Day 6 - Washington and Oregon Coast

The day started out with some photos of the stream near my tent. It was still fairly early. I was learning that although mountains are nice for many things, they do block sunlight early and late in the day. So morning photos in the valleys may be mostly in the shade.

Better view than a motel parking lot (at least for me, on this day)

I got back on U.S. 2 headed west once again in west-central Washington. I was still in parts of the Cascade Mountains. But on this particular stretch, there seemed to be few easy photo opportunities. There was mountain shade. And power lines followed the road most of the way. So I didn’t really get hardly any photos of the Cascades. Maybe I will next time.

Cascade Mountains

I soon arrived in Everett, Washington. I attempted to follow U.S. 2 to the end. At least one map showed it following local city streets for a few blocks to the bay. I spent several minutes trying to find a sign on one of the streets. I found none. I backtracked some. And the best I can figure out, the highway now ends at the interchange with the I-5 freeway. But on the side streets I was able to see a few Navy ships in the harbor. Even though the water in Everett is connected to the ocean, the wide open Pacific Ocean is several miles further west.

After going west for several days, it was now time to head south. Just for fun, I had earlier prayed for sunshine in Seattle and refreshing rains for the desert. And as I drove through, it was indeed a rare bright sunny day in Seattle.

Drive-by shot of the Space Needle

To save time I stayed on the freeway for a while as I headed south. At Eugene, Oregon, I headed west once again towards the Oregon Coast of the Pacific Ocean. It was a fast, twisty drive. That was fun. I really hadn’t expected mountains between I-5 and the ocean. So that was a surprise.

At 6:15 p.m. I arrived in Florence, Oregon. It was named after my grandmother. Well, not really. But it was a fun name anyway. Near Florence, I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time in over 25 years. It was foggy. But it was still fun to see.

I was too late for the paid sea lion caves attraction. So I headed south along the coast on the 101 (U.S. highway 101) looking for a place to sleep.

It was interesting to see fresh water lakes very close to the ocean. There were numerous sand dunes as well. This area may need a return visit for me.

There were a few camping options. But the most convenient one was Carter Lake Campground in Dunes City, Oregon. It is always fun to find places with family names. I have a nephew named Carter. The campground was near a small lake and several sand dunes. I climbed a dune to get phone reception and for a better view. But I could not see or hear the ocean from that spot.

A site named after my 7 R sisters has to be good!

View from the nearby dune

View down towards the camp site

Random plant (I have no idea what it is. But it is strong enough to survive on a sand dune.)

Doing Time in Leavenworth (Washington)

In central Washington, is the small town of Leavenworth. I just happened to be driving through on my U.S. highway 2 route. Those few minutes were enough to stir my interest.

One of the first things to get your interest upon entering Leavenworth is the architecture. It is European like an old Bavarian Alpine village. The downtown area is definitely unique.

I also noticed some of the signs. Even some of the national companies had modified their logos for the town. I, personally, have a pretty strong interest in respecting logos and trademarks. So it was quite interesting to see the McDonalds “M” much smaller and in a different typeface. Other stores and businesses had adapted as well. Without the normal logos, it was difficult to recognize some of the businesses. There must be something special going on in this town to have these companies willingly violate their own corporate branding standards to do business here.

There are many cities and towns that celebrate ethnic heritage. Most of these communities have kept emigrant traditions and traditional buildings for a century or longer. Locally, perhaps you have experienced some of the ethnic festivals. New Ulm, Germantown, and New Berlin have German background. Decorah Iowa has Norwegian things. Pella and Orange City in Iowa celebrate being Dutch. New Glarus Wisconsin is a “Little Switzerland.” Mora Minnesota has Swedish connections. And there are many more ethnic connections in the upper Midwest. I assumed Leavenworth was similar to these others.

Websites like http://www.leavenworth.org helped me learn general information about the area today. But as I learned more, for me, the history is much more intriguing. The story is not like all those other immigrant communities at all.

Critical Decisions With Great Risks

Like thousands of other small towns and cities across the country, Leavenworth appeared to be dying in the early 1960s. Railroad rerouting, industries leaving, and other factors had contributed to the decline over several years. Their future as a community looked grim.

