Durango Washington

Ferry Friday Harbor to Anacortes Looking at Mount Baker

2025-05-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

I saw the photo you see above, on Facebook today. No credit was given as to who took the photo. What we are looking at in the photo is a Washington State Ferry, after it has left Friday Harbor, heading west through the San Juan Islands, eventually getting to the mainland, at the Anacortes ferry dock.

That is the Mount Baker volcano hovering over the scene in the background.

Friday Harbor is a town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,613 at the most recent census. Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, is the commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago and is the county seat of San Juan County.

Washington has several towns which might be characterized as tourist towns, due to the throngs of tourists enjoying these towns. Friday Harbor is one of those towns.

Equally touristy is La Conner, in the Skagit Valley, a short distance from where the ferry from Friday Harbor docks in Anacortes.

Continuing east from La Conner, on Highway 20, you will eventually be driving over the North Cross State Highway Pass over the Cascades. This takes you through North Cascades National Park. After you get over the mountains you will soon come to another of Washington's themed tourist towns, Winthrop.

Take Stevens Pass over the Cascades and you will come to Washington's most touristy tourist town, Leavenworth.

I'm likely forgetting some Washington tourist towns. Would Lynden be considered a tourist town? Lynden has a lot of Dutch theming going on...

Did You Know Washington Is Home To Many Incredible Things?

2025-05-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

I found the following "did you know?" questions, on Facebook, and thought the questions to be shareworthy....

Did You Know?

Did you know? Washington is home to Mount Rainier, a towering active volcano that dominates the skyline and is one of the most glaciated peaks in the continental United States!

Below, that is me and my sister-in-law, Kristen's mom, Janet, hiking at Mount Rainer on a pleasant day in August of 2008.

Olympic National Park offers three distinct ecosystems—rainforests, rugged coastlines, and alpine mountains—making it one of the most diverse national parks in the U.S.

North Cascades National Park is nicknamed the "American Alps," with jagged peaks, turquoise lakes, and over 300 glaciers.

Me taking a rest on a granite slab after a long hike to Hidden Lake in North Cascades National Park.

Seattle, known as the Emerald City, boasts iconic attractions like the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the Amazon complex and the original Starbucks.

Below, my niece Ruby is showing me the Amazon Spheres, in downtown Seattle.

San Juan Islands are a paradise for whale watching, kayaking, and exploring quaint seaside towns like Friday Harbor.

The below photo was taken with my now ancient Casio digital camera. The location was Rosario Beach in Deception Pass State Park. The water here is crystal clear, but, even so, you cannot see the huge whale, which was making its way, slowly, along the shoreline, seeking food, we assumed. The slight wave action is the only visible sign of the huge whale. This location is at the east end of the San Juan Islands, in Washington's Puget Sound.

Washington’s Mount St. Helens, which famously erupted in 1980, is now a fascinating site for hiking, learning about volcanic history, and witnessing nature’s recovery.

The Hoh Rainforest, located in Olympic National Park, is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the U.S., with moss-draped trees and serene hiking trails.

Leavenworth, a charming Bavarian-themed village, is a year-round destination for festivals, outdoor adventures, and cozy mountain vibes.

Here we see Wally and Wanda at an outdoor Leavenworth coffee bar.

Puget Sound offers stunning views and abundant wildlife, from bald eagles to orcas, making it a must-visit for nature lovers.

Nephew Theo, and me, building a sand fort at Birch Bay, at the far north end of Puget Sound. The shallow bay makes for warm water when the tide comes in on a Summer day.

Columbia River Gorge, on the state’s southern border, is a windsurfing hotspot with breathtaking waterfalls like Multnomah Falls just across the Oregon side.

Washington is the nation’s leading producer of apples, and its orchards come alive during the fall with U-pick farms and cider tastings.

The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, one of the longest rail-trails in the U.S., takes adventurers through forests, mountains, and historic tunnels.

Well, there you go, some things you now know you can find in Washington, along with some illustrative photos...

Seattle's 2025 Waterfront

2025-05-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

Saw that which you see above, on Facebook.

I've not seen the Seattle Waterfront since August of 2017. At that point in time the Alaskan Way Viaduct was still operational, moving vehicles, and being an eyesore of a barrier between downtown Seattle and the waterfront.

A tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct was almost finished when I visited Seattle in 2017. When that tunnel was finished, the Alaskan Way Viaduct came down, bringing on the massive rebuilding of the Seattle Waterfront into the pedestrian friendly, aesthetically pleasing reality we see in the 2025 photo of a section of the Seattle waterfront.

I am looking forward to an upcoming return to the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Tacoma, and my old home zone of the Skagit Valley.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival April 1-30 with RoozenGaarde

2025-04-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

I saw that which you see above, on Facebook, this morning. A photo collage from Seattle's KOMO ABC TV, showing some of the RoozenGarde tulips currently blooming on the Skagit Flats in the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

Hundreds of thousands of tulip viewers flood the Skagit Flats during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

Multi efforts are made to control the traffic. Such as some roads turned one-way, during the festival.

And various locations are designated Tulip festival centers, such as the RoozenGarde complex, and Tulip Town, and more.

If one was to try and designate a location as being the heart of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, the most likely choice would be the HUGE RoozenGarde complex of tulip gardens, fields and gift shop.

Googling, one finds RoozenGarde described simply as "RoozenGaarde is a world-renowned spring destination and the biggest of the Skagit Valley tulip gardens."

Have Seattle's Space Needle & Great Wheel Turned Blue & Yellow In Support of Ukraine?

2025-03-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

I what you see here on Facebook. Do not know if it is real or faked. One never knows, anymore, unless one sees something for oneself.

But, I suspect this Support Ukraine color scheme is real. Turning the Space Needle Blue and Yellow, along with the Great Wheel on the Seattle Waterfront.

It looks like some of the Seattle Skyline is also showing Blue and Yellow support for Ukraine.

I know other towers in the world have gone Blue and Yellow in Support of Ukraine, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Is the Statue of Liberty, in New York City, able to sport changing color schemes? If so, it should be turned Blue and Yellow. If not, it is time for a Statue of Liberty lighting upgrade...

The Passing Of Tom Robbins From America's Most Misunderstood Region

2025-02-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

The bard referenced is Tom Robbins, the misunderstood region is the Pacific Northwest, more specifically, Western Washington. Even more specifically, the Skagit Valley region of Western Washington.

MSNBC published an interesting article about the passing of Tom Robbins, titled "America's most misunderstood region has lost its bard".

I particularly liked the poetic part of the article which described the Skagit Valley, a location where I spent all my formative years...

He once said he didn't know the plot of his books before he started writing; you'd be forgiven if you weren't sure of them when you were done reading either.

But then you'd come across a description of the Skagit Valley, where he made his home, and plot seemed secondary.

"It is a landscape in a minor key," he writes in "Another Roadside Attraction." "A sketchy panorama where objects, both organic and inorganic, lack well-defined edges and tend to melt together in a silver-green blur. Great islands of craggy rock arch abruptly out of the flats, and at sunrise and moonrise, these outcroppings are frequently tangled in mist. Eagles nest on the island crowns and blue herons flap through the veils from slough to slough. It is a poetic setting, one which suggests inner meanings and invisible connections."

For decades Tom Robbins lived in the Skagit Valley town of La Conner, which is sort of the Skagit Valley's #1 tourist town. Due to La Conner's waterfront attractions along the Swinomish Channel, with the Rainbow Bridge acting as a scenic backdrop.

Before I moved to Texas I lived in the Skagit Valley town of Mount Vernon, on the east side of that town, a couple miles from Big Rock, it being one of those 'great islands of craggy rock arch abruptly out of the flats", alluded to by Tom Robbins in Another Roadside Attraction.

Hiking to the top of Big Rock was a frequent happening, for me...

Visiting Seattle With The New Zealand Family

2025-01-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Back during the pandemic, on YouTube, I met a New Zealand family who billed themselves as The New Zealand Family. Their YouTube videos I was watching were of a genre known as reaction videos.

The New Zealand Family seemed mostly to be reacting to videos about America.

Here is how The New Zealand Family describes their YouTube channel...

What's up NZedders! We are a family of four from New Zealand who has always had the dream of travelling to America. After the pandemic hit and international travel wasn't an option we decided to explore America and its amazing culture online. Our online family keeps growing and we want to bring you all on our journey as we try, taste and see everything the USA has to offer for the first time! Our goal is to travel to all 50 States and dive deep into what gives each one its own incredible, unique charm.

Well. I knew The New Zealand Family had made it to America, because I'd watched a couple YouTube videos documenting their RV trek up the American West Coast, including the Oregon Coast, where I watched them visit the Sea Lion Caves, finding that interesting, seeing how that attraction had been upgraded since last I was at that location.

