This set includes Alex’s opinion when walking through the ‘slough’ on the way to the Pacific beach and worrying about mosquitos and more importantly for her the thought of slugs (there weren’t any). Crater Lake National park, the clearest water on the planet and the Comet Falls at Mount Rainier.
When we walked through the sand dunes to the Pacific ocean from Jessie Honeyman state park in Oregon it involved getting onto the beach. The sand ‘cliff’ was very very unsound and this was Alex arriving on the beach.
There is a similar video for me, however it’s far longer and involves me getting back up the dune. Anyone wishing to view this will be subjected at your leisure on our return.
Apologies – this blog is very late. People might be forgiven for thinking that this is some sort of holiday and we have been enjoying ourselves… but truth be told we have had a few dramas this last week – mainly of course meaning we have had no Wi-Fi to post online with – but Matt will write about that separately – so this is all about the week before.
When we left you last, we were in Oregon and recovering from our boozy wine tasting lunch. The next day we came back to the coast and pitched up for three nights in an Oregon state park – Jessie P Honeyman (for all the anoraks out there) which was beside the Pacific but not on it. Two miles inland in the middle of the national dunes reservation area.
The camp was very striking – huge pines, a couple of lakes and most impressively access to the sand dunes. The dune within the park was 150ft high. We struggled up it for about five minutes and took about 30 seconds to run down it! Great fun but not so much fun that we wanted to do the climbing bit again.
Our fellow campers had an assortment of items to surf down – surf boards, snow boards and just plain old pieces of wood. More off road vehicles were in this park than we have ever seen before – but they are banned in some places along the dune coast as of course the area is stunningly beautiful and also very important for breeding birds.
The site was very chilly of an evening as there seemed to be quite a strong sea breeze at all times and the pines obscured the sun for most of the day. As a result, we spent the whole three days smelling of bonfires – not my favourite thing as it does so linger.
Anyway, we went off exploring the route to the Pacific Ocean – up and down some massive sand dunes and had a complete adventure. Between the dunes large amounts of water had been deposited and vegetation had taken root. We turned back at one stage as the water on the path was over our ankles, but the desire to get to the sea was so great that we got brave and waded through the stagnant water. It was rather muddy, insects galore and I kept asking Matt if there would be leeches!!
It reminded us of our trip in the Everglades where we just had to be brave and wade in the water – but without a ranger saying it was safe – we took our chances. We are still alive two weeks on – so I guess it was ok. Mind over matter.
We get to the ocean and the beach is beyond beautiful. Vast – completely deserted and once again we had a view completely devoid of any human activity – no boats, planes, roads or buildings. Amazingly beautiful. The snowy plovers were nesting and there was a designated path so as not to disturb them (I suppose that does count as human interference in the scene – but in a good way!). We scrambled down a 4ft sand cliff and went and bathed our feet, cleaned our shoes and counted our mosquito bites from the journey there. All good.
However, we had to get off the beach and the scramble back up the 4ft sand dune was comedy gold. We have a video of this farce which we will post shortly. Every time you tried to get a footing you fell down and I was beginning to worry of course that we might miss lunch!! In the end the good old belly flop and a bit of momentum saved the day – but it was very funny. I am sorry Oregon for the coastal erosion on behalf of Matt and myself.
After our three days at Jessie – we then set off back inland to Crater Lake. What an odd place – even in our year of odd places. This is a volcano that erupted 7,700 years ago. The eruption made an enormous hole which has over that 7,700 years been filled with snow and rainfall. There are no streams or rivers that flow into or out of it – so the result is some of the purest water on earth. Man has only examined 2% of the bottom of the lake – so plenty of opportunities for anyone interested in becoming the next Jacques Cousteau. It also has the Guinness Book of Records record for the clearest water. The test showed you could see 139ft down with your naked eye.
