The Hills Are Alive....(Are We in Austria?)

Location: Silver Falls State Park, OR

We woke up in a gorgeous fern grove with huge mossy trees on the eastern side of Mount Rainier. It took us about an hour to drive to Paradise, (aptly named) stopping to see Reflection Lake and other places for photo ops. Every turn of the road gave us stunning views of Mt. Rainier. The roads were engineered to provide the best views. We were lucky to have clear blue skies and actually see the top of the mountain - which doesn't occur very often in this rain forest.

We took a turn thru the Visitor's Center watching a very moving film about Mount Rainier. It really did bring tears to our eyes just how majestic, massive, dominate and extreme this powerful mountain is. It is the most topically prominent mountain in the lower 48 states with an elevation of 14411, an creates its own weather systems. Feeling very inspired we geared up for a strenuous hike that heads towards the summit then veers along a ridge and skirts a glacier. This hike was aptly named the Skyline Trail. It climbs 1700 feet, is a 5.5 mile loop and crosses many snowfields that are really steep. Because of these difficult conditions is took us 4 hours, not bad considering the average time allotted is 4.5 to 5 hours!

Wow!! Best hike of the trip. The entire walk uphill was lined with wildflowers upon wildflowers abundantly displayed among picturesque brooks. You really did feel like Julie Andrews signing at the top of her lungs, "The Hills Are Alive" in the Sound of Music. It could have been the Alps! The walk uphill was so steep that at times it was hard for me to catch my breath, but it was a joy to pause and just take in all the beauty. Once we reached the ridge and began our descent down the other side the contrast was amazing. It was much more barren and covered in ice and snow fields. After working so hard climbing up we were hoping for a bigger payoff on the downhill side. Mmmm...trekking down the steep slippery snow fields was almost as hard as the hike up. Denise finally decided to slide down on her butt part of the way. Hearing her laugh and whoop it up on the way down encouraged me to give it a try. Unfortunately, I wasn't as smart as my buddy and wore shorts so the slide down the hill made for a very cold, ahem...toosh. There is no way these pictures capture the beauty of the wildflowers with the background of the Cascade mountain range. We could see not only the top of Mt. Rainier, but Mount St. Helens and several other peaks in the distance. Notice the big grin on our faces at the top of the ridge!

We knew we had a long drive ahead of us to get to Silver Falls State Park in Oregon, but after working so hard we decided that a nice dinner out was in order. Yum, cedar plank salmon with a nice glass of wine did the trick. Unfortunately, we pulled into the campground at a little after midnight. The camping gods were once again watching out for us. The campground was full but we took an empty reserved space and crashed for the night.

Biking the Hills of the Columbia River Gorge

Location: Mt. Rainier National Park, WA

We are so incredibly exhausted that we might not make much sense tonight...give us a little leeway. We didn't get to bed until after midnight last night and were up again by 6 this morning. We were eager to bike the next stretch of the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail before it became too hot. Rubber hit the road and trailhead by 8:30. The first stretch of the trail was like stepping back in time, imagine taking the old Model A out for a drive. We cruised past rock walls and spectacular wildflowers on a moss covered road. When we entered the forest part of the trail it was thick with ferns, lush waterfalls, completely canopied and beautiful views overlooking the Columbia River and the abrupt rock hills on the Washington side. It was one of the best biking trails either one of us had ever been on. At one point we were barreling down the hill and came to a screeching halt at a stop sign that appeared from nowhere. Good thing we stopped because we were confronted by 50 steep steps. Really? How did the cars do this? So, we carried our bikes down the steps and were suddenly riding next to the freeway for a short while. We eventually made it to a fish hatchery and then to downtown Cascade Locks. The trail wasn't marked at all at this point and we spent a bit of time riding thru the town, backtracking, and taking a side trip to visit the locks. After picking up a better detailed map at the Visitor's Center we realized that the trail was the bike lane thru town and continued on several city streets. Our goal was to reach Wyeth Campground which should have been 10 miles from the trailhead. Ah, ignorance is bliss. What we didn't know was that to get there we had to climb 2000 feet for a good two miles. Denise was amazing! She kept my spirits high and lead the way up, up, up the hill that went on and on. This was the hardest bike ride I've ever done because of the elevation gain without rest. We finally made it to the campground (14 miles) getting a nice long downhill to end the first half of the ride. Neither of us were looking forward to the climb back. At the start of our return we were battling the blazing sun and riding against the wind. Oy! And it was a bitch...

