Just East of Eden : A DAY TO REMEMBER ~ Amboy, Cougar, Yale Daytrip

Thursday, May 27, 2021

A DAY TO REMEMBER ~ Amboy, Cougar, Yale Daytrip

Easter Cactus snippet from a Senior Center plant; I potted it when I got home, with a hope and a prayer.

Pink Easter Cactus blossoms – the blossoms intrigued me: I hope the snippet thrives and survives 😊

When I got out of exercise class, the morning was still young; so, I thought I’d drive to the Amboy Ranger Station (it's open), and see if I can get a Gifford Pinchot National Forest Map; and maybe have someone there help me plan a backroad route from Cougar to Trout Lake and back home through Brush Prairie & Yale when I can get through those areas.

Fledging further than Kalama, on the freeway.

Amboy; then Cougar.

This year, I’m more {in the moment} than I have been since Bob stepped off Earth 29 months ago. I’m regaining my boldness. I’m embracing the adventurous spirit I was born with.

I need to jog my memory banks and rekindle road routes – today was a day ‘to remember’.

Right now, there is snow on those backroad spurs past Cougar: and there was a wildfire last year somewhere in the backroad area I need, that the Forestry Crew has not been able to get to clean up and make ready for travel.

These are some of the things Bob would have known how to deal with; and I don’t – I spent the better part of today trying to gain information.

My hands started sweating as I passed Kalama, heading towards Woodland’s Exit 22 Dike Access Road: I haven’t been on the freeway any further than Kalama, since I was sitting in the passenger seat when Bob was still with me, in the flesh. It would be a difficult/emotional drive … but, I was determined to see it through.

Amboy Ranger Station from Heron Pointe, via I-5 S & NE Cedar Creek Rd. - 57 mins.

Coming off the Exit 22, the Industrial Area that was in development stages when I passed through there with Bob, in 2018, has really taken off; I’ll have to go back and explore it 😉

Lewis River Road; This is the first road I drove out of Cathlamet after I got my driver’s license; Bob was working out of Couger and I (and the kids, too) wanted to see him.

The Woodland-Lewis River Road changed a lot too – lots of housing development housing has been built for quite a considerable distance. I wasn’t happy to see all that fancy housing in what was a pretty country drive: it’s being infiltrated by Portlanders and Californians … who are citifying it with their fancy ideas of their concept of country living ☹

Yale is going 'upscale rural'.

To get to the Amboy Ranger Station, I had to drive across the Yale Suspension Bridge: a heavily pitted and deeply potholed (short 500 ft. across the water) 1-lane bridge, 50 feet above the water … and a narrow 16 feet wide.

Ass-kissing curves most of the roadway ...

I DID IT! I crossed that bridge without too much 'white knuckling'. LOL

Yale Bridge (https://clark.wa.gov/community-planning/yale-bridge)

The Amboy Ranger Station is about 4 miles past the Yale Bridge – and it is located directly across from the Chelatchie ancient volcanic Cinder Cone; the Ranger there, called it “our Tom-Tom” – I’ll continue calling it “the VC” (volcanic cinder cone).

Amboy Ranger Station.

Ancient Cinder Cone in Chelatchie, WA – an old friend; across from Amboy Ranger Station.

The Yale Suspension Bridge; coming from Amboy Ranger Station.

Cougar Bar & Grill from Amboy Ranger Station, via WA-503 N & WA-503 Spur; 17 mins.

Cougar RV Park ... memories here.

Gougar Bar & Grill rustic interior; I like it. This is a newer addition to what was a small diner.

I miss my personal Logger. I miss having Bob’s hard hat & work boot clutter in a corner of the house.

Bob was my Viking – and I was his gypsy woman.

The Beatles – Hard day’s Night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjyj8qnqkYI)

A Bobcat pelt.

Kind of a mishmash collection of 'decor'.

They didn't have an O'Doul's - I'm not big on Heineken ... but it went down.

The Bigfoot Sandwich; open faced.Bigfoot open-faced sandwich: buns topped w-2 patties, chili cheddar cheese (a sprinkling of cheddar w-1 slice of a jalapeno), nacho cheese (liberal flooding), a sprinkling of chopped onion.