Then, last night I saw a new video from The New Zealand Family, titled New Zealand Family see Seattle for the first time (NFL LEGEND AND AMAZING WEATHER!)

Seattle has long been my favorite city. Seattle regularly shows up on lists listing cities for various attributes, like "Best Skylines in the World" or "World's Most Scenic Cities".

I have not been to Seattle since August 14, 2017. At that point in time, I was appalled seeing all the homeless camps as we drove through Seattle on I-5. It was shocking to me.

Well.

In this video from The New Zealand Family I was pleased to learn that those homeless camps are no more, that that problem has been greatly mitigated.

Another thing I enjoyed, watching this video, is it was my first look at the re-built Seattle waterfront, and how it looks now, with the Alaskan Way Viaduct removed. That is what you see in the screencap at the top, the New Zealand mom and dad walking on the Seattle Waterfront, with no double decker elevated highway blocking the view.

A Seattle local acted as the guide for The New Zealand Family, taking them to some of Seattle's well known locations, like Pike Place, the aforementioned waterfront, and the Space Needle.

In the video, The New Zealand Family did not make it to Westlake Center, where they could have ridden the Monorail to Seattle Center and the Space Needle.

They did not make it to Pioneer Square, which is the location of the Seattle Underground, an attraction much talked about in the video, and walking distance from the stadium where the Seahawks do their football thing and the ballpark where the Mariners do their baseball thing.

The New Zealand dad apparently is a big Seahawk fan, and hopes to attend a game, one day, and was real excited to meet a former Seahawk when they were at Pike Place.

They also did not take a ride on the Seattle Link light rail, riding the tunnel through downtown, with its five themed stations, including the one at Westlake Center.

I'm suspecting The New Zealand Family may do another video or two or three of their time in Washington. Driving across one or two of the floating bridges. Crossing one of the mountain passes over the Cascades to Eastern Washington. Going to the Washington Pacific Coast, which is a bit different from the Oregon Coast, and includes Olympic National Park, and the Hoh Rainforest.

Or they may make it to Mount St. Helens. That volcano was discussed in the Seattle video.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Largest In The U.S.

2024-03-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

Saw this This Is the Largest Tulip Festival in the U.S. — With Tens of Millions of Blooms Set in a Verdant Valley via and article on MSN.

The Verdant Valley being referenced is the Skagit Valley. A valley which will soon be extremely colorful due to blooming tulips. And other flowers.

Some of the text about this verdant valley in the MSN article...

If the name Skagit Valley sounds familiar that’s because it probably is. The verdant valley in Washington produces everything from cheese and beer to garlic and berries. Seafood is plucked from the sea and served up fresh and all-you-can-pick blueberry farms dot the landscape. The edible bounty is noteworthy, but the valley is best known for its tens of millions of tulips covering the valley every spring.

The blooms can be viewed and celebrated during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, which is considered to be the largest tulip festival in the U.S. This year, the festival’s 41st, will feature a parade, art shows, a downtown street fair, and more — all set to a colorful, blooming backdrop.

____________________

I sure do miss living in the Skagit Valley. All the fruit that grows there, much of it free for the picking, such as blackberries. Or free for the catching seafood, like clams, crab and salmon...

What? Seattle Is Once Again The Most Liveable City In America?

2023-08-15T08:05:00.002-07:00

A couple days ago, I saw, via MSN, at article which sort of amused me, titled The 10 Most Liveable Cities in the U.S. That Will Change Your Life (For the Better!).

There was a time, back in the 1990s, when time after time various entities would claim Seattle was the Most Liveable City in America. Those days seem long ago.

And then I clicked on this MSN list of the 10 Most Liveable Cities in the U.S. to see...

1. Seattle, WA

Seattle, famously known for its overcast skies and coffee culture, has transformed into a hub of innovation that’s hard to ignore.

With the likes of Amazon and Microsoft setting up shop here, job opportunities are as abundant as the raindrops – and that’s saying something! But it’s not just about work; Seattle boasts a blend of cityscape and nature that’s hard to match.

What sets Seattle apart is its unique combination of a bustling urban environment and breathtaking natural surroundings. The iconic Space Needle, often draped in mist, is a testament to the city’s forward-thinking spirit.

