sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
Story Aunt Gus & Little Bear's Great Adventure Book 1 (Complete)
- Thread starter Kathy in FL
- Start date
Aug 14 – 17: Olympic National Park, Washington (Part 2)
August 15th
We spent the day in the Kalalaoch and Hoh Rain Forest Areas. Kalaloch is one of the most visited areas of Olympic National Park. Kalaloch and Ruby Beach are located on the southwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula. They are accessible directly off Highway 101.
First hike of the day was short, Kalaloch Nature Trail. It was a 1.0-mile easy loop through coastal forest, with stairs and elevation change less than 40 feet. I gotta say though it was totally worth it to see the Pacific coast.
The nature trail was wide and wet and provided a quiet forested walk on a well-maintained trail. From the parking area for the Kalaloch Campground, we walked south to campground A. A sign pointed left (east). Straight ahead, a service road continued through a gate. The trail led to the Kalaloch store where we took the trail branching left.
We walked to the edge of Highway 101 and crossed. It was a good time to reinforce traffic safety so that was today’s survival skill. Highway 101 is a US Highway, so cars were moving very fast. Once safely across, we immediately plunged into deep forest. The nature trail here is wide, but the forest is all-encompassing. The trees grow huge and gnarled, and are draped with thick moss. Reminded me a bit of home to be honest.
The trail was a little boggy. Despite that we pushed through the puddles, across a log bridge, and down a set of steps. We continued walking among the giant trees, on a generally southerly trajectory, before arriving at a viewpoint of Kalaloch Creek. We found that foliage obscures the best views, but even less-than-best views were still great. The freshwater tributary fed into the Pacific Ocean. From there we turned back on the trail and headed north, away from the creek and through the forest, back to the trailhead. This section was graveled thanks to a statewide trail association who volunteer countless hours to maintain trails in Washington, including the national parks.
Since we were on Highway 101 and right on the coast, we decided to investigate the beach trails. Seven trails lead to the ocean from Highway 101. Ruby Beach and Beach Trail 4 have accessible viewpoints and accessible vault toilets. Beach 1 features very unusual burls. The beaches didn’t match what we have in Florida, but they were still really neat.
It was still early but people were starting to show up so we vacated and headed north since it was going to be a bit of a drive. The Hoh Rain Forest is about a 45-minute drive from Kalaloch.
Our first stop was the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center. Cool place and we got information on trail conditions. Our first trail in that area was The Hall of Mosses Trail, barely a mile in length. It is an iconic loop that took us through old growth forest and featured a grove of maples trees draped with club moss.
The Hall of Mosses Trail is one of the most famous hiking trails in Olympic National Park. For whatever reason my dyslexia kept reading it as the Hall of Moses Trail. If I made that mistake once I musta made it a dozen times. But maybe it was subconscious because the trees seemed to be as old as Moses.
The Hoh Rainforest is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the US. The national park was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. After visiting the area, the president was so impressed with the beauty of nature of the old trees and the magnificent wildlife within the forest that he decided to declare this area a national park.
The Hoh Rainforest is located beside the Hoh River and receives between 140 to 170 inches of rain per year. What is special about the Hoh rainforest is that trees there may be more than 1000 years old, and every tree is covered with its own plant life making it an individual small microcosm. The most predominant species of the Hoh Rainforest are: Sitka Spruce, Coast Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar, Vine Maple, Red Alder and Black Cottonwood. But isn’t just flora that is interesting. The fauna in the area include Olympic Black Bears, Raccoons, Northern Spotted Owls, Cougars, Bobcats and Black-tailed Deer.
There are two trails through the area and we did them both. the Hall of Mosses Trail and Spruce Nature Trail.
The Hall of Mosses Trail is a loop that led us through the older section above the river. The height of some trees is about 200 feet. The other character feature of the rainforest is the abundance of water and nutrients in the soil. Due to this fact the trees have stunted their roots and may fall easily during the windy weather. The Hall of Mosses could also be called the graveyard for the fallen trees, but the mosses continue to grow and to cover these fallen trees making them really beautiful.
The trail was well-marked trail with lots of sign-thingies and starts out near the visitor’s center. Not long after starting the trail we turned towards a beautiful stream which we crossed via a bridge and then continued up a hill. All along the trail we saw towering old trees covered by moss. Thanks to one of the sign-thingies we found out that the Hoh Rainforest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This hike was one of the activities that helped Benny earn the special World Heritage Junior Ranger certificate.
After the “moss trail” we took the slightly longer Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles) that looped and ran alongside Taft Creek and the Hoh River. The area was getting really busy by this time. We started at the trailhead by the visitor center, crossed the river, and then headed right. We went left at the fork and walked through the rainforest, mossy trees, and tall ferns.
The crowds were getting to be a bit too much for us to truly enjoy the trails as they should be so I asked Benny if he wanted to go back to the mineral hot springs for the afternoon. That was a big 10-4 good buddy and that’s what we did. With everyone out hiking the number of people at the pools was dramatically less than they had been last night. We spent a couple of carefree hours turning into prunes and cooking at various temperatures.
After we’d soaked our fill, and people started heading back to get in the springs we got out and headed to the van to fix dinner. I had one more survival skill to work on with Benny; how to open a can safely.
I rarely use an electric can opener. It was one of Grandfather Barry’s bits of weirdness. Grandma Barry was about the same way because as a waitress and cook she used #10 cans that needed a swing-away manual opener. I just continued the practice since I did most of the cooking at home and then it was the same when I moved in with Lawrence and Penny. Our dinner was one of those throw together soups that use cans of whatever you have on hand and then a little burger to make it interesting. After dinner I let him finish carving his soap fish. I should have had him do it outside, but it turned off cool. It was fun … not … sweeping up all the soap that didn’t make it into the garbage bag I’d put under him.
He’s asleep and I’m wishing I could crawl back into the hottest of the springs and soak a little more but I suppose instead I’ll go wax my legs – I’m looking a little furry – and then hit the hay. Tomorrow we are going to do the Crescent Lake area of the park, the day after Hurricane Ridge, and then the day after that we are heading to Tacoma and meet up with Pei Shin. I haven’t seen her since high school as life took us different directions. Lawrence called us Mutt and Jeff because we were so different, but it worked and even her mother – a fierce woman – encouraged the friendship. I hope the friendship is still good.
August 15th
We spent the day in the Kalalaoch and Hoh Rain Forest Areas. Kalaloch is one of the most visited areas of Olympic National Park. Kalaloch and Ruby Beach are located on the southwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula. They are accessible directly off Highway 101.
First hike of the day was short, Kalaloch Nature Trail. It was a 1.0-mile easy loop through coastal forest, with stairs and elevation change less than 40 feet. I gotta say though it was totally worth it to see the Pacific coast.
The nature trail was wide and wet and provided a quiet forested walk on a well-maintained trail. From the parking area for the Kalaloch Campground, we walked south to campground A. A sign pointed left (east). Straight ahead, a service road continued through a gate. The trail led to the Kalaloch store where we took the trail branching left.
We walked to the edge of Highway 101 and crossed. It was a good time to reinforce traffic safety so that was today’s survival skill. Highway 101 is a US Highway, so cars were moving very fast. Once safely across, we immediately plunged into deep forest. The nature trail here is wide, but the forest is all-encompassing. The trees grow huge and gnarled, and are draped with thick moss. Reminded me a bit of home to be honest.
The trail was a little boggy. Despite that we pushed through the puddles, across a log bridge, and down a set of steps. We continued walking among the giant trees, on a generally southerly trajectory, before arriving at a viewpoint of Kalaloch Creek. We found that foliage obscures the best views, but even less-than-best views were still great. The freshwater tributary fed into the Pacific Ocean. From there we turned back on the trail and headed north, away from the creek and through the forest, back to the trailhead. This section was graveled thanks to a statewide trail association who volunteer countless hours to maintain trails in Washington, including the national parks.
Since we were on Highway 101 and right on the coast, we decided to investigate the beach trails. Seven trails lead to the ocean from Highway 101. Ruby Beach and Beach Trail 4 have accessible viewpoints and accessible vault toilets. Beach 1 features very unusual burls. The beaches didn’t match what we have in Florida, but they were still really neat.
It was still early but people were starting to show up so we vacated and headed north since it was going to be a bit of a drive. The Hoh Rain Forest is about a 45-minute drive from Kalaloch.
Our first stop was the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center. Cool place and we got information on trail conditions. Our first trail in that area was The Hall of Mosses Trail, barely a mile in length. It is an iconic loop that took us through old growth forest and featured a grove of maples trees draped with club moss.
The Hall of Mosses Trail is one of the most famous hiking trails in Olympic National Park. For whatever reason my dyslexia kept reading it as the Hall of Moses Trail. If I made that mistake once I musta made it a dozen times. But maybe it was subconscious because the trees seemed to be as old as Moses.
The Hoh Rainforest is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the US. The national park was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. After visiting the area, the president was so impressed with the beauty of nature of the old trees and the magnificent wildlife within the forest that he decided to declare this area a national park.
The Hoh Rainforest is located beside the Hoh River and receives between 140 to 170 inches of rain per year. What is special about the Hoh rainforest is that trees there may be more than 1000 years old, and every tree is covered with its own plant life making it an individual small microcosm. The most predominant species of the Hoh Rainforest are: Sitka Spruce, Coast Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar, Vine Maple, Red Alder and Black Cottonwood. But isn’t just flora that is interesting. The fauna in the area include Olympic Black Bears, Raccoons, Northern Spotted Owls, Cougars, Bobcats and Black-tailed Deer.
There are two trails through the area and we did them both. the Hall of Mosses Trail and Spruce Nature Trail.
The Hall of Mosses Trail is a loop that led us through the older section above the river. The height of some trees is about 200 feet. The other character feature of the rainforest is the abundance of water and nutrients in the soil. Due to this fact the trees have stunted their roots and may fall easily during the windy weather. The Hall of Mosses could also be called the graveyard for the fallen trees, but the mosses continue to grow and to cover these fallen trees making them really beautiful.
The trail was well-marked trail with lots of sign-thingies and starts out near the visitor’s center. Not long after starting the trail we turned towards a beautiful stream which we crossed via a bridge and then continued up a hill. All along the trail we saw towering old trees covered by moss. Thanks to one of the sign-thingies we found out that the Hoh Rainforest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This hike was one of the activities that helped Benny earn the special World Heritage Junior Ranger certificate.
After the “moss trail” we took the slightly longer Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles) that looped and ran alongside Taft Creek and the Hoh River. The area was getting really busy by this time. We started at the trailhead by the visitor center, crossed the river, and then headed right. We went left at the fork and walked through the rainforest, mossy trees, and tall ferns.
The crowds were getting to be a bit too much for us to truly enjoy the trails as they should be so I asked Benny if he wanted to go back to the mineral hot springs for the afternoon. That was a big 10-4 good buddy and that’s what we did. With everyone out hiking the number of people at the pools was dramatically less than they had been last night. We spent a couple of carefree hours turning into prunes and cooking at various temperatures.
After we’d soaked our fill, and people started heading back to get in the springs we got out and headed to the van to fix dinner. I had one more survival skill to work on with Benny; how to open a can safely.
I rarely use an electric can opener. It was one of Grandfather Barry’s bits of weirdness. Grandma Barry was about the same way because as a waitress and cook she used #10 cans that needed a swing-away manual opener. I just continued the practice since I did most of the cooking at home and then it was the same when I moved in with Lawrence and Penny. Our dinner was one of those throw together soups that use cans of whatever you have on hand and then a little burger to make it interesting. After dinner I let him finish carving his soap fish. I should have had him do it outside, but it turned off cool. It was fun … not … sweeping up all the soap that didn’t make it into the garbage bag I’d put under him.
He’s asleep and I’m wishing I could crawl back into the hottest of the springs and soak a little more but I suppose instead I’ll go wax my legs – I’m looking a little furry – and then hit the hay. Tomorrow we are going to do the Crescent Lake area of the park, the day after Hurricane Ridge, and then the day after that we are heading to Tacoma and meet up with Pei Shin. I haven’t seen her since high school as life took us different directions. Lawrence called us Mutt and Jeff because we were so different, but it worked and even her mother – a fierce woman – encouraged the friendship. I hope the friendship is still good.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, this morning.
Aug 14 – 17: Olympic National Park, Washington (Part 3)
August 16th – Lake Crescent Area
The van smells like wet dog. Hopefully a little more airing and some judicious use of detergent will take care of that. Benny’s hair smells like wet dog. Hopefully a shower and scrub will take care of that. We had a bit of an adventure today. Thankfully we found their owners and the older couple were nearly hysterical with relief. They called the two dogs – one a Biewer Terrier and the other something called at Coton De Tulear that I wound up calling Velcro – their furkids.
I’m not kidding, the woman’s knees buckled, and she would have gone down if I hadn’t kept her upright. Her husband wasn’t much better off. I know Meemo was a sucker for her cats and Bartholomew the Amazon Parrot, but they were working cats and Bartholomew was her daughter’s pet before she died. These dogs? Er … they were bred for cuteness and companionship … and getting into trouble.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like dogs … mostly. But they never have liked me. Well, oversized dogs like me. Man down the road from my old house had this oversized monster of a dog. Every kid at church was scared of him. Not me. Bruiser thought I was one of his goats and pretty much if he saw me or smelled me that was it … I was going to get played with or pushed around depending on Bruiser’s mood. Didn’t bother me except when he played horsey and tried to get me to ride him. I mean I was ten years old and he treated me like I was still wearing diapers or something. Memories. Bah! Er … forget that remark. I’m starting to sound like a goat kid. Never mind. This has just been one of those days.
Our first activity of the day was the Moments in Time Trail. Basically one of those less-than-a-mile loops that was a self-guided nature trail through forest and by the shore of Lake Crescent. The trail was created by a WTA work party and the Klahhanes Hiking Club with signs provided by the Rob Reed and Lena Sharpe Memorial Foundation … all spelled out on the bottom of every sign-thingie on the trail. It was a nice warm up to the day. As was the Fairholme Campground Loop (0.8-mile loop) that went through an old growth forest.
Then we were off to Marymere Falls. It is a two-mile there and back trail that goes through old growth forest to a 90 ft. waterfall. And this is where our day went sideways. The trail started at the Storm King Ranger Station on a paved path and continued through the old-growth forest for 0.5 miles to a junction. At the junction we took a left and continued upstream under a skyscraping green canopy of conifers and maples. Sword ferns and carpets of moss lined the wide, well-maintained trail.
Shortly after the Mount Storm King Trail junction, we had to head right towards Marymere Falls. The trail crosses Barnes Creek and then Falls Creek before ascending 200 feet into the mossy, fern-laden ravine. If I’ve never recorded it before, the waterfalls play heck with my APD on occasion. All I hear is white noise with the occasional background sound that is challenging to recognize. Benny knows he must get my attention so I can bend down and intentionally listen to what he is saying. I used to have these nifty ear plugs called IQBuds that helped but Penny got mad at me right before we moved to Key West and tossed them in the garbage disposal. My military insurance under Lawrence is what had paid for them but since I was over 18 I no longer qualified and to say those things were expensive? I miss them but not enough to hock both my kidneys to get a replacement pair.
So anyway, we are up there at the falls and it is so early there is no one else but us. Something is goosing my situational awareness. No one is around but I can feel eyes on us. But I can’t hear anything.
“Benny. Stick close. I don’t know, there might be a bear.” I was praying it wasn’t a cougar.
He is jerking on my hand and I look and he is pointing. It was a couple of walking mops covered in leaves and moss. Before I could stop him says, “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. Are you lost?”
Oh geez. They didn’t know whether to run away or run towards human voices. So basically they ran in circles.
“Aw, look Aunt Gus. They’re scared and lost. We gotta save 'em.”
Sigh. This is not the kind of search and rescue that I trained for. Not to mention, like I said, dogs don’t generally like me. But I can’t just leave them.
First, I looked around to make sure their owner(s) weren’t in distress or something like that. No other humans in sight. And nope, they don’t like me. I think I give off “big and loud” vibes or something. Meemo’s cats liked me once they taught me to help them catch squirrels and give them fish and keep the gators off the docks but that’s another story.
I had Benny carefully check to see if they had tags and one of them does. Crap, no cell signal. Both pups are foot sore, so I have Benny put them in my backpack. They freaked out for a moment but then settled down in a puppy pile gnoshing on a piece of jerky that I had in my vest pocket. Yes, my pack had to be cleaned as well and is hanging outside the van to dry it out and de-stinkify it.
The trail formed a loop, offering two viewpoints of the 90-foot-high waterfall. The viewpoint on the hillside looked down on the falls, where the Falls Creek plunges through a notch in the cliff. The lower platform gives an opposite view from the base of the falls. There is a sign-thingie that explained Marymere Falls was named in honor of Mary Alice Barnes, sister of Charles Barnes, a member of the Press Expedition and homesteader along the shores of Lake Crescent.
We returned to the ranger station where I hoped to get a cell signal strong enough to call the number on the tag. Just barely. The man on the other end said the dogs belonged to his brother and sister-in-law and that he would go back to the lodge where they were staying and try to call me back. Well apparently they couldn’t reach my phone but they did reach a ranger at the ranger station that came out to say, “Thank Gawd. The entire park as been looking for those two little miscreants.”
“Are they in trouble?” Benny asked suspiciously and protectively.
“No,” he answered but it sure sounded like the opposite. The ranger couldn’t take responsibility for the dogs in case there was an emergency and he had to leave the station, so we were asked to hang around … pretty please with a cherry on top … until their owners were able to arrive.
Uh huh.
Thirty minutes later you would have thought it was the Second Coming and Lazarus’ Resurrection and some of the Immaculate Concepcion thrown in for good measure all rolled into one. I am sure Grandma Barry would have swatted me for even thinking such a thing, but I can hear Grandfather Barry agreeing wholeheartedly.
We got the whooooooooole story. And it is so convoluted I’m not even going to record it for posterity. Not to mention the woman was crying and generally borderline hysterical for a bit and pretty impossible for me to understand because I think she is originally from New Yawk or maybe Bahston or someplace close to there. All I’ve got to say is I was feeling kinda sorry for the two escapees after I watched “Mother” dress them up in jail striped pajamas while she was exclaiming to “Poppa” that they needed to get back to the lodge so she could call their beautician for an emergency appointment. Not hers. Theirs. As in Thing 1 and Thing 2 had their own … never mind. I gotta hurry this along so I can get to scrubbing wet dog smell out of everything. Why did I let Benny talk me in to letting him bring them into the van?
The crazy parade had just left, with one dog who probably engineered the jail break looking back at me as if to say, “Just kill me now.” I was trying to figure out what to do next and what hikes needed to be forgotten or rescheduled when I got some additional unwelcome news. The Elwah area, where I had planned to spend part of the time today, is closed due to a massive slide on the road. I heard campers there may have to leave their cars, etc. That’s giving me the heebies. I can’t imagine being forced to give up the van. But given my luck ... ugh. I need to make a plan just in case something like that has to happen. And emergency packs ... or if not packs due to space limitations, at least a list of things I need to pack quickly so we won't be in a position to be abducted by aliens or whatever is coming next.