I decided to push on to the Pine Creek Info Center, further up the road. The waitress said I may get information at the Eagle Resort Store, too – that further up the road past the Center.

Pine Creek Information Center from Cougar; via NF-90; 27 mins.

Gas ... 19 miles; I was okay gas-wise.

Eagle Cliff Store (https://www.eaglecliffcamp.com/)

Driving towards the Swift Reservoir (Cougar-side of Ape Cave), I saw a small patch of timber among the heavy boulders lining the highway – some standing, some fallen – that were blackened from a burn. I don’t know when that fire swept through the area.

The road I had to take to get what I was after, was steep … it is on the backside of Mt. St. Helens. It wasn’t very well maintained, even as busy as it is. There is one short guard rail the entire length of it – and the edge of the right lane literally kissed the drop-off edge.

I could almost hear Bob laughing as I crept forward.

Just before Ape Cave spur.

(http://www.mountsthelens.com/ape-caves.html)

Pine Creek Information Center closer than anticipated.

CLOSED!

Location-Location-Location. I decided to forget trying to make the Eagle Cliff Resort – I’ll do that another adventurous day ;-)

Fancy gated housing is going up all over the place along the NF-90 roadway; I didn't even know that was LEGAL. This is National Forest Land. Yet, there are private houses of the wealthy, everywhere: tucked in among the forest trees.

Cotton tree fluff was caught on the breeze that blew through: it looked like I had been caught in a snow storm – the fluff was swirling like snow flurries all around the car; I turned off the air conditioner … I did not want to have to use my asthma inhaler if that pollen got into my lungs.

Lake Merrill experience.

All along the 4-mile Merrill Lake road (horrible road!), there were signs saying ‘Fee Area’.

And all I could think was, “WHY???” The road is crap: no joke.

The ‘repairs’ along the 4-mile stretch that had been done were like someone had done it on an acid trip: large areas of dumped blacktop that hadn’t been flattened to blend with the existing blacktop, already have deep fissures and elongated foot-deep ridges that seriously rocked the undercarriage of vehicles that slowly maneuvered them. It was ridiculous. If the county … or Gifford Pinchot National Park is going to charge people a fee … they need to fix the roads!

When I finally reached Lake Merrill, and saw the road I needed to descend to reach the Lake, I said, “NO WAY” – and took my time turning the Highlander around in the middle of the roadway. I didn’t care if I was hanging traffic up, or not.

ALL the Gifford Pinchot roads are horrible, horrible roads. I don’t know if GPNF is the only National Park in America that has crappy roads, or not; but they seriously need to give some serious attention to maintaining the Park roads.

Gaining ground on my way homeward bound, I needed to find a restroom (the Heineken and soft drink were working), so I nipped in at the Yale Recreation Park. We’d never stopped there, but I was going to stop there this afternoon 😉

Yale Park/Lake Merwin (https://lonefirresort.com/yale-lake-park/)

Luckily, I married a logger ... we were always 'prepared' - I am prepared, now; and luckily this restroom was stocked ;-)

Mt. St. Helen's backside shining over the peaks surrounding Cougar area.

ENJOY LIFE every chance you get :-)

The Park has a woodsy vibe to it; I like it.

It was a serene place to stop for a stroll.

It was nice: I think I’ll be going back 😊

To Woodland: to explore more.

To Cougar: to enjoy more tasty delights.

To Amboy & Chelatchie: to explore more.

To the various county Parks: to veg & enjoy.

I was happy my adventurous day went well – even though the Pine Creek Information Center was closed … I can go back when they are open (it closes at 1 PM - I got there after 3 PM); there’s no real rush until the snow melts enough to get through to the places I want to get back into.

Little steps – little victories: I’m okay with little until I can confidently step into big 😉

And now that I am home again, fat and sassy, and comfy; I’m going to open my new read, enjoy a mug of hot cocoa … and drift towards dreamland with the sound of rain softly tapdancing on my roof.