or 53 and then today - 63 or so years later.

WINTHROP, WA

Yesterday's Route

Yesterday we made the trip from Sagle, ID to Winthrop, WA with our friends Larry and Linda.  The drive was uneventful however our chosen route is not one I would recommend to others driving big rigs.  Tight two lane roads following rivers in canyons with too much construction.  I was pretty tired by the time we got here to Winthrop.  Today, Saturday, we are hunkered down in the coach while under a flash flood watch because of some severe thunderstorms forming over the North Cascades, pretty much right above us.  Many campers here in the KOA have packed up and headed home and others are huddled in their tents and RV's like us.  One way or another we will head into town later for dinner and  hope for better weather tomorrow.  We are thankful for a decent internet signal here.  It's all the entertainment we've got other than a few DVD's.

Weather map looks like things are beginning to lighten up.

On the other hand it looks like we are in a good place overall.

MOUNTAINS AND CAIRNS

Yesterday we made a trip into the Cabinet Mountains in Montana to visit a grove of old growth cedars in the Ross Creek area.  It was like walking through a sanctuary in the forest.  Having been in the desert these past months it was nice to reconnect with some real trees.

A view of the Cabinet Mountains, part of the Rockies.

A real cute tree huger.  I took her home with me.

Cairns in a dry creek bed left behind by other visitors.

A close up of one of the taller cairns.

I constructed my own cairn in honor of my brother Doug.

HIKING ON SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN

We are "camping" in our friends Larry and Linda's driveway near Sandpoint, ID where we had a great 4th of July that included their son and his family here visiting for a few days.   After the 4th we decided to take a couple of days off and go up to Schweitzer Mountain, a local ski resort just outside of Sandpoint.  We stayed in the lodge there and just relaxed.  Yesterday we took a two and a half hour hike on one of the many trails available on the mountain.  Many are also winter cross country ski routes.  On our little outing we had good views back towards the resort village and down on Lake Pend Oreille.  We also managed to encounter a good sized moose on the trail.  (Apparently I should have been announcing "Hey Moose" instead of "Hey Bear".)  Bullwinkle saw us about the same time we saw him.  We stopped and stared at each other for a moment or two but we had no intention of getting closer.  Moose can be very dangerous.  After a short time he decided to exit the trail into the bush and let us pass which we did very carefully.

Looking back at the resort village.

Bullwinkle looking back over his shoulder at us just before he made his exit.
(We did not see Rocky)

One of the different views of lake Pend Oreille

The mighty Rock Woman striking a pose.

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK - Some highlight photos.

Got Lucky.  Hard to get space in front of the sign.

Literally greeted by a US Navy brass band.

There is nothing much I can add about these photos.  The somewhat washed out colors are simply due to the distances involved and the scale of the whole thing.  

CLICK TO ENLARGE.

Hike the next day.

A DAY OF ASCENSIONS

Yesterday 6/26/16 Arlyene and I finally made the ascension up The Highway To The Sun here in Glacier National Park, over Logan Pass and down the other side to St Mary's.  More on that later when our internet connection allows for some photo uploads.

Shortly after getting back into cell phone coverage near St Mary's I received word from my sister-in-law that my younger brother Doug had made his own ascension having passed away shortly before 2 pm.  I only made it to Logan Pass... and I had to come back down.   Doug made it a lot farther and he gets to stay forever.

This BLOG is our Travel Journal.  Sometime our journey takes us to unexpected places.  Today my blog post is a pause to remember Doug who was the "middle" brother, and Glen my youngest brother who is also gone but not forgotten.

Me, Doug, Glen

Gone From My Sight

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone."

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

GNP DAY ONE

We arrived safely early this afternoon at our campground just outside Glacier National Park after a slow and sloppy drive in the rain.  We are being treated to on and off showers, heavy at times, and some wind.  We have a lovely campsite with plenty of room.  I would post photos except our internet coverage here is pretty much limited to simple web access and e-mail.  Too slow for much else and that is Verizon 4G!  Just glad for decent e-mail service.  I will post one photo here and see how it goes.  May need to save most for after we get into better coverage.

The weather forecast seems to be promising us at least one good, clear day and possibly two.  I think a campfire will have to wait.  Probably movie night tonight - Avatar.

The alien spaceship I was trying to photograph just escaped into the clouds as I snapped the shutter.