I decided at that point to just go back to the resort and let Benny play in the Mineral Hot Springs & Pool an extra-long time while we went over today’s survival skills which was dealing with stranger animals rather, similar to stranger people. I’m going to have to help Benny scrub his hair because not even playing in the springs got all of the stink out. Benny was a little put out about my cleaning OCD until I asked him if he wanted the Crew picking up that stink and then having to play in a washing machine. That did it. He’s all on board with cleaning and we need to get to it.
August 16th – Lake Crescent Area
The van smells like wet dog. Hopefully a little more airing and some judicious use of detergent will take care of that. Benny’s hair smells like wet dog. Hopefully a shower and scrub will take care of that. We had a bit of an adventure today. Thankfully we found their owners and the older couple were nearly hysterical with relief. They called the two dogs – one a Biewer Terrier and the other something called at Coton De Tulear that I wound up calling Velcro – their furkids.
I’m not kidding, the woman’s knees buckled, and she would have gone down if I hadn’t kept her upright. Her husband wasn’t much better off. I know Meemo was a sucker for her cats and Bartholomew the Amazon Parrot, but they were working cats and Bartholomew was her daughter’s pet before she died. These dogs? Er … they were bred for cuteness and companionship … and getting into trouble.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like dogs … mostly. But they never have liked me. Well, oversized dogs like me. Man down the road from my old house had this oversized monster of a dog. Every kid at church was scared of him. Not me. Bruiser thought I was one of his goats and pretty much if he saw me or smelled me that was it … I was going to get played with or pushed around depending on Bruiser’s mood. Didn’t bother me except when he played horsey and tried to get me to ride him. I mean I was ten years old and he treated me like I was still wearing diapers or something. Memories. Bah! Er … forget that remark. I’m starting to sound like a goat kid. Never mind. This has just been one of those days.
Our first activity of the day was the Moments in Time Trail. Basically one of those less-than-a-mile loops that was a self-guided nature trail through forest and by the shore of Lake Crescent. The trail was created by a WTA work party and the Klahhanes Hiking Club with signs provided by the Rob Reed and Lena Sharpe Memorial Foundation … all spelled out on the bottom of every sign-thingie on the trail. It was a nice warm up to the day. As was the Fairholme Campground Loop (0.8-mile loop) that went through an old growth forest.
Then we were off to Marymere Falls. It is a two-mile there and back trail that goes through old growth forest to a 90 ft. waterfall. And this is where our day went sideways. The trail started at the Storm King Ranger Station on a paved path and continued through the old-growth forest for 0.5 miles to a junction. At the junction we took a left and continued upstream under a skyscraping green canopy of conifers and maples. Sword ferns and carpets of moss lined the wide, well-maintained trail.
Shortly after the Mount Storm King Trail junction, we had to head right towards Marymere Falls. The trail crosses Barnes Creek and then Falls Creek before ascending 200 feet into the mossy, fern-laden ravine. If I’ve never recorded it before, the waterfalls play heck with my APD on occasion. All I hear is white noise with the occasional background sound that is challenging to recognize. Benny knows he must get my attention so I can bend down and intentionally listen to what he is saying. I used to have these nifty ear plugs called IQBuds that helped but Penny got mad at me right before we moved to Key West and tossed them in the garbage disposal. My military insurance under Lawrence is what had paid for them but since I was over 18 I no longer qualified and to say those things were expensive? I miss them but not enough to hock both my kidneys to get a replacement pair.
So anyway, we are up there at the falls and it is so early there is no one else but us. Something is goosing my situational awareness. No one is around but I can feel eyes on us. But I can’t hear anything.
“Benny. Stick close. I don’t know, there might be a bear.” I was praying it wasn’t a cougar.
He is jerking on my hand and I look and he is pointing. It was a couple of walking mops covered in leaves and moss. Before I could stop him says, “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. Are you lost?”
Oh geez. They didn’t know whether to run away or run towards human voices. So basically they ran in circles.
“Aw, look Aunt Gus. They’re scared and lost. We gotta save 'em.”
Sigh. This is not the kind of search and rescue that I trained for. Not to mention, like I said, dogs don’t generally like me. But I can’t just leave them.
First, I looked around to make sure their owner(s) weren’t in distress or something like that. No other humans in sight. And nope, they don’t like me. I think I give off “big and loud” vibes or something. Meemo’s cats liked me once they taught me to help them catch squirrels and give them fish and keep the gators off the docks but that’s another story.
I had Benny carefully check to see if they had tags and one of them does. Crap, no cell signal. Both pups are foot sore, so I have Benny put them in my backpack. They freaked out for a moment but then settled down in a puppy pile gnoshing on a piece of jerky that I had in my vest pocket. Yes, my pack had to be cleaned as well and is hanging outside the van to dry it out and de-stinkify it.
The trail formed a loop, offering two viewpoints of the 90-foot-high waterfall. The viewpoint on the hillside looked down on the falls, where the Falls Creek plunges through a notch in the cliff. The lower platform gives an opposite view from the base of the falls. There is a sign-thingie that explained Marymere Falls was named in honor of Mary Alice Barnes, sister of Charles Barnes, a member of the Press Expedition and homesteader along the shores of Lake Crescent.
We returned to the ranger station where I hoped to get a cell signal strong enough to call the number on the tag. Just barely. The man on the other end said the dogs belonged to his brother and sister-in-law and that he would go back to the lodge where they were staying and try to call me back. Well apparently they couldn’t reach my phone but they did reach a ranger at the ranger station that came out to say, “Thank Gawd. The entire park as been looking for those two little miscreants.”
“Are they in trouble?” Benny asked suspiciously and protectively.
“No,” he answered but it sure sounded like the opposite. The ranger couldn’t take responsibility for the dogs in case there was an emergency and he had to leave the station, so we were asked to hang around … pretty please with a cherry on top … until their owners were able to arrive.
Uh huh.
Thirty minutes later you would have thought it was the Second Coming and Lazarus’ Resurrection and some of the Immaculate Concepcion thrown in for good measure all rolled into one. I am sure Grandma Barry would have swatted me for even thinking such a thing, but I can hear Grandfather Barry agreeing wholeheartedly.
We got the whooooooooole story. And it is so convoluted I’m not even going to record it for posterity. Not to mention the woman was crying and generally borderline hysterical for a bit and pretty impossible for me to understand because I think she is originally from New Yawk or maybe Bahston or someplace close to there. All I’ve got to say is I was feeling kinda sorry for the two escapees after I watched “Mother” dress them up in jail striped pajamas while she was exclaiming to “Poppa” that they needed to get back to the lodge so she could call their beautician for an emergency appointment. Not hers. Theirs. As in Thing 1 and Thing 2 had their own … never mind. I gotta hurry this along so I can get to scrubbing wet dog smell out of everything. Why did I let Benny talk me in to letting him bring them into the van?
The crazy parade had just left, with one dog who probably engineered the jail break looking back at me as if to say, “Just kill me now.” I was trying to figure out what to do next and what hikes needed to be forgotten or rescheduled when I got some additional unwelcome news. The Elwah area, where I had planned to spend part of the time today, is closed due to a massive slide on the road. I heard campers there may have to leave their cars, etc. That’s giving me the heebies. I can’t imagine being forced to give up the van. But given my luck ... ugh. I need to make a plan just in case something like that has to happen. And emergency packs ... or if not packs due to space limitations, at least a list of things I need to pack quickly so we won't be in a position to be abducted by aliens or whatever is coming next.
I decided at that point to just go back to the resort and let Benny play in the Mineral Hot Springs & Pool an extra-long time while we went over today’s survival skills which was dealing with stranger animals rather, similar to stranger people. I’m going to have to help Benny scrub his hair because not even playing in the springs got all of the stink out. Benny was a little put out about my cleaning OCD until I asked him if he wanted the Crew picking up that stink and then having to play in a washing machine. That did it. He’s all on board with cleaning and we need to get to it.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you. 
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
When you stopped Nann in favour of this I'm sure many questioned you but, you made the right move. I've been off this thread for a bit -- things needed to be done and my wife and I were the best-suited to get everything across the finish line so, not a lot of choices really.
I've posted a few times early on about how much I appreciated this story; in the process of catching up over the last few days, I've become convinced this is one of the most compelling works I've ever read.
Truly, a stellar piece of work.
My profound thanks for sharing this.
I've posted a few times early on about how much I appreciated this story; in the process of catching up over the last few days, I've become convinced this is one of the most compelling works I've ever read.
Truly, a stellar piece of work.
My profound thanks for sharing this.
Aug 14 – 17: Olympic National Park, Washington (Part 4)
August 17th – Hurricane Ridge Area
Woke to no dog smell. Whew. Lotta time spent last night but the van was needing a serious scrubbing. I would have gone to town and reorganized the “garage” but caught and subdued the hamster before I pulled everything out. Sometimes you just have to use sense, but it does tell me that I’m slacking off on making sure I keep everything ship shape with supplies put away neatly. Gonna need to watch that, or I really will have a mess on my hands and things will go to waste which will also waste money, something we can’t afford.
As a kind of “apology” to Benny over my attitude towards the four-legged dust mops I promised to make Gluten-Free Friendship Bread starter[1] and start doing more things like that. I used to do them back in Jacksonville because Penny abhorred (or said she did) most gluten-free breads and stuff like that. Then I had to start doing them in Key West because everything was so expensive even after I found the gluten-free store in Miami. I’ve gotten out of the habit and am relying on the store-bought stuff too much … and it is costing us. Sure, it is going to take time but what the heck, it will look good on the blog and if the van is our forever home … or for a long time … I need to find ways to do stuff like that.
Speaking of “groceries” and how expensive they are getting; I am out of fresh eggs. No omelets until I can get some, so I made gluten-free pancakes. I popped open some gluten-free apple pie filling that I had purchased on a whim for using the Pudgy Pie Iron but I’ve yet to get around to it. That’s another thing I need to do. Diversify our meals more, not just the foods but how we cook them. I need to teach Benny to cook. Shaddup Hamster, it is too late to satisfy you desire to get on the interwebz and look things up. Not to mention there isn’t any connection at all. Zero. Zip. Nada. That slide took out a pole that took out a couple of lines that took out some other stuff and not even the phones are working around here. Bummer. Not.
Today we had a nice, quiet day of hiking in the Hurricane Ridge area. A lot of people left the park today like they expected to get stuck where they didn’t want to get stuck. I wonder if they know something we don’t. We’ll be leaving in the morning either way so I’m not going to worry about it.
According to the sign-thingies in the area life at Hurricane Ridge is shaped by wind and snow. Winds gusting over 75 miles an hour buffet the ridge, lending the name "Hurricane." Sounds like they have winds similar to those we’d get in Florida with tropical storms. Then there is the 30-35 feet of snow that falls annually, some of which lingers into summer, shaping things year-round. Its weight challenges the trees’ structure; it sculps the landscape in many ways.
First trail of the morning had a funny name; Cirque Rim. Made me think of a show that Grandma Barry took me to once trying to instill some culture in me. However, in the end, even she admitted the show was just too strange. It was called Cirque du Soleil and was very “French” with a side of weird and strange. This Cirque was a 1-mile there and back paved trail that had views of Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Next two trails were half-milers. There was the Big Meadow which was another paved trail that crossed open meadows with views of the Olympics, the mountains in the area. The other one was
High Ridge, a partially paved loop that climbed to 360° views and a 0.1-mile dead end spur trail to Sunrise Point. Had a few memories rolling around my head about another Sunrise Point in another park that still give me nightmares on occasion.
The next trail was called Hurricane Hill. It was a 3.2-mile there and back trail that was partially paved and climbed to a panoramic view of mountains and saltwater, best of both worlds. I was originally going to use the trail as a the jumpoff point for some Elwha River Valley trails but everything into the area has been closed.
The views of the Bailey Range were fantastic right from the parking area. We followed the wide pathway along a south-facing traverse through open forests of pines and low shrubs. The way eventually opened and was easy to navigate. The trail was wide and consisted of three good-sized switchbacks to a summit with enough sign-thingies even Benny was satisfied. He got a chance to name the peaks and towns in the far distance which was one of his junior ranger activities he needed to complete.
Then we continued on more steeper switchbacks to another summit, this one called Hurricane Hill. Boy did they name that place correctly. It is located in an exposed section of Olympic National Park, and the weather and winds can whip up quickly there. I’m glad I insisted on Benny keeping his windbreaker on. A few of the wind gusts were breath stealing.
From the top, we took in views of the Bailey Range to the south. North is the town of Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Across the water, Vancouver Island. It was such a clear day that we were able to see the ferries shuttling people back and forth between the US and Canada.
When we turned around and got back to the van I said what the heck and asked Benny if he wanted to spend one last day in the hot springs and pool before we needed to start prepping to leave.
“Indoor voice Little Bear. They can hear you all the way into Canada with those lungs.”
He laughed but then settled down and asked, “Can we stop at the visitor center so I can see if there is a ranger there?”
“Yeppers. And if not there I’ll try and ask at the Resort.”
The slide had created more problems than just people being stuck on the other side of it. It was all hands on deck doing whatever the rangers were supposed to be doing to help with that and redirecting traffic and the rest of it. That meant they were pulling rangers away from other areas, including programming such as evening talks. But we were in luck, because so many people had left the park, the one ranger they had on duty was able to handle the few kids coming in for or with their Junior Ranger program materials.
I managed to find a few additional patches for Benny’s Survival Skills Reward supplies for the future and a hiking medallion for him now. Speaking of survival skills, after the springs we headed back to our campsite and Benny helped fix our dinner. He got to practice using a “sharp” safely by helping to peel sweet potatoes using a vegetable peeler and then shredded them on a grater. Then we made gluten free (and egg free) sweet potato latkes.[2] I fried up some canned sliced ham to go with them and for dessert I made some “fried pocket pies” using a gluten-free biscuit recipe and the rest of the apple pie filling from breakfast. Yum yum.
Yes, cooking this way is going to require more work and time but it will save money and I think I need to get back to doing that. Yes, the blog is bringing in more money than I expected but that’s not going to last forever and I need to be saving as much of the extra that I can. I’m really frustrated with myself. The whole point of this adventure was to spend time and money wisely waiting for me to turn twenty-one so that I can provide Benny with a decent life of some type. I already know that this trip isn’t going to make it to April, not even close. I have expenses I didn’t really count on (Benny’s education) but which are not wastes though some might wonder at how I’m doing it (the “survival skills rewards” for one). And while I am making more off the blog, I feel like I am not saving as much of that as I should. Yeah, I know most people that know me consider me to be a bit of a Scrooge where money is concerned but when I look at the receipts and budget I know I’m not. But things still need to change.
I need to ease back on the convenience foods. For one they aren’t that great nutritionally. For two, they cost more than cooking from scratch. They won’t completely go away or I’ll spend all my time cooking to feed the eating machine. I also have noticed that I’m losing muscle mass and need to do something about that. I need to work a better exercise routine in.
There are great things about this adventure. And I’m discovering some not so great things as well. The great things still outnumber the not so great but that doesn’t mean I get to ignore stuff either. Tomorrow we are going to head to Tacoma and meat up with Pei Shin. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous. Except for that one night in Jacksonville at the beginning of this trip I haven’t seen much of anyone since high school and then the move to Key West. The calendar says it hasn’t really been that long. The hamster says it is a lifetime ago and things have completely changed. Caught in the middle of the two, I’m just hoping there are some things that are still the same.
Resources:
Sol Duc Hot Springs
Multimedia Presentations - Olympic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Photo Gallery - Olympic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Increase your World Heritage IQ - Become a World Heritage Junior Ranger - International Cooperation (U.S. National Park Service)
Olympic: DiscoverNW.org
[1] Gluten Free Friendship Bread & Starter Recipe
[2] Potato Latkes (Egg Free, Gluten free, Vegan)
August 17th – Hurricane Ridge Area
Woke to no dog smell. Whew. Lotta time spent last night but the van was needing a serious scrubbing. I would have gone to town and reorganized the “garage” but caught and subdued the hamster before I pulled everything out. Sometimes you just have to use sense, but it does tell me that I’m slacking off on making sure I keep everything ship shape with supplies put away neatly. Gonna need to watch that, or I really will have a mess on my hands and things will go to waste which will also waste money, something we can’t afford.
As a kind of “apology” to Benny over my attitude towards the four-legged dust mops I promised to make Gluten-Free Friendship Bread starter[1] and start doing more things like that. I used to do them back in Jacksonville because Penny abhorred (or said she did) most gluten-free breads and stuff like that. Then I had to start doing them in Key West because everything was so expensive even after I found the gluten-free store in Miami. I’ve gotten out of the habit and am relying on the store-bought stuff too much … and it is costing us. Sure, it is going to take time but what the heck, it will look good on the blog and if the van is our forever home … or for a long time … I need to find ways to do stuff like that.
Speaking of “groceries” and how expensive they are getting; I am out of fresh eggs. No omelets until I can get some, so I made gluten-free pancakes. I popped open some gluten-free apple pie filling that I had purchased on a whim for using the Pudgy Pie Iron but I’ve yet to get around to it. That’s another thing I need to do. Diversify our meals more, not just the foods but how we cook them. I need to teach Benny to cook. Shaddup Hamster, it is too late to satisfy you desire to get on the interwebz and look things up. Not to mention there isn’t any connection at all. Zero. Zip. Nada. That slide took out a pole that took out a couple of lines that took out some other stuff and not even the phones are working around here. Bummer. Not.
Today we had a nice, quiet day of hiking in the Hurricane Ridge area. A lot of people left the park today like they expected to get stuck where they didn’t want to get stuck. I wonder if they know something we don’t. We’ll be leaving in the morning either way so I’m not going to worry about it.
According to the sign-thingies in the area life at Hurricane Ridge is shaped by wind and snow. Winds gusting over 75 miles an hour buffet the ridge, lending the name "Hurricane." Sounds like they have winds similar to those we’d get in Florida with tropical storms. Then there is the 30-35 feet of snow that falls annually, some of which lingers into summer, shaping things year-round. Its weight challenges the trees’ structure; it sculps the landscape in many ways.
First trail of the morning had a funny name; Cirque Rim. Made me think of a show that Grandma Barry took me to once trying to instill some culture in me. However, in the end, even she admitted the show was just too strange. It was called Cirque du Soleil and was very “French” with a side of weird and strange. This Cirque was a 1-mile there and back paved trail that had views of Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Next two trails were half-milers. There was the Big Meadow which was another paved trail that crossed open meadows with views of the Olympics, the mountains in the area. The other one was
High Ridge, a partially paved loop that climbed to 360° views and a 0.1-mile dead end spur trail to Sunrise Point. Had a few memories rolling around my head about another Sunrise Point in another park that still give me nightmares on occasion.
The next trail was called Hurricane Hill. It was a 3.2-mile there and back trail that was partially paved and climbed to a panoramic view of mountains and saltwater, best of both worlds. I was originally going to use the trail as a the jumpoff point for some Elwha River Valley trails but everything into the area has been closed.
The views of the Bailey Range were fantastic right from the parking area. We followed the wide pathway along a south-facing traverse through open forests of pines and low shrubs. The way eventually opened and was easy to navigate. The trail was wide and consisted of three good-sized switchbacks to a summit with enough sign-thingies even Benny was satisfied. He got a chance to name the peaks and towns in the far distance which was one of his junior ranger activities he needed to complete.