It is a stunning shade of blue as you can imagine and the level nowadays is fairly constant through seepage and evaporation as every year Crater Lake has about 40 feet of snow. It was one hell of a climb up there in Reg – (he does not always share our enthusiasm for volcanos and mountains) and the usual story of there being snow causing the trails to be closed happened again – even though we are now in July! To add an extra spice the campground also had no water – but nothing could spoil the beauty of this place. You must see it…
After Crater Lake, we headed back south and to the coast to go to the Redwoods National Park. Crossing into California at this point we were met by these giant trees. We stayed just outside the park – near a town called Crescent City which we thought was a bit misty and gloomy. Turns out this is why giant redwoods like this area as they derive their essential moisture for growth from the mist. Every morning the mist clears by about 10am and it is another beautiful blue sky day.
We rode our bikes into the park and did a scenic drive which Reg would not have been able to negotiate between the redwoods. They are awe inspiring. Hundreds of years old, hundreds of feet high and incredibly wide. I read again what John Steinbeck says about them in his travelogue- Travels with Charley and could not put it better than what he says – which is that they are humbling. There is a serenity and hush that comes over you as they have been there so long. You feel very inferior and small. The light and mist are fascinating as they evolve as the sun moves.
We stayed at the park a couple of nights and then headed south.
It was a week of nature – huge sand dunes, Crater Lake with its blue hue and then of course the magnificent trees. Everything has been on steroids this particular week!! (Except us!)
After the excitement of the big city it was back to natural beauty for the Travelling Bradburys this week. We started in Mount Rainier, named after a Royal Navy Admiral, which is a member of the Cascades range of mountains and an active volcano.
Our first trip into the park wasn’t particularly successful as we tried to climb above the treeline to gain a view of the mountain, easier said than done when the trees are enormous and the region hosts stands of trees over 1,000 years old that seem to reach to the sky. We walked to the top of a tree covered ridge to survey yet more trees and no sign of the mountain that we’d had no problem seeing from Seattle.
As it was July 4th we wanted to experience more than simply the fireworks set off by rowdy youths the night before, unfortunately after asking the campsite we set off to the local high school to discover no fireworks whatsoever. Our Independence Day turned out to be a damp squid!
The local supermarket had got into the spirit and had a sign up wishing the United States a happy 241st birthday, which we felt was appropriate.
The next day was more successful and we walked up a steep trail to view Comet Falls, another majestic and awe inspiring natural falls. We can’t get enough of waterfalls it seems, although Alex seems less keen on my description of Doubtful Sound and its cousins in New Zealand that experience rain 300 days a year but have stunning waterfalls because of it.
OK, enough about the land of sheep and Anchor butter, after the falls we drove to the main visitor centre in Mt Rainier which rests at the bottom of the mountain. We were assured the Skyline trail was open and set off confidently, hmmm … still covered in snow and while it had a number of people struggling up it we chose to simply find a spot for lunch and look at the majesty of Rainier and its numerous glaciers while eating crisps and energy bars. On the way back down Alex took a comedy fall in the snow, not captured for posterity I’m afraid, we both got wet but were pleased to have seen the mountain close up. On our way out of the park we stopped to view the Grove of the Patriarchs, a stand of ancient forest more than 1,000 years old protected in the park from the numerous logging operations outside.
Thursday, we drove to the second volcano named after a British ambassador this time, Mt St Helens. Alex was really excited as she remembers the original John Craven’s Newsround reporting of its explosion in 1980. The Oregon state visitor centre had a film of the original newscasts describing the series of events leading to the major eruption on the 18th May, 1980, starting with a number of earthquakes, the evacuation of people from the surrounding areas, the ‘growth’ of a bulge on the north face of the mountain and the final eruption. It included poignant footage of Harry Truman, who had lived on Spirit Lake under the shadow of the mountain for over 50 years, who refused to leave his home and whose remains have never been found.
The Park Service visitor centre had more geological information and the last recording of a US geologist, David Johnston, who radioed his colleagues at the moment of the eruption and who also was killed by the eruption. The mountain itself was completely altered by the eruption with one whole side sliding into the local area, sweeping all before it followed by a lahar, a mixture of snow meltwater, debris from the eruption and thousands of the trees knocked down by the blast. It is a really awe inspiring sight to see the mountain close up, still with large barren areas but also the way vegetation is making a come back already.
