Pacific Rim Park

Toured Victoria after leaving the Pacific Rim Park

At the right is Barry drooling over this 150 ft. sail boat. Must be a wall streeter. Young kids on the deck playing!

Visited the Art Gallery here – Emily Carr was a feature – Canada’s most well know artist. Inspiring – Much of her work was devoted to the First Nation peoples and their environment and the incredible beauty and ecology of the country and most specifically Vancouver Is.

We have been told that the weather is unusually cool and rainy for this time of year. Heavy rain in the night but during our visit here, while cool, not rainy. Lots of opportunity to bike ride. Everywhere there are bike paths and parks – wonderful gardens. This atmosphere and environment is surely conducive to gardens. Much of the island area of the island is farm country with lots of roadside stands of strawberries chard now filly reading for picking. The city exemplifies their English heritage – high tea available at the Empress Hotel on the water front. Homes and public buildings look very British.

Sea planes fly to the mainland regularly right from the down town area. Floating homes on the waterfront – reminded of Sausalito in SF, - It’s a walking city for sure.

Back in USA for now on our way back to Maine. Another great ferry ride back to Vancouver and then thru the southern Cascades. A little foggy and showering but the midst and fog add to the beauty especially along the river which are flowing rapidly and furiously. I would not want to be rafting these.

Vancouver

July 7^th Spent yesterday touring Vancouver on a hop on hop off trolley and then walking in the rain around Gastown, Chinatown and “the war zone” according to a passerby who gave us directions to a more desirable section of town. All in all a very modern, beautiful city. Seems very conscious of the environment and saving energy, recycling – propane buses etc. Spent time at the Public Market on Granville Is – reclaimed from 2^nd WW industry into a tourist mecca of arts and theater and food stalls etc. Chowing down on delicious fresh raspberries and blackberries. Dinner on the dock over looking the city.

See recap of the first couple weeks below.

June 30^th – Oregon mountains looming large – thru Bend then wheat fields also filled with wind mills. Maybe 2000! Mt Hood than the Columbia River Gorge and the not very quaint town of Rufus to Doug’s.

June 29^th – Off to Crater Lake where we found at least 3 feet of snow in the campgrounds. I guess that is normal for this time of year. Trips out to the island won’t even begin until mid-July. Ranger hikes are on snow shoes. Rim loop of the lake is open – we got lots of photos - remarkable site - comfort for the soul.

June 28^th – Rainy walk thru Ashland – Long walk after it cleared in the park then to the Shakespeare Festival’s Love’s Labor Lost in the Elizabethan Theater, a 21^st century setting of the bard’s play – Luckily we were under an overhang as it started to rain and a good part of the theater is in the open. Very well done. Next day a more modern play – seen on Broadway a few years ago - August: Osage County. This was performed in the armory because a structural problem had been discovered in the famous Bowman Theater about a week prior to our arrival.

June 27^th – On to Ashland, OR – Campground on Emigrant Lake just north of town. Beautiful lake, great breeze and sun shinning – lazy day of planning.

Passed thru Trinidad – quaint, quiet coastal town - bought salmon at Kate’s – written up in the Washington Post as best in the west. Visited Patrick’s Pt. State Park – one of the nicer ones in CA. Their parks are hurting due to the budget short fall. Then to Lady Bird Johnson’s Redwood Grove – dedicated to her by Nixon – in the Redwood National Park and on to Jedediah Smith State Park – still in the Redwoods close to a cool, clear Smith River.

On to Ferndale, Eureka and Arcata – Victorian homes, Kinetic Museum, Art Museum and the Arcata Wildlife Sanctuary which has had national commendation for its method of treating the run off from roads and parking lots into the sewerage overflow using the marsh land.

June 26 -27 On to Humboldt State park in the Redwoods area. Driving thru the Avenue of the Giants. Thanks to friends of the Redwoods who convinced the Rockefellers to help preserve 10,000 acres of these magnificent trees. Hopefully we can curb climate change so these giants will be preserved. We went on an 8 mile walk from the campgrounds – Measured one tree circumference – 41.8 ft. another named Big Tree was 363 ft. tall – bigger than a football field.

June 20 -25

Beautiful warm day to walk on the beach and then on up the coast – Camped at Gertle campground in Salt Pt. State Park. Explored some of the small towns along the way – Elk – very creative art center, Gualal Arts center, Pt. Arena where the bakery produced goodies for the movie Chocolat. On to Russian Gulch Park – ranked very low on our scale of 1-10 so we didn’t spend much time there. All along the highways are wild flowers – foxgloves, lupine, daises and more. Spent some time in Mendocino – quaint town of Victorian houses, lovely art center and great market. Caught with internet at the local coffee shop. Toured Sea Ranch at some point. A development about 10 miles long on 101 with very strict codes – most of the houses look like modern barns, all gray wood construction – even the fire department. One day we stopped at the chapel which was given to the community for an opportunity to have a spiritual connection no matter what persuasion or no persuasion re. religion. Just being there was a mystical happening.