Then we continued on more steeper switchbacks to another summit, this one called Hurricane Hill. Boy did they name that place correctly. It is located in an exposed section of Olympic National Park, and the weather and winds can whip up quickly there. I’m glad I insisted on Benny keeping his windbreaker on. A few of the wind gusts were breath stealing.
From the top, we took in views of the Bailey Range to the south. North is the town of Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Across the water, Vancouver Island. It was such a clear day that we were able to see the ferries shuttling people back and forth between the US and Canada.
When we turned around and got back to the van I said what the heck and asked Benny if he wanted to spend one last day in the hot springs and pool before we needed to start prepping to leave.
“Indoor voice Little Bear. They can hear you all the way into Canada with those lungs.”
He laughed but then settled down and asked, “Can we stop at the visitor center so I can see if there is a ranger there?”
“Yeppers. And if not there I’ll try and ask at the Resort.”
The slide had created more problems than just people being stuck on the other side of it. It was all hands on deck doing whatever the rangers were supposed to be doing to help with that and redirecting traffic and the rest of it. That meant they were pulling rangers away from other areas, including programming such as evening talks. But we were in luck, because so many people had left the park, the one ranger they had on duty was able to handle the few kids coming in for or with their Junior Ranger program materials.
I managed to find a few additional patches for Benny’s Survival Skills Reward supplies for the future and a hiking medallion for him now. Speaking of survival skills, after the springs we headed back to our campsite and Benny helped fix our dinner. He got to practice using a “sharp” safely by helping to peel sweet potatoes using a vegetable peeler and then shredded them on a grater. Then we made gluten free (and egg free) sweet potato latkes.[2] I fried up some canned sliced ham to go with them and for dessert I made some “fried pocket pies” using a gluten-free biscuit recipe and the rest of the apple pie filling from breakfast. Yum yum.
Yes, cooking this way is going to require more work and time but it will save money and I think I need to get back to doing that. Yes, the blog is bringing in more money than I expected but that’s not going to last forever and I need to be saving as much of the extra that I can. I’m really frustrated with myself. The whole point of this adventure was to spend time and money wisely waiting for me to turn twenty-one so that I can provide Benny with a decent life of some type. I already know that this trip isn’t going to make it to April, not even close. I have expenses I didn’t really count on (Benny’s education) but which are not wastes though some might wonder at how I’m doing it (the “survival skills rewards” for one). And while I am making more off the blog, I feel like I am not saving as much of that as I should. Yeah, I know most people that know me consider me to be a bit of a Scrooge where money is concerned but when I look at the receipts and budget I know I’m not. But things still need to change.
I need to ease back on the convenience foods. For one they aren’t that great nutritionally. For two, they cost more than cooking from scratch. They won’t completely go away or I’ll spend all my time cooking to feed the eating machine. I also have noticed that I’m losing muscle mass and need to do something about that. I need to work a better exercise routine in.
There are great things about this adventure. And I’m discovering some not so great things as well. The great things still outnumber the not so great but that doesn’t mean I get to ignore stuff either. Tomorrow we are going to head to Tacoma and meat up with Pei Shin. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous. Except for that one night in Jacksonville at the beginning of this trip I haven’t seen much of anyone since high school and then the move to Key West. The calendar says it hasn’t really been that long. The hamster says it is a lifetime ago and things have completely changed. Caught in the middle of the two, I’m just hoping there are some things that are still the same.
Resources:
Sol Duc Hot Springs
Multimedia Presentations - Olympic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Photo Gallery - Olympic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Increase your World Heritage IQ - Become a World Heritage Junior Ranger - International Cooperation (U.S. National Park Service)
Olympic: DiscoverNW.org
[1] Gluten Free Friendship Bread & Starter Recipe
[2] Potato Latkes (Egg Free, Gluten free, Vegan)
Last edited:
I'll fix it. Thanks. Should be summit. Dang spell check.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Hubby almost took a job at Port Angles, we still 7 children at home with 6 in school. It was wayyyyyyy to expensive we saw to live there. That was even back 1992. Beautiful place though.
Aug 18 - 19: Tacoma, Washington (Part 1)
Weather: 78F/49F
Driving Route:
August 18th – Old Friend
Left Olympic National Park first thing this morning. It had started to rain and I heard there was some serious worry that the slides in the park and in the surrounding communities were going to get worse. I think we were leaving at just the right time.
The rain didn’t last more than 30 minutes of our drive for which I’m grateful. The total trip to get where we were going was two hours and a little over a hundred miles. Tacoma, WA. The current home of one of my best friends once I moved to Jacksonville, and one of the first to accept me outside of the homeschool community. Heck, one of the first to accept me period. It was she who invited me to join her Sea Scout Ship.
Pei Shin Chow. Sea Scouts, and then her friendship with me, were one of those rare rebellions against a very controlling mother. But I understood her mother turned it around and said it was good for her transcripts and college applications. And then when I beat a bully that had targeted Pei I became her “body guard” and volunteer crash dummy for some of Pei’s science experiments. I never minded. That’s just the way Mrs. Chow was … still is, though Pei Shin has escaped it for now. She is living with her brother … biologically a cousin I think, except her parents adopted him. The how and why is way too convoluted and unnecessarily melodramatic. Basically Mrs. Chow’s father was an older and important businessman and he had multiple “wives” and “mistresses” around the world though I guess they used to be called concubines or something like that. Mrs. Chow is a daughter from the first US wife and Bam (proper name Bambang but prefers the Americanized shorter name) was the youngest son of the last “wife” in the US … common law in the US but just a mistress by Chinese culture and law.
Bam’s mother was US-Taiwanese and didn’t that make for some weirdness. There’s no hard feelings; Bam calls Mr. and Mrs. Chow his parents and means it. But he do have a wide streak of independence and stayed on the West Coast after completing college so I’d never met him until Pei told me to meet her at his house once I was in town. Let me add that Bam and his wife, who is a day-glo Cali girl that is a travel agent by trade, are both “modern” and Pei doesn’t have to deal with all of the traditional cultural stuff she did living with her parents.
“I really appreciate Mrs. …”
“Gotta run Hon. And call me Taylor.” Turning to Pei Shin she said, “Ugh, hate to run but I’ve got a meeting with the bank. I am so amped. I shouldn’t have had that second cup of java. House is yours for the day. Bam … gawd I am going to be late … your brother is bringing take out home for dinner. Fondue Café. Gotta love it! And don’t forget to mention …”
Pei Shin rolled her eyes, grabbed her sister in law’s briefcase and said, “Go. You’re going to be late.”
“Oh my gawd, am I ever. Ta!”
I looked at Pei and she at me and we both started laughing as soon as the front door slammed and we saw Taylor running to her Uber. I said, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to create a ruckus.” I felt Benny’s hand slide into mine and looked down. So did Pie.
“Don’t worry about it Benny. Taylor is always like this. She had to stop taking her ADD meds and she’s still learning to cope.” Looking up at me she added, “She and Bam are pretty sure they’re gonna stop waiting and try for a kid.”
“I … wait. I thought you told me they didn’t want kids specifically because of the meds Taylor has to take.”
“Biological clocks go tick, tock, tick, tock. And Mom and Taylor’s mom are putting big time pressure on them. Taylor is an only and if she doesn’t have a kid her parents are pretty SOL.”
“Ahhhh.”
“Uh …,” she grimaced. “I gotta monitor this class for my professor. The other TA called out. You mind?”
“No. Of course not,” I grin. “Like old times. You taught Chem II more often than Mr. Wilson did.”
She grinned. “It will only be an hour then I’ll help with the van and we can really catch up. Though it doesn’t look as bad as you made it out to be.”
“Bad enough,” I told her. “And you sure they don’t mind me using their washer?”
“Relax will you? If you can change the oil on Taylor’s scooter and fix her side mirror that’ll make things even if that is what you are worried about.”
And that’s how it happened. I would throw a load of laundry in the washing machine, work on the van, hang the completed load on the clothes line, start a new load, work on the scooter, etc. etc. until all the work and maintenance was completed. I was about to see if I could help Pei with anything else … Benny was playing with Taylor’s cats by “grooming” them after he cleaned his area in the van … when she got a call from her boyfriend.
“Boyfriend?! Dish the details girl. And do your parents know?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. They know.”
“And?”
“So long as I finish my degree and we aren’t living together, they are okay with me dating … or possibly getting serious. They even flew out here to meet him and his family.”
“Oh my Lord,” I laughed.
“It was surprisingly not bad,” her words colored with surprise. “Jeremy is a partner in his dad’s business and speaking of … he’s invited us on their Puget Sound sunset cruise run. They had a couple of cancellations. And don’t look like that, it’ll be fun.”
“I know it will be fun. I also know it will be expensive. I priced a couple of those on the way out here for just in case.”
“Gus …”
“Look, would they trade if I gave them a review on the blog?”
“They’ll be insulted if you are doing it for that reason.”
“But …”
“Seriously, just accept the invitation and stop letting the hamster do the talking.”
She knew me too well, but I still asked, “What about Benny?”
“He’s included. They’ll probably ask if he is on deck that he wears a flotation device but other than that he’ll be fine. The two of you are fish anyway.”
“You remember.”
“Of course I do. I swear, you had the kid in the water almost before his umbilical cord fell off.”
“Er … not that early.”
“Close enough,” she taunted with a grin.
“But your brother was bringing dinner. Shouldn’t I like … do something to be a good guest?”
“He still is. And you can help me get things set up. We eat out here on the patio to keep the mess out of the house. It is a lot easier for Taylor that way. I know you’ll understand though your family always refused to medicate you. Now that Tay is off everything she’s finally acclimating to an unmedicated worldview. For a while there she would have these awful anxiety attacks thinking that since Bam fell in love with the medicated Taylor, he wouldn’t feel the same about the unmedicated Taylor.”
“It happens that way sometimes. I take it she doesn’t need to worry about that.”
“Definitely not. Bam has been all kinds of cool and they’ve actually been having fun with it. He used to worry about losing her to the side effects of the meds she was on. She’s actually put on some weight – which she hates but Bam loves and yes that is soooo TMI – and her blood pressure has normalized. And … er … if she asks you what it was like living unmedicated … just try and …”
“Relax,” I said. “I’m not going to chew her out just for asking.”
“Yeah, well … boundaries aren’t exactly her strong suit.”
“Oh your mother must love her.”
“Actually it is kind of weird. Mom likes her. She’s more traditional than Bam is and is really into the traditional Chinese medicine and all that.”
“None of my business,” I told her with a grin. “And I’m certainly not judging.”
She sighed. “Dork,” she said, then laughed. “I’m missed this.”
“This?”
“You are rarely offended. And you aren’t interested in getting in other people’s business. It is the one thing about the West Coast that has bothered me. Too many of my friends live for drama. It’s like being back in high school, only there’s no Gus to look at them like they’ve got three heads and tell them to get all three of them out of their ….” She stopped when Benny walked over.
“Aunt Gus?”
“Oh my gosh. You were supposed to be brushing the cats and putting the fuzz in the trash,” I laughed and had to stop to find a lint brush that wouldn’t set off the static electricity from hell. Benny was covered in white cat fur.
Pei snickered, “They’re shedding.”
Deadpan I said, “No kidding.”
All three of us wound up having to change because we’d no sooner get one person de-fuzzed than all of the fluff flying around would attach itself to someone else. I wound up being easier simply to wash everything and change for dinner since we’d need warmer clothes for the cruise anyway. About that time is when Bam and Taylor got home.
Dinner was fun. Fondue. You take different raw meats and vegetables and deep fry them at the table. You can use plain oil or seasoned oil or wine or anything like that. Then there are fondues that are basically dips … creams, chocolates, cheese, etc. Combined with a side dish, ours was rice, it was a filling meal. Benny loved it and it is definitely gluten-free. It doesn’t look that hard to do either so I’m going to see if I can add it to our meal planning.
The other thing I learned is that Taylor’s agency specializes in helping people to plan road trips and back country camping trips. Her agency’s lead partner wants to put an advertisement on the blog and will pay seventy-five dollars a month for three months. Good deal. If they get enough referrals from its Taylor said they’ll extend it.
Bam and Taylor were heading out to meet with friends at the same time Pei Shin, Benny, and I headed out to meet her boyfriend.
The cruise was very nice. It has been so long since I’ve been out on the open ocean that it made me hungry for what-might-have-been’s. I would never tell that to Benny and didn’t think anyone else noticed either.
“Miss it?” Pei Shin asked softly.
Maybe there is still someone on this planet that knows me too well. I thought about lying for all of two seconds but honesty is always the best policy. Especially with friends. “Yeah,” I answered quietly. “Just don’t say anything where Benny can hear. He’s an empathetic kid and is old enough to understand that kind of stuff.”
“What about when he gets older?”
I shrugged. “By then the chance will have passed.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m at peace with it.”
What she would have asked beyond that I don’t know because Benny chose that moment to get my attention. The cruise was nearly 30 miles round trip through the heart of Puget Sound. The vessel was a big part of my enjoyment of the cruise. It was a restored classic Northwest built charter boat.
We went under two major suspension bridges twice; once going out and then again coming back. We saw seagulls to Bald Eagles and seals and sea lions. Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountains were all around us. It was an interactive trip where, in addition to the running commentary, you could ask questions. There was also plenty of time to enjoy the cruise without interruption.
For Benny’s “skill of the day” we reviewed water safety and how to behave on deck. Not because he really needed it, just as a review and I made sure he understood that.
“Oh I know that Aunt Gus. Look! More seals! Wait until I tell the Crew!” At least I didn’t have to remind him to use his indoor voice. There were enough people crowding the railing that he stuck close and didn’t want to draw attention to himself.
“Thank you so much,” I told Jeremy when we docked. His father was busy with one of the passengers and could only wave. But he did point to Jeremy which meant there was a message for me. Apparently Mr. Jackson is not averse to free advertising and I have already given them a good one. Jeremy was a little embarrassed at first, but I wouldn’t let him stay that way. He seems like a good guy. Little different from the Uber-professional I imagined Pei Shin winding up with, the kind her mother would have chosen for her, but he seems good for Pei, doesn’t let her stress out or treat her like a China Doll which she make look like but really isn’t once you get passed her defenses. But what do I know? Not like I’ve got any successful experience in that area.
We are sleeping in Bam and Taylor’s basement. I guess it used to be called a romper room or ruckus or rumpus room or something like that. Benny thinks it is cool whatever it is called. Pei is about to pull her hair out grading some papers as part of her TA position at the university so I’m gonna go see if I can do anything to help. I can’t grade the papers but maybe I can help enter them in or organize them or something.
Tomorrow we are doing another one of Dad’s bucket list items … Mount St. Helens. All thanks to Taylor who is asking me to check the itinerary out for her to make sure it is family friendly. I can do that.
Weather: 78F/49F
Driving Route:
August 18th – Old Friend
Left Olympic National Park first thing this morning. It had started to rain and I heard there was some serious worry that the slides in the park and in the surrounding communities were going to get worse. I think we were leaving at just the right time.
The rain didn’t last more than 30 minutes of our drive for which I’m grateful. The total trip to get where we were going was two hours and a little over a hundred miles. Tacoma, WA. The current home of one of my best friends once I moved to Jacksonville, and one of the first to accept me outside of the homeschool community. Heck, one of the first to accept me period. It was she who invited me to join her Sea Scout Ship.
Pei Shin Chow. Sea Scouts, and then her friendship with me, were one of those rare rebellions against a very controlling mother. But I understood her mother turned it around and said it was good for her transcripts and college applications. And then when I beat a bully that had targeted Pei I became her “body guard” and volunteer crash dummy for some of Pei’s science experiments. I never minded. That’s just the way Mrs. Chow was … still is, though Pei Shin has escaped it for now. She is living with her brother … biologically a cousin I think, except her parents adopted him. The how and why is way too convoluted and unnecessarily melodramatic. Basically Mrs. Chow’s father was an older and important businessman and he had multiple “wives” and “mistresses” around the world though I guess they used to be called concubines or something like that. Mrs. Chow is a daughter from the first US wife and Bam (proper name Bambang but prefers the Americanized shorter name) was the youngest son of the last “wife” in the US … common law in the US but just a mistress by Chinese culture and law.
Bam’s mother was US-Taiwanese and didn’t that make for some weirdness. There’s no hard feelings; Bam calls Mr. and Mrs. Chow his parents and means it. But he do have a wide streak of independence and stayed on the West Coast after completing college so I’d never met him until Pei told me to meet her at his house once I was in town. Let me add that Bam and his wife, who is a day-glo Cali girl that is a travel agent by trade, are both “modern” and Pei doesn’t have to deal with all of the traditional cultural stuff she did living with her parents.
“I really appreciate Mrs. …”
“Gotta run Hon. And call me Taylor.” Turning to Pei Shin she said, “Ugh, hate to run but I’ve got a meeting with the bank. I am so amped. I shouldn’t have had that second cup of java. House is yours for the day. Bam … gawd I am going to be late … your brother is bringing take out home for dinner. Fondue Café. Gotta love it! And don’t forget to mention …”
Pei Shin rolled her eyes, grabbed her sister in law’s briefcase and said, “Go. You’re going to be late.”
“Oh my gawd, am I ever. Ta!”
I looked at Pei and she at me and we both started laughing as soon as the front door slammed and we saw Taylor running to her Uber. I said, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to create a ruckus.” I felt Benny’s hand slide into mine and looked down. So did Pie.
“Don’t worry about it Benny. Taylor is always like this. She had to stop taking her ADD meds and she’s still learning to cope.” Looking up at me she added, “She and Bam are pretty sure they’re gonna stop waiting and try for a kid.”
“I … wait. I thought you told me they didn’t want kids specifically because of the meds Taylor has to take.”
“Biological clocks go tick, tock, tick, tock. And Mom and Taylor’s mom are putting big time pressure on them. Taylor is an only and if she doesn’t have a kid her parents are pretty SOL.”
“Ahhhh.”
“Uh …,” she grimaced. “I gotta monitor this class for my professor. The other TA called out. You mind?”
“No. Of course not,” I grin. “Like old times. You taught Chem II more often than Mr. Wilson did.”
She grinned. “It will only be an hour then I’ll help with the van and we can really catch up. Though it doesn’t look as bad as you made it out to be.”
“Bad enough,” I told her. “And you sure they don’t mind me using their washer?”
“Relax will you? If you can change the oil on Taylor’s scooter and fix her side mirror that’ll make things even if that is what you are worried about.”
And that’s how it happened. I would throw a load of laundry in the washing machine, work on the van, hang the completed load on the clothes line, start a new load, work on the scooter, etc. etc. until all the work and maintenance was completed. I was about to see if I could help Pei with anything else … Benny was playing with Taylor’s cats by “grooming” them after he cleaned his area in the van … when she got a call from her boyfriend.
“Boyfriend?! Dish the details girl. And do your parents know?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. They know.”
“And?”
“So long as I finish my degree and we aren’t living together, they are okay with me dating … or possibly getting serious. They even flew out here to meet him and his family.”
