May 2001 |
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The next stop after Cape Kiwanda was to have been in the Portland area but we were informed a Mexican/American festival was starting that weekend. When we called in to make a reservation the site was full and would be for a couple of weeks. This necessitated a change of plan and we settled on the Warrenton/Astoria as we could access a Costco in the Portland area on a longish day trip. Wullie has finally been persuaded that having the glass fall out of his spectacles once a day, suggests that a new pair is called for. A short journey up Highway 101, staying relatively close to the Pacific coast most of the way took us to Fort Stevens State Park near Warrenton.
Fort Stevens State Park
This is the most northerly State Park in Oregon with frontage on both the Pacific Ocean and the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. The RV park is very spacious with easy walking access to the beach. The park includes a lake (for boating & fishing), Pacific Ocean beach (miles of it), a wildlife area along the Columbia River, the historic fort which housed gun batteries from the end of the Civil war until shortly after WW2, and a few miles of hiking trails linking these attractions together. We spent the next few days wandering the trails around the park, visiting the various attractions. Visited a Costco in the Portland area to order Wullie's new spectacles which would take up to 10 days to make, necessitating a return visit to the Portland area after our trip north to Washington state.
Our 160 mile journey took us through Astoria, alongside the impressive Columbia River crossing at Longview into Washington State. It was clear and sunny when we pulled into Rainier View RV Park, a most aptly named site. The view of the magnificent 14,000+ ft. mountain, with just a small fluffy cloud sitting on the peak was just as breathtaking the second time around as it was the first. Weather permitting we would be able to enjoy this view from our window for the next five days - wonderful! Since many photographers paid a small fee to park and take their pictures we decided to do the same at all different times of the day.
Mount Rainier National Park - Although not on our original list of places to visit in this area as we had done it all before, our plans were changed when we woke the next morning and looked out of the window, 
not a cloud in the sky and "The Mountain" beckoning. The only entrance open at this time of the year is at Nisqually fortunately the nearest one to us. It was July 1999 when we first visited, and the previous winter had near record snow fall. When we visited the Paradise River was fast flowing with milky gray water from the melting glaciers. This time the snow is still crisp and white and the glaciers clear and blue, so the river is relatively low.
It was such a clear day the top of Rainier and the other peaks were crystal clear, so we just had to stop at lots of view areas, take more photos and video for our collection as we made our way to Paradise.
After a visit to the interpretive centre and the glacier viewing area, we took lunch perched on a wall with our feet dangling in the snow, then made our way home. A very enjoyable 160 mile round trip.
Nisqually National Wildlife Area - Is located 20 miles south of Tacoma and even if you are not interested in birds this is well worth a visit. A 5 1/2 mile trail wanders through saltwater and freshwater areas, with views of Mt Rainier, The Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. We meandered along for nearly 5 hours on this very warm sunny day, adding a few more birds to our growing list.
Flaming Geyser State Park - is located close to the Green River Gorge recreation area. A very popular park with the locals provides swimming in the Green river (when the weather is warm enough), canoeing/rafting, fishing, an area for flying remotely controlled model aircraft, and plenty of hiking trials. As we entered the park there was a sign telling guests where the picnic party was being held. A couple of the large picnic tables were decked out with balloons and streamers, and the BBQ's were being looked after by the men folk while the women chatted and the children played games, a lovely sight to see.
We took one of the paths that meandered through the woods (lots of birds in evidence) and finally came out by the Green River. At the end of the trail we chatted to a most interesting gentleman (Ex Boeing Engineer) who came to this spot frequently. He had a shell with some smoldering ashes (our first thought was "waccy baccy" as he was holding it under his nose) and told us he was going to communicate with the Spirits as taught by the Native Americans. We chatted for about half an hour before settling on a spot by the river to have our lunch. When we arrived back at the picnic area it was really busy with families enjoying the warm spring sunshine.
The most direct route is up Interstate 5 to Bellingham and across the causeway to the island, but we decided on the more scenic route. We crossed Puget Sound on the Tacoma Narrows bridge to Gig Harbor, through Bremerton to Port Townsend. Crossed the Puget Sound/Straits of Juan De Fuca on the toll ferry ferry ( $42.60) to Whidbey Island. Although we encountered some rain on the way which on occasions diminished the scenic beauty, it did clear for the ferry trip and by the time we arrived at the RV site the sun decided to come out long enough for us to set up.
Whidbey Island
We first visited this area three years ago when we were on our fact finding holiday and therefore knew what exceptional scenery and unpredictable weather (just like home) awaited us. The first couple of days were wet so it was time to catch up on some of those jobs you put on hold for a rainy day. The local weather channel even gave out a storm warning - heavy rain and wind between 50-70 MPH, but that never happened, thank goodness. North Whidbey RV Park, situated about 40 miles northwest of Seattle, quite close to Vancouver Island (by boat) is very clean, tidy, spacious and well sheltered by large trees. . The main reason for our visit is a whale watching trip from Anacortes on Fidalgo Island, around the San Juan Islands. Hopefully we will see Orca,Minke & Gray whales as well as Porpoise, Bald Eagles, Seals & Sea Lions (that's what the brochure says).
