Travels with George and Marta – Page 7 – Journeys in the Botanical World

2013 Anniversary Hike at Mt Rainier

Posted on September 18, 2014 by martaSeptember 18, 2014

Mount Rainier from Second Burroughs Mountain

As promised, I uploaded some pictures of our 2013 hike. We did it on September 8th 2013 – a little bit after but it was a gorgeous day. One never knows in early September

Here are the photos of the hike:

View from Sunrise

Vista north from Sourdough trail

Just past the 5 way junction.

Looking back at Frozen Lake

On the trail to First Burroughs

Top of First Burroughs

On the trail to Second Burroughs

Vista to Skyscraper Pass

Dinner on the mountain

Rocky Second Burroughs

Second Burroughs Mountain

Trail across First Burroughs

Returning across First Burroughs

2013 Anniversary

Carkeek Park

Posted on September 14, 2014 by martaNovember 15, 2014

This summer has not been a so-so hiking summer for us. I sit a lot at work and I’ve gotten terribly out of shape. Next summer we are planning a big foreign trip and we need to get in shape. At least we have a year!

We did a new-to-us hike. A friend on Facebook posted a run route through Carkeek Park and it looked interesting. We took the route along Piper Creek to the main meadow and then up to the South Bluff. It was a 3 mile loop. It took us 1:20 minutes which is about right (30 minutes per mile).

I’ll add this to our favorite Winter walks to use this winter to build up our endurance.

Descending along Piper Creek

Tagging is everywhere

Historical orchard from the original Piper farm

Main Meadow

View over the rail road tracks

Up the Clay Pit trail to the South Bluff

Along the South Bluff trail

Crossing one of the side creeks

Plants, forest and beach

Posted on September 13, 2014 by martaSeptember 14, 2014

It has been one of those gorgeous weeks and the weekend has also been great. Temperatures just up to the 80’s. Blue Blue skies and cool in the evening.

We started Saturday with a trip to Sky Nursery to see the Odd Plant Sale by the Cascade Cactus and Succulent Society. Lots of strange, unusual and prickly items for sale. G picked up an agave and an aloe. We tried to get out of the nursery without anything more but couldn’t resist a couple of items – especially at 40% off.

Next up was a quick trip to the Edmonds Farmers market for fall fresh tuna, veggies and eggs. Then home to make a couple of sandwiches and we headed up to Meadowdale Beach for a hike down to the beach and lunch. It is a short 1 mile trail down and the beach was sunny and warm.

After our lunch we headed back and UP. The trail is along Lund Gulch and climbs back about 500ft to the parking. It was time for a beer at Special Brews.

After our grilled tuna dinner – we fired up the chimnea and enjoyed the evening in the garden while darkness fell.

Fall displays at Sky Nursery

Odd plant sale

Couldn’t resist a couple of ferns, blue oat grass and a great deal on euphorbia

Trail to Meadowdale beach down Lund Gulch

Tunnel under the railroad tracks to the beach

Gorgeous day along the Puget Sound

Cold Brew – Pour Les Oiseaux – Black Raven Saison

Twilight in the garden

2014 Anniversary Hike at Mt Rainier

Posted on September 3, 2014 by martaOctober 11, 2014

For the past 10 or so years, we have tried to do a hike the first week in September to celebrate our anniversary. We haven’t done it every year. One year (2005) we were in South Africa. Another year (2006), we were getting ready to leave for Western Australia. I was studying French in Villefranche sur Mer in (2007). But we have made it several of the other years (2008) (2009), (2010),(2011), (2012). We also went in 2013 but I failed to blog about it (adding it to my to-do list NOW! Done – 2013).

I took a couple of extra days off at Labor Day but the weather gods were not with us. We had to wait until Wednesday to do the hike. No rain – but the clouds played peek-a-boo with the mountain. We never know what to expect – most years we do luck out and get sun but not as lucky this year.

