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2014 Pacific Northwest Waterfall Tour Kickoff – FAIL

May 29, 2014June 4, 2014 by Don Wilson

In March of this year, we took a trip to Chelan, Washington. It was, sort of, a last minute plan to just get away for a few days. We happened to find an opening for a room at one of our Worldmark resorts, there, so we jumped at the chance to stay there. That resort has traditionally been full and difficult to book without advance planning.

Entiat River Waterfalls

Because we wanted to kick off our Pacific Northwest Waterfall Tour, I did a little research to find some waterfalls close by. I learned that the Entiat River was a haven for a number of beautiful falls. We weren’t certain of the condition of the roads that high in the mountains, and had some doubts, but we were going to be there anyway, so I didn’t call ahead to the ranger station, or get an additional information about the conditions.

As everything turned out, we could only travel about 20 miles up the river before finding the road to be blocked by snow to further travel. Unfortunately, the waterfalls we were planning to see are all between the 20 mile mark and the 38 mile mark. Any further travel would have required snowshoes, cross-country skis, or snowmobiles and a sno-park pass. We had none of the above.

After a short visit with a local resident who was out for a walk with her children, we turned around and drove back toward Chelan….but not without taking a few photos along the way.

Entiat River with Snow Covered Banks

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Along the way back, we stopped at a little grocery store/restaurant near a little town called Ardenvoir to get a bite to eat. I had read from someone that it was a good little local place to eat, and thought I should check it out.

Just like everything else on this trip, it was bad timing. The restaurant was closed, though the door was open. We went inside and found the owner visiting with a friend while doing some maintenance work. They barely seemed to notice we were there.

When I caught their attention and asked if they were going to be open for lunch, he said, “Not really. I wasn’t planning to turn the grill on today, but if you really want to eat here, I guess I can. It will take awhile for it to heat up.”

I said, “Thank you very much, but you don’t need to do that. We’ll just move on.”

…and move on, we did. But we will definitely be back this summer.

The REAL Kickoff of the 2014 Pacific Northwest Waterfall Tour – Palouse Falls

May 20, 2014May 20, 2014 by Don Wilson

Spring has got to be the best time to visit Palouse Falls. The water is flowing at its heaviest and vivid green accents the hills around the area. Any other time of the year the entire area would be blanketed in a drab brown.

I’ve seen photos of this waterfall in the wintertime, also. With the frost and ice encrusted walls of the cliffs that surround the waterfall, it’s an entirely different portrait – also very beautiful. Either way, Palouse Falls is among the prettiest waterfalls in the pacific northwest.

Waterfall Tour Kickoff

We set out for our one-day journey on a Saturday morning in early May. This is the “real” kickoff for our 2014 Pacific Northwest Waterfall Tour. We tried to get things started in March, but found it to be a little early for the chosen destination.

This day, we followed highway 24 east from Yakima, over the Vernita bridge, and continued east on highway 26 to the falls. Normally, I would consider that route to be long, desolate, and boring, but Leslie and I were accompanied by our son’s girlfriend. The pleasant conversation along the way made the 2 1/2 hour drive from our home in Yakima seem very short and quick.

We quickly found a place to park, jumped out of the car, and immediately began to snap photos of the grand waterfall. I’m so thankful for digital photography, but could use better battery life with my Samsung Galaxy S4 camera/phone for occasions such as this.

Images of Palouse Falls

This is a spectacular waterfall with a large volume of water plummeting nearly 200 feet into the bowl of the coulee. It is surrounded by interesting rock formations and varying levels of plateaus. My only interest in geology is purely for the aesthetic value, but I have no doubts that a geology hobbyist would have a heyday here.

palouse falls from the top

I had a nervous moment watching my travel partners inch themselves down to the edge of the cliff for a photo op.

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Hiking Around Palouse Falls

After a short walk to the south end of the park for some quick snapshots from the viewpoint, we proceeded north from the main picnic and camping area of the park on the trails to the top of the waterfall.

I would describe the trail as being only moderately difficult. It does require caution in places, and I wouldn’t advise anyone with small children or individuals in weaker health conditions or with balance problems to attempt this trail.