Deception Pass - separates Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island. Deception Pass State Park which is reputed to be the most popular State Park in Washington, plus numerous scenic drives are right on our door step. During our stay we wandered along lots of hiking trails in the nearby state park with outstanding views of the San Juans, Vancouver Island and other smaller islands across the Straits of Juan Le Fuca.
Whale Watching Trip -
Arrived in Anacortes in plenty of time. The sun was shining but the wind was bracing and we were prepared with our thick woolens and coats.
All the chartered whale watching tours in the San Juan/Vancouver Island area employ shore based spotters and keep each other informed if and when sightings are made. This morning no news meant no whale activity around the San Juans, so we headed north (towards Canadian waters) and if any calls came in then we would return to the San Juans. It was not looking very promising but after two hours news came in that a pod of Orca's had been spotted north of Vancouver at the mouth of the Frazer River. This area is outside the normal range of the tour but as we had already been travelling north for over 2 hours they decided to go for it. We had our first sighting of Orca whales at 4.15 PM, five hours after we set out but the excitement was contagious. The operators turned the boat around quite a few times so we could run by the side of the whales and get some good film/photos. Unfortunately we could not spend as much time as we wanted around the pod as it was rather late and we had to leave Canada and head back to the USA. It was wonderful to see the Orca's in their natural environment, swimming free. We also saw a school of porpoise, a couple of Bald eagles, lots of harbor seals relaxing on rocks and a Californian Sealion asleep on a buoy ( how he climbed up on it we couldn't figure).
The scheduled 5 hour trip took us 8 hours and by the time we got back to shore everyone was tired, hungry and somewhat cool? but it was still a wonderful experience. During the whale watching trip we, and everyone else on the boat including the crew, met a real character whom Wullie christened Montana. He came from Missoula (Montana) and walked around in a T-Shirt when everyone else had heavy jackets on. His given name was Justin and he was10 going on 25. He was going to do a presentation to his classmates when he got home as this was his first time on a boat (the crew let him steer it). He spoke to every single person on the boat and knew where everyone came from, quite a guy!
We were told that two days previously the Orca's were around the San Juans so the day would have been a lot shorter.
The RV park filled up rapidly on Friday as this was Victoria Day weekend (a Canadian holiday) and lots of Canadians crossed the border even if the exchange rate isn't kind to them at the moment.
Now we must collect Wullie's spectacles from Costco and it seems we have worn out one set of tyres on the Ford "TOUGH" truck - Costco sell them cheap (two birds with one stone). We left in sunshine and arrived at Portland Fairview RV Park early afternoon in sunshine. A nice easy drive most of the way on Interstate 5 but bypassing Seattle.
Tyres & Spectacles - the spectacles were not a problem just pick them up and put them on. The tyres were a different issue as Costco don't stock the BIG tyres for our Ford F-350. When Wullie phoned they neglected to mention this and said just come in, it's first come first served. We could have had tyres fitted at Walmart on Whidbey Island at a good price, but Walmart's are few and far between around Portland so it's off to America Tire ($594.28). This episode revealed a very interesting fact about buying tyres in the USA. The tyres are guaranteed such that if you damage a tyre and have to replace it the wear is assessed and you are credited for the amount of tread remaining. That is included in the cost of the tyre but for a few dollars/tyre extra you can have a new tyre free of charge if you damage an existing one (think this idea will catch on at home?).
The Portland area is experiencing an unseasonably hot period of weather at the moment and it was in the low 70's (8.30 am) when we started our journey to Clyde Holliday State Park in eastern Oregon. A very interesting 260 miles on US 26 started with great views of Mt. Hood, followed by Mt. Washington, Mt Jefferson and the Three Sisters. After crossing the Cascade mountains the terrain changed to plush valleys and rolling hills. The last 50 miles the road wove through the valley alongside the John Day river.
Clyde Holliday State park only has 30 sites with electric and water (no sewer hook-up) and was chosen because the following weekend is Memorial Day holiday. Since the site does not accept bookings if we arrive on the Tuesday before and book in for a week we will beat the poor unfortunates who have to work until Friday! It was nice to see the families arriving at the weekend (one family spawned 4 generations), setting up their RV's/tents, lighting the open wood fires and playing games with the kids. The other main activity is applying insect repellent (open wood fires help as well) as the bugs are hatching out rapidly with temperatures in the 90's.