Let it be known we made it! We rode it the whole way and even managed to carry our bikes up the steps bone tired. (We do have a pact however that whatever happened on the trail stays on the trail). All in all we rode 25 miles, 2000 feet of elevation gain, in 4 hours with a bunch of photo ops and a lunch rest. Next in order was a 4 hour ride to Mt. Rainier - - which doesn't have showers. It was unanimous that we sneak into a campground close by and find a shower. Mission accomplished.

To continue with the theme of this trip to explore the backbone of the Cascades we took a two lane paved forest road from the Columbia River to Mt. Rainier, via Mt. Saint Helens. It was the prettiest drive of the trip. The wildflowers were like nothing we have ever seen. It was as if someone had planted them for the benefit of the traveler.
As we entered the Gifford Pinchot National Forest we were surprised by foxglove in purple and white, 5 and 6 feet high lining this stretch of the highway. As we climbed in elevation we were also greeted with miles and miles of lupin, yellow flowers, white daisies, red indian paintbrush and lush ferns. I don't think today's photos can adequately capture how stunning these wildflowers were against the verdant green forest and blue skies. We were in a mellow mood and pretty tired so it was nice to just quietly take it all in.

We arrived about 6:30 at Mt. Rainier National Park and lucked out with a great campsite. The campground is pretty packed, but somebody above is looking out for us because we have consistently landed the best spots almost every night and have had perfect weather. After a dinner of a yummy salad and finishing off an open bottle of wine (with an ibuprofen chaser) we are ready to call it a night. Tomorrow we are giving our bums a rest and not riding the saddle so a hike is in order. Stay tuned.

Off the Beaten Path and into the Boiling Water

Location: Columbia Gorge, Oregon...Memaloose Campground

Last night we camped at a really sweet spot next to the confluence of the McKenzie River and Olallie Creek. It's a pretty magical place deep in a fern and fir tree forest. We went to sleep with the rushing roar of the river. In keeping with the theme of the trip to get in a hike or a bike ride everyday we managed a 3 mile hike after a dinner of popcorn and wine. (Maybe it was more in line of a drunken walk.) After girl chit chat this morning we packed up and headed for the next adventure...hot springs deep in the Cascades. What we didn't plan on was getting lost, frightened and burned in the process.

Word to the wise, never trust anything you read on the internet. While planning this trip (albeit while drinking wine and eating popcorn...mmm do I see a pattern here), we thought it would be a hoot to find some hot springs to soak our sore muscles. We figured by this time in our journey we would have tortured our bodies enough to have earned a good long soak. A local "secret" spot w Austin Hot Springs located 4 miles up from a US Forest Service campground on an obscure forest road. Three maps and a GPS got us close, but we still backtracked multiple times trying to locate this geothermal wonder. In the process a girl's gotta pee and we found an abandoned dilapidated picnic area with a moss covered vault toilet. Look good to me until a snake slithered across my path. (What is with me and snakes?!) Don't ask how the situation resolved itself let's just say we never checked out the vault toilet.

We were not going to let these elusive springs get the better of us! Denise's hawk eyes finally spotted a rusted gate with a hot water sign posted on a tree in the woods next to a raging river. We parked the car and began our trek over to the river when bam...I slipped and fell on a rock bruising the palm of my hand. No broken bones, nothing that wine later tonight won't cure - we ventured on. On the edge of this raging river is a manmade circle of rocks, creating pools, with a few people soaking in them. It's hard to fathom that the water is warm enough for people to soak, especially in the snow melted river. We made our way down to the pools and saw some old rusted warning signs saying be extremely cautious "water temperatures increase suddenly and without warning. Some temperatures near boiling 200 degrees." Denise went to where the pools were, cautiously tested it, and then stepped in. She couldn't stay in and thought it was about 115 degrees. I was outside the pools, walked into the water and it was freezing cold. Not one to like really hot water, I was timid about going into the pools so I was careful to stay outside the rock pool. My next step...HOLY MOLY...was scalding hot!! Seriously burning my foot. It's hard to grasp that 200 degree water is bubbling up from a underneath a freezing river bed and can still burn you. Lesson learned. I don't know if the pictures today will do this justice. We decided this place no longer seemed so magical and decided to venture on. Plan B.