Next stop Noyo Harbor at Ft. Bragg for Dungeness crab and wild king salmon.

On to the Jackson State Demonstration Forest – met the host who directed us to a remote camp site next to a babbling brook. Crabs for dinner!

Gene, the camp host arrived with loads of folklore and local history with a suggested hike to nearby waterfall thru a red woo forest. Sun streaming thru to the forest floor – good for the soul.

Off to the Lost Coast – another windy road up and over the Kings Range. Walked the black beach where there is the fiercest surf I’ve seen. Stayed at BLM campsite surrounded by giant trees.

Redwoods and Cannabis reign in this area. Ads in the paper suggested a cooking class for cannabis.

June 19^th – Happy Father’s Day – Early morning walk with Marshall and Houlie : various trees: prickly Ponderosa, (cone), gentle Jeffrey and Sugar Pine surround us. So long to his family – hot ride down to Sacramento thru Napa and Sonoma to Sebastopol where the Luther Burbank Experimental Farm is. There is a 135 year old walnut tree he planted there. Very hot here. The story is that Burbank sold his rights to the hybrid potato he had created back in MA to a seed company for $150 in the 18 hundreds and left for CA. This is the Burbank Russet potato we eat to this day. Off to Bodega Bay on the Pacific – camped across from the beach. Very windy and chilly. Foghorn blowing in the distance.

June 18^th – Geo-caching day! Many finds around the Union Valley reservoir. Learning alot of the natural history from Marshall. Saw a pileated woodpecker right next to our geo caching site and eagles flying overhead...

June 17^th – Eldorado National Forest – Lots of sun – time to read, relax, plan and wait for the family to join us.

In the beginning June 11, 2011

On the road again. It’s sunny in California – surprise, surprise although they have had the same cold spring as we have. We arrived just in time for a great party on the beach celebrating the relief from winter. Lots of kids racing around and the local barbeque specialist came and provided the crowd with incredible ribs, California style. It was, incendently one of the girls friend’s birthday – so yummy chocolate cupcakes with loads of chocolate frosting.

My bike arrived and Marshall and the girls have given me a tutorial on proper shifting. And the girls set my up on the Wi program they have so exercising with them has been fun. They get a kike out of my un- coordination.

Next was a dinner cruise sailing on the lake in Marshall’s boat? It was a beautiful evening – clear blue sky – snow clad mountains surround the lake. It will be some time before the mountains are free of snow.

Next was end of school day for Madeleine with a picnic and then friend’s day at the beach. Barry washed and waxed the Casita so we are all set to head out to Eldorado National forest for a camping trip with the family and celebrate Marshall’s birthday and father’s day.

Vancover

July 6^th From Foggy Dew to Vancouver

Awakened by the roaring creek at 56 degrees F. and got on my bike to ride the 4 miles to the main road. Met the Casita and off we went to Canada via the North Cascades Scenic Highway. Stopped in the town of Twisp for coffee. Believe it or not for this small town with one main street they have a coffee roaster and café along with a bakery called the Cinnamon Twisp!

On thru the town of Winthrop, a relatively new town made to look like the old West. .Has all the usual tourist attractions. This is also the area where the Smokejumpers Base is where fire fighters are trained to parachute into remote areas to fight fires. Twisp is becoming an arts town but the main street looked very quiet.

There is a 125 mile trail Methow Community trail that connects all these towns in the Methow Valley. As you drive along – winery, orchard of apples and cherries span the view. At some points the brown hills rising up from the green river beds almost look like a western Grandma Moses.

All along the Scenic Highway are trails including the Pacific Crest Trail and the road weaves between Ross Lake, Diablo Lake and Gorge lakes- all dammed to feed Seattle and environs power. At a look out with binocs, I could see the fire station that Jack Kerouac stayed at many years ago. Desolation Point.

At the visitor center fro the Northern Cascades National Park, I picked up Encounters with the Arch druid. John McPhee is the best. The first chapter is about David Brower’s

hike here with the miner from Kennecott Cooper. Another summer re read.

On to Canada – and traffic all the way to Vancouver. Staying in N. Vancouver and just had time after dinner to take a tour of Stanley Park. Folks here are lucky to have this – bikers, hikers, swimmers walkers – every one seems to be taking advantage of this verdant park with beaches and playgrounds and marinas.

Its nearly 10 PM and still light out.

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Movin' On

July 5^th

Left Rufus and headed toward the North Cascades National Park driving along the Yakama River Valley. This is a productive area for Delicious Apples, wine and cherries. Very well irrigated by the river and further on toward the north again the Columbia River. It is dry, high desert and hot. About 90 degrees.

Before we left Rufus, I send Madeleine Saxe, about to enter the 6^th grade, To Kill a Mockingbird. It is on her summer reading list and I re-read it after about 45 years. It is celebrating its 50 year anniversary as being one of America’s greatest novels. It’s a great lesson in the need for equality.