John Day - Who was John Day? - obviously an important man to have a river and a town named after him! John Day was a pioneer who was "mugged" by Indians where a river converged with the Columbia river east of, The Dalles. He and a companion lost everything and when they returned to civilization the story spread like wildfire. When future pioneers passed the spot the story was recalled and eventually it was simply referred to as "John Day" and thus the river was named. The river originates in the mountains around the town of John Day which is the largest town in Grant County, population <8, 000 (thats the county, not the town!) The main attraction of this area for us is the Strawberry Peaks Wilderness within Malheur National Forest. This allowed Wullie to add another map to his impressive collection, gain recommendations for hiking and discover the snow level was about 6,500 feet making quite a few hikes inaccessible.
Malheur National Forest - Nipple Butte -> The hike was listed as a fairly easy 6 miles with a gain of a mere 500 feet for a reward of panoramic views across the John Day Valley and the Strawberry mountain range beyond, just the right sort of distance/elevation gain for our first hike. When we left the RV at 8.30 am it was in the low 70's, but as the trailhead was over 5,600 feet we assumed it would be a lot cooler but we got it wrong again. As the snow had not long melted the wildflowers were at their best. Masses of blue, yellow and white blooms covered the ground throughout the hike. The views from the summit were all the book said they would be, and the hike would have been quite easy if we had known to stop while on the ridge, but nothing told us we were at Nipple Butte so we just kept walking. The trouble was we were descending fast until finally we came to the other end of the trail which had an arrow pointing back the way we came. This meant a hot & sweaty uphill slog to the top again in a temperature of 85+. We had lunch in the only spot on the ridge were there was a slight breeze and then made our way back to the truck and the air-conditioning. It would have been a nice hike if only we had stopped? We completed about 10 miles instead of the planned 6. When we arrived home it was 95 degrees at 3.30 PM, fortunately it cooled off during the night.
Strawberry Lake/Strawberry Falls/Little Strawberry Lake - This hike had all of the attributes we love, views, waterfall and lakes. The trailhead started at 5737 feet. An easy uphill hike to the beautiful Strawberry Lake with the snow covered Strawberry Mountain as a back drop giving a mirror effect on the calm blue water. The trail continued upstream along Strawberry Creek arriving at its source - the roaring Strawberry Falls which at 6,500 feet was still surrounded by snow. The next mile of trail was covered by thick snow which thankfully had the footprints of an earlier hiker which made the trail easier to follow. Thanks to the earlier hiker we made it to a basin and Little Strawberry Lake, a gem at 7000 feet, still half covered by snow & ice. As we ate our lunch the small fish jumped in the warm sunshine and we heard a couple of thunder like cracks as the ice & snow melted & moved on Strawberry Mountain above the lake. This was a wonderful 8 mile hike on a lovely warm but not hot (at that altitude) day. The temperature down in the valley was once again in the 90's.
John day Fossil Beds National Monument - For many years one of Wullie's pet names for Linda has been "My Little Fossil" (she thought it was complimentary?) so it was decided that we should visit the fossil beds as Wullie goes to bed with a fossil every night! (that's where the other pet names for Linda are used, but I'm afraid they must remain a secret?)
After a tour of the visitor center, including a very explanatory video produced by the local high school,
we decided to hike the Blue Basin Overlook trail. This 3.5 mile loop passed through rock formations dating back 40 million years when huge mammals like Brontotheres and Amynodonts (Didn't we have those in Ballingry?), which have no modern descendants roamed the land. 20 million years ago Horses, Camels and Rhinoceros were resident here as were cats, dogs, pigs and rodents. 15 million years ago elephants rhinos & bear dogs were among the animal population. This very interesting but hot trail (no shade whatever) provided great views of the John Day River and valley.
Another of those scenic routes made for a enjoyable 160 mile move. A couple of 5,000+ passes giving us superb views of the snow capped Wallowa mountains. We made a fresh produce stop at Baker City to stock up as there are few/no shops where we intend to spend the next five days.
We passed through a small town called Halfway (don't blink you've missed it?) This time last year Halfway was known as Half.com. The Internet company called Half.com offered the town several thousand dollars to change its name for a year as a publicity stunt. The publicity aroused worldwide interest and the Chamber of Commerce was inundated with inquiries from around the world. The money received by the town was used to buy computers for the local school. Many of the long term residents were not in favor and most people are glad the year is over. Half.com was taken over by a much larger company and the offer was not renewed
Hell's Canyon -
Last year while staying in the Wallowa Lake area of Oregon we never made it down into Hells Canyon as it was quite a drive. Idaho Power (hydroelectric) have a few RV/camping sites in the Hell's Canyon area so we decided to give one of them a try. What a gem of a site, very neat & tidy with beautiful grassy areas, trees, rose bushes, surrounded by rolling hills, alongside the Snake River and just 23 exceptionally scenic miles from Hells Canyon Dam. This is the best manicured site we have stayed in, and we have visited some nice parks. Because the internal roads are quite narrow we did have a slight problem reversing our big rig, but with the help of a friendly gentleman from Idaho we managedl.
