North Cascades

The great bicycle descent of Washington Pass

Only days ago we learned that the North Cascades Highway (Washington 20) would be open this week and allow us to drive our intended route.    Rumor was that over 75' of snow had to be removed in some spots and avalanche hazards analyzed and mitigated.     These mountains are severe - sheer, ice covered, terrifying.   Have they really been climbed?    Absolutely amazing territory.

We capped off the day not far from our destination of Winthrop, Washington with a bike ride down the east side of Washington pass on Washington twenty.   See it here.

Dashel riding the trailer bike gets
a face full of road grime off dad's tires.

Why get out of the car when you can take
pictures right from the sunroof?

Mountains behind Ross Lake

The rig.   11,280 miles this trip.

A D6 and a bad ass snow blower used to clear the highway.

Kenmore Air and less important news from Seattle

What's a seaplane base without a dog?

Driving to Seattle's city center from our RV park we happened upon an amazing site.  Adjacent to one of Seattle's numerous waterways was a parking lot full of airplanes.    More precisely, float planes - simply sitting on pavement.   An immediate left turn was made to investigate.   Kenmore Air operates not only the worlds largest seaplane base, but is also the premier service center for the famed Dehaviland Beaver seaplane.  They rebuild them, fix them, and fly them.   For an aviator its an amazing site.    They offer seaplane instruction, but to my frustration all the instructors were away for Memorial Day weekend.

Couple prepares amphibious Cessna for departure.
Where are they going?  Can I come?

Bullwinkle paint job on gorgeous Beaver

Forklift drives right into shallow water to pick
up airplanes.

Dashel summits at Vertical World -
America's first rock gym.

Owners would not trade for lightly used travel trailer.

Monkfish?   

Hula Hoops and Guitar skills earned him $2 from the boys.

Line outside of original Starbucks stretched 50 feet.  No thanks.

Might be the best photo of the trip and was taken
by Kathleen with her phone.

More from the Great Northwest

MV Coho ferry from Port Angeles.  This 1959 boat was
spic and span tidy and clean. 

We are not so sure that our three boys picked up on the charm of Victoria, but for adults what a great visit it was.   Restaurants, shops, museums, galleries, gardens and parks, all in a tight pedestrian friendly urban core surrounding Victoria Harbor.   The good looking residents are unfailingly friendly and love tourists.   

Fifteen miles north of Victoria sits The Butchart Gardens.    The Butchart family made their fortune in the cement business nearly 100 years ago and appears to have spent every dime of it turning their quarry and surrounding area into 56 acres of gardener's fantasy.      You can grown anything in Victora - Palms, orchids, sequoias, roses - it is a plant's paradise.  

For a great week rent a car in Seattle and travel clockwise:

• Olympic National Park with overnight in Sequim, WA  
• Ferry from Port Angeles WA to Victoria BC, two nights in Victoria
• Vist Butchart Gardens on short drive north from Victoria to catch the Vancouver Ferry
• Two nights in Vancouver
• Drive back to Seattle for a two night stay.

Sunken Garden at Butchart

Church and State Winery outside of Victoria.
 Beautiful winery, rough wines!

Huge amount of driftwood on Olympic Beach

Ten mile coastal hike at Olympic National Park
included 6 miles of boardwalk.

5450 feet in Olympic National Park.  Plan was to ride downhill
all the way to the coast  - 17 miles - but it was snowing and
raining above 2,500 feet.

Giant spruce in Olympic National Park

Greetings from Victoria

Remarkably there is an honest to goodness air traffic
control tower next to the harbor.

This capital of British Columbia is cuter than Justin Bieber.    Beautiful buildings surround a tight tight harbor full of pleasure yachts.  Sea planes come and go seemingly every five minutes.    Its hard to believe its only 25 miles and 90 minutes by ferry from industrial and tired Port Angeles, Washington.

Kathleen insists that I stop using the term "whaling" and instead use "whale watching" when discussing the day's activities.     Don't get so worked up!  At least its catch and release whaling.   How would you expect me to get one of these critters home anyway?

Boating anyone?

Kathleen and III enjoy the 50mph ride on our whaling trip.

Whales.   Never did catch one.

Presumably, the residents do not throw rocks.

Floating house for sale.  Great location.

Snapshots since the Columbia Gorge

Tulip Farm near Mossy Rock , Washington.  Or was it Mossy Brook?  Or maybe Mossy Cove?   

Dashel roasts marshmallow with propane torch.