Their story may sound familiar. At least from my observation, most struggling small towns pretty much die over time. The countryside has numerous unincorporated villages that are almost like ghost town shadows of their once more prosperous days. The local citizens are concerned. But hope is difficult to find with few feasible options for positive change.

Leavenworth was at a point needing change. One of the few points of success in the area was a restaurant. They had designed it with an Alpine theme. A friendly bear helped make the restaurant even more entertaining and popular.

The restaurant owner envisioned the possibilities if the whole town became attractive for tourists. A radical change was proposed. The LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone) committee was formed. Business owners took great risks and expense in changing the architecture of their buildings for an Alpine theme. People began taking greater pride in their community. And little by little the town became more attractive as a unique destination and a special place to live. Some of the before and after photos at http://leavenworthhistory.com/ show dramatic changes to the buildings.

With Christmas festivals, Oktoberfest, and other seasonal events, thousands of people came to support the town and enjoy the unique atmosphere. Now two million people visit the town annually.

Transformation Waiting for Us

Most of my readers are not from Washington and will probably never visit Leavenworth. But I believe we can all find some inspiration from this story.

There may be villages and cities struggling near you. There are church congregations in decline all over the country. Perhaps you know of one or two. There are community organizations becoming less relevant in their area. There are businesses with dim futures. There may be relationships where we have given up hope that it can ever be better. And, individually, we may have parts of our lives badly in need of a revival.

What if we were open to drastic changes for the chance of something greater and better? Will we take risks? Do we believe that God is able to help bring about good things? Are we willing to let go of practices of the past and embrace new ways of success? Are we ready to dream? Do we dare have vision for a better world? Will we create an environment where people are encouraged to share fresh ideas and insights?

Are we willing to join together with others focusing on what is good and what good things are possible? Or will we settle for the easy route of complaint and hopelessness?

There are numerous situations like Leavenworth, Washington. We can assume the past struggles must inevitably lead to more of the same or worse conditions. Or we can make choices for a new future. Are we willing to change our ways and have hope once again?

Some Leavenworth references:

http://leavenworthhistory.com/ - photos and videos telling the transformation story

http://www.leavenworth.org/ - Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce site

http://www.leavenworthwa.net/leavenworth-history.php

http://www.accidentalbavarian.com/History.php

http://www.alpenroseinn.com/leavenworthHistory.html

Day 5 - Washington

Waking up to 43 degrees was a good reminder that it is now September. Before leaving Lewis and Clark National Forest and the Marias Pass Continental Divide in Montana, I checked out the memorials there.

One is a Washington Monument replica honoring Theodore Roosevelt. Another one honors an old landowner there. And one honored John Stevens, a civil engineer who had the tough task of finding a railroad route through the mountains for the Great Northern Railroad, a railroad with some Minnesota ties (in more ways than one). I know a great civil engineer too.

It’s mostly all downhill from here to the Pacific. Now would be a good time to revise the route if necessary. But I thought I could still do the planned route and still get to Reno, Nevada by Friday night. So I continued on highway 2 through several more miles of Montana, a bit of northern Idaho and into the state of Washington. The Check Engine light stayed off almost the entire day. It came back on leaving a rest area in the evening.

The mountain scenery was pleasant. There were some nice little lakes too. Unlike around here, some of the lakes did not have a house or cabin every 100 feet.

The wide open grain fields of Montana and eastern Washington were nice too.

In central Washington near Wenatchee I passed near several orchards with Washington apples and other fruits. One advantage of a packed car is that a person isn’t tempted to stop and buy things. So I kept moving west.

As I was driving through Leavenworth, Washington, I was impressed with the old European architecture. It looked like an interesting place to revisit someday. I will write more about Leavenworth separately.

An interesting miles-long rock face

Moon rising in the Cascade Mountains

The day ended in the Snoqualmie National Forest with a quiet campsite within the sound of the Beckler River.

Day 4 - Glacier National Park

For Tuesday, September 6, after Labor Day

Traditional summer is over. No crowds, right?

Views from the camp site:

The morning in Glacier National Park was a little breezy. As I was in the bathroom, my new tent blew away a short distance into some weeds. I had mostly emptied it and was letting it air out a bit. Even though the weeds were thorny, no damage was done. Hey, if everything goes smoothly, what would we tell stories about? Really, it was no big deal. It was just another footnote in the “adventure” so far.

