Since Thursday, I’ve been
debating going to the Fair for fry bread (the only reason to go to the Country
Fair, anymore) or going for a hike: both are enjoyable 😊 Hiking won
– but I wanted to hike someplace that wasn’t local, and in my mind’s
eye I saw myself at Box Canyon; so, that’s what got decided. I’m pretty flexible
with my Day’s Goals 😉
Getting out of Longview was
crazy this morning! I didn’t leave the perimeters of Longview until after 11 A.M.
– and I was out the door at 9; it was just back-to-back traffic, coming and going
☹ …
on the road, at the coffee shack, and at the gas terminal: and Longview is not
that big.
Finally breaking free of the
gas-fueled gridlock, I hit the open road with coffee at hand – and cokes in the
arm-rest-cubby. Driving the backroads from Kelso, through Castle Rock and
crossing the freeway overpass into Toledo, I saw that there is a new roadside
attraction (an eyesore, but it does grab the attention). It appears that
a commuter Strip Mall has been planned, and is in the process of being
set in place. I am sure the RV Park inhabitants, cross the street, will benefit
greatly – as well as local job hunters.
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I made a snap decision on
Jackson Highway (I’m flexible – remember?); and veered off onto Spencer
Road: I’ve been wanting to explore that road since last summer. This afternoon …
I went adventuring 😉
I had driven a
short distance of this road last summer to snap off a few pictures of both Mt.
St. Helens to the right – and Mt. Rainier, to the left; but I didn’t explore
the whole road until this afternoon.
Fuller Road looped me into Salkum, which was along the route I needed to get to
my mountain.
Previous Spencer
Road Post: (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2021/09/snow-and-new-road.html)
Things got interesting when
I got to Morton 😉
I deviated a lot
along the 3-County Hopscotch Route 😊
I tried several
new things from this point, forward.
Since breaking the final tie with Bob’s side of the family, last week … my evolving
{new life} life needs new things in it – I’m not saying that from elation or
sadness, but from necessity. There is literally nothing of my life with Bob
left in this solo lobo life without Bob.
My new life
needs new things in it. Today, I
went adventuring. I’ve always like adventuring; sometimes Bob would be accommodating,
but mostly he stuck to routine. Routine was adjourned today.
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Crossing the bridge, I was
unaware of the pleasant explorations awaiting me … the first was in Ashford.
I will definitely be
revisiting that awe-inspiring place! I get a kick out of dilly-dallying; and now
I can scratch my curiosity itch 😊
Bob had a bad back and leg
he had to favor, so I didn’t complain when he wanted to “get there and get back”
– I understood, and was just happy he would lovingly and annually get me
into the mountains and occasionally go hiking (short ones) with me.
But my new life needs new
experiences now … and when time permits, I indulge my curiosities.
Entering the Mt. Rainier National
Park, I met an Angel in disguise 😉
I am thankful for this Shabbat blessing: an asian man I met on the trail
gave me important information that saved me time (and saved me from suffering
‘charley horse’ effects later on): I had the water, and could easily have
walked back to the car to retrieve a bottle; but while chit-chatting, I was mentally
hashing over that riverbed situation.
He was very friendly, and easy
to talk with; so, we talked for a few minutes more, while looking out at the
rocky terrain: him remembering his hike … me calculating the distance
to the falls; and the width/depth of that dry riverbed. It was already
past noon; I really didn’t have the time to spare for a 2-hour walk – and I
wasn’t sure that crossing that dry river bed was a smart idea: it was certainly
dry in the moment, but in a heartbeat, it could quickly become a wild, raging
death trap.
I may be curiously
impulsive – but I am not an impulsive fool. I was married to an outdoorsman and a country boy; and I
myself am an outdoorsy country gal: I know the hidden dangers of a dry
riverbed. And Mountains make their own weather. A sudden
rainstorm on the mountain could create a very tricky – and dangerous –
situation in the lowlands in regards to a dry riverbed: a flash flood
could happen very suddenly, very quickly. Fast moving water doesn’t stop
for anyone or anything; and if by chance the flash flood doesn’t sweep you up
in its turbulent waters and kill you – you could be trapped on the opposite
side until safely rescued. Not my idea of a free-spirited afternoon!