After some reconnoitering we decided to head for the Columbia Gorge and get in a lunch at Timberline Lodge and perhaps a bike ride at the Old Historic Columbia Highway Trail. What we didn't plan on was unmarked roads, single lane gravel byways and logging operations. While planning this trip Denise was inspired by the idea of driving up the backbone of the Cascades. Be careful what you wish for. We KNOW the backbone, vertebrae by vertebrae of the Cascades. Needless to say we had a late lunch at Timberline Lodge at 4:00 pm.

Well fed we ventured thru the Hood River Valley picking up some cherries and apples and headed for a campground on the Columbia River. The campground isn't much to write home about but what it has going for it is location, location, location. It's proximity is near the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail- one of my bucket list items.
Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail

This turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. We traveled on the old scenic highway (paved, my fave) built by the WPA between 1913 and 1922. It was one of the first scenic byways in the United States and a true engineering feat. We rode our bikes thru spectacular rock tunnels, canopied paths and breathtaking views overlooking the Columbia River. This portion of the trail was almost 10 miles round trip and a nice mix of up and downhill. Perfect for an evening ride!!! Tomorrow the we tackle the longer portion of the trail (20 miles) before heading into Washington. Life is good.

Going Dark

Location: Driving thru the Cascades, Oregon...

We are heading up the backbone of the Cascades for the next couple of days and not expecting to get internet connection. So, to our hubbies out there...we are safe, having fun and hope to connect soon. (We are women hear us roar!)

Last night was a hoot. After square dancing and hitting the showers (ahh...nothing like a nice FREE hot shower after a day of hiking, biking and dancing. I'm so impressed with this USFS campground. $15 and you get flush toilets, running water and free showers. Our tax dollars at work...thank you!) We finally get back to the campsite around 10ish in the pitch dark. Denise was awesome guiding me in the total blackness. We had to back up into the campsite, avoiding trees and lining up with the leveling chalks. That was no easy feat considering I couldn't see a darn thing AND we took a short cut and went in the wrong way. This made angling into the site all that much harder. Well, after about 10 minutes or so of Denise shouting out to me, "Turn the wheel left, no the other left...go straight...no, no, turn the wheel"...you get the drift. Well, all of a sudden Denise yells out, "Someone stole our chalks!" and then "Oh damn, they stole your bandana hanging on the tree and the BIKES!" A pit formed in my stomach and I was trying so hard to be calm. A brief pause, then that "aha moment" when we both realized that we were in the wrong campsite!!!! We are still laughing about that! I like to think we were just so tired from our adventures and not just a couple of ditzy women. Yes, hubbies enjoy this story, but not to be used against us at any future time. (Dad, that goes for you too!!).

We started the morning with a 13.5 mile bike ride. It was freezing cold (40 degrees), but warmed up nicely by the end of the ride. It was fun riding past the aftermath of the square dance festival and seeing all the men out there with their cordless drills unscrewing the dance floor. The beauty of starting out so early is that we had the bike path to ourselves and could really enjoy riding along in the early morning with our cups of coffee. Enjoy today's pics!

Falls, Craters, Diamonds and Twirls

Location: Broken Arrow Campground, Diamond Lake, OR

We woke relatively early this morning (6:45) to another gorgeous day of blue skies. First in order was taking inventory of all our muscle groups...yep, everything still working and feeling good. After a quick yogurt, granola and nut breakfast we decided to do the 4 mile Rim Trail Loop. It was a gentle walk downhill to the lake and the pay off was the incredible views of the still lake water in the morning light. We took the lower Rim Trail Hike back to the bottom of the falls. Wow! Denise and I were reflecting on how great we get along and how my mom kept saying for 8 years, "you two really need to get to know each other." We were just reminiscing about her as we approached the bottom of the falls when a beautiful rainbow appeared. We both got teary eyed knowing mom was with us and we could hear her saying, "I told you so little Missy." Priceless!