We waited for traffic to clear before heading out. The drive was quick since there wasn’t a lot of traffic once we left the Seattle area and we got up to Sunrise by 11-ish. I wasn’t certain how I would do on the trail since we haven’t been out hiking much this year. The trail starts at Sunrise which is at 6400ft. You climb up to Sourdough ridge and head towards Frozen lake. At a five way junction, you start the climb amount the rocky tundra slope to the top of first Burroughs Mountain (7300 ft – 2.2 miles). The last 100 ft and .06 miles to Second Burroughs can be a killer – but just take it slow and steady.

It was windy at the top and the clouds were spilling over the gap between 2nd and 3rd Burroughs. We climbed down the rocks to find a sheltered spot on the west side. We pulled out our picnic lunch and bottle of rose wine to watch the changing mountain. We were entertained by several critters, a fat ground squirrel, a skittish chipmunk and a very industrious pika who was gathering jacob ladder stems to build up their nest for winter.

The clouds started to close and we headed back. It always goes faster and soon we were back to the car and a warm cup of coffee before drive home.

Along Sourdough Ridge towards Frozen Lake

5-way junction – Burroughs is the second from the left

Up the rocky slope almost to the top of First Burroughs. It always feels like hiking in the Himalayas.

Top of First Burroughs

Rainier

Lunch

Pika

Fat ground squirrel

Mouth of Emmons Glacier

Time to go

Hiking down through the clouds

Frozen lake in the distance

Anniversary selfie

Arrival at Fall Mountain Lookout

Posted on September 1, 2014 by martaSeptember 2, 2014

Tuesday July 29, 2014

It was a short drive from John Day to the Fall Mountain Lookout. The turnoff is just before the Starr campground. It was then about 4 miles on a good dirt road and a final 1 mile on a rougher dirt road which was no problem for our Honda Civic before we arrived at the lookout.

The lookout is a pole style lookout standing 18 feet above the ground. We climbed up the 30 steps, unlocked and slide open the floor/door to the catwalk. First job was to raise the first set of wood shutters so we could access the door. They are held up by a couple hinged wood poles (2×4) and latched by a hairpin cotter pin.

The cabin was build in 1933 and the poles and stairs have been replaced. G went around the catwalk raising all the shutter. Inside was cozy with an electric stove, a refrigerator, microwave, futon for sleeping and lots of cabins and even pots, pans and dishes. We loved the 360 window walls. And even my Verizon internet worked!

We started hauling our gear up. We brought our bedding, ice chest, food, clothing and a couple of packs. Once we were organized, we opened up a couple of beers to enjoy the sunset. Peace. Quiet. Serenity.

4 miles to go

30 stairs to the cabin

Raising the first shutter

Welcome!

First look

Looks much better with the shutters open

Lightening Stools with glass shoes for grounding

View inside after dark

Our first sunset

Elkhorn Scenic Byway

Posted on August 30, 2014 by martaSeptember 2, 2014

Vista near Elkhorn Summit

Tuesday July 29, 2014

It it only 70 miles between Baker City and John Day where the lookout is located. But we decided to take the backroads. A great option is to take the Elkhorn Scenic Byway. It is a 100 mile loop which passes several almost deserted mining towns and also crosses the 7392ft Elkhorn Summit.

We did about a quarter of the loop yesterday when we visited Sumpter so to complete the rest of the loop we headed out from Baker towards Anthony Lakes. The morning was gorgeous and skies blue. The two lane road traveled west through the hay fields towards the small Baker Valley town of Haines. The Elkhorn range towered over the valley floor to the south. The road turned south and soon we were climbing towards Anthony Lakes. The road is excellent and the grade makes the 5000ft climb in 10 miles to Anthony Lakes. We had fun with our altitude app and watched the feet as we climbed. The Honda made it without a problem – just a little slow.