After the decent down a rocky slide to the Palouse River above the waterfall, we meandered our way between the river and a rock wall until we arrived at the rock spires they call the “Mohawk” and the precipice overlooking the falls.

My wife and my son’s girlfriend arrived shortly before I did, and when I got there, they had shuffled down to the edge of the precipice for a photo op. I have to admit being more than just a little nervous with them exposing themselves to such a precarious position. The footing isn’t entirely stable and there is nothing below them but certain death with any miss-step.

Though there were several people following a path around the inside of the bowl and down into the bottom of the falls, we elected not to take that trip. Under advise from multiple hikers and bloggers, I felt that the danger was more than I wished to face.

From here, we returned to the car and moved on down the road to find a place for lunch. I heard there was a decent little place at a KOA campground in King’s Ferry. Maybe we’ll check that out.

The Other Side of Leavenworth, WA

October 6, 2013 by Don Wilson

Leslie and I made the 2 hour drive from Yakima to Leavenworth a couple Saturdays ago for a family reunion. Our children were unable to attend the reunion with us this year, so we decided that we would at least take our 2 young grandsons (both are one and a half years old) with us.

We were only able to stay in Leavenworth for a few hours, with more than half that time spent enjoying dessert and visiting with our extended family in a banquet room at the Enzian Hotel. That left very little time to see the town and wander through the vast array of Bavarian shops that Leavenworth is known for.

We’ve been in Leavenworth at least once a year for as long as I can remember, and have visited the shops there every time. Skipping them this one time wouldn’t destroy the trip for us. Besides, we didn’t think the babies would be real content strolling through stores that are packed with pretty little gift items that they aren’t allowed to touch.

No, instead we decided to spend our spare minutes on the other side of Leavenworth. The side behind the town and down by the Wenatchee river. The side that I have only on rare occasions ventured into.

leavenworth-riverfront-park-trail — On the Riverfront Park Trail in Leavenworth, WA. *image by Don Wilson*

Leavenworth has a couple nice little nature parks with neat walking paths through them. The pathway criss-crosses the Wenatchee river over bridges to get from one park to the other.

Our walk took us through Waterfront Park, across a bridge to Blackbird Island, and across another bridge to Enchantment Park.

Our primary focus was on keeping the boys entertained while we hurriedly completed the walk through the nature trail, so we didn’t take time to fully enjoy the surroundings. I understand that Waterfront park is a popular bird-watching paradise and it is common to spot an osprey or a bald eagle there. We saw neither.

On Blackbird Island, we stopped to let the boys throw some rocks in the river. You have to let the boys be boys, you know. I’m sure this was one of the highlights of their day with Nana and Papa. The younger one gave us a bit of a surprise, as you’ll notice in the following video.

About this time, I received a phone call from my dad, who was with some family members at Krystall’s restaurant. They were sitting down for lunch and wanted us to join them. That led to a hurried walk through Enchantment Park without really noticing anything about it. Through research, I learned that they have a playground, baseball field, soccer field, and trails for hiking and biking.

It’s quite an asset for Leavenworth to have this nice little sanctuary so close, yet isolated from the busy traffic and tourism of downtown Leavenworth. Though the town was packed, as it always seems to be, the parks were quiet and peaceful with a limited number of people. It seems to me it’s a nice little getaway.

Leavenworth, Washington

I Just Bought a Goldwing

August 16, 2013October 9, 2013 by Don Wilson

Honda Goldwing Aspencade — My wife on our Goldwing

Check it out! This past weekend, my wife and I wanted to do some motorcycle touring so we went out and picked up this 1984 Goldwing Aspencade. It’s been around the block a few times and is a little rough around the edges, but it runs and rides great.

This is going to make it real easy for us to take off for the weekend and tour around the great Pacific Northwest. It will certainly add a new element of adventure to our travels.

We already have a couple trips planned and coming up. We’re going to ride down to central Oregon to visit my in-laws, soon. That trip will be around 500 miles round-trip and will span 3 days.