We finally pulled out of the campground at 10:15 and headed for Oregon. Denise captained the ship today (drove Winnie) and took her over the border. The two took to each other like ducks to water. (No Oregon pun intended). Mmm, should I be a tiny bit worried about Denise absconding with Winnie and heading for the border? Denise had never seen Crater Lake National Park so of course that was a detour that we had to take. We entered the southern part of the park and were blown away by the canyons of Annie Creek! Wowza. We stopped the car and braved the cliffs to look down, down, down. Who knew Crater National Park had such a canyon? Our next stop was the Visitor's Center for an overview of the park. We watched a short movie about Crater Lake. Did you know it's the deepest lake in the U.S, has no inlet or outlet stream but filled entirely from snow melt and rain, and was created by a volcano imploding? Pretty cool. We then ventured on to Rim Village and took a short walk along the rim path to the Lodge and lookout tower. It's amazing how blue, circular and pristine this lake is - no concessionaires, homes or development around most of the lake. On our bucket list is a trip back to Crater Lake to hike down to the water and take a boat tour.

Fourteen miles north of Crater Lake is the Diamond Lake recreation area. Our plan was to stay in one of the US Forest Service Campgrounds. We had our sites set on Thielsen Campground on the Western side of the lake. We figured since it was the most remote it would be the least populated. On the Southern end of the lake, we decided to check out Broken Arrow Campground and much to our surprise there was hardly anybody here. The added bonus is that this campground has flush toilets and showers. Be still my heart. We camped amongst lodgepole pines and there is only one other camper in sight. It's not the most picturesque campground in the world, but shoot, we'll take a $15 campsite with amenities to ourselves any day! So anxious to check out our ride around the lake we set up camp pretty quickly and were gone...
The bike path is amazing!!!! It's a 12 mile paved trail around the edge of the lake that meanders through woods, marsh, beach, fern grottos, etc. About 3/4 of the way through the ride we biked into Diamond Lake Resort for provisions and you'll never guess what we came upon. The Square Dance Festival!!! Imagine an enormous wooden portable dance floor (the size of a basketball court at least) with lights strung overhead at the water's edge. This resort felt like we stepped back into time and were in the Catskills. (You young'uns, just google Catskill Resort 1950's). The men and women were in coordinating outfits of pink, lavender, red and turquoise. Even down to the matching two tone shoes. I kid you not. Denise checked out the raffle table and was going to purchase a ticket but didn't honestly see a puffy red, white and blue square dance skirt in her future, nor did the sewing basket or crocheted toilet paper holders catch her eye. We were only a few miles away from our campground and decided to venture back. After sharing a good bottle of red wine (nice find Chuck) and a lovely dinner, we are seriously considering packing up and pointing Winnie in the direction of the Square Dance Festival...Stay tuned.

Saturday night and what are two girls gonna do! Head to the Square Dance Festival at Diamond Lake Resort. Wahoo! This place is really a piece of Americana. Cabins, campground, several restaurants, marina, grocery store, and activities for all ages. It does my heart good to know places like this still exist. I'd love to chat more, but we girls got some dancing to do!