But what’s more astonishing is the city’s accessibility to nature. Just a short drive away, you’ll find yourself amid towering evergreen trees, serene lakes, and hiking trails that could make even the most seasoned explorer swoon.

_____________________________

In recent years Seattle has been the recipient of some bad press over things like way too many homeless people, violent BLM protests, that type thing.

Since those days back in the 1990s when Seattle got so much positive press, the town has boomed. Adding the Amazon complex at the north end of downtown, light rail running under downtown, a new baseball and football stadium, a new transit tunnel under downtown, a rebuilt waterfront, a multi-billion dollar convention center expansion. And more.

At one point, a few years back, Seattle had more construction cranes sticking up into the sky than any other town in the world.

So, what are the other cities MSN thinks are America's most liveable?

Well, #2 is Austin. I like Austin. Austin is sort of like Seattle-lite. Austin is the most progressive, liberal city in Texas. And, like Seattle, Austin is known for its music scene.

#3 is Denver. I like Denver.

#4 is Portland, Oregon, another town I have spent a lot of time in. Portland is an easy town to get around in with its Max light rail transit system. Downtown Portland is fun, with some streets blocked from auto traffic.

#5 is Raleigh, North Carolina. I have never been to Raleigh. One hears good things about the town.

#6 is Minneapolis, Minnesota. The town which triggered the BLM protests would not seem to be all that livable, to me, but I have never visited that town. I am sure it has many redeeming qualities.

#7 is Washington, D.C., another town I have not visited, but would love to.

#8 is Boston, one more town I have not visited, but feel no strong compulsion to do so.

#9 is San Francisco. Like Seattle and Portland, this west coast down gets a lot of negative press, mostly from right wing media. I have been to San Francisco many times. San Francisco may be my favorite American city. Chinatown, the cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, the Embarcadero, and much more.

#10 is Charlotte, which has two North Carolina towns in the top ten most liveable cities in America. I have not been to Charlotte, but like Raleigh, I have heard good things.

These type lists are fun, if not, by any means, definitive. Of the liveable towns on this list of ten, there are two I would love to move to. Seattle or Portland....

Leavenworth Adventure Park Tumwater Twister

2022-06-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my nephew, Jason, emailed me four photos, three of which were showing my great nephew, Spencer Jack, scootering through the John Wayne Trail tunnel in the Cascade Mountains. This was blogged about in Spencer Jack Rolls Us Through Washington Cascades John Wayne Trail Tunnel.

Mention was made in text accompanying that email that Jason and Spencer Jack ended the day staying overnight in my favorite Washington themed tourist town, Leavenworth.

Jason made mention of a new attraction under construction in Leavenworth.

An Alpine roller coaster.

This sounded intriguing, so I Googled "Leavenworth Alpine Coaster".

Doing such quickly had me understanding one of those four photos Jason emailed me which I did not understand what I was looking at upon first perusal, yesterday. That is the photo you see above. Which I now realize is Spencer Jack standing in front of the Leavenworth Adventure Park, under construction.

The Leavenworth Adventure Park will have multiple zip lines, rock climbing and that roller coaster, which will be named the Tumwater Twister.

Tumwater is the name of a creek which runs through Leavenworth on its way to the Wenatchee River.

The Tumwater Twister is not your ordinary roller coaster. It is a two person bobsled type ride.

The Tumwater Twister bobsled is pulled up that track you see being built behind the Bavarian chalet under construction.

Upon reaching the summit the Tumwater Twister descends via a series of twists and turns. The bobsled riders can apply braking to slow down if they feel the need.

The Tumwater Twister sounds like a lot of fun to me. I suspect it will be quite popular.

You can watch a YouTube video about the Leavenworth Adventure Park and take a simulated ride on the Tumwater Twister...

Happy 117th Birthday To Tonasket's Tootsie Aunt Alice

2022-03-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Today, that being March 29, is the birthday of the Tonasket Tootsie known as Alice, or Aunt Alice, by some.

The year of the birth of Aunt Alice is in dispute.

Some Tonasketans believe Aunt Alice to have been born in 1905, making the Tonasket Tootsie 117 years old today.

And thus, one of the oldest people on the Earth planet.

Seeing Aunt Alice, in 2022. one would not possibly believe she to be 117 years old, what with the reality looking less than half that age.

We do not know how old Aunt Alice was in the above photo from the Aunt Alice archives. Ten years old, maybe? 13, perhaps?