“Oh my Lord,” I laughed.
“It was surprisingly not bad,” her words colored with surprise. “Jeremy is a partner in his dad’s business and speaking of … he’s invited us on their Puget Sound sunset cruise run. They had a couple of cancellations. And don’t look like that, it’ll be fun.”
“I know it will be fun. I also know it will be expensive. I priced a couple of those on the way out here for just in case.”
“Gus …”
“Look, would they trade if I gave them a review on the blog?”
“They’ll be insulted if you are doing it for that reason.”
“But …”
“Seriously, just accept the invitation and stop letting the hamster do the talking.”
She knew me too well, but I still asked, “What about Benny?”
“He’s included. They’ll probably ask if he is on deck that he wears a flotation device but other than that he’ll be fine. The two of you are fish anyway.”
“You remember.”
“Of course I do. I swear, you had the kid in the water almost before his umbilical cord fell off.”
“Er … not that early.”
“Close enough,” she taunted with a grin.
“But your brother was bringing dinner. Shouldn’t I like … do something to be a good guest?”
“He still is. And you can help me get things set up. We eat out here on the patio to keep the mess out of the house. It is a lot easier for Taylor that way. I know you’ll understand though your family always refused to medicate you. Now that Tay is off everything she’s finally acclimating to an unmedicated worldview. For a while there she would have these awful anxiety attacks thinking that since Bam fell in love with the medicated Taylor, he wouldn’t feel the same about the unmedicated Taylor.”
“It happens that way sometimes. I take it she doesn’t need to worry about that.”
“Definitely not. Bam has been all kinds of cool and they’ve actually been having fun with it. He used to worry about losing her to the side effects of the meds she was on. She’s actually put on some weight – which she hates but Bam loves and yes that is soooo TMI – and her blood pressure has normalized. And … er … if she asks you what it was like living unmedicated … just try and …”
“Relax,” I said. “I’m not going to chew her out just for asking.”
“Yeah, well … boundaries aren’t exactly her strong suit.”
“Oh your mother must love her.”
“Actually it is kind of weird. Mom likes her. She’s more traditional than Bam is and is really into the traditional Chinese medicine and all that.”
“None of my business,” I told her with a grin. “And I’m certainly not judging.”
She sighed. “Dork,” she said, then laughed. “I’m missed this.”
“This?”
“You are rarely offended. And you aren’t interested in getting in other people’s business. It is the one thing about the West Coast that has bothered me. Too many of my friends live for drama. It’s like being back in high school, only there’s no Gus to look at them like they’ve got three heads and tell them to get all three of them out of their ….” She stopped when Benny walked over.
“Aunt Gus?”
“Oh my gosh. You were supposed to be brushing the cats and putting the fuzz in the trash,” I laughed and had to stop to find a lint brush that wouldn’t set off the static electricity from hell. Benny was covered in white cat fur.
Pei snickered, “They’re shedding.”
Deadpan I said, “No kidding.”
All three of us wound up having to change because we’d no sooner get one person de-fuzzed than all of the fluff flying around would attach itself to someone else. I wound up being easier simply to wash everything and change for dinner since we’d need warmer clothes for the cruise anyway. About that time is when Bam and Taylor got home.
Dinner was fun. Fondue. You take different raw meats and vegetables and deep fry them at the table. You can use plain oil or seasoned oil or wine or anything like that. Then there are fondues that are basically dips … creams, chocolates, cheese, etc. Combined with a side dish, ours was rice, it was a filling meal. Benny loved it and it is definitely gluten-free. It doesn’t look that hard to do either so I’m going to see if I can add it to our meal planning.
The other thing I learned is that Taylor’s agency specializes in helping people to plan road trips and back country camping trips. Her agency’s lead partner wants to put an advertisement on the blog and will pay seventy-five dollars a month for three months. Good deal. If they get enough referrals from its Taylor said they’ll extend it.
Bam and Taylor were heading out to meet with friends at the same time Pei Shin, Benny, and I headed out to meet her boyfriend.
The cruise was very nice. It has been so long since I’ve been out on the open ocean that it made me hungry for what-might-have-been’s. I would never tell that to Benny and didn’t think anyone else noticed either.
“Miss it?” Pei Shin asked softly.
Maybe there is still someone on this planet that knows me too well. I thought about lying for all of two seconds but honesty is always the best policy. Especially with friends. “Yeah,” I answered quietly. “Just don’t say anything where Benny can hear. He’s an empathetic kid and is old enough to understand that kind of stuff.”
“What about when he gets older?”
I shrugged. “By then the chance will have passed.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m at peace with it.”
What she would have asked beyond that I don’t know because Benny chose that moment to get my attention. The cruise was nearly 30 miles round trip through the heart of Puget Sound. The vessel was a big part of my enjoyment of the cruise. It was a restored classic Northwest built charter boat.
We went under two major suspension bridges twice; once going out and then again coming back. We saw seagulls to Bald Eagles and seals and sea lions. Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountains were all around us. It was an interactive trip where, in addition to the running commentary, you could ask questions. There was also plenty of time to enjoy the cruise without interruption.
For Benny’s “skill of the day” we reviewed water safety and how to behave on deck. Not because he really needed it, just as a review and I made sure he understood that.
“Oh I know that Aunt Gus. Look! More seals! Wait until I tell the Crew!” At least I didn’t have to remind him to use his indoor voice. There were enough people crowding the railing that he stuck close and didn’t want to draw attention to himself.
“Thank you so much,” I told Jeremy when we docked. His father was busy with one of the passengers and could only wave. But he did point to Jeremy which meant there was a message for me. Apparently Mr. Jackson is not averse to free advertising and I have already given them a good one. Jeremy was a little embarrassed at first, but I wouldn’t let him stay that way. He seems like a good guy. Little different from the Uber-professional I imagined Pei Shin winding up with, the kind her mother would have chosen for her, but he seems good for Pei, doesn’t let her stress out or treat her like a China Doll which she make look like but really isn’t once you get passed her defenses. But what do I know? Not like I’ve got any successful experience in that area.
We are sleeping in Bam and Taylor’s basement. I guess it used to be called a romper room or ruckus or rumpus room or something like that. Benny thinks it is cool whatever it is called. Pei is about to pull her hair out grading some papers as part of her TA position at the university so I’m gonna go see if I can do anything to help. I can’t grade the papers but maybe I can help enter them in or organize them or something.
Tomorrow we are doing another one of Dad’s bucket list items … Mount St. Helens. All thanks to Taylor who is asking me to check the itinerary out for her to make sure it is family friendly. I can do that.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
THank you .
.beaglemama
Contributing Member
Thank you, Kathy!
August 19th – Mount St. Helens (Part 1)
I don’t know who was more excited for the day … Benny or myself. I mean volcanoes, what is not cool about volcanoes? Pei Shin wasn’t far behind us.
“You’ve lived out here since high school graduation and this is the first time you’ve done this?” I asked, a little puzzled. I would have had Benny and I out hiking and exploring as soon as we set our living arrangements up.
In response Pei Shin shrugged. “There was a lot of new to learn to navigate when I first got out here. And with that came all the expectations … my parents, the school’s, the Scholarship Board, and even my own. It took a while for me to decompress from all the pressure and stress. College was just another level of high school, and I didn’t have anyone like you to push me to do something besides the books or learning vocab for the SATs or anything semi-normal. I felt wasted all the time, and that’s without the drugs that everyone else seemed to be doing. College is … different.”
“Not that different. It is just another opportunity to expend some self-control and self-motivation.”
“Spoken like a true home schooler.”
“Excuse me?” I laughed, refusing to be offended since I knew Pei wasn’t like that.
“Sorry,” she said and I could tell she was really chagrined. “But you have any idea what it is like to suddenly find myself in courses with kids that studied what I was struggling with back when they were still in middle school? And simply because they were interested in possibly pursuing it as a career? In my sophomore year almost all the TA’s were from homeschooled backgrounds. Their experience compared to mine … to most of us … was just so different; sometimes it didn’t seem like we were even speaking the same language. We were still just kids, they were only a year or two older age-wise but their … their outlook and ability to handle what was going around them, what was being thrown at them, felt light years beyond mine. At least I sorta knew where they were coming from because of you. But you never seemed that different.”
I laughed. “Pei … I was soooo different. Still am. Back then I didn’t know how to get along with people my own age. I got into so many fights and most of the time I didn’t even understand why the other person was mad to start with.”
“Keep exaggerating. You weren’t nearly as bad as you imagined you were. I mean … uh … that didn’t come out the way I meant it to.”
I laughed. Pei never could offend me or make me mad. She is one of the few people in my peer groups I never got into a fight or argument with.
Capitulating with a grin of her own she said, “Fine, you were a little different.”
“And if you hadn’t shown me how to get through some of those damn algebraic equations I would never have made it to CPO. You and Charles saved my backside. And Lawrence when he was home. And you know it.”
Still grinning she said, “Yeah yeah, but in your case being home schooled isn’t what made you different.” Slowly the grin dimmed. “It was all of your life experiences. I … I’m sorry I missed your brother’s funeral. I liked Lawrence. I … I started appreciating Bam a lot more after Lawrence …”. She glanced Benny’s way. “I’m sorry Gus. I should have called more or something. I knew it would hit you hard, and you were already having trouble with your sister in law.”
I shrugged and I hoped showed I’d grown out of the angry kid I could sometimes be. “A phone works both ways, I could have called more often too. I was just wound up with everything falling apart. And before you ask, we’re doing better. We had a few rough patches but getting the diet changes in place, and a few other things helped. I called your mom once asking for a couple of her recipes and I thought she was going to just about fall out. I don’t think I told her thank you enough so next time you talk to her, mention that I said something please. Things just snowballed on me and … I just don’t want her to think I didn’t appreciate it.” Trying to shut the hamster down I cut to the chase and said, “The big thing right now is that I just need to make it to twenty-one so all the other grown-ups in the world will take me seriously.” I grimaced a bit, trying to fight on the anxiety that is becoming my constant companion when I don’t have something else to focus on.
We were waiting for Bam to take us to the meet up point for the excursion and Benny was having fun. Mr. Kitty was not a morning cat but seemed fascinated by the small human who talked to him like he was a cat which was appreciated since most humans were too stupid to realize they were owned, not the owner.
I glanced at Benny and then angled away from him so he wouldn’t notice. “When Penny committed suicide I thought I was going to lose Benny … either because the State took him or because his issues took him. I never really understood why Lawrence did some the things he did with the custody issue and all of that but thank the Creator he did. Even the probate lawyer the military assigned to us was impressed. The fact that I was already his co-guardian made Penny’s passing almost a moot point. Uh … that last part sounded callous didn’t it.”
Pei shook her head. “Not with me. A stranger might not get it, but I get it. And for the record, it isn’t callousness. It is what Mother calls your brutal honesty. But you don’t mean to be brutal, just realistic and honest. Sometimes to a fault.”
I snorted but then said, “I’ve … I’ve missed the kind of acceptance I got from you. But maybe I used you as a crutch too much. We were good together, but we covered each other’s butts too much maybe. Now you’re stronger where you need to be – you can fight your own battles - and … and I’m being forced to put more effort in some areas with Benny as my motivation like how to deal with people and figure out those damn social cues everyone said I was always missing.”
“Still don’t get that stuff?”
“Hail no,” I told her quietly, grousing in the less than ladylike language I once used almost exclusively until Benny turned parrot. “Yeezus, people just expect you to like read their damn minds or something. I wish they’d just spit it out instead of giving me a headache. Gawd people are such asshats and crybabies. Just tell me what you need, what you want, and stop acting like I’m supposed to know it by osmosis or something.”
“Gus …” Pei chuckled.
“I know, I know. Language. I’ve mostly cleaned mine up. I’ve cleaned up a lot of things once I fully committed to being what and who Benny needs.”
“It’s not a bad thing. Admit it.”
I nodded. “Definitely no regrets about it. But one of these days he is going to grow up and I hope be able to get through life without me following him around with a broom and dust pan. He’s better at this age than I was. There’s more hope and scope for him. I want it to stay that way. I also need to remember that I don’t want to turn things around and me be a burden on him. You know, this adulting crap is for the birds and the biggest headache on the planet.”
Pei nodded then started laughing. Not at me, with me. She understood exactly what I was talking about and neither one of us had to explain it in words.
Not long after that Bam said, “Let’s ride!” He drove us to a local hotel where a large van was already parked and signing in people. Bam made sure everything was copacetic and put them on notice we were guests of a large travel agency, so if they wanted good reviews, to take care of us. I think he was trying to hide the fact he didn’t like dropping his little sister off with strangers. But I was there and told him so. I don’t look as badass as I used to, but my resting face still can give people pause whether I intend it to or not. He nodded when I made sure he had my cellphone number, and he gave me his in return. And we managed to do it without Pei or Benny being the wiser.
Once everyone that was showing up had arrived and we were all distributed a few goodies, the tour guide gave us an overview of what the day was going to be. The ultimate goal of course was Mt Saint Helens itself. We were going to travel within just a few miles of the crater, so close we’d be able to see steam vents. While exploring the park we were going to have our own naturalist guide to cover topics such as how volcanoes are monitored and to discuss the geological events that transpired during the 1980 eruption.
The van driver pulled into traffic and the guide took a few moments to cover those with special diets (about half the passengers) and to see if there were any other health issue since it was a full-day tour. In addition to transportation, a picnic lunch, snacks and beverages would be provided throughout the day. (I brought several gluten-free items for Benny since not all the options would have fit his dietary needs. And this way he didn’t feel left out. They actually had a gluten-free lunch for him to have but the snacks were iffy.) Their willingness to go the extra mile is why I gave them a full five-star review. The other dietary restrictions were vegans and diabetics.
It was a long day, but well worth it. We pulled out at 7:30 am and didn’t return until 7:30 pm. On the drive to the park our guide explained a few things.
On March 20, 1980, a 4.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Mount St. Helens and jumpstarted the volcanic activity. The next week, steam started to vent. Volcanologists flew in from around the world to watch Mount St. Helens from every vantage point. By the end of April, a bulge appeared on the north side of the mountain. After weeks intense monitoring, Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, in a fury that geologists compared to Mount Vesuvius. Another earthquake, a 5.1-magnitude, melted the snowpack into a violent mudslide and pulverized the top of the stratovolcano into a cloud of black ash.
For the next 9 hours, a plume of ash soared 12 to 16 miles into the atmosphere that turned day into night. The eruption generated 3.9 million cubic yards of material, like ash, pumice, trees and boulders, that rushed 17 miles downstream. In all, the eruption of Mount St. Helens killed 57 people. It destroyed 47 bridges, 15 miles of railroad, 185 miles of highway and 250 homes. It was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. After the eruption, Mount St. Helens went from a 9,677-foot snow-capped peak to a 8,363-foot mountain with a one-mile wide, horseshoe-shaped crater. Since the 1980 eruption, Mount St. Helens continues to rumble, with intermittent episodes of venting steam and erupting lava domes. The majority of the area is closed to visitors so scientists can continue to monitor the volcanic activity.
I don’t know who was more excited for the day … Benny or myself. I mean volcanoes, what is not cool about volcanoes? Pei Shin wasn’t far behind us.
“You’ve lived out here since high school graduation and this is the first time you’ve done this?” I asked, a little puzzled. I would have had Benny and I out hiking and exploring as soon as we set our living arrangements up.
In response Pei Shin shrugged. “There was a lot of new to learn to navigate when I first got out here. And with that came all the expectations … my parents, the school’s, the Scholarship Board, and even my own. It took a while for me to decompress from all the pressure and stress. College was just another level of high school, and I didn’t have anyone like you to push me to do something besides the books or learning vocab for the SATs or anything semi-normal. I felt wasted all the time, and that’s without the drugs that everyone else seemed to be doing. College is … different.”
“Not that different. It is just another opportunity to expend some self-control and self-motivation.”
“Spoken like a true home schooler.”
“Excuse me?” I laughed, refusing to be offended since I knew Pei wasn’t like that.
“Sorry,” she said and I could tell she was really chagrined. “But you have any idea what it is like to suddenly find myself in courses with kids that studied what I was struggling with back when they were still in middle school? And simply because they were interested in possibly pursuing it as a career? In my sophomore year almost all the TA’s were from homeschooled backgrounds. Their experience compared to mine … to most of us … was just so different; sometimes it didn’t seem like we were even speaking the same language. We were still just kids, they were only a year or two older age-wise but their … their outlook and ability to handle what was going around them, what was being thrown at them, felt light years beyond mine. At least I sorta knew where they were coming from because of you. But you never seemed that different.”
I laughed. “Pei … I was soooo different. Still am. Back then I didn’t know how to get along with people my own age. I got into so many fights and most of the time I didn’t even understand why the other person was mad to start with.”
“Keep exaggerating. You weren’t nearly as bad as you imagined you were. I mean … uh … that didn’t come out the way I meant it to.”
I laughed. Pei never could offend me or make me mad. She is one of the few people in my peer groups I never got into a fight or argument with.
Capitulating with a grin of her own she said, “Fine, you were a little different.”
“And if you hadn’t shown me how to get through some of those damn algebraic equations I would never have made it to CPO. You and Charles saved my backside. And Lawrence when he was home. And you know it.”
Still grinning she said, “Yeah yeah, but in your case being home schooled isn’t what made you different.” Slowly the grin dimmed. “It was all of your life experiences. I … I’m sorry I missed your brother’s funeral. I liked Lawrence. I … I started appreciating Bam a lot more after Lawrence …”. She glanced Benny’s way. “I’m sorry Gus. I should have called more or something. I knew it would hit you hard, and you were already having trouble with your sister in law.”
I shrugged and I hoped showed I’d grown out of the angry kid I could sometimes be. “A phone works both ways, I could have called more often too. I was just wound up with everything falling apart. And before you ask, we’re doing better. We had a few rough patches but getting the diet changes in place, and a few other things helped. I called your mom once asking for a couple of her recipes and I thought she was going to just about fall out. I don’t think I told her thank you enough so next time you talk to her, mention that I said something please. Things just snowballed on me and … I just don’t want her to think I didn’t appreciate it.” Trying to shut the hamster down I cut to the chase and said, “The big thing right now is that I just need to make it to twenty-one so all the other grown-ups in the world will take me seriously.” I grimaced a bit, trying to fight on the anxiety that is becoming my constant companion when I don’t have something else to focus on.
We were waiting for Bam to take us to the meet up point for the excursion and Benny was having fun. Mr. Kitty was not a morning cat but seemed fascinated by the small human who talked to him like he was a cat which was appreciated since most humans were too stupid to realize they were owned, not the owner.
I glanced at Benny and then angled away from him so he wouldn’t notice. “When Penny committed suicide I thought I was going to lose Benny … either because the State took him or because his issues took him. I never really understood why Lawrence did some the things he did with the custody issue and all of that but thank the Creator he did. Even the probate lawyer the military assigned to us was impressed. The fact that I was already his co-guardian made Penny’s passing almost a moot point. Uh … that last part sounded callous didn’t it.”
Pei shook her head. “Not with me. A stranger might not get it, but I get it. And for the record, it isn’t callousness. It is what Mother calls your brutal honesty. But you don’t mean to be brutal, just realistic and honest. Sometimes to a fault.”
