Wandering Retirees

Hi! Two simple days to talk about.

Yesterday, Wednesday, was a down day. We enjoyed sleeping late late, got some laundry done, had a visit to the tonsorial emporium to get our locks trimmed (hair cuts), had the bike serviced, and took a nap. (really fine!). Getting the bike serviced was essential. Portland was the last “easy” stop for an oil change and new tires. Though neither was strictly due – both items could have waited a few more miles, good service centers are pretty rare for the next few weeks so it’s better to do this now. So I took “Shiny” to the BMW dealer in Tigard and waited through surgery 😬. They were very quick and professional, but took long enough so I had time to admire lots of more modern fun toys that are even bigger and faster and …. You get the picture. Early supper and early to bed. Lovely day.

We got up this morning ready to rock and roll and …. Had to change our plans. We had hoped to go to Packwood, WA to be near to beautiful Mt. Ranier. But it was snowing. Which means it was nippy. The snow, more than the cold, convinced us to look elsewhere for the day. So we made reservations in Olympia, Capital of Washington Stat, and decided to see what fun we can have there. After working in Trenton all those years we figure it’s a cinch. Let you know how it plays out tomorrow.

On the way here, we rode along the Columbia River gorge, retracing our steps from the 2017 trip. Still stunning! We crossed the Columbia at Cascade Locks on the “Bridge of the Gods”, an old steel bridge that reminds us of the Burlington Bristol Bridge from NJ to PA. It even cost us a buck for the privilege. The view was spectacular both up and down the gorge. We wanted to stop and camp for a bit, but that didn’t seem a great idea mid-span. Oh well.

Once in Washington we entered the little town of Stevenson and turned north on the Wind River Highway to the Gifford-Pinchot Nat’l Forest. Somehow we ended up on a couple of US Forestry Service roads (#90 and #99) which were beautiful, twisty and bumpy, and led us toward the Mount St Helens Nat’l Monument. So we thought it would be cool to see Mount St Helens. The thing about Forestry Service roads is that that are designed for rugged vehicles, like logging trucks and wreckers. Us civilized persons on sophisticated motorized vehicles should beware of hazards, like broken pavement, sinkholes and missing signs alerting the casual driver that there’s broken pavement and sinkholes. Suffice it to say we had fun slaloming between big holes. It was a great time, with Connie laughing in my ear the whole way. It was also about 40*F and raining. Not quite the 95F and humid we hear has overtaken the home front. We’re glad for the extra sweater.

We never did make it to the closest viewpoint, Windy Ridge, because the roads finally became too much. But we made it to Bears Meadow, about 11 miles from Mount St Helens. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the volcanic explosion on May 18, 1980, Bears Meadow was the site where a photographer (missed his name) was able to get a few shots of the initial explosion and then hightail it down the eastern side of the ridge to safety. He and his companions, including a 10 year old named Jo-Jo, just made it out. Everyone closer to the volcano died; nothing lived that was within 8 miles of the mountain. For some reason. 11 miles seemed close enough for today, thank you.

We continued our ride north toward Olympia through wonderfully lush growth, and arrived in town around 6:00. We’d covered about 265 miles in 9 hours over twisty forest roads and were tired and hungry. We stopped at the Safeway for some food and beverages and I can say we are now sated, relaxed and happy. It has been a great day.

Tomorrow, Connie and I will celebrate our anniversary, which is actually Saturday. Then on Saturday we venture out to the Olympic Peninsula to begin the next phase of our journey with Pat, Connie’s Mom, and Judy, my sister. Very exciting!

That’s all for tonight. Be well.

Multnomah Falls as seen from the Columbia River Gorge

The mosses on the trees made parts of the trip seem like a fairy-land.

We don’t know what the heck this thing is.

Love watching the low clouds on the roadway.

This valley was filled with a foot of ash when Mt. St. Helen erupted.

Love the tenacity of life: trees growing from rock. Wow.

Finally, the not so unusual late afternoon storm.