Soon after that, we’ll plan to ride to Leavenworth, Washington and back. We’ll be attending an annual family get-together, there. It will be a one day round trip that will cover about 200 miles. I’m especially looking forward to that drive.

Kawasaki ZRX 1200 — My previous motorcycle

There will be many more trips like those. I love riding motorcycles and am excited to finally have a bike that’s made for touring. The bike I had prior to this one was great for getting back and forth to work, or short trips around town. It was fine for short day trips by myself. It wasn’t any good for passengers and it wasn’t comfortable for long trips.

I’m sure you can understand by looking at the picture of my old green monster why I loved riding it. I’m going to miss it, but I’m looking forward to many new touring adventures on the Goldwing.

I-5 Traffic Jam

August 5, 2013August 5, 2013 by Don Wilson

I-5 traffic near Seattle — Stacked on the onramps, Traffic jam, after a day of work, 2 hours of traffic to get home, Seattle, Washington, USA (Photo credit: Wonderlane)

I just experienced what may have been my most horrendous driving experience of my entire life.

We were traveling from our home in Yakima, to a family member’s wedding near Lynden, Washington. It was a Friday afternoon drive. I mapped out our trip for the shortest distance on the best freeways.

Online mapping suggested just over 4 hours for the trip. We left at 1:00 p.m. and the wedding was to start at 7:00.

I admit poor planning. The 2 hours to drive the 135 miles to the beginning of the metropolitan area and the point were we exit I-90 and head north on I-405, and awhile later on I-5, would put us in the heaviest traffic at the beginning of Friday afternoon rush hour.

Still, I had no idea what we were about to encounter.

After the 135 miles in 2 hours I just mentioned (which included a brief stop in North Bend), we endured stop and go traffic for the next 45 miles through about Marysville (which included a brief stop every 50 feet).

Suddenly, the 3 hour time cushion we had left for ourselves seemed rather insignificant.

We made it to the Lynden area with just enough time to hurriedly register at our reserved condo and change into our wedding duds. We arrived at the church about 10 minutes late. Fortunately, this wedding was typical to most I’ve been to and started a little late. We arrived just as the groom was greeting the guests from the front of the church.

My cousin’s wedding was lovely. It was very relaxing to sit quietly in the back pew of the church listening to encouraging words and soft music. That was just what the doctor ordered after after our miserable experience driving up the I-5 corridor.

My recommendation – avoid metro area freeways during rush hour.

Three Pass Motorcycle Trip

August 1, 2013July 30, 2013 by Don Wilson

Motorcycles parked at the summit of Chinook Pass, WA — Motorcyclists stop for a breather at the summit of Chinook Pass to enjoy the mountain air and the amazing view of Mount Rainier.

When my friend, Clyde, invited me on a motorcycle ride with a group from a local church, I jumped all over it. I’ll get out on the open road with my bike every chance I get.

My 2001 Kawasaki ZRX1200R isn’t really meant for touring. The seat isn’t that comfortable and the riding position is a bit painful for long distances.

My wife won’t ride with me except for short trips of about 20 miles or less. She’s been bugging me to get a Goldwing or some other type of touring bike – something with a plush seat and a back rest. It’s on the agenda to do that, but I’ll need to sell my Kawasaki before I take that plunge.

For this trip, we were traveling a little further than 20 miles so my wife stayed home. I was on my own this time.

Starting from the church in Yakima that this group is from, we jumped on highway 12 heading east through Naches. We stayed to the north at the “Y” toward Chinook Pass on Highway 410 and continued on until we reached Whistlin’ Jack Lodge.

At Whistlin’ Jack, we stopped for a brief stretch. A few guys went into the store to purchase refreshments and/or to take a potty break. This was about 40 miles into our trek, which is about as far as I can comfortably ride my Kawasaki without a break.

From Whistlin’ Jack, we continued on until we reached the Chinook Pass summit.

The scenery from the summit is absolutely stunning. I think it’s one of the most beautiful mountain passes in the state. The weather this day was perfect – clear, warm, and still. The sky was blue, we were surrounded by the greenery, and off in the distance, you could see the white, snow-covered Mount Rainier….so beautiful.