I snorted but then said, “I’ve … I’ve missed the kind of acceptance I got from you. But maybe I used you as a crutch too much. We were good together, but we covered each other’s butts too much maybe. Now you’re stronger where you need to be – you can fight your own battles - and … and I’m being forced to put more effort in some areas with Benny as my motivation like how to deal with people and figure out those damn social cues everyone said I was always missing.”
“Still don’t get that stuff?”
“Hail no,” I told her quietly, grousing in the less than ladylike language I once used almost exclusively until Benny turned parrot. “Yeezus, people just expect you to like read their damn minds or something. I wish they’d just spit it out instead of giving me a headache. Gawd people are such asshats and crybabies. Just tell me what you need, what you want, and stop acting like I’m supposed to know it by osmosis or something.”
“Gus …” Pei chuckled.
“I know, I know. Language. I’ve mostly cleaned mine up. I’ve cleaned up a lot of things once I fully committed to being what and who Benny needs.”
“It’s not a bad thing. Admit it.”
I nodded. “Definitely no regrets about it. But one of these days he is going to grow up and I hope be able to get through life without me following him around with a broom and dust pan. He’s better at this age than I was. There’s more hope and scope for him. I want it to stay that way. I also need to remember that I don’t want to turn things around and me be a burden on him. You know, this adulting crap is for the birds and the biggest headache on the planet.”
Pei nodded then started laughing. Not at me, with me. She understood exactly what I was talking about and neither one of us had to explain it in words.
Not long after that Bam said, “Let’s ride!” He drove us to a local hotel where a large van was already parked and signing in people. Bam made sure everything was copacetic and put them on notice we were guests of a large travel agency, so if they wanted good reviews, to take care of us. I think he was trying to hide the fact he didn’t like dropping his little sister off with strangers. But I was there and told him so. I don’t look as badass as I used to, but my resting face still can give people pause whether I intend it to or not. He nodded when I made sure he had my cellphone number, and he gave me his in return. And we managed to do it without Pei or Benny being the wiser.
Once everyone that was showing up had arrived and we were all distributed a few goodies, the tour guide gave us an overview of what the day was going to be. The ultimate goal of course was Mt Saint Helens itself. We were going to travel within just a few miles of the crater, so close we’d be able to see steam vents. While exploring the park we were going to have our own naturalist guide to cover topics such as how volcanoes are monitored and to discuss the geological events that transpired during the 1980 eruption.
The van driver pulled into traffic and the guide took a few moments to cover those with special diets (about half the passengers) and to see if there were any other health issue since it was a full-day tour. In addition to transportation, a picnic lunch, snacks and beverages would be provided throughout the day. (I brought several gluten-free items for Benny since not all the options would have fit his dietary needs. And this way he didn’t feel left out. They actually had a gluten-free lunch for him to have but the snacks were iffy.) Their willingness to go the extra mile is why I gave them a full five-star review. The other dietary restrictions were vegans and diabetics.
It was a long day, but well worth it. We pulled out at 7:30 am and didn’t return until 7:30 pm. On the drive to the park our guide explained a few things.
On March 20, 1980, a 4.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Mount St. Helens and jumpstarted the volcanic activity. The next week, steam started to vent. Volcanologists flew in from around the world to watch Mount St. Helens from every vantage point. By the end of April, a bulge appeared on the north side of the mountain. After weeks intense monitoring, Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, in a fury that geologists compared to Mount Vesuvius. Another earthquake, a 5.1-magnitude, melted the snowpack into a violent mudslide and pulverized the top of the stratovolcano into a cloud of black ash.
For the next 9 hours, a plume of ash soared 12 to 16 miles into the atmosphere that turned day into night. The eruption generated 3.9 million cubic yards of material, like ash, pumice, trees and boulders, that rushed 17 miles downstream. In all, the eruption of Mount St. Helens killed 57 people. It destroyed 47 bridges, 15 miles of railroad, 185 miles of highway and 250 homes. It was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. After the eruption, Mount St. Helens went from a 9,677-foot snow-capped peak to a 8,363-foot mountain with a one-mile wide, horseshoe-shaped crater. Since the 1980 eruption, Mount St. Helens continues to rumble, with intermittent episodes of venting steam and erupting lava domes. The majority of the area is closed to visitors so scientists can continue to monitor the volcanic activity.
August 19th – Mount St. Helens (Part 2)
Our first stop, after the two-hour drive, was the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center for interpretive information, a restroom break, and to pick up our naturalist. The center is located above Silver Lake and is very scenic. We were only there thirty minutes and then it was time to hike to Ape Cave.
Ape Cave, how do I describe this activity? For starters it is a chilly lava tube over two miles long. And it is pitch black in there. Ugh. I whispered a question to Benny and thankfully he nodded in affirmative. I didn’t want him to feel like I was putting him on a leash. I had a retractable key fob attached to my built. I took the van keys off, stuffed them in my bra (Lord knows there isn’t much else in there), and then attached the business end of the retractable wire to Benny. I know it sounds a little silly, but it made both of us more comfortable that we wouldn’t get separated. A couple of the other people blinked when they saw it and realized what it was, but they didn’t cross the line and comment. Pei grabbed the back of my belt and I played anchor for both of them.
Ape Cave is the third longest lava tube in North America (2.5 miles long). The cave temperature is 42F year-round. One of the “goodies” that came with the excursion was an impressively bright mini LED flashlight with the excursion company’s logo on it. As a matter of habit Benny and I also had our small mag lights in our daypacks. Some people tried to use their cell phone lights but they simply weren’t bright enough, or at least the light didn’t penetrate far enough. We were also told to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes but of course not everyone got the memo and there were some stubbed toes before the day was over. Benny and I also keep a light jacket with us that doubles as rain gear. They came in handy for the cave. I talked Pei Shin into bringing one as well even though she was sure it was going to be roasting.
The primary rule while hiking through the cave is do not touch the walls, they harbor cave “slime”, a food source in the cave’s delicate ecosystem. I wasn’t interested in touching “slime” to start with so no problemo though I saw the looks on a couple of faces like they were measuring how much trouble they would get into if someone caught them touching. I guess the guides could read the expressions as well and seemed to pay those people a little bit of extra attention. In my review I just called it respect and responsibility for the site. Pei got a good laugh and told me that maybe I was getting the hang of people after all. Yeah right. Had it been me in charge I would have simply said if they can’t keep their hands to themselves they could wait in the van.
The ceilings are drippy, and there were a few puddles; no cave can ever be considered completely safe. I was surprised I had to encourage Pei as much as I did. I guess she has been out of Scouts, or the scouting mentality too long. She started picking it back up however once we got going. It is like riding a bike. You never really forget; you just need to get back on and ride for it to come back completely.
A short distance from the parking lot, we entered the large cave entrance and descended two staircases to the floor of the cave and the signed junction between Upper and Lower. We headed into the Upper Cave. I think some people were a little surprised at the physicality of it. It's a 1.5 rugged miles one way, requiring significantly more time, caution, and some physical agility than people expected. It is an interesting route though, with the lava tube shape, size, and geology changing frequently.
Not far from the staircase, the passage encounters its first of many rock piles. You must climb up, over, or around the rocks, which are rough and abrasive, taking care not to twist an ankle or bump your head. We nearly lost a person – one of the people who hadn’t worn hiking boots – and after that everyone paid better attention. At about 0.8 mile is the narrowest part of the passage, and the most difficult climb: a slick, wet, 8-foot lava fall. Some people needed assistance scaling it, as there is only one significant foothold. Guess who acted as booster and anchorman? I first boosted Pei Shin up and then spotted Benny as he climbed; he stayed with her.
I whispered to him, “Just go with it Little Bear. One, it will make Pei Shin feel good that you trust her and two, you can be up there in case there’s an emergency. I won’t have to worry that you don’t have a partner and you can help keep the ladies calm because they think they’ll be helping to keep you calm.”
“Isn’t that kinda lying?”
“Er … maybe? More like you are …” I sighed. “Adulting is making my head hurt.” He snorted a giggle. “Seriously, just …”
“Go with it?”
“You are getting too smart. Or I’m teaching you bad habits. Either way, let’s just do as I say and not as I do this time around. ‘K?”
He snorted another giggle but did as I requested. Luckily no emergency took place though I wound up having to practically haul the last person up by hand. She was afraid of heights. Yes, it was a good thing it was dark as I was a little irritated and couldn’t quite hide it. She wanted people to turn around and go back with her but even the guide was getting irritated with her insistence. Then she kept squealing in complaint with every joggle as I climbed. When we got there she was upset and claimed I’d nearly dropped her several times.
“You wiggle worse than a kid,” I told her. “And you aren’t exactly a lightweight. Grab your flashlight and watch where you put your feet and let’s get going so we don’t hold the group up.”
Pei nearly swallowed her tongue trying not to laugh. I used to think she was embarrassed by me when we were kids, but it turned out I was saying what she and a lot of others would have said had they had my lack of “give-a-damn” when it came to social cues and boundaries. I am better than I used to be, or maybe I am just better at pretending.
Beyond the lava fall were a couple of rock formations that required some physical ability to climb over or to squeeze around. Then at about 1.2 miles was “The Skylight,” a hole in the ceiling which allows in the first natural light since the entrance. The Skylight is neither a safe nor legal exit. People have tried to get out that way and have been seriously injured.
The affixed metal ladder at about 1.4 miles is the Upper Entrance, and our exit, but first we continued the final 500 feet beyond it to the natural end of the lava tube. The ceiling is only about 6 feet high in places, so those of us that were taller had to be careful. It was a squeeze in a couple of places and caused some people to get claustrophobic. Then we retraced our steps to the ladder and headed up topside. Despite the earlier complaints I helped the scaredy-cat woman get up the ladder and once to the top she played human and said thank you very nicely.
The return trail was marked for travel in snow according to our guide. We simply followed the blue diamond markers affixed high on tree trunks. The trail dropped gently the 1.3 miles back to the Main Entrance.
Next we went to Coldwater Lake and walked the nature walk along the boardwalk. It took us about an hour what with the guide’s explanation and how slow some of the people in our group were. The lake was created by the 1980 eruption and is cold and clear. I would have liked to have gotten a chance to paddle out onto the lake but no could do, it wasn’t part of the itinerary.
After the lake we headed to the Johnston Ridge Observatory where Benny got a surprise. It is a cool place with big views of Mt. St. Helens. It has interpretive displays, a theater, and the beginning of trails around Mt. St. Helens. We only had an hour there but given it was our “free time” Benny, Pei, and I made the most of it. And Pei is a stinker. She surprised Benny (and me) with some truly cool junior ranger items.
“Pei, you …”
“Ah ah ah!” she said, stopping me and wagging her finger. “I don’t have any nieces or nephews and he’s a good kid. I mean a really good kid. Mom would really like him and you know she would. She likes you too, one of the few of my friends she told me to invite home.” Then she giggled. “Especially when she had something that needed fixing or opening. She complains that Dad never helps with the house and that she has no one to ask anymore.”
I laughed as well. I knew if I was going to Pei’s house there would be a honey-do list waiting on me but I didn’t mind. Mrs. Chow could cook like a goddess. “Yeah, Benny likes him some rules to know where the boundaries are. But he can be a whirling dervish when he gets going.”
“Pot meet kettle.”
I chuckled. “Seriously Pei.”
“Seriously Gus.”
“Smart Aleck.”
“Pot meet kettle.”
She was one of the few people in my life that has never been afraid to go toe to toe with me. You need someone like that in your life and for whatever reason we were both laughing like idiots, but oh well. And Benny was happy so that’s all I really cared about. I knew Pei wouldn’t be missing any meals because of her actions so I let it go. She always has measured money different from me, in part because of how wealthy her grandfather had been and how well off her parents were. Had our positions been reversed I would have likely done the same thing. Pot meet kettle indeed.
And Benny’s other surprise? They had a Junior Ranger program and he’d completed all the requirements just by doing the cave trail and the boardwalk around the lake, plus the interpretive signs at the observatory. And then with Pei dressing him up like a miniature ranger you would have thought he’d gotten all his birthday gifts for the next several years all rolled into one.
The next activity wasn’t anything to sneeze about either. We took the Eruption Trail Walk into the blast zone of the famous 1980 eruption. The views were glorious! It wasn’t even a mile long trail, and an easy one at that, but it took us an hour and a half because of the education program the guide provided. It is a partially paved trail and includes interpretive signs, kiosks, and incredible views of Mount St. Helens and the blast zone that surrounds the mountain. Through the informational signs, we learned about and saw pictures of the mountain before, during, and after the eruption. The farther along the trail we went, the better the angle became for seeing the crater.
Our last stop within the monument area was the Hummocks Trail. Hummocks are bits of Mt. St. Helens (very large pieces of the mountain that were moved miles during her eruption). We wandered along the Toutle River among the resting place of the hummocks, far from the mountain they were once a part of. The drive back was pleasant and included another drink and snack. I used the time to write a review and link it back to the company’s website.
As we were getting out of the van, the guide and naturalist both said, “You’re Aunt Gus?!”
I laughed and used the “polite repartee” that I’ve been forced to learned to use and escaped as quickly as possible. Pei and I were both laughing by the time we spotted Bam and Taylor waiting for us.
Bam asked suspiciously, “Do I want to know what that’s about?”
That just made us laugh harder and Benny looked at me like I was a pod person just capped it off. We explained but it is one of those “you had to be there” things. We grabbed German take out … I know, weird … as we drove back to their place. After dinner I tried to help clean up, but Taylor was much more interested in the pictures that I took and getting them up on the blog and getting the “business card” scanned and loaded up on the affiliate links I have. That was fine by me, they paid me the $225 upfront. Taylor paid me an additional $100 for my resource list.
She said, “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. You sure you don’t mind me sharing it?”
“I’d give it to you for free.”
“Oh no, this is going to be a business expense. I need a few so the state doesn’t eat up our income until I can get an LLC approved.”
Benny cleaned up … after paying some more attention to the cat … and fell asleep listening to Mr. Wheezer purr like a bandsaw. Pei had some comments from students she needed to deal with and then she packed a bag. She’s in the shower now and I’m almost written out. She’s traveling with us for the next two days to get down to her boyfriend’s parents’ place. Jeremy is helping his Dad with some delivery and Pei doesn’t care for the man they are taking some piece of boat equipment to. She says he makes her feel slimed every time she is around him. Something about thinking “chinks” are sluts or something stupid like that.
I told her, “So tell Jeremy and he can bust the guy in the chops.”
“Wouldn’t be Jeremy doing it. His father is really straight and strict about that stuff. His mother is kinda clueless but more ‘cause she is a former airheaded beauty queen than because she’s out and out stupid. She doesn’t like the guy either; her mother was Mandarin and Mrs. Jackson looks like her. Mr. Jackson – if he thought that guy was bothering me – would cut off business with him and he has too many connections that could turn around and hurt Mr. Porter’s company.”
“Ah so,” I said. “The Empress has ears everywhere.”
“You did not just …” Pei broke down laughing. “I can’t believe you just said that. But yes, Mom and Mrs. Jackson are becoming good friends. They talk at least once a week.”
“You’re doomed.”
“You have no idea.”
I need to stop screwing around and check to make sure Benny’s stuff is all packed. We are leaving early in the morning and heading towards Lewis and Clark National Historic Park.
Resources:
Mt St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Home
Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument – Washington
Jr Ranger Shop
Our first stop, after the two-hour drive, was the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center for interpretive information, a restroom break, and to pick up our naturalist. The center is located above Silver Lake and is very scenic. We were only there thirty minutes and then it was time to hike to Ape Cave.
Ape Cave, how do I describe this activity? For starters it is a chilly lava tube over two miles long. And it is pitch black in there. Ugh. I whispered a question to Benny and thankfully he nodded in affirmative. I didn’t want him to feel like I was putting him on a leash. I had a retractable key fob attached to my built. I took the van keys off, stuffed them in my bra (Lord knows there isn’t much else in there), and then attached the business end of the retractable wire to Benny. I know it sounds a little silly, but it made both of us more comfortable that we wouldn’t get separated. A couple of the other people blinked when they saw it and realized what it was, but they didn’t cross the line and comment. Pei grabbed the back of my belt and I played anchor for both of them.
Ape Cave is the third longest lava tube in North America (2.5 miles long). The cave temperature is 42F year-round. One of the “goodies” that came with the excursion was an impressively bright mini LED flashlight with the excursion company’s logo on it. As a matter of habit Benny and I also had our small mag lights in our daypacks. Some people tried to use their cell phone lights but they simply weren’t bright enough, or at least the light didn’t penetrate far enough. We were also told to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes but of course not everyone got the memo and there were some stubbed toes before the day was over. Benny and I also keep a light jacket with us that doubles as rain gear. They came in handy for the cave. I talked Pei Shin into bringing one as well even though she was sure it was going to be roasting.
The primary rule while hiking through the cave is do not touch the walls, they harbor cave “slime”, a food source in the cave’s delicate ecosystem. I wasn’t interested in touching “slime” to start with so no problemo though I saw the looks on a couple of faces like they were measuring how much trouble they would get into if someone caught them touching. I guess the guides could read the expressions as well and seemed to pay those people a little bit of extra attention. In my review I just called it respect and responsibility for the site. Pei got a good laugh and told me that maybe I was getting the hang of people after all. Yeah right. Had it been me in charge I would have simply said if they can’t keep their hands to themselves they could wait in the van.
The ceilings are drippy, and there were a few puddles; no cave can ever be considered completely safe. I was surprised I had to encourage Pei as much as I did. I guess she has been out of Scouts, or the scouting mentality too long. She started picking it back up however once we got going. It is like riding a bike. You never really forget; you just need to get back on and ride for it to come back completely.
A short distance from the parking lot, we entered the large cave entrance and descended two staircases to the floor of the cave and the signed junction between Upper and Lower. We headed into the Upper Cave. I think some people were a little surprised at the physicality of it. It's a 1.5 rugged miles one way, requiring significantly more time, caution, and some physical agility than people expected. It is an interesting route though, with the lava tube shape, size, and geology changing frequently.
Not far from the staircase, the passage encounters its first of many rock piles. You must climb up, over, or around the rocks, which are rough and abrasive, taking care not to twist an ankle or bump your head. We nearly lost a person – one of the people who hadn’t worn hiking boots – and after that everyone paid better attention. At about 0.8 mile is the narrowest part of the passage, and the most difficult climb: a slick, wet, 8-foot lava fall. Some people needed assistance scaling it, as there is only one significant foothold. Guess who acted as booster and anchorman? I first boosted Pei Shin up and then spotted Benny as he climbed; he stayed with her.
I whispered to him, “Just go with it Little Bear. One, it will make Pei Shin feel good that you trust her and two, you can be up there in case there’s an emergency. I won’t have to worry that you don’t have a partner and you can help keep the ladies calm because they think they’ll be helping to keep you calm.”
“Isn’t that kinda lying?”
“Er … maybe? More like you are …” I sighed. “Adulting is making my head hurt.” He snorted a giggle. “Seriously, just …”
“Go with it?”
“You are getting too smart. Or I’m teaching you bad habits. Either way, let’s just do as I say and not as I do this time around. ‘K?”