What is also humbling is the power nature still has to overwhelm human development and that both Rainier and St Helens are both active and part of a chain of volcanoes that could erupt. Rainier in particular give volcanologists worries because of the glaciers on its flanks that could melt and send literally waves of destruction down into Seattle itself.
After Mt St Helens we drove across the Columbia river into Oregon and spent the night in Astoria, a town built onto a hill overlooking the river and a series of enormous lumber yards for all the timber harvested from the forests in the region (there are a lot of them, all getting smaller I suspect from the amount of timber in these yards!).
From Astoria we drove down along the Oregon coast past cliffs, beaches stretching for miles and rocky outcrops in the sea to Tillamook Bay. Tillamook is famous for its cheese, I believe they produce all three American varieties, i.e. White, Yellow and Orange, it is though a very beautiful part of the coast with an area called the Three Capes that we drove along, stopping for lunch on our travel further south to Salem, Oregon’s capital and on the edge of the Willamette Valley the major wine region of Oregon.
Sunday found us in cycling distance of a vineyard serving brunch, the journey there was going to be about 30 minutes, the journey back wasn’t so certain. Eola wines tasting room was a large shed which did have a lovely garden where we sampled the majority of their output, predominantly Pinot Noir but with a very nice Cuvee II, at $60 a bit steep for our quaffing requirements.
M
WARNING: This last week was very busy – even by our standards. I am tired just thinking about it – never mind attempting to write it up – so here goes. Do not read if you are feeling a bit off colour as it might tip you over the edge!
So, Monday dawned and we were still in Glacier National Park. We think this might be our favourite of all the great national parks as the meadows were superb with the spring flowers out. The paths on the hikes through the rock were like a Dulux colour chart – pale purples, greys, reds and blacks.
We called B early doors to wish her a happy birthday which was a bit of a palaver as we had to buy a phonecard and do it from a payphone – just like Hammond House – but it was lovely to hear that she was having a super day. Glacier might be beautiful but it is very isolated and we had no wifi or phone signal during the time that we were there. I think it added to the appeal in some respects, but you are always slightly nervous that everyone at home is ok.
We set off on our hike up to the Grinnell glacier. This one is fading fast and will be melted by 2030, but it is still very much there at the moment and we could not complete the last part of the climb as there was still too much snow on it. The trail was busy when we set off and someone warned us that there was a moose with her calf nearby. Well Lucie Moosie as we christened her was quite the star turn. We walked very close to her – she was wading in the water with her little ginger baby (one for Dave!) as we trailed along the path.
We were so close it was amazing and we took some photos as you can see. She was very calm but we felt we would let her get on with things so Matt strode on and came to standstill beside some trees that were between us and the water just in case Lucie came out.
I was having a complete faff around after all the excitement – binoculars caught in my camera, camera caught in my sunglasses, sunglasses lost on my head – you get the idea when Matt turned around and we suddenly saw that Lucy and the ginger calf were now watching us!! It was completely hilarious. Less than six feet away so we had to get a move on and left her to it.
The walk was superb – blue skies, wild flowers, a grizzly bear later on the same trail feeding down below and to top it all a lovely picnic beside the lake. The picture shows my feet so that you can see how high we climbed. Glacier was just beautiful.
After the trail was over we set off in Reg to go camping in another part of the park. This time down a road which warned vehicles over 21 feet long not to use that route. As it was the only route in to where we wanted to go – we chanced it. Absolutely fine, but all the camp sites were taken so we had to relocate into the town of East Glacier and drive back in the morning to do our last trail which was to see another waterfall. I know! How many can one couple see!? Who would have thought they were so different – but they are.
Later that day after a restorative pizza in Reg – we set off on the longest drive ever – to Canada. We needed to come in and out of the US before July and it seemed to make sense on the map to go up past Glacier as we could not drive through it (as the roads are still closed for snow) and do a loop in Canada and then be back down into Idaho on the way back.