It was still early so we decided to do one of the short hikes. One option was to talk around the lake but we decided to do the short mile hike to Hoffer Lakes. We drove to the end of the road and headed out. The trail follows around the lake for about 1/4 mile. We ran into another hiker who explained about the trail. We had a good time talking to him. The hike was short and there were some lovely flowers around the lakes.

We returned to the lake and found out that we owed a parking fee. Even with a NW Park pass, you still have to pay to park. We paid our parking fee and then found a table for lunch.

It is just a short distance from Anthony Lakes to the Elkhorn Summit. It was kinda disappointing since there are no vistas near the top. A short distance down, there was a pull-off with a great view to the west. We were keeping an eye out for wildflowers and found a great patch of mariposa lilies.

We soon were back in Sumpter and shortly after joined in to Hwy 7. We were on the look out for the ghost town of Whitney which was just off the road. It was an interesting quick stop before heading on to John Day where we stopped for a beer and an early dinner in 1188 Brewery.

Anthony Lakes

On the trail to Hoffer Lake

Hoffer Lake

Mariposa lilies – Calochortus eurycarpus

Castilleja chrysantha

Pine drops – Pterospora andromedea

Sumpter Oregon

Posted on August 29, 2014 by martaAugust 29, 2014

Monday, July 28, 2014

We had the rest of the afternoon to explore the area around Baker Oregon. We decided to drive up to the small historical mining community of Sumpter. It is about 30 miles from Baker. The road travels through the farmland and starts to climb up through the pines. We noticed many pole nests for Ospreys along the way.

We stopped to explore the Sumpter Valley Railroad. It is a steam narrow gauge railroad that originally ran from Baker City to Prairie City. It was built in 1890 and it transported logs to many of the sawmills in the area. It shut down in 1961 and has since been restored. You can ride on the train on the weekends but being Monday it was deserted. We got to roam around the tracks and check out old cars and steam engine. The actual locomotive was stored away from the station but it was interesting place to explore.

We drove on to the actual town of Sumpter. The houses terrace up the hill above the main area linked by dirt streets. It looks nothing like the historical pictures of it during its ‘golden days’ in the early 1900’s. A fire destroyed most of the buildings in 1917 and the town eventually declined over the years. Mining was the biggest industry in the town. The other place of interest is the dredge which looks and is supposed to be haunted. We decided to look from a distance. It was used up until the mid-1900’s.

It was time for dinner and we returned to Baker. We went to Barley Brown’s Beer restaurant for a couple of great beers. They are an GABF winner and well deserved. G loved their Pallet Jack IPA, one of the best IPAs. I had two wheat beers; Coyote Peak which is a fine Northwest wheat and Shredder’s Wheat which is an amber American wheat – different but still great. Fish and Chips for G and a steak salad for me.

Oregon Trail Interpretive Center

Posted on August 27, 2014 by martaAugust 29, 2014

Monday July 28, 2014

The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is very cool. It is run by the BML. It is mainly a diarama style museum with interactive displays. I knew the route of the trail but did not know the details of a trip.

It usually took about 6 months to ‘come across the plains’. They would start in spring as soon as it was safe to cross the prairie rivers. They needed to make it to Oregon before the fall and the snow. The route took them from Missouri through Nebraska crossing the Rockies in Wyoming and the Great Basin desert through Idaho. Along they way they endured many hardships. They usually made the area around Baker Oregon in late summer and still had to cross the Blues before they could drop down to the Dalles and arrange for a barge to float down to Oregon City or decide to make one more mountain crossing at Barlow Cutoff.

It was interesting to learn how they packed and prepared for the trip. Many wanted to bring many house goods and these were often discarded along the way. They had to pack most of their food because there were few places such as Forts to restock and these were extremely expensive. They had to be their own traveling cities and provide for law and order, protection, medicine and other services that we take for granted. Many died but many also survived to setting in the fertile valleys of Oregon and later on to the riches of California

My great grandfather’s and great grandmother’s family both made it. I know that my grandfather was originally from Indiana and my grandmother was from Missouri. I don’t know if they traveled together or met later in Northern California. One of my goals after retiring will be to do more research and to try to find some of the parts of the stories that my mother told me.