He snorted another giggle but did as I requested. Luckily no emergency took place though I wound up having to practically haul the last person up by hand. She was afraid of heights. Yes, it was a good thing it was dark as I was a little irritated and couldn’t quite hide it. She wanted people to turn around and go back with her but even the guide was getting irritated with her insistence. Then she kept squealing in complaint with every joggle as I climbed. When we got there she was upset and claimed I’d nearly dropped her several times.
“You wiggle worse than a kid,” I told her. “And you aren’t exactly a lightweight. Grab your flashlight and watch where you put your feet and let’s get going so we don’t hold the group up.”
Pei nearly swallowed her tongue trying not to laugh. I used to think she was embarrassed by me when we were kids, but it turned out I was saying what she and a lot of others would have said had they had my lack of “give-a-damn” when it came to social cues and boundaries. I am better than I used to be, or maybe I am just better at pretending.
Beyond the lava fall were a couple of rock formations that required some physical ability to climb over or to squeeze around. Then at about 1.2 miles was “The Skylight,” a hole in the ceiling which allows in the first natural light since the entrance. The Skylight is neither a safe nor legal exit. People have tried to get out that way and have been seriously injured.
The affixed metal ladder at about 1.4 miles is the Upper Entrance, and our exit, but first we continued the final 500 feet beyond it to the natural end of the lava tube. The ceiling is only about 6 feet high in places, so those of us that were taller had to be careful. It was a squeeze in a couple of places and caused some people to get claustrophobic. Then we retraced our steps to the ladder and headed up topside. Despite the earlier complaints I helped the scaredy-cat woman get up the ladder and once to the top she played human and said thank you very nicely.
The return trail was marked for travel in snow according to our guide. We simply followed the blue diamond markers affixed high on tree trunks. The trail dropped gently the 1.3 miles back to the Main Entrance.
Next we went to Coldwater Lake and walked the nature walk along the boardwalk. It took us about an hour what with the guide’s explanation and how slow some of the people in our group were. The lake was created by the 1980 eruption and is cold and clear. I would have liked to have gotten a chance to paddle out onto the lake but no could do, it wasn’t part of the itinerary.
After the lake we headed to the Johnston Ridge Observatory where Benny got a surprise. It is a cool place with big views of Mt. St. Helens. It has interpretive displays, a theater, and the beginning of trails around Mt. St. Helens. We only had an hour there but given it was our “free time” Benny, Pei, and I made the most of it. And Pei is a stinker. She surprised Benny (and me) with some truly cool junior ranger items.
“Pei, you …”
“Ah ah ah!” she said, stopping me and wagging her finger. “I don’t have any nieces or nephews and he’s a good kid. I mean a really good kid. Mom would really like him and you know she would. She likes you too, one of the few of my friends she told me to invite home.” Then she giggled. “Especially when she had something that needed fixing or opening. She complains that Dad never helps with the house and that she has no one to ask anymore.”
I laughed as well. I knew if I was going to Pei’s house there would be a honey-do list waiting on me but I didn’t mind. Mrs. Chow could cook like a goddess. “Yeah, Benny likes him some rules to know where the boundaries are. But he can be a whirling dervish when he gets going.”
“Pot meet kettle.”
I chuckled. “Seriously Pei.”
“Seriously Gus.”
“Smart Aleck.”
“Pot meet kettle.”
She was one of the few people in my life that has never been afraid to go toe to toe with me. You need someone like that in your life and for whatever reason we were both laughing like idiots, but oh well. And Benny was happy so that’s all I really cared about. I knew Pei wouldn’t be missing any meals because of her actions so I let it go. She always has measured money different from me, in part because of how wealthy her grandfather had been and how well off her parents were. Had our positions been reversed I would have likely done the same thing. Pot meet kettle indeed.
And Benny’s other surprise? They had a Junior Ranger program and he’d completed all the requirements just by doing the cave trail and the boardwalk around the lake, plus the interpretive signs at the observatory. And then with Pei dressing him up like a miniature ranger you would have thought he’d gotten all his birthday gifts for the next several years all rolled into one.
The next activity wasn’t anything to sneeze about either. We took the Eruption Trail Walk into the blast zone of the famous 1980 eruption. The views were glorious! It wasn’t even a mile long trail, and an easy one at that, but it took us an hour and a half because of the education program the guide provided. It is a partially paved trail and includes interpretive signs, kiosks, and incredible views of Mount St. Helens and the blast zone that surrounds the mountain. Through the informational signs, we learned about and saw pictures of the mountain before, during, and after the eruption. The farther along the trail we went, the better the angle became for seeing the crater.
Our last stop within the monument area was the Hummocks Trail. Hummocks are bits of Mt. St. Helens (very large pieces of the mountain that were moved miles during her eruption). We wandered along the Toutle River among the resting place of the hummocks, far from the mountain they were once a part of. The drive back was pleasant and included another drink and snack. I used the time to write a review and link it back to the company’s website.
As we were getting out of the van, the guide and naturalist both said, “You’re Aunt Gus?!”
I laughed and used the “polite repartee” that I’ve been forced to learned to use and escaped as quickly as possible. Pei and I were both laughing by the time we spotted Bam and Taylor waiting for us.
Bam asked suspiciously, “Do I want to know what that’s about?”
That just made us laugh harder and Benny looked at me like I was a pod person just capped it off. We explained but it is one of those “you had to be there” things. We grabbed German take out … I know, weird … as we drove back to their place. After dinner I tried to help clean up, but Taylor was much more interested in the pictures that I took and getting them up on the blog and getting the “business card” scanned and loaded up on the affiliate links I have. That was fine by me, they paid me the $225 upfront. Taylor paid me an additional $100 for my resource list.
She said, “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. You sure you don’t mind me sharing it?”
“I’d give it to you for free.”
“Oh no, this is going to be a business expense. I need a few so the state doesn’t eat up our income until I can get an LLC approved.”
Benny cleaned up … after paying some more attention to the cat … and fell asleep listening to Mr. Wheezer purr like a bandsaw. Pei had some comments from students she needed to deal with and then she packed a bag. She’s in the shower now and I’m almost written out. She’s traveling with us for the next two days to get down to her boyfriend’s parents’ place. Jeremy is helping his Dad with some delivery and Pei doesn’t care for the man they are taking some piece of boat equipment to. She says he makes her feel slimed every time she is around him. Something about thinking “chinks” are sluts or something stupid like that.
I told her, “So tell Jeremy and he can bust the guy in the chops.”
“Wouldn’t be Jeremy doing it. His father is really straight and strict about that stuff. His mother is kinda clueless but more ‘cause she is a former airheaded beauty queen than because she’s out and out stupid. She doesn’t like the guy either; her mother was Mandarin and Mrs. Jackson looks like her. Mr. Jackson – if he thought that guy was bothering me – would cut off business with him and he has too many connections that could turn around and hurt Mr. Porter’s company.”
“Ah so,” I said. “The Empress has ears everywhere.”
“You did not just …” Pei broke down laughing. “I can’t believe you just said that. But yes, Mom and Mrs. Jackson are becoming good friends. They talk at least once a week.”
“You’re doomed.”
“You have no idea.”
I need to stop screwing around and check to make sure Benny’s stuff is all packed. We are leaving early in the morning and heading towards Lewis and Clark National Historic Park.
Resources:
Mt St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Home
Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument – Washington
Jr Ranger Shop
Last edited:
Jeepcats27
Senior Member
Nice chapters and more insight to Gus!
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you , we lived in CO. when Mt. St. Helens blew. We ended up with ash on the cars and everything else all over town.
, we lived in CO. when Mt. St. Helens blew. We ended up with ash on the cars and everything else all over town.
Aug 20 – 21: Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Oregon
Driving Route:
August 20th – Lewis & Clark
Pei Shin travelled with us. First, we visited Lewis and Clark National Historic Park outside of Astoria, Oregon. From there we went to Fort Stevens State Park to stay the night.
“How do you keep it up?”
“Keep what up?” I asked Pei Shin as I cooked, and Benny took pictures of Little Bear and Gus the Pelican holding some of the nonsense that Pei Shin had insisted on buying him even when he didn’t ask for anything.
“The … Mom thing.”
Trying to explain I said, “I’m … not his mom. I’m his aunt.”
“But …”
“I know it is a matter of semantics in a lot of people’s opinions but … I don’t want to take his parents away from him. Lawrence never tried to be my dad. He was more than just my brother but … I guess I can only explain it so far. Will it change down the road? I don’t know, I just don’t want to replace Lawrence and Penny. To me that would be wrong, stealing something from Benny I might not be able to give him back if I wind up changing my mind down the road.”
“Then don’t. And for the record, I understand and approve. I may not be heading into the military anymore but that doesn’t mean I’ve lost touch. I’m pretty sure I want my specialty to be serving military families, helping them to deal with life events particular to that population.”
I looked at her then slowly grinned, even turning it into a chuckle. “I take it Mrs. Chow is happy.”
“You mean the original Tiger Mom? You have no idea. Her daughter is going to be a doktah. And Dad is already getting the plaque ready to add my name to his clinic. If I move back to Florida.”
“If?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah. Life is different out here but … at least I’m out from under my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I love them but …”
Rather than forcing her to explain something that has always been so uncomfortable for her I said, “I remember. Cultural differences and all that. I take it from the fact that there is a boyfriend that they aren’t planning your wedding and marriage anymore?”
This time it was her turn to laugh. “They’ve got Li for that. She’s like Mom’s mini me.”
“Li?! Fourteen-year-old Chinese girl with rainbow hair who nearly made your mom pass out when she got a dragon tattoo all across her back … and then was grounded for a month because she hadn’t admitted that it was a temporary one until they dragged her to a cosmetic surgeon? That Li?”
Pei Shin nearly fell out of her chair laughing. “That wasn’t the worst. Right after you moved to Key West, before her senior year, she shaved her head because Mom made her dye her hair black.”
“Her hair is black.”
“It wasn’t when they did the dye job. It was green and fluorescent pink.”
“Did she glow in the dark?”
“Close.” Pei Shin sobered. “Then she had a really bad experience with a guy. She’d snuck off to some party and …”
Interpreting the look on her face I said, “Aw crap.”
“Nah. I mean it was close. She … she just hasn’t been the same since. Personally I think something did happen but she says not. The doctor they took her to that night says nothing happened except she got a little beat up but … something happened. I’ve tried to talk to her but she’s too angry at me for leaving her all alone.”
“What? Is Wang swiss cheese?”
“No. But he’s all about following in Grandfather’s shoes. All martial arts, clean mind, clean body, you remember.”
“Yeah. Does he still want to be a Jesuit? Sneak into China and the whole nine yards?”
“Uh uh. Grandfather talked him out of it. Says there are a lot of people in the States that he can shepherd. Enough cultures that need to learn to leave the old ways behind so they can have new lives.”
“And you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know if I can do career and family at the same time. And if I do find a permanent guy? I’m not sure I want kids. I don’t feel the pull.”
“Geez Pei … we’re just twenty. We have a while until we have to worry about the old biological clock thing. Cut yourself a break. Pressure is your mom’s thing.”
“Maybe.” After a moment she asked quietly so Benny would hear, “Would you give Benny up?”
With absolutely no doubt I answered, “No. But … it’s a different dynamic. I miss what I had to give up, but I also know that given the same circumstances I would make the exact same choices to give it up. I don’t know if Benny is my only purpose in life, but I do know that he is one of them. I just chose not to fight the direction life sent me. Less drama. Having that motivation makes all the craziness a lot easier to handle.”
“What happens when he gets old enough that he needs a … I don’t know … a father-figure?”
Feeling very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken I answered, “I’ve … thought about it. But I’m not hooking up with a guy for that reason alone. I made a mistake like that before, not happening again.”
“Hey … ignore me for sticking my nose in. And Christopher was a jerk. I don’t know what happened to him when he took that gap year, but he went from stud to turd.”
I snorted. “Nah. It’s okay. Knowing Benny is what I’m supposed to be doing in life doesn’t mean I have it all figured out. I know I need to work on it, but I need to figure out what I want too. I can’t be a nomad with no purpose besides,” I waived my hand at Benny and the van. “He’s gonna grow up and I’m young enough that there is still going to be a life on the other side of him getting a life, so it is something I should think about now.”
“Are you going back to Florida?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never lived anyplace else, but I’m seeing it’s a big country out here. Something keeps saying go back. I don’t think I could be landlocked. Wherever I wind up I need to be near water. I don’t need the beach but maybe on a river or lake or something. It just feels … right … when I think about it.”
We changed the subject since the food was finished. Pei had asked “pretty please” for “steak omelets” for dinner. It was one of my specialties for camping when we got in off the water or if we were beach camping. I laughed and told her of course but it did require us to stop for provisions. Then again, I needed to anyway and lucky for me there was a Costco very near where we were heading … Lewis and Clark National Historical Park outside of Astoria, OR.
We left early from Tacoma and took I5 nearly all the way in, through Centralia, across the Cowlitz River (Benny thought it was Cowlips giving us all a laugh), across the Columbia River which was amazing as Benny and I have been seeing it come up in our documentary-watching list. Once we crossed the Columbia we were in Oregon, and we stopped at a Ranier viewpoint along Hwy30 and Benny has become so comfortable with Pei that he let slip the “accident” there. That was an explanation I hadn’t expected to have to make but she wasn’t horrified or anything which was a relief. I still feel like I let Benny down somehow, but I don’t dwell on it.
By the time we had finished with that, we were at a place called Bradley State Scenic Viewpoint where we took a short break and ate the breakfast burritos that Taylor had insisted on sending with us. Taylor says she is a Mandarixican. Her bio father – not in the picture since before she was born – was a Chinese student here in the US who got kicked out when he got involved with some Chinese agitators over here. Her stepfather, the man that mostly raised her after her mother left to find herself, is of Mexican ancestry. Her mother was a red-headed foster kid who never knew her biological family. I’ve heard weirder stories but that one is up there.
I double checked our reservations and check in time and then it was back on the road. Driving through Astoria was a little crazy, but I knew we’d be coming back tomorrow. We crossed Youngs Bay on 101 and then stopped at a Costco right as it was opening. I had to renew my membership – bummer as I hadn’t counted on the expense – but Pei remembered the way I shopped and laughingly told Benny how I nearly dragged the entire crew to get stuff and get outta whatever store we were in.
“That’s why I still ride in the buggy even though I’m big. She goes fast,” he told her. “People get out of her way, or she goes to the next aisle until they do.”
“Stinker winker,” I muttered while jogging us over to the meat section, scanning my list for the items I was hunting for. The only thing that drew my eye away from my list was when I saw a sale sign. He and Pei both laughed. I guess my habits are known … and at least somewhat appreciated even if only for humor.
We were out of there as fast as I could get us and then heading to Lewis & Clark National Historic Park and Fort Clatsop. We started at the Fort and visitor center and museum to avoid the crowds that started rolling in about midmorning. We also picked up Benny’s junior ranger stuff and boy was the little turkey bear strutting his stuff, wearing his new vest and hat and sporting a cocky grin.
The historical presentations started at 10:30 am, just as we were finishing the museum and most of Benny’s requirements. First up was the Flintlock muzzle loader. There were stories, historical information on how they were manufactures, and some audience participation followed by the in-costume ranger loading and firing the gun. There were other historic replicas set up so kids (and adults) could touch them and learn the part they played in the famous expedition.
After we did what we could … and the crowds started getting ridiculous … we grabbed our picnic lunch and headed out to do some hiking. Pei wasn’t in the same shape she’d been when we were in Sea Scouts together so we kept the hikes easy to moderate. First up was the Nutel River trail. It was only a mile and concentrated on teaching hikers about logging and how it has affected the area. Next up was the Clay Pit Pond trail. The Clay Pit Pond is a half-mile loop trail that starts near the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center picnic area. It turned out to be a great trail. It featured a vernal pond surrounded by skunk cabbage and sedges. There are steep steps and lots of trees growing close to the trail, and we also had to watch out for newts which were prolific.
“Do they bite?” Benny asked.
“Doubt it. They might try and gum you to pieces but I’m more concerned with them turning to gum on the bottom of your boots so watch where you put your feet.”
“Eeewww!” he laughed. And guess who got a Newton the Newt as a new crew member? Thanks Pei. Really. Thanks. Apparently Newton is a ham of a newt that likes to act dramatic to make new friends and get them laughing and break the ice so they will like him. Oh brother. LOL. Those stuffies all have their own “personalities” and I swear even I can tell them apart and remember their names and habits.
Our last hike of the day was the Fort to Sea Trail. It was our longest hike at roughly six miles. I asked Pei if she could do it and wondered if she was going to be offended that I asked. Instead she said, “I can do the six miles but can we take the shuttle back?”
“Probably best not to push it. How are your hikers? They look a little busted down after Ape Cave.”
“The shoe glue you put on there is holding.”
I turned to Benny and he nodded his acceptance and understanding. “Sorry Benny,” Pei told him.
“That’s okay. You get out of shape when you get older. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You need to pace yourself.”
I had to look away rather than laugh at Pei’s stunned expression. Then she laughed and said, “Too right. I need to get out more and that’s just a fact. Jeremy says the same thing. He worries I spend too much time looking at a computer screen instead of breathing healthy air.” She turned to me and said, “Let’s go Chief.”
The trail began at Fort Clatsop, then gradually climbed through shady, forested terrain until it reached an overlook on Clatsop Ridge about 2 miles that was 200 feet higher in elevation than the trailhead. From there the path became more rugged as it dropped into thicker forest and steeper grades. The trail wound around wetland lakes and thick undergrowth.
The next landmark from that point was a tunnel where the Fort to Sea Trail crossed beneath Highway 101. About a third of a mile before we reached the tunnel we passed the western end of the Kwis Kwis Trail, which you can use to create a loop if you were going do a there and back trail. We were doing that so we kept going.
After passing beneath the tunnel the trail traded shady forest for exposed grass fields and cattle farms. Much of the route led between fencing, and we had to cross several cattle gates in order to continue. It went on this way for about 2 miles, crossing over bridges and proceeding as the trail turned to soft sand. We felt the cool coastal wind and heard the surf before getting a glimpse of Sunset Beach, dune grass, and then the Pacific.
We made good time so Benny could run around for a bit – with me chasing him – before we caught the shuttle back to the Fort. Our last activity before leaving for our camp for the night was to let Benny turn in his Junior Ranger papers and yet again swear the oath.
“He never tires of it,” I told Pei.
“Do you?”
“Nah. It makes Benny happy. It’s not junky stuff, he really learns and earns the badges.”
“I didn’t mean to criticize.”
“I didn’t figure you were. I just mean that he does what he needs to earn the badges. I don’t … and won’t … do the work for him. I try not to turn into a Helicopter Auntie. I want him to have good self-esteem, not a fat head.”
She chuckled but I think that is part of what brought up the rest of the conversation when she asked me about the mom-thing.
We left the Lewis & Clark Park and headed to Fort Stevens State Park, only about fifteen minutes away. The campground is huge with over four hundred sites from full hookups to primitive, walk-in sites, to cabins, to yurts of all things. The yurts were cool but booked way out and we had the van so I didn’t want the extra expense even if they had been available.