So far so good – few issues – one was that it was incredibly hot and we began to suspect that Reg’s AC had stopped working, so it was pretty uncomfortable in the driver’s cabin. The other issue was that we were not exactly sure what would happen when we got to the border – we had rung the helpline – but no one felt like helping us – so it was a leap into the unknown.
Get to the Canadian border and the guy is charming. I am driving and handover the passports and to my horror there is a £20 note stuck between them. It looked just like a bribe! Thank goodness it was this way and not coming back in! He had a good laugh about it and we assured him that if it was a bribe we would have offered more!
The loop in Canada was very scenic, but long. Matt was driving by now and we spent nearly half an hour stationary at some road works, which we filmed on the Go Pro if anyone is interested in watching… no idea why!
So, we get back to the US border and are told to exit Reg as the first batch of questions have not gone well. ‘Were we carrying fruit and veg’ – I admitted to some broccoli and Matt had no stamp in his passport from Miami in January.
We had to go into the office and I immediately feel that we have a van load of Mexicans not to mention the heroin stashed under the seats. I think I should never have watched Midnight Express as a teenager!
Funnily enough after 15 minutes the immigration official is much more charming and has checked online to see that our story is true – but probably our sweatiness due to the AC malfunction also counted against us!
We arrived at the campsite at about 9.30pm – but no matter the time – I was determined that we eat the contraband broccoli!
After the excitement of Canada, we had a long old drive to get to our destination of the Boeing factory by Friday morning, just outside of Seattle. We crossed into Washington, and had one night in a nice place called Moses Lake. There we got Reg’s AC fixed as we could not stand it any longer. The drive was very weird – great, dusty, hot plains – but irrigated to within an inch of their lives in places and then huge fields of potatoes, orchards of fruit and hills covered in vines. We also drove through the Stevens Pass – which is a ski resort very close to Seattle.
Boeing was amazing. We did the factory tour and saw where they assembled 777, 787 (the Dreamliner) and 747’s. Not allowed to take any pictures of course lest we sell them to Airbus – but the scale was incredible as you can imagine and stats like there being 6 million pieces in a 747 will no doubt cross your mind when you are next sitting in one! Three million of those parts are rivets by the way.
Late afternoon on Friday we saw real Seattle traffic jams down the freeways – but the sun was shining and the surrounding area excited us – hills, water and lots of trees as you would expect from a place called the evergreen state and the emerald city.
Pulled up in the worst campsite so far on this trip. On one side, we had a man who was ‘Travelling with the Lord’ emblazoned on his wagon, and on the other a mad cat woman who had paw print tattoos and matching paw print seat covers in her pickup. We had beer inside that night and spoke to Gemma thankfully until they all went inside.
Fancying some culture away from camping we went into downtown Seattle on Saturday using their light railway and buses. Very impressive system and it all worked like clockwork. The city was charming. Very hilly, sunny, multi-cultural and buzzy. We had the most superb food and drink all weekend and stayed at a hotel in the centre. It was great to walk around and see what was on. A tiny bit of grunge was found at an open-air festival near the Needle – the charmingly named Thunderpussy band had just finished their set, but we did hear a little bit of the next act on – Black Pistol Fire. To be honest the whole of Seattle could hear them!
We went to the Bill and Melinda Gates visitor centre where they explain what their foundation is aiming to do around the globe. Very inspiring and we walked out ten-foot-high and determined to solve global issues. Sadly, we stopped by a rooftop bar and our enthusiasm for tackling the aforementioned global issues became slightly more diluted than the killer punch the chap on the door had served to us as we arrived!
Highly recommend Seattle to you all, or for those that are not working for Microsoft! On Sunday, we got the ferry over to Bainbridge Island and had a long boozy lunch just like the locals – who all seemed to be very young, fit and tanned – but we tried our best to keep up with them!
So back to Reg late last night. He had not been corrupted by the cat woman luckily and we are all poised for fireworks tomorrow and a public holiday here – do they all know it is my nephew’s birthday?!
Have a great week and enjoy Wimbledon!
A x
Travelling Bradburys 