This area is very popular with the fishing/boating fraternity as the dams on the Snake River create long calm lakes. The bridge alongside the site was crowded morning & evening with anglers trying to catch their lunch/dinner, seemingly with some success.
One of the reasons we chose this area was the hikes into the hills along the Idaho side of the Snake River, overlooking the canyon. The book we have advises, some trails are indistinct and in need of maintenance, you may encounter ticks, poison ivy and rattlesnakes - exciting isn't it! Well if you want good views then I suppose you have to take the rough with the smooth.
Eckles Creek Trail - This hike confirmed the books comments about trail conditions, i.e. indistinct and overgrown in parts, making the going quite hard at time. We lost the trail once but nature intervened and sharpened our route finding skills to such an extent that we soon regained the trail. We lost the trail because of a very overgrown section and whilst scouting a way around the tangle of bushes and trees we disturbed what we think was a rattlesnake? Wullie thought it "rattled"? Linda thought she saw it's "rattle' on its tail? The truth is we were moving so fast in the opposite direction we can't be sure of anything other than we got a fright! The experience did give us confidence in our hiking book which suggests that unless you step directly on a Rattlesnake it will take off in the opposite direction to you and this snake certainly did that! With the adrenaline flowing we soon gained enough height to provide views down into the canyon. Enjoyed our lunch sitting on a large rock (well beaten and swept to awaken any previous occupants) while admiring the views of the Snake river below and the rolling hills around us. It was not until we started our downward journey and our feet slipped on the shale that we realised just how steeply we had climbed. This was not one of the best hikes we've done but it was enjoyable and somewhat exciting. By the time we got back to the RV the snake had grown by more than two feet in length and 6 inches in girth!
Hells Canyon Trail - is on the Oregon side of the Snake river (Hell's Canyon Reservoir). A very easy, but completely unshaded, path that wanders near to the river edge with terrific views and just a small amount of elevation gain. The river/reservoir is teeming with extremely large Carp which the fishermen don't want to catch, too bony I believe. We strolled for about 3 miles, checked a large rock to make sure no snakes were sleeping before we used it as our picnic spot. We watched the green backed swallows fly low over the sun basking carp before returning on a now exceedingly hot trail to the truck. Thankfully we had the foresight to park in the shade of some large trees on the river bank and leave some cold drinks in the coolbox.
Hells Canyon Jet boat tour - starts at Hells Canyon dam which is 23 very scenic miles away from our RV park. The afternoon we went was a bonus trip as they had to pick up some people who had shot the rapids on rafts. This meant we went much further into the canyon than normal and therefore through more rapids. 
Jet Boats are water propelled and as a result have virtually no draft (no protruding propellers etc.) making them ideal for river rapids. The scenery was spectacular, we went through grade 2, grade 3 and three grade 4 rapids before picking up the more adventurous people who had been strapped into rafts for their day trip. On the way back the crew decided to re-run a couple of grade 4 rapids for us which was just great. Linda now has a hankering to do the real thing if the opportunity arises but Wullie although thoroughly enjoying the whole experience would rather walk among the rattlesnakes than get heaved out of a raft into the cold & turbulent Snake river.( If a rattlesnake bites I will probably survive! If I get thrown into the rapids I will surely drown!)
Whilst staying at Copperfield Park we met a gentleman called Gene Kuhn from Portland. We had a few things in common, we were Trailblazer fans (god help us) and Gene had Scottish ancestry. His grandfather (a Ballantyne) had travelled by sea from the east coast of the USA, overland at Panama and up the west coast to land in San Francisco the day Lincoln was assassinated. Gene was very proud of his Scottish ancestry and wanted to know if Wullie had been born there and lived there all his life. We chatted to him most days during our stay and to his brother in law from Idaho. He was a keen fly fisherman and took off one morning to try his luck in some of the mountain streams. As a result we had BBQ'd trout for our dinner as he presented us with a large Rainbow and three smaller brook trout. Now I'm sure Gene is a very good fishermen (the Scottish blood) but this confirms our impression that the streams, rivers and lakes here are rich in fish. We know that a lot of waters are stocked but it seems unlikely that the mountain streams Gene was fishing are stocked, unfortunately we forgot to ask. (Gene: if you are reading this I hope I got all the details correct. It was a pleasure to meet you & your wife. The Trailblazers still haven't got a coach and the shortlist isn't too inspiring?)
NEXT MONTH: Sawtooth Mountains - Idaho. Teton National Park - Wyoming. Rocky Mountains - Colorado
Miles travelled this month: 2,122
Accumulative miles: 51,420
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