It takes about 2 hours to leisurely explore the museum. You can also walk a 3 mile loop to see the actual ruts. It was noon and too hot. We looked at the options and decided to drive on to the mining community of Sumpter.

View North of valley and Baker City

Diarama of life on the trail

Wagons outside

Wagons Oh!

Baker Oregon

Posted on August 26, 2014 by martaAugust 27, 2014

Geiser Grand Hotel – Baker City Oregon

Monday July 28, 2914

We had one day to explore around Baker. My main goal was to visit the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. I really wanted to walk along some of the wagon ruts but the day was already starting out hot and I didn’t think I wanted to walk 3 miles to see them. But first breakfast.

We did have a discount coupon for breakfast at the hotel but I wanted to explore downtown. Combing through the reviews on Yelp, Zephyr Bakery sounded like a good place. Unfortunately, it was Monday and it was closed. In fact, most everything was closed downtown. But we saw a few cars and people seated outside one building and went to explore. We were sure glad we did. It was the Lone Tree Cafe named after a famous valley landmark. The coffee was excellent and food very creative and excellent service. G had the Huevos Rancheros and I had the standard breakfast with homemade potato sausage which I loved. We ate inside and the decor was fun and funky along with a turntable and vinyl records available for playing. It was a winner.

We went for a walk around the the main downtown area. I fell in love with the creative old style display windows. Some were filled with interesting junk, others showcased local art or music. The best was the Ryder Brothers Stationery store filled with old office supplies – typewriters, staplers, adding machine, ink.

We also loved the architecture of the many stone building built around 1900. The Geiser Grand Hotel dominates one end of the main street. We drove around the near by streets and saw several other grand masonry buildings such as the city hall or the Catholic church.

Interesting-strange display – saddle, rubber chicken, mirror

Chemicals of ol’

Business sign

Just as interesting inside the Baker City Gold and Silver

Sidewalk art

Ryder Brothers Stationery window )

Typewriters – before there were smartphones! (Ryder Brothers window
Staplers (Ryder Brothers Stationery window)

Ink and glue (Ryder Brothers stationery window)

Baker City Hall

St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church

Drive to Baker Oregon

Posted on August 25, 2014 by martaAugust 27, 2014

Sights from the car near Baker City

Sunday – July 27, 2014

Day had finally come for our Eastern Oregon vacation. We headed out about 9am and we were in Eastern Washington by 11 o’clock. We stopped for a picnic lunch in Yakima at the Sportsmen State Park. It was so quiet even though it was a Sunday. The park was a good place to stop since it was about 2 hours from home and it has lots of large shade trees.

We stopped in Kennewick for our last Costco Gas fill-up and then it was on to the Oregon border. We knew we were in Oregon when we passed a Hermiston melon truck. It was also very sobering to see all the bunkers at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. This used to store chemical weapons but they have all been destroyed and it will soon be closed. We stopped in Pendleton around 4pm for an early dinner at the Prodigal Son Brewery. G had a tasty Ella IPA with a Bean Burger and I had a Wheatstock Hefeweizen with a cheeseburger.

The road climbed steeply and spiralled up to the top of the Blue Mountains and the pass. I was surprised a how large were the Blues. I could only imagine the hardships the Oregon Trail travelers had to endure having to cross these near the end of their journey.

The road dropped down into La Grande and we entered the large Baker Valley with the Wallowas to the North and the Elkhorn/Anthony Lakes area to the south. We pulled into the Best Western about 6:15. We watched a wedding take place just around the pool while we were waiting to check in and finally relax.

Crossing into Oregon

We knew we were in Oregon when we saw the Hermiston melon truck. They grow the best melons in the NW in Hermiston.

Downtown Pendleton – Prodigal Son Brewery

Prodigal Son Brewery – Pendleton