Charley Horse
Info: (https://share.upmc.com/2016/09/causes-of-charley-horses/)
When I drove past the
Christine Falls Viewpoint, I pulled in. I hadn’t been there for a while, and it
is a pretty little thing. It’s basically a look and go happening; so, I figured
I could spare a peek 😉
Bob would drive me to my
mountain every year (sometimes 2 or 3 times a year), but we didn’t always
stop at every viewpoint. We stopped here, occasionally. Even so, there
are memories here. Good ones.
I was smiling thinking of
that time. But that was the last time we were there because the falling water
was too loud for Precious’ ears. She was good, and patient, but we never viewed
waterfalls with her, again. Precious died in 2013 (12 years is a good life
span for a wolf; less in the wilds); and then we got caught up with loving
on our new grandson, born in 2014 – and adventures on the mountain were trimmed
back to fit with his little legs. And then 2018 changed e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.,
and I didn’t go back to my beloved mountain at all until last September …
nearly 3 years after Bob’s spirit left Earth. I didn’t know if I
could go back without Bob beside me. But I did: and Bob knew I
would.
So, I am revisiting places I
have missed; and adding a few extra’s this time around the mountain loop.
Mount Rainier
Glaciers: https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/mount-rainier-glaciers.htm
The only glacier I have not
seen, from every angle possible as Bob and I visited in this Park …
and surrounding regions where this mountain is front and center … is the Summit
Crater Glacier – and that one, I will never see in this lifetime. Perhaps, Elohim
will allow my spirit to pass over it, and view it, when He calls me Home 😉
I hadn’t stopped to view
Narada Falls when I drove around my mountain last September; I was basically concentrating
on making the loop safely (my 1st solo lobo visit to the mountain
without Bob) – and hiking around Box Canyon. I was challenging myself
last year: this year, I am more confident in my solo mountain trip.
And I am relaxed enough to enjoy it 😊
Looking at two girls sitting
atop that steep retaining wall brought to mind times I’ve watched Bob being a
death-defying daredevil. I’ve watched him climb over a guardrail on a gravel
back forest road, to perch atop a wind-swaying topped tree overlooking a deep
forested gorge (I couldn’t comfortably breathe at all until he climbed back
down and got into the truck). I’ve watched him climb trees reaching into
the sky – with nothing but a rope around his waist – and wrapped around the
tree; and a power saw dangling, so he could inch his way to the top where he’d
cut the tree down from the tiptop to the bottom (again, I couldn’t comfortably
breathe until his feet were on solid ground). Heights never bothered Bob.
Edgy heights greatly bother
me ☹
As I got closer to the
Lodge, I noticed the parking lot sign was out and stating that all parking
spaces were full. But I managed to snag an empty slot along the side of the
Lodge! I zipped in there real quick, before someone cut me off – parking here
is coveted and can get combative. As I slid out of the driver’s seat, I
decided to do something else I’d never done before: I would walk one of the trails
above the Lodge. I grabbed my walking stick out of the back end of the
Highlander and remembered one afternoon, sitting with Bob and looking out the
Lodge window … thinking: “I wonder what’s out there on those trails” – so,
this afternoon, I determined to find out. I was here; so was the
opportunity to stretch into the unknown 😉
Using my walking stick, and
utilizing every ounce of gumption I could muster up; I managed to get up that
high first high step, and laughingly said out loud, “Well … I got up here;
but getting back down, is going to be a trick.” A fella said, “There’s an
easier way down: just follow that right trail on your way back down, and it
will take you to the parking lot. There are stairs, but you’ll be able to do
it.” I thanked him, and wished him a good day. At the Plaque junction, I asked a
couple coming down off the trail how steep the climb would be, and they said, “there
is an incline, but it’s gradual – it doesn’t shoot straight up.” I thanked
them, wished them a good day, and pushed forward 😊
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History of
Paradise Lodge: https://www.nps.gov/articles/paradise-inn-a-history-of-beauty-and-challenge.htm
I passed on stopping to gawk at the Reflection Lakes – it gets dark in the mountains early.
Road Work in
Steven’s Canyon: https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/stevens-canyon-road-rehabilitation-project.htm
I did get to Box Canyon …
but, I did not get to hike the canyon loop ☹
I enjoyed my day spent on my
mountain 😊
I enjoyed all the new adventures
Elohim blessed me with!
But I sure was
glad to get home – kick my
shoes off, yank my bra off, kick back, and have a relaxing meal 😉
‘First Trip to Mt. Rainier as a Solo Lobo’ Post: (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2021/09/wings-mt-rainier-solo-lobo-daytrip.html)
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