Fort Stevens is the site of a military installation once used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort was in service for 84 years, from the Civil War (1865) to World War II. Today, Fort Stevens is a 4,300-acre park offering a variety of recreation opportunities, including camping, beach-combing, a freshwater lake, trails, wildlife viewing, and an historic shipwreck called the Wreck of the Peter Iredale (1906).
There wasn’t a lot of time to do any exploring, but we did some … after our dinner of steak omelets. I would have done more if I was alone but I wasn’t, and Pei was getting pretty tired and I saw that Benny was getting wound up so it was his bed time for sure. The two of them are now asleep and I think I’ve wound down myself. We need to be up early for tomorrow’s main activity. Rats, I need to put into Benny’s portfolio today’s survival skills. It was mainly just covering what he learned of what happened to the men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and what they wished they’d had packed more of. Aw geez, I need to add the portfolio to my daily chore list … or move it towards the top. I can’t start forgetting stuff like that.
Driving Route:
August 20th – Lewis & Clark
Pei Shin travelled with us. First, we visited Lewis and Clark National Historic Park outside of Astoria, Oregon. From there we went to Fort Stevens State Park to stay the night.
“How do you keep it up?”
“Keep what up?” I asked Pei Shin as I cooked, and Benny took pictures of Little Bear and Gus the Pelican holding some of the nonsense that Pei Shin had insisted on buying him even when he didn’t ask for anything.
“The … Mom thing.”
Trying to explain I said, “I’m … not his mom. I’m his aunt.”
“But …”
“I know it is a matter of semantics in a lot of people’s opinions but … I don’t want to take his parents away from him. Lawrence never tried to be my dad. He was more than just my brother but … I guess I can only explain it so far. Will it change down the road? I don’t know, I just don’t want to replace Lawrence and Penny. To me that would be wrong, stealing something from Benny I might not be able to give him back if I wind up changing my mind down the road.”
“Then don’t. And for the record, I understand and approve. I may not be heading into the military anymore but that doesn’t mean I’ve lost touch. I’m pretty sure I want my specialty to be serving military families, helping them to deal with life events particular to that population.”
I looked at her then slowly grinned, even turning it into a chuckle. “I take it Mrs. Chow is happy.”
“You mean the original Tiger Mom? You have no idea. Her daughter is going to be a doktah. And Dad is already getting the plaque ready to add my name to his clinic. If I move back to Florida.”
“If?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah. Life is different out here but … at least I’m out from under my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I love them but …”
Rather than forcing her to explain something that has always been so uncomfortable for her I said, “I remember. Cultural differences and all that. I take it from the fact that there is a boyfriend that they aren’t planning your wedding and marriage anymore?”
This time it was her turn to laugh. “They’ve got Li for that. She’s like Mom’s mini me.”
“Li?! Fourteen-year-old Chinese girl with rainbow hair who nearly made your mom pass out when she got a dragon tattoo all across her back … and then was grounded for a month because she hadn’t admitted that it was a temporary one until they dragged her to a cosmetic surgeon? That Li?”
Pei Shin nearly fell out of her chair laughing. “That wasn’t the worst. Right after you moved to Key West, before her senior year, she shaved her head because Mom made her dye her hair black.”
“Her hair is black.”
“It wasn’t when they did the dye job. It was green and fluorescent pink.”
“Did she glow in the dark?”
“Close.” Pei Shin sobered. “Then she had a really bad experience with a guy. She’d snuck off to some party and …”
Interpreting the look on her face I said, “Aw crap.”
“Nah. I mean it was close. She … she just hasn’t been the same since. Personally I think something did happen but she says not. The doctor they took her to that night says nothing happened except she got a little beat up but … something happened. I’ve tried to talk to her but she’s too angry at me for leaving her all alone.”
“What? Is Wang swiss cheese?”
“No. But he’s all about following in Grandfather’s shoes. All martial arts, clean mind, clean body, you remember.”
“Yeah. Does he still want to be a Jesuit? Sneak into China and the whole nine yards?”
“Uh uh. Grandfather talked him out of it. Says there are a lot of people in the States that he can shepherd. Enough cultures that need to learn to leave the old ways behind so they can have new lives.”
“And you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know if I can do career and family at the same time. And if I do find a permanent guy? I’m not sure I want kids. I don’t feel the pull.”
“Geez Pei … we’re just twenty. We have a while until we have to worry about the old biological clock thing. Cut yourself a break. Pressure is your mom’s thing.”
“Maybe.” After a moment she asked quietly so Benny would hear, “Would you give Benny up?”
With absolutely no doubt I answered, “No. But … it’s a different dynamic. I miss what I had to give up, but I also know that given the same circumstances I would make the exact same choices to give it up. I don’t know if Benny is my only purpose in life, but I do know that he is one of them. I just chose not to fight the direction life sent me. Less drama. Having that motivation makes all the craziness a lot easier to handle.”
“What happens when he gets old enough that he needs a … I don’t know … a father-figure?”
Feeling very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken I answered, “I’ve … thought about it. But I’m not hooking up with a guy for that reason alone. I made a mistake like that before, not happening again.”
“Hey … ignore me for sticking my nose in. And Christopher was a jerk. I don’t know what happened to him when he took that gap year, but he went from stud to turd.”
I snorted. “Nah. It’s okay. Knowing Benny is what I’m supposed to be doing in life doesn’t mean I have it all figured out. I know I need to work on it, but I need to figure out what I want too. I can’t be a nomad with no purpose besides,” I waived my hand at Benny and the van. “He’s gonna grow up and I’m young enough that there is still going to be a life on the other side of him getting a life, so it is something I should think about now.”
“Are you going back to Florida?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never lived anyplace else, but I’m seeing it’s a big country out here. Something keeps saying go back. I don’t think I could be landlocked. Wherever I wind up I need to be near water. I don’t need the beach but maybe on a river or lake or something. It just feels … right … when I think about it.”
We changed the subject since the food was finished. Pei had asked “pretty please” for “steak omelets” for dinner. It was one of my specialties for camping when we got in off the water or if we were beach camping. I laughed and told her of course but it did require us to stop for provisions. Then again, I needed to anyway and lucky for me there was a Costco very near where we were heading … Lewis and Clark National Historical Park outside of Astoria, OR.
We left early from Tacoma and took I5 nearly all the way in, through Centralia, across the Cowlitz River (Benny thought it was Cowlips giving us all a laugh), across the Columbia River which was amazing as Benny and I have been seeing it come up in our documentary-watching list. Once we crossed the Columbia we were in Oregon, and we stopped at a Ranier viewpoint along Hwy30 and Benny has become so comfortable with Pei that he let slip the “accident” there. That was an explanation I hadn’t expected to have to make but she wasn’t horrified or anything which was a relief. I still feel like I let Benny down somehow, but I don’t dwell on it.
By the time we had finished with that, we were at a place called Bradley State Scenic Viewpoint where we took a short break and ate the breakfast burritos that Taylor had insisted on sending with us. Taylor says she is a Mandarixican. Her bio father – not in the picture since before she was born – was a Chinese student here in the US who got kicked out when he got involved with some Chinese agitators over here. Her stepfather, the man that mostly raised her after her mother left to find herself, is of Mexican ancestry. Her mother was a red-headed foster kid who never knew her biological family. I’ve heard weirder stories but that one is up there.
I double checked our reservations and check in time and then it was back on the road. Driving through Astoria was a little crazy, but I knew we’d be coming back tomorrow. We crossed Youngs Bay on 101 and then stopped at a Costco right as it was opening. I had to renew my membership – bummer as I hadn’t counted on the expense – but Pei remembered the way I shopped and laughingly told Benny how I nearly dragged the entire crew to get stuff and get outta whatever store we were in.
“That’s why I still ride in the buggy even though I’m big. She goes fast,” he told her. “People get out of her way, or she goes to the next aisle until they do.”
“Stinker winker,” I muttered while jogging us over to the meat section, scanning my list for the items I was hunting for. The only thing that drew my eye away from my list was when I saw a sale sign. He and Pei both laughed. I guess my habits are known … and at least somewhat appreciated even if only for humor.
We were out of there as fast as I could get us and then heading to Lewis & Clark National Historic Park and Fort Clatsop. We started at the Fort and visitor center and museum to avoid the crowds that started rolling in about midmorning. We also picked up Benny’s junior ranger stuff and boy was the little turkey bear strutting his stuff, wearing his new vest and hat and sporting a cocky grin.
The historical presentations started at 10:30 am, just as we were finishing the museum and most of Benny’s requirements. First up was the Flintlock muzzle loader. There were stories, historical information on how they were manufactures, and some audience participation followed by the in-costume ranger loading and firing the gun. There were other historic replicas set up so kids (and adults) could touch them and learn the part they played in the famous expedition.
After we did what we could … and the crowds started getting ridiculous … we grabbed our picnic lunch and headed out to do some hiking. Pei wasn’t in the same shape she’d been when we were in Sea Scouts together so we kept the hikes easy to moderate. First up was the Nutel River trail. It was only a mile and concentrated on teaching hikers about logging and how it has affected the area. Next up was the Clay Pit Pond trail. The Clay Pit Pond is a half-mile loop trail that starts near the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center picnic area. It turned out to be a great trail. It featured a vernal pond surrounded by skunk cabbage and sedges. There are steep steps and lots of trees growing close to the trail, and we also had to watch out for newts which were prolific.
“Do they bite?” Benny asked.
“Doubt it. They might try and gum you to pieces but I’m more concerned with them turning to gum on the bottom of your boots so watch where you put your feet.”
“Eeewww!” he laughed. And guess who got a Newton the Newt as a new crew member? Thanks Pei. Really. Thanks. Apparently Newton is a ham of a newt that likes to act dramatic to make new friends and get them laughing and break the ice so they will like him. Oh brother. LOL. Those stuffies all have their own “personalities” and I swear even I can tell them apart and remember their names and habits.
Our last hike of the day was the Fort to Sea Trail. It was our longest hike at roughly six miles. I asked Pei if she could do it and wondered if she was going to be offended that I asked. Instead she said, “I can do the six miles but can we take the shuttle back?”
“Probably best not to push it. How are your hikers? They look a little busted down after Ape Cave.”
“The shoe glue you put on there is holding.”
I turned to Benny and he nodded his acceptance and understanding. “Sorry Benny,” Pei told him.
“That’s okay. You get out of shape when you get older. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You need to pace yourself.”
I had to look away rather than laugh at Pei’s stunned expression. Then she laughed and said, “Too right. I need to get out more and that’s just a fact. Jeremy says the same thing. He worries I spend too much time looking at a computer screen instead of breathing healthy air.” She turned to me and said, “Let’s go Chief.”
The trail began at Fort Clatsop, then gradually climbed through shady, forested terrain until it reached an overlook on Clatsop Ridge about 2 miles that was 200 feet higher in elevation than the trailhead. From there the path became more rugged as it dropped into thicker forest and steeper grades. The trail wound around wetland lakes and thick undergrowth.
The next landmark from that point was a tunnel where the Fort to Sea Trail crossed beneath Highway 101. About a third of a mile before we reached the tunnel we passed the western end of the Kwis Kwis Trail, which you can use to create a loop if you were going do a there and back trail. We were doing that so we kept going.
After passing beneath the tunnel the trail traded shady forest for exposed grass fields and cattle farms. Much of the route led between fencing, and we had to cross several cattle gates in order to continue. It went on this way for about 2 miles, crossing over bridges and proceeding as the trail turned to soft sand. We felt the cool coastal wind and heard the surf before getting a glimpse of Sunset Beach, dune grass, and then the Pacific.
We made good time so Benny could run around for a bit – with me chasing him – before we caught the shuttle back to the Fort. Our last activity before leaving for our camp for the night was to let Benny turn in his Junior Ranger papers and yet again swear the oath.
“He never tires of it,” I told Pei.
“Do you?”
“Nah. It makes Benny happy. It’s not junky stuff, he really learns and earns the badges.”
“I didn’t mean to criticize.”
“I didn’t figure you were. I just mean that he does what he needs to earn the badges. I don’t … and won’t … do the work for him. I try not to turn into a Helicopter Auntie. I want him to have good self-esteem, not a fat head.”
She chuckled but I think that is part of what brought up the rest of the conversation when she asked me about the mom-thing.
We left the Lewis & Clark Park and headed to Fort Stevens State Park, only about fifteen minutes away. The campground is huge with over four hundred sites from full hookups to primitive, walk-in sites, to cabins, to yurts of all things. The yurts were cool but booked way out and we had the van so I didn’t want the extra expense even if they had been available.
Fort Stevens is the site of a military installation once used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort was in service for 84 years, from the Civil War (1865) to World War II. Today, Fort Stevens is a 4,300-acre park offering a variety of recreation opportunities, including camping, beach-combing, a freshwater lake, trails, wildlife viewing, and an historic shipwreck called the Wreck of the Peter Iredale (1906).
There wasn’t a lot of time to do any exploring, but we did some … after our dinner of steak omelets. I would have done more if I was alone but I wasn’t, and Pei was getting pretty tired and I saw that Benny was getting wound up so it was his bed time for sure. The two of them are now asleep and I think I’ve wound down myself. We need to be up early for tomorrow’s main activity. Rats, I need to put into Benny’s portfolio today’s survival skills. It was mainly just covering what he learned of what happened to the men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and what they wished they’d had packed more of. Aw geez, I need to add the portfolio to my daily chore list … or move it towards the top. I can’t start forgetting stuff like that.
August 21st - Fishing
Pei Shin’s boyfriend Jeremy, and his father, own shares in a fishing guide company near their vacation home and offered to take us out fishing for salmon, assuming we could be at the pier before 6 am. The schedule was to return at 9 am which would still leave a full day to get other things done.
We began the day meeting at the launch site and having an orientation where safety rules were explained, making sure everyone was comfortable in the boat and equipment, and what our general heading was going to be. I used this as Benny’s survival skill for the day.
Heading out to fish we had a gorgeous Northwest sunrise. It reminded me of some I’d seen in Key Wes while sea kayaking. While we headed out we saw Astoria and the surrounding area from a unique, water-side perspective. From the Astoria Column to the Astoria-Megler Bridge that spans over 4 miles across the Columbia River. From city life to wildlife to sea life. Astoria is really beautiful.
While fishing the Pacific Ocean or Columbia River for salmon, we caught a view of Tillamook Head and one of the local lighthouses. Bald eagles soared above and and a couple of them would dive down as they fished in the same waters as we did. We saw sea lions, brown pelicans, and harbor seals and all three of them could be noisy when they chose. We spent as much time sight-seeing as we did fishing and we still didn’t do too badly.
Benny had an absolute blast as he caught five … four Coho and one Sockeye salmon! “Well what do you expect?” I told everyone laughing. “Bears are expert salmon fishermen … er … fisherbears.”
I didn’t do too badly myself. I caught two Coho, three trout (pretty steelheads) while we were on the river portion of the morning, and I helped a guy do battle with a freaking giant sturgeon that wouldn’t turn loose of his line. Geez that thing was a monster. We finally managed to pull it to the side so he could unhook and let him go. The guy had three poles in the water and was really just out to fool around and the sturgeon was too big to keep, so he said.
We got back to the pier and Jeremy set me up with a place where I could clean our catch. Luckily I came prepared with my trusty filet knife. Pei just stood back and laughed at the faces of some of the men there who weren’t used to women cleaning fish the way that Grandfather Barry had taught me. Pei helped me take it all back to the van and then cut it in salmon “steaks” and then vacuum seal it before tossing them in the freezer. I didn’t have room for one of the stealheads and gave it to Jeremy for he and Pei to have for dinner. This was end of the line.
“God I’m going to miss you!” she said, enveloping me in a hug. “No more years and years between seeing each other.”
I opened my mouth to say something but couldn’t lie. She knew it so she lied for me. “We’ll figure something out. But for sure it isn’t going to be … what did you call it? Next Juvember? Nope, not going to be that way.”
I hugged her back, something I rarely do to people. “We’ll keep in touch.”
“You better.” Turning to Benny she said, “And you Benny Bear, you keep your Aunt Gus in line and don’t let her be too serious. And I want to see you earning some more Ranger Badges. That stuff is cool. And Newton, behave. You like your jokes a liiiiittle too much.”
Playing along won Pei a place in Benny’s heart. However, as much as I love my friend, we needed to keep going on down the road. Pei has her life figured out and has plans. Being with her only highlighted that I don’t.
We drove through Astoria on the way back to Fort Steven. Pei stayed with the Jacksons while Benny and I return to Fort Steven State Park for the rest of the day and overnight. On my way out I called Bam to let him know as I’d promised. We stopped long enough to take a stroll along the Astoria Riverwalk, went to the maritime museum because they had Gold Star Family discounts, drove by some historic homes, stopped at the Astoria Column, and in general played tourist.
The state park let us exercise the wiggles out a little more and then for dinner I managed a passable gluten-free fish and chips meal using some of the trout I’d caught. I’m caught up with everything and need to get some rest. Pei and I talked almost too much catching up. Benny wanted to know if I was sad that she left and I had to say yes, a little, but this was our life not hers. I think Benny understood that more than most adults would.
Pei Shin’s boyfriend Jeremy, and his father, own shares in a fishing guide company near their vacation home and offered to take us out fishing for salmon, assuming we could be at the pier before 6 am. The schedule was to return at 9 am which would still leave a full day to get other things done.
We began the day meeting at the launch site and having an orientation where safety rules were explained, making sure everyone was comfortable in the boat and equipment, and what our general heading was going to be. I used this as Benny’s survival skill for the day.
Heading out to fish we had a gorgeous Northwest sunrise. It reminded me of some I’d seen in Key Wes while sea kayaking. While we headed out we saw Astoria and the surrounding area from a unique, water-side perspective. From the Astoria Column to the Astoria-Megler Bridge that spans over 4 miles across the Columbia River. From city life to wildlife to sea life. Astoria is really beautiful.
While fishing the Pacific Ocean or Columbia River for salmon, we caught a view of Tillamook Head and one of the local lighthouses. Bald eagles soared above and and a couple of them would dive down as they fished in the same waters as we did. We saw sea lions, brown pelicans, and harbor seals and all three of them could be noisy when they chose. We spent as much time sight-seeing as we did fishing and we still didn’t do too badly.
Benny had an absolute blast as he caught five … four Coho and one Sockeye salmon! “Well what do you expect?” I told everyone laughing. “Bears are expert salmon fishermen … er … fisherbears.”
I didn’t do too badly myself. I caught two Coho, three trout (pretty steelheads) while we were on the river portion of the morning, and I helped a guy do battle with a freaking giant sturgeon that wouldn’t turn loose of his line. Geez that thing was a monster. We finally managed to pull it to the side so he could unhook and let him go. The guy had three poles in the water and was really just out to fool around and the sturgeon was too big to keep, so he said.
We got back to the pier and Jeremy set me up with a place where I could clean our catch. Luckily I came prepared with my trusty filet knife. Pei just stood back and laughed at the faces of some of the men there who weren’t used to women cleaning fish the way that Grandfather Barry had taught me. Pei helped me take it all back to the van and then cut it in salmon “steaks” and then vacuum seal it before tossing them in the freezer. I didn’t have room for one of the stealheads and gave it to Jeremy for he and Pei to have for dinner. This was end of the line.