Scaling New Heights - The Peakers

Location: Burney Falls State Park, CA

Much to my surprise, Denise was up before me this morning at 5:45am! What's up with that - I'm the morning person and she's the sunflower that slowly opens. However, I'm not going to complain about waking up to a cup of coffee handed to me. Okay, I can see this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...Our goal was to hit the trail for the peak of Mt. Lassen early and we certainly attained that goal. We were the first ones in the parking lot, but by the time we got situated (backpacks loaded up, feet taped up, one last pee stop) someone else actually started the climb before us. The climb was actually not bad compared to yesterday. It's a steady up with a lot of switchbacks. Yesterday's hike was just plain straight up for a good couple of miles. We were hoping to reach the peak within two hours and were on track when..doh! an obstacle prevented that from happening. A real obstacle, a metal gate. We were so close to the top but the last .9 miles was closed off for trail repair. Bummer! However, we saw that the trail will be opened for full moon hikes in August or September. We vowed to come back and own the peak. (Thomas you don't know this but you are already recruited to make this trek with us). We were back at the winniemobile much sooner than anticipated so after some reconnoitering we decided to head for Burney Falls and get in a bike ride and perhaps another hike. Yes, we are two girls ready to feel the burn. Once at Burney Falls, we checked out the Visitor's Center, watched a video and got some great ideas on how to spend the rest of the day. We took a short bike ride to the cemetery to see where the McArthur Brothers or Sam Burney was buried, the co-founders of the park. Much to our surprise neither were buried there. Oh well, good ploy to get us moving. The ride back was a bit uphill in the blazing sun. (Oh yeah, we needed another layer of dust to top off the Mill Creek and Lassen Peak hikes). We continued on the bike ride down to the lake and had quite a climb back up. If there is a God, our quads HAVE to look better after this trip! We both agreed that if we were going to continue to ride together in the winniemobile that showers were a must. Late afternoon showers...ahhh best damn .50 cents we ever spent! On the bike ride we ran into a park ranger and asked about the evening program. We decided to join him for an early evening hike around the falls up to the headwaters. He was disappointed that we couldn't join him for the old fashioned campfire sing-a-long tomorrow night. Oh and how I love to belt out "On Top of Old Smokey!" As Ned always tells me, what I lack in tone I make up in enthusiasm! The hike began at 6 and lasted for almost 2 hours. We started at the top of the falls and walked to the headwaters. Pretty amazing that millions of gallons of water pour over the falls each day all originating from tiny springs about a mile upstream. The ranger identified plants and provided great tips such as how to tell where the sun will be in a hour's time. Handy bit of knowledge when you're hiking. We totaled up the day's hiking miles and we figured a little over 7 miles. Not bad considering a lot of it was uphill. We are going to see how we feel tomorrow and maybe do a hike before we take off for Oregon. We are having a blast taking photos and blogging together. (Hint to Chuck. I think Denise would LOVE an ipad for her birthday - wink, wink - let's talk). Let's see if Ms. Earlybird is going to bring me coffee again. Mmm, better not push my luck.

Mill Creek or Hill Creek?

Location: Lassen National Park, CA

A month or so ago, my friend Denise Allured and I dreamed up the perfect summer camping getaway. Our plan was to head north to beat the summer heat and explore the backbone of the Cascades from Mt. Lassen to Mt. Rainier. We named this trip the "Double D Cascade Jaunt." Everyday has a hike or bike trek planned. If we are not dead by the end of the trip we at least will be in better shape. Wahoo...the day finally arrived. We took the scenic route of highway 32 and really enjoyed the vistas on both sides of the ridge. By the time we arrived at Mt. Lassen we were in awe of the killer views - you could see Lake Almanor, the wooded valley and beyond.

You know that old axiom, it's not the destination but the journey, well that pretty much described today. When I was about 33 years old, (for you bean counters out there that was 20+ years ago) I hiked to Mill Creek Falls. Somehow I remember that hike as being relatively flat and through a meadow. WRONG! This was supposed to be our "ease into the trip warm-up hike" to get ready for the climb to the top of Mt. Lassen tomorrow. Instead the hike was a very strenuous downhill/uphill climb. I think we hiked a little over 7 miles today. The walk really was about the journey. We ventured through meadows of wild flowers, sometimes waist high in lupin, Indian paint brush, daisies, and corn lillies - to just name a few. We started at Kings Creek and were accompanied by several babbling brooks meandering through the wildflower meadows. We skirted two lakes and then began the descent down, down, down. When we finally reached Mill Creek Falls it was nothing like I remembered. It's the biggest fall in the park of at least a 75 foot drop. Unfortunately, we approached it from the top and were never able to get a view of the actual falls descending. The climb back was a challenge especially since I was still recovering from the Half Dome hike, blistered included. Thank goodness for Denise's patience and expertise on how to tie up laces for a tight fit - way to go Denise! One of the scientific highlights of the hike was stumbling across some bear scat or to be more specific the "fecal plug". When I was in Glacier the ranger gave a talk about when a bear sleeps for the winter (not hibernates) it licks itself and digests its own hair. This forms a "fecal plug" so that he isn't awakened by bodily functions. Apparently it's a rare find to come across this. Imagine our surprise! We spent some time examining it and thought it pretty cool. I know other chicks dote on their looks we get our kicks out of bear scat. This is definitely a match made in heaven. Our campsite tonight couldn't be better. Not bad for showing up and winging it. We are camped at the summit next to a meadow at the end of a loop. We have privacy, shade and a killer view. We got back from the hike a little later than anticipated (3 hr. 47 minutes and close to 7 pm) so instead of cooking up veggies and salmon we made a killer salad with veggies from our gardens. Yum! Of course, the wine helped it go down easy...Tomorrow is the big hike to the top of Lassen. Here's to a good night sleep, blistered healed and an early start!