First stop on the road was at Toppenish which is a mixed and diverse city on the Yakima Indian Reservation. Had a long discussion about the tension that exists in the community greeter at the information center. He mentioned he was in the Marines in Maine and I didn’t talk like I was from Baa Habor. He mentioned that the Native Americans in the area get at least 2,000 a month from the federal government for not being able to fish because of the dams and more for the leasing of land they own to white folks. Also made a comment that they were free to give an amount of money to political campaigns. He shrugged when I mentioned the Supreme Court decision re. corporation as individuals. I have to give him his due that he wasn’t totally racist but implied that the Native Americas were.

I have become hooked on artistic murals. It seems that many of the towns here record their history on local buildings in the form of murals. I took a few pictures in The Dalles, OR and Toppenish,WA. where there are many to their credit. Apparently there is a Mural Society that directs and approves murals –they have to be before 1945 historically. We spent a lot of time today walking the town taking pictures which I hope to share. Each year on the first weekend in June the Toppenish Mural Society gathers a talented group of artist together to complete a mural in one day. This began in 1989 when “Clearing the Land” was created. Since that first mural more than 20 years ago, the local mural society has continued to commission artists each year for the event. Now there are 72 murals in the city depicting the city’s history.

Long day driving to Lake Chelan. My Lamaze teacher and honorary Vice President of the Sierra Club and New England Chapter member, Abigail Avery spoke of this area often. Abby was a staunch supporter of the club and always mentioned we should always recycle ourselves within the club of course. While the town itself was quite a disappointment, more lake Naples, ME – the first view of the lake from above was impressive. the state park not a place we could stay – only one site left and so crowded – definitely not our style – so off to greener pastures. Abby was one who came in the spring for the migratory bird sighting and helped create the wildness area in the northern part of the lake far from the maddening crowd.

On our way north we passed a number of parks and wildlife areas. – Not far from the highway was a mother osprey and babies on their nest atop a telephone pole. we finally have come to rest today at Dew Campground in the Ogandan nation al forest. We are the only camper here. The site we are at is on the point with the confluence of two roaring creeks bringing the melting snow from the mountains down to meet the Columbia River. We have seen the snow packed mountains in the distant off an on our drive. First Mt. Adams then Rainer and now the Cascades. Mt Baker tomorrow I am sure.

This has reminded be of the book, Encounters with the Arch Druid. A good read for anyone. David Brower, America’s pre-eminent environmentalist and form director of the Sierra Club goes along with those who would despoil the land for monetary purposes. It’s a series of venients - One with a minerals and min in expert, hell bent to mine the North Cascades Mountains. Guess what – National Park now. Also am reminded about Floyd Dominey and the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers all the while I have been here in the Northwest and the Southwest. Since we have been to Hoover Dam – think we can skip the Grand Coloee which is about 50 miles from here.

July 4th Rufus

At the Gorge!

Brad and Trina with Barry at Rufus

No wind on the 4^th in Rufus – Waiting for wind is like watching paint dry. Off to Hood River to check out the scene there. Sure has become up scale since we thought of moving there 15 years ago . The area for kiters is cordoned off from spectators – however, none that I saw can do the tricks that our certified instructors can do. Stopped by to see Brad’s best man and family and to say goodbye.

Wrapping up in Rufus – off to Silak, WA for the murals and North Cascades National Park.

4th of July

Happy 4^th of July!

Brad and Trina arrived at the park last nite. Doug and B and I went to visit Maryhill historic site yesterday. A beautiful home overlooking the Columbia River Gorge in WA. Legend has it that the guy Sam Hill wanted to create an agricultural utopia here but he was a few miles to far east and it was too dry. However he built this home for his daughter. With close ties to Romania royalty many of the sculpture and art inside are Romania influenced.

Story goes that this is where What in “Sam Hill” is ?????. Therefore the photo you see here. However< it certainly fits our program given what the artist said:

This sculpture invites the viewer to feel the freedom we all feel when we roll around and play in the grass. “I created this piece to remind us to enjoy our lives, and make time to play, like we did so naturally as children. I chose yellow because it is a playful color and reminds one of the color of sunflowers, and the brightest days of life.”

Rufus OR

RUFUS

Fireworks and bar-b-que here at Rufus, OR. We are camping at the local park and enjoying watching all the wind mills across the Columbia River in Washington state. Behind the hill from Doug, not visible are about 2000 of the white giants. I believe they are still expecting more in this area about 100 miles from Portland.

W were at THE DALLES yesterday, a slightly larger town than Rufus where the Lewis and Clark expedition stopped to rest and where some of the group settled. Nice low key Farmers Market and toured the area observing many of the murals that depict the local history.

Loads of kite surfers here and RV occupants along side the river. In the area where we are, all weekend families have been arriving to camp, looks like a lot of family reunions, drinking buddies and some spiritual beings that can be found in OR. Doug is teaching today; taking a day off from building an addition onto his pole barn where he lives.

Below is the picture of Crater Lake where we camped in the snow before coming to Rufus. Expect to meet up with Brad and Trina later today.