“God I’m going to miss you!” she said, enveloping me in a hug. “No more years and years between seeing each other.”
I opened my mouth to say something but couldn’t lie. She knew it so she lied for me. “We’ll figure something out. But for sure it isn’t going to be … what did you call it? Next Juvember? Nope, not going to be that way.”
I hugged her back, something I rarely do to people. “We’ll keep in touch.”
“You better.” Turning to Benny she said, “And you Benny Bear, you keep your Aunt Gus in line and don’t let her be too serious. And I want to see you earning some more Ranger Badges. That stuff is cool. And Newton, behave. You like your jokes a liiiiittle too much.”
Playing along won Pei a place in Benny’s heart. However, as much as I love my friend, we needed to keep going on down the road. Pei has her life figured out and has plans. Being with her only highlighted that I don’t.
We drove through Astoria on the way back to Fort Steven. Pei stayed with the Jacksons while Benny and I return to Fort Steven State Park for the rest of the day and overnight. On my way out I called Bam to let him know as I’d promised. We stopped long enough to take a stroll along the Astoria Riverwalk, went to the maritime museum because they had Gold Star Family discounts, drove by some historic homes, stopped at the Astoria Column, and in general played tourist.
The state park let us exercise the wiggles out a little more and then for dinner I managed a passable gluten-free fish and chips meal using some of the trout I’d caught. I’m caught up with everything and need to get some rest. Pei and I talked almost too much catching up. Benny wanted to know if I was sad that she left and I had to say yes, a little, but this was our life not hers. I think Benny understood that more than most adults would.
beaglemama
Contributing Member
Thank you, Kathy!
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, great chapters.
Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
Appreciate your fine additions to your story!
Aug 22 – 24: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Driving Route:
August 22nd
Found a route that avoided Portland. The relief was total. I didn’t even play it up for Benny. However, I did take him to the Tillamook Creamery which took us South on 101 for 60 miles, then we cut inland a bit. After we took a break, we headed into Eugene and then to Crater Lake National Park.
Part of me wishes we hadn’t stopped but it was free – or the self-guiding tour was – and Benny had fun. I did too for that matter. We also got food to go … Benny’s was a cheeseburger and fries minus the bun, and I got a grilled chicken sandwich … and I “indulged” and bought a bundle of all their cheeses. Gonna have to spread it out over a lot of time, or my guts will need some serious medical intervention.
It took us almost eight hours to drive the 325 miles to the national park only to start driving the Rim Drive once we got into the park. The 33-mile historic Rim Drive (35 mph) circumnavigates the lake. It closes seasonally but it was definitely open when we were there. The large crowds said so, and yes that is Grade A CPO Barrymore snark. There are people that need their head examined because you do not try to drive and sightsee at 50 mph when you are on that kind of incline.
Along the drive are 30 overlooks that were designed between 1931 and 1938. Each overlook highlights a specific view of the lake, a significant geologic formation in the caldera, or an environmental feature such as a subalpine meadow. Some of the stops have exhibits with information about the view on sign-thingies. Other viewpoints leave room for visitor imagination and curiosity. Where visitors choose to stop for a view of the lake or to capture the surrounding landscape of the park is a personal preference. Most of the pullouts do not have signs that offer a name or location. The park map that we got at the entrance indicates major stops but that’s about it. On average, it takes two hours to complete the drive with eight or more stops. I stopped for a couple more than that but mostly saved them for another day when we’d be using bikes.
The Rim Visitor Center and the Crater Lake Natural History Association's park store are located inside the historic Kiser Studio in Rim Village which is fourteen miles from the North Entrance via West Rim Drive. The rim road is only open from late May to late September, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and even that can change if weather becomes severe.
We picked up a Junior Ranger Booklet for Benny at the visitor center. I had printed one out back in Key West, but it was only in black and white. He was happy to get the colored one. Kid is easy to please. Another lesson in traffic and parking lot safety was today’s survival skill for obvious reasons. Ugh. I nearly punched this woman’s ticket for her when she came zooming into a parking spot without looking for pedestrians. Lucky for all concerned there was a ranger there on an electric bike and gave her a ticket.
Before the road closed at five o’clock I made sure we were tucked into our campsite. Mazama Campground has 214 sites in an old-growth forest at an elevation of 6,000 feet inside the park. All the sites have a picnic table, fire ring, and bear-resistant food locker. I’m glad I didn’t try and wing it, the sites were fully booked. When we got checked in they told me they would reimburse the Gold Star Family discount. That saved us about twenty bucks. Crater Lake is one of the more expensive national park camping areas.
Benny and I are hitting the hay early tonight. We have a boat tour planned for tomorrow and we hiking there rather than trying to squeeze the Ark into the limited number of parking spots they have.
Driving Route:
August 22nd
Found a route that avoided Portland. The relief was total. I didn’t even play it up for Benny. However, I did take him to the Tillamook Creamery which took us South on 101 for 60 miles, then we cut inland a bit. After we took a break, we headed into Eugene and then to Crater Lake National Park.
Part of me wishes we hadn’t stopped but it was free – or the self-guiding tour was – and Benny had fun. I did too for that matter. We also got food to go … Benny’s was a cheeseburger and fries minus the bun, and I got a grilled chicken sandwich … and I “indulged” and bought a bundle of all their cheeses. Gonna have to spread it out over a lot of time, or my guts will need some serious medical intervention.
It took us almost eight hours to drive the 325 miles to the national park only to start driving the Rim Drive once we got into the park. The 33-mile historic Rim Drive (35 mph) circumnavigates the lake. It closes seasonally but it was definitely open when we were there. The large crowds said so, and yes that is Grade A CPO Barrymore snark. There are people that need their head examined because you do not try to drive and sightsee at 50 mph when you are on that kind of incline.
Along the drive are 30 overlooks that were designed between 1931 and 1938. Each overlook highlights a specific view of the lake, a significant geologic formation in the caldera, or an environmental feature such as a subalpine meadow. Some of the stops have exhibits with information about the view on sign-thingies. Other viewpoints leave room for visitor imagination and curiosity. Where visitors choose to stop for a view of the lake or to capture the surrounding landscape of the park is a personal preference. Most of the pullouts do not have signs that offer a name or location. The park map that we got at the entrance indicates major stops but that’s about it. On average, it takes two hours to complete the drive with eight or more stops. I stopped for a couple more than that but mostly saved them for another day when we’d be using bikes.
The Rim Visitor Center and the Crater Lake Natural History Association's park store are located inside the historic Kiser Studio in Rim Village which is fourteen miles from the North Entrance via West Rim Drive. The rim road is only open from late May to late September, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and even that can change if weather becomes severe.
We picked up a Junior Ranger Booklet for Benny at the visitor center. I had printed one out back in Key West, but it was only in black and white. He was happy to get the colored one. Kid is easy to please. Another lesson in traffic and parking lot safety was today’s survival skill for obvious reasons. Ugh. I nearly punched this woman’s ticket for her when she came zooming into a parking spot without looking for pedestrians. Lucky for all concerned there was a ranger there on an electric bike and gave her a ticket.
Before the road closed at five o’clock I made sure we were tucked into our campsite. Mazama Campground has 214 sites in an old-growth forest at an elevation of 6,000 feet inside the park. All the sites have a picnic table, fire ring, and bear-resistant food locker. I’m glad I didn’t try and wing it, the sites were fully booked. When we got checked in they told me they would reimburse the Gold Star Family discount. That saved us about twenty bucks. Crater Lake is one of the more expensive national park camping areas.
Benny and I are hitting the hay early tonight. We have a boat tour planned for tomorrow and we hiking there rather than trying to squeeze the Ark into the limited number of parking spots they have.
August 23rd
The boat tour started at 9:45 am and didn’t return to the pier until 3 pm. Boy did we have fun. We started the hike before 9 am to make sure we were down at the dock on time. To reach the dock for boarding the boats, visitors must be capable of descending and ascending the Cleetwood Cove Trail. It is a one-mile trail that drops 700 feet to the lake shore. The steep, dusty trail was challenging for some people, but Benny and I didn’t have a problem.
I read up on the tour plus they had emailed some issues to consider and take into account. First, there is no bathroom on board the boats. There are composting toilets available for use before and after the tour so I was also careful with what I brought with us. Also, we were told to carefully consider what clothing and supplies we brought for the two hours on an open boat with full exposure to the weather—sun, cool temperatures, rain, wind. The boat was a “splash zone” so we needed to be prepared.
In the middle of the boat tour we stopped at Wizard Island, a 763-foot cinder cone created when Crater Lake first filled with water after the volcano collapsed. During the summer, Wizard Island boat tours combine a tour of the lake’s perimeter with three hours to spend on the island – plenty of time to hike to the summit and take in the panoramic view, fish, swim, and explore this unique part of Crater Lake National Park. What a blast. While on Wizard Island we hiked the Summit Trail. It was a moderate hike and approximately 1 hour to the top of Wizard Island with a path leading to the 90-foot deep crater at the summit. The total trail length was 2.2 miles round trip.
When we got back to the pier we still had plenty of bounce.
“Now, you’re sure.”
“I’m sure Aunt Gus. My toes have he wiggles bad.”
I chuckled and popped him on the head with my hat. Aunt and nephew have a lot in common. Luckily there was something we could do about it; a self-guiding rim visitor center hike.
We began the walking tour at the Rim Visitor Center. A few points of interest along the walk were:
By the time we finished that, and grabbed a few postcards in the book store, it was time to go back to the campground and after getting dinner I went over the bikes. There was no two ways about it. Benny’s bike is just too small for our planned activity for tomorrow. It still has a little life in it but only for biking around camp and the like. I explained things to him and he was the one that brought up riding in the “little kid seat” on my bike.
“I’m sorry Little Bear.”
“It’s okay Aunt Gus. We’re still going, just I have to ‘just my attitude. At least I’m finally growing. How long do you think I’ll still have to sit in the booster?”
Figures he would bring that up. “You’ve got a few inches to go and some states it isn’t about how tall you are but what your age is. A lot of them say seven years old.”
His face was like a bite out of an unrip persimmon. “Really?”
“Sorry Buddy. As for the bike … maybe this fall. I … uh …”
“It’s okay.”
It wasn’t but I let him be magnanimous. I don’t mean to be so tight-fisted but it will be easier to find a bike for him once we get some place settled. Or at least some place more settled than what we are right now. One more thing to put on the list. Dad used to tell me about the time before bicycles had to be licensed and insured to be ridden on the road. Little bikes don’t require it but I have a feeling that pretty soon Benny is going to need a bike big enough that it will need licensing and insurance.
I’m just going to have to put those thoughts away for now. The hamster is behind bars right now and I don’t want it escaping.
The boat tour started at 9:45 am and didn’t return to the pier until 3 pm. Boy did we have fun. We started the hike before 9 am to make sure we were down at the dock on time. To reach the dock for boarding the boats, visitors must be capable of descending and ascending the Cleetwood Cove Trail. It is a one-mile trail that drops 700 feet to the lake shore. The steep, dusty trail was challenging for some people, but Benny and I didn’t have a problem.
I read up on the tour plus they had emailed some issues to consider and take into account. First, there is no bathroom on board the boats. There are composting toilets available for use before and after the tour so I was also careful with what I brought with us. Also, we were told to carefully consider what clothing and supplies we brought for the two hours on an open boat with full exposure to the weather—sun, cool temperatures, rain, wind. The boat was a “splash zone” so we needed to be prepared.
In the middle of the boat tour we stopped at Wizard Island, a 763-foot cinder cone created when Crater Lake first filled with water after the volcano collapsed. During the summer, Wizard Island boat tours combine a tour of the lake’s perimeter with three hours to spend on the island – plenty of time to hike to the summit and take in the panoramic view, fish, swim, and explore this unique part of Crater Lake National Park. What a blast. While on Wizard Island we hiked the Summit Trail. It was a moderate hike and approximately 1 hour to the top of Wizard Island with a path leading to the 90-foot deep crater at the summit. The total trail length was 2.2 miles round trip.
When we got back to the pier we still had plenty of bounce.
“Now, you’re sure.”
“I’m sure Aunt Gus. My toes have he wiggles bad.”
I chuckled and popped him on the head with my hat. Aunt and nephew have a lot in common. Luckily there was something we could do about it; a self-guiding rim visitor center hike.
We began the walking tour at the Rim Visitor Center. A few points of interest along the walk were:
- Fred Kiser built the Kiser Studio in 1921 and expanded it in 1926. His studio offered visitors hand-colored post cards of photographs that he took of Crater Lake.
- The Sinnot Memorial Overlook opened in 1931. It was designed as a “trailside" museum. The Sinnot Memorial offers visitors an opportunity to simultaneously learn about the geology of Crater Lake and experience its beauty. Allow time to explore the exhibits, attend a daily ranger program, and contemplate the words on the Sinnot Memorial dedication plaque.
- The Community House, built in1924, served as a venue for evening entertainment and ranger programs as the campground and lodge became increasingly popular.
- The Rim Campground was the first official campground in the park. Poor design and overuse required two periods of reconstruction before it was re-designated as a picnic area in 1975.
- Crater Lake Lodge opened in 1915 with annexes added later. Most of the materials used to re-build the current lodge in 1994 are modern. However, the stone masonry and wood frame construction retain the essence and character of the original structure.
- Mather Observation Bay honors Stephen T. Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service, who served from 1917 to 1929. His vision and dedication remain the cornerstone of NPS.
By the time we finished that, and grabbed a few postcards in the book store, it was time to go back to the campground and after getting dinner I went over the bikes. There was no two ways about it. Benny’s bike is just too small for our planned activity for tomorrow. It still has a little life in it but only for biking around camp and the like. I explained things to him and he was the one that brought up riding in the “little kid seat” on my bike.
“I’m sorry Little Bear.”
“It’s okay Aunt Gus. We’re still going, just I have to ‘just my attitude. At least I’m finally growing. How long do you think I’ll still have to sit in the booster?”
Figures he would bring that up. “You’ve got a few inches to go and some states it isn’t about how tall you are but what your age is. A lot of them say seven years old.”
His face was like a bite out of an unrip persimmon. “Really?”
“Sorry Buddy. As for the bike … maybe this fall. I … uh …”
“It’s okay.”
It wasn’t but I let him be magnanimous. I don’t mean to be so tight-fisted but it will be easier to find a bike for him once we get some place settled. Or at least some place more settled than what we are right now. One more thing to put on the list. Dad used to tell me about the time before bicycles had to be licensed and insured to be ridden on the road. Little bikes don’t require it but I have a feeling that pretty soon Benny is going to need a bike big enough that it will need licensing and insurance.
I’m just going to have to put those thoughts away for now. The hamster is behind bars right now and I don’t want it escaping.
August 24th
Oh my gosh what a work out. I’m tired but at the same time what a freakin’ blast! We biked the Rim Drive for 33 miles.
Let me tell you, it is physically demanding with steep grades at high altitude. If it was just that it would have been a coast to do. However there were other things like accelerated speeds on steep downhill sections, narrow roads without shoulders, rocks, animals, potholes and other road and weather-related hazards. And that before you add in the other riders. Only cyclists experienced at riding with elevated vehicle traffic in two directions, should consider biking at Crater Lake. I am so not kidding. Several times I stopped to render first aid for people (including kids) that had fallen off their bikes. There was one pile up at the bottom of a “hill” that was pretty nasty though no people or bikes were permanently damaged.
Naturally today’s survival skill was bike safety and the kind of first aid that could be needed in case of a bike accident. Part of the problem was how crowded it was between bikers and vehicles. A couple of weekends at the end of the season are set aside for bikers only on part of one of the rim drives. Too bad that didn’t fall in the time we were here.
Hauling Benny as a passenger was doable but barely in the inclines. I need a soak in a hot tub but that’s not happening. Gonna be a while before we see another hotel room. Kinda wish we had one coming up but on the other hand I’m glad to save the money. Maybe there is a hot shower coming up, I’ll have to look at my notes.
Back at camp we’ve been cleaning up and prepping to leave in the morning. Heading to the Redwoods. Have a few interesting hikes planned. Then comes Lassen, and then … Yosemite! That was one of Dad’s bucket list items. to camp to clean up and pack up for leaving the next day. Even after leaving Yosemite we are going to be in California until September 18th. I hadn’t realized how expensive things were going to get. Gas is going up again. People are complaining like crazy on the news. That’s gonna take a bite out of the budget I hadn’t planned on.
Resources:
Tillamook menu: https://assets.ctfassets.net/j8tkpy...a/Tillamook-Creamery-Dining-Menu-Apr-2021.pdf
Crater Lake park newspaper: https://www.nps.gov/crla/learn/news...ctions-Summer-Fall-2020-for-Website-508-2.pdf
Junior Ranger Activity Book
Oh my gosh what a work out. I’m tired but at the same time what a freakin’ blast! We biked the Rim Drive for 33 miles.
Let me tell you, it is physically demanding with steep grades at high altitude. If it was just that it would have been a coast to do. However there were other things like accelerated speeds on steep downhill sections, narrow roads without shoulders, rocks, animals, potholes and other road and weather-related hazards. And that before you add in the other riders. Only cyclists experienced at riding with elevated vehicle traffic in two directions, should consider biking at Crater Lake. I am so not kidding. Several times I stopped to render first aid for people (including kids) that had fallen off their bikes. There was one pile up at the bottom of a “hill” that was pretty nasty though no people or bikes were permanently damaged.
Naturally today’s survival skill was bike safety and the kind of first aid that could be needed in case of a bike accident. Part of the problem was how crowded it was between bikers and vehicles. A couple of weekends at the end of the season are set aside for bikers only on part of one of the rim drives. Too bad that didn’t fall in the time we were here.
Hauling Benny as a passenger was doable but barely in the inclines. I need a soak in a hot tub but that’s not happening. Gonna be a while before we see another hotel room. Kinda wish we had one coming up but on the other hand I’m glad to save the money. Maybe there is a hot shower coming up, I’ll have to look at my notes.
Back at camp we’ve been cleaning up and prepping to leave in the morning. Heading to the Redwoods. Have a few interesting hikes planned. Then comes Lassen, and then … Yosemite! That was one of Dad’s bucket list items. to camp to clean up and pack up for leaving the next day. Even after leaving Yosemite we are going to be in California until September 18th. I hadn’t realized how expensive things were going to get. Gas is going up again. People are complaining like crazy on the news. That’s gonna take a bite out of the budget I hadn’t planned on.
Resources:
Tillamook menu: https://assets.ctfassets.net/j8tkpy...a/Tillamook-Creamery-Dining-Menu-Apr-2021.pdf
Crater Lake park newspaper: https://www.nps.gov/crla/learn/news...ctions-Summer-Fall-2020-for-Website-508-2.pdf
Junior Ranger Activity Book
Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
Yippee you heading our way! Be sure to go up Bald Hills Road outside of Orick past the sedate Lady Bird Redwood Grove to the high country to see the wild flower bloom. Also Patricks Point Park had a name change to the Yurok name Sumeg? And see Babe the Blue Ox and take the Sky Train.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Very nice to see more, thank you.