Today was the day to travel to the north end of the park. But first I checked out some nearby trails with a small river and Baring Falls waterfall.

Goose Island

Stream in woods

Baring Falls
I did not see anything bear or bare this morning. Relax and imagine feeling the spray.

In open range country, you may encounter cattle on or near the road at any time.

On the north end, I had tentatively picked out the Iceberg Lake trail while researching trail options at home. Only later did I learn that this trail had been closed for over a week due to too much Grizzly Bear activity with fall berry picking. The trail had just reopened yesterday afternoon.

It was a warm day. But I figured it should be cool by the icebergs. So I kept long pants on. That was a mistake. I thought two water bottles would be enough for that distance. But I could have used much more. And I think the altitude had some effects too. So the fun hike did not feel all that great physically.

As recommended, I was noisy most of the way singing and talking and making up little song phrases. This really felt strange. I prefer to be quiet. But the noise is a preventative measure to avoid surprising bears or other animals. I did have bear pepper spray with too.

It is wise to stay on or near the trail at some points.

It was a nice hike with a variety of scenery. The waterfall was mostly hidden with no great view of its height.

The waterfall in the bottom center is only a partial view. It appeared there was no fairly safe route to see the entire waterfall.

But the tiny little Iceberg Lake next to a glacier was a nice spot to stop and rest a while and visit some of the other hikers of all ages. The alpine flowers were putting on a nice show.

Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park. There was still a little bit of ice left in September. The view is way too big to get it all in. About ten other people joined me sitting by the lake. Recorded 6 September 2011. Music by Ron Hedberg.


Chillin' by Iceberg Lake. Recorded 6 September 2011. Music by Ron Hedberg.
Relax by the lake for a little bit.

Alpine flowers

Back at the parking lot, I was thankful I had purchased some Gatorade mix. After a couple water bottles of that, I felt much better.

In the parking lot, I met John. He is a therapist/counselor moving from New York for a new job. Unfortunately, he did not get the job out west for which he interviewed. So he wasn’t sure what will be next. Funds are short. After a fairly long talk, I asked if I could pray for him and what’s next. He refused. He is an atheist. I told him God might surprise him (in a good way). Feel free to pray for John, his job situation, and his potential source of hope for the future.

It was getting late and all of the park campgrounds were full. I needed to make progress west. I got back on U.S. Highway 2. I found plenty of campsites in the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Summit Campground is on the Continental Divide. Here I saw the need for trains with multiple engines. This is the chosen route for most northern trains. Grain and other goods move west. Cars and other Asian goods move east.

There weren’t too many trains during the night. And road traffic was light. So the $10 campsite served me just fine.

Day 3 - Glacier National Park

For Monday, September 5, Labor Day

Waking up in Cut Bank, Montana I was surprised to see that I had slept very near a large statue of Jesus on the cross. That was cool. The statue overlooked the highway.

Cut Bank, Montana campground

Seeing the Rockies in the distances, for the first time in many years

On the way to Glacier National Park, the engine light was off. But then it came back on while leaving an overlook near the park, similar to the situation the other two times. But the car seemed to be running fine.

Overlook east of Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park was my first national park visit in years. I was hoping for some nice scenery. It was fairly warm for September with no chance of snow soon.

I got a nice campsite #19 at Rising Sun Campground with a view of mountains on two sides. And I got introduced to bear country. I had read about it beforehand. But now I was truly in a place where food had to be put away. And tents should stay mostly fragrance-free to minimize attracting bears.

I took the famous Going to the Sun Road. I would have appreciated the road being a few feet wider. But we all got through. Driving a wide RV on that road could be quite stressful. I did okay driving a car along the cliffs above and below me. Even with the driving challenges, it was fun to be back in the mountains.

Small glacial stream coming down the mountain

On the way back to camp, at the continental divide, I stopped at the visitor center area.

One big horn sheep was acting pretty tame near the visitor center. As I envisioned and predicted, it truly did spend the most time checking out the Ram pickup.

At the campground, I listened to the ranger program, near my site. Dinner got to be late. But, in most respects, all was well.