 Too much heat!

Attempt to summit Mt Rainier ends 8,000 feet short of the summit when Dashel's boots become filled with snow.

Twenty feet of snow at Mt Rainier's Paradise Inn.

A big week in the Columbia Gorge

Mill Creek area cherry orchard with Mt Adams to the North

Our visit to to the Columbia Gorge was so rich in experience not because of the  beauty of the area, but because of the dear friends of ours that live there.      Perhaps a statistician can explain how this small corner of the US became home to some of our closest friends.

We started Sunday with a visit with Kathy Caldwell.  We have known the Caldwell's since the 90s when here late husband Jim fabricated the iron grapevines in Oliver Winery's tasting room.   Jim was a great artist and kindred soul is his adventurism and mischievous love of life.   He passed away more than a year ago and we miss him dearly.      Kathy and sons Luke and Zeke are doing well with great support from friends in Stevenson Washington.  They are working on finishing the home that Jim started and when finished will be one of the most beautiful homes on the Columbia river.

On Monday we caught up with David and Susan Geenberg.    They both worked for us in the early 90s when David was getting his MBA at IU.  We enjoyed a fantastic meal at their Portland home.   For some reason they also opened their very best wine for us!

The visit ended with several days at the home of Lonnie and Linda Wright.    Lonnie grows grapes for us - wonderful fruit from his incredible vineyards.    The Wright family are incredible hosts with a great meal at their home followed by a backyard fire where our children demonstrated the varied uses of coffee creamer. The Wrights live in Mill Creek Valley just south of The Dalles Oregon.   It is a fantasy of agriculture with cherries and wine grapes all growing under the shadow of Mount Hood and Mount Adams.    I am now officially placing Mill Creek Road ahead of Boise Idaho as the places I would most want to live other than Bloomington, Indiana.  

Believe it or not I convinced another airport into renting me an airplane.   Lonnie Wright and I spent two hours touring Washington and Oregon including this area around Mt Hood.

Multnomah Falls - over 600' high

Lonnie Wright shows off his new Pinot Noir vineyard.   Can't wait to get a few cases of  this wine!

Wright neighbor Terry McDuffy offered to give us a tour of his place on the condition we try out a few bottles of his estate Chardonnay.  Twist my arm!  The Lonnie Wright managed fruit turned into amazing wine.   

Rain rain rain rain rain rain rain

Three hours before sunset!

After 6 weeks of traveling in the desert the weather in the Columbia River Gorge is quite a shock.   Classic coastal northwest weather of low clouds, drizzle, and temperatures around 50 - all you need is an IV drip of espresso to get going.    No wonder there is a coffee shop on every corner.     Those will do until mid afternoon when you can move to the brewpub on every corner.    

Kathleen searches in vain for energy vortex

On the Water, Part III

Beautiful campsite on second night

Heading up to recreation mecca Bend, Oregon last Tuesday we reminisced about our fun kayaking in the Everglades and canoeing the Rio Grande.   One more trip on the river sure would be fun.   All it  took was a 3G connection, a few clicks on the Ipad, and a phone call to get signed up for three days on the Deschutes River with Ouzel Outfitters.   And what a river - clean, fast, high volume - absolutely gorgeous!    Multi day river floats by canoe or raft have become our  family's favorite vacation activity.    Water, sun, wilderness, camaraderie, and a great meal with a glass of wine at the end of the day.   What more could you ask for?    Another hack video perhaps?

Buckskin Mary Rapids

Dashel demonstrated good sportsmanship in Bocce Ball.

Attack of the Salmon Flies

Kathleen and guide Jason discuss energy vortexes

Hike up desert hills before dinner.    

Erika prepares dinner.    Our guides did a fantastic job but one more trip like that and I'll need a membership to Jenny Craig.

Wine Steward Wesley 

Oregon here we come

Eastern Oregon - Sagebrush Capital of the Universe

 Everyone knows eastern Oregon is a desert.  Moisture from the Pacific Ocean gets wrung out by the Cascade mountains.  What most people don't know is - NO ONE LIVES THERE!    Except maybe in Burns, Oregon where we saw evidence of humans.   Homo sapiens pumped gas for us in Burns.  YOU CAN'T PUMP YOUR OWN DAMN GAS IN OREGON!   The Gas Pumpers Union must have some serious clout at the Oregon statehouse.

Female human at Burns Dairy Queen.  Very nice young lady - shoe in for a tasting room job at Oliver Winery.