And Tipsoo Lake right below us looked so refreshing. Someday, I’ll come back to hike some of the trails around the lake and through the mountains in this area. If I wasn’t with a group, I’d have been very tempted to venture off on one of them.

After our stop at the summit, we continued west on down the highway. For the next couple miles there are a number of switchbacks as you make your descent. For motorcycles, that’s great riding – unless you are stuck behind a slow moving motor home pulling a boat.

It was refreshing to turn off Highway 410 and head toward Ohanapecosh on Highway 123 knowing the motor home was continuing west on 410. By the way, Highway 123 is a very nice motorcycle ride – especially in the weather conditions we experienced.

We continued on past Ohanapecosh without stopping, though it’s reputed to be a very nice location for camping. I haven’t been camping there for many, many years, and my memory doesn’t serve me so well, but its popularity would suggest that it’s a worthy camping spot.

Once we reached Highway 12 we turned East over White Pass passing by the White Pass Ski Resort. Though we didn’t make any stops until we reached the Silver Beach Resort, there are a couple highlights that usually grab my attention.

I love the view of Dog Lake, that is adjacent to the highway just before the final climb to the ski resort from the east. It’s such a beautiful lake, glowing in a mix of green and blue tones. I did a bit of hiking there with my daughter a few years back. Someday, I plan to make the trek to the top of Spiral Butte, just beyond Dog Lake. Put that on the bucket list.

Frequently, when traveling over White Pass, I’ll stop at the view point to look at the Clear Creek Falls, just across the highway and to the east of Dog Lake. From the view points you can see down over the falls without having to hike in. It’s another bucket list item for me to hike in to see the falls from below.

Anyway, we stopped at the Silver Beach Resort for a bacon burger and some more friendly conversation amongst members of our group. Once we were done, we continued our ride back home to Yakima.

I understand that this group makes a variety of trips on their bikes about every 2-3 weeks. I suspect that I’ll go on more of those rides. At some point, I’m sure that my wife will insist that I get the Goldwing so she can join us. Actually, I like that idea as well.

Long Beach, WA – Our Week in Pictures

July 30, 2013August 30, 2013 by Don Wilson

At Play on the Beach

Interesting Things to See

World's largest frying pan — World’s largest frying pan

World's Largest Chopsticks — World’s Largest Chopsticks

Orca the killer whale sculpture — Orca the Killer Whale Sculpture

Seahorse sculpture in the park — Seahorse Sculpture in the Park

Old mariner sculpture in the park — Old Mariner Sculpture in the Park

Museums and History

Marsh's Free Museum — Marsh’s Free Museum

Old Church on the Oysterville Walking Tour

Great Places to Eat

Cottage Bakery - Long Beach, WA — Cottage Bakery

Scooper's Ice Cream — Scooper’s Ice Cream

Sandsations Professional Sand Sculpting

End of the Day in Long Beach, WA

On the Beach at Long Beach, WA

July 8, 2013July 8, 2013 by Don Wilson

Playing with baby on the shore of the beach.

Much of my purpose for traveling to beach is for the pleasure of walking on the beach and watching the kids play in the sand and in the water. Having 2 young grandchildren along with us for our trip to Long Beach, WA, we are enjoying it immensely.

On the first full day at our destination, we took some time to walk the short jaunt to the beach. At about 65 degrees F. we prepared for the cool temperatures by wearing sweatshirts or windbreakers. A short distance into our walk, we began shedding our jackets. Sixty-five felt warmer than I had expected it would.

Of course, the kids were oblivious to the cool air. They just wanted to run and play in the sand and water. There would be no keeping them away from all that.

The breeze was strong enough to fly our kites that we brought with us to the beach. I may have enjoyed the kite flying more than the babies.

I’m really not much of a “water person”, myself, but there is something about long walks along the shore that is so relaxing and refreshing. With 28 miles of sandy beach, Long Beach gives plenty of opportunity for those long walks.

This trip to Long Beach is during the week following the Independence Day holiday. After scheduling our vacation for this week, we found out that they are having an annual sand sculpting competition at the end of the week. I’m sure we will schedule more time at the beach during the festivities.