For her birthday today, Aunt Alice posed for a recreation of that long ago birthday you see photo documented above. You can see that recreation below, where you will also note that Aunt Alice, in 2022, does not look anywhere close to being 117 years old.

The photo immediately below photo documents Aunt Alice with her gang of fellow Hippies, back in the 1960s.

I wonder if the 2022 version of Aunt Alice can still snugly fit in to her bell bottom jeans?

It is believed the above photo was taken at Everett Community College, where Aunt Alice was matriculating, early in her pursuit of a doctorate degree in the culinary arts.

And below we see Aunt Alice in blonde bombshell mode on her 2022 birthday.

Isn't Aunt Alice a cutie pie at possibly 117 years old? She is like the Tonasket Dolly Parton.

Aunt Alice used to sing and play guitar, til arthritis rendered her fingers unable to strum. But such should not affect the ability to warble.

I don't know if Aunt Alice is currently singing at any of the Tonasket night clubs.

Anyway...

Happy Birthday, Aunt Alice!

Washington Easter Egg Hunt With An Alaskan Earthquake

2017-05-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

Illustration by Jake Jones

This morning my nephew sent me news of the swarms of earthquakes currently shaking Western Washington, along with this recollection from my nephew's dad, who is also my brother, Jake Jones, with my brother recollecting an Easter Egg Hunt in Burlington, Washington, which happened the same weekend the Pacific Northwest, and especially Alaska, were struck by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. I am amazed at how well my brother remembers details from over a half century ago....

TSUNAMI

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce together with the Kiwanis Club of Burlington annually sponsored an Easter egg hunt. In the 1960’s the Easter egg hunt was held in Maiben Park, just across the street from our house on Washington Avenue.

There must have been no shortage of eggs, at least chicken eggs, during the 60’s, because one day a year in Spring, the grassy areas of Maiben Park would be littered with thousands of colored hard boiled, and a few specially decorated Easter eggs. Somebody’s Mom must have stayed up late more than just one night to boil and color all those eggs. By this time in my life I was on to Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter bunny. I knew who was who. Three months earlier I was a believer in the big three, the Tooth Fairy, even though she only put out 35 cents a tooth, the Easter bunny, with her Easter baskets, and Santa Claus. Three months ago on Christmas morning my faith got shaken to its core as I got an inside glimpse into who really was responsible for hiding our Christmas stockings. It wasn’t Santa Claus, unless, maybe, Santa was working in house with an older member of our household. Dad and Santa could have been in cahoots in the hiding of the stockings. Thinking back on it now it only made sense that Dad knew where my stocking was hid because Santa had told him where all of our stockings were hid. I want to believe. It just seemed suspicious after looking for over an hour every where possible inside our house and crying like a baby that Dad knew without hesitation where to find my stocking.

“Did you look inside the dryer?”
“Yea.”
“Really? Look again.”

And there buried behind and under the load of dried clothes was my stocking. I want to believe. I want to believe even if the Tooth Fairy can only afford 35 cents a tooth. I have twenty baby teeth that are at sometime in the foreseeable future are going to be replaced by my permanent teeth. Twenty times on average, 50 cents, I’m taking into account possible inflation, equals $10. Every little bit adds up. $10 is equivalent to being paid to pick nine flats of strawberries or 556 Maiben park worms. How hard is it to believe in the Tooth Fairy when there’s no down side to it? So you sleep one night with a rotten little baby tooth under your pillow and in the morning there’s some coin, cash, in its place. Easy money.

Now the Easter bunny is right up there, but not quite, with Santa Claus. The Easter bunny has just about as much to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus as Santa Claus has to do with his birth in Bethlehem. If I’m to believe in Santa Claus then what the hell why not believe in a giant Bunny that brings you presents and peeps in a basket on Easter morning.

So it was on Saturday March 21st 1964 that the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis of Burlington sponsored an Easter egg hunt in Maiben Park. Hundreds of hundreds of kids, age no I.D. in diapers, to 16 year olds with driver licenses who posed as a 14 year olds, which was the age limit to participate converged on the park.

Bright and early before any of us were even out of bed the Easter egg hunt volunteers were at work dividing the park into four sections using rebar, rope, and trees. The toddler, age diapers, Mom or Dad picking up the egg, to 4 years old were in a roped off section in the middle of the park. Inside the 100 by 100 roped off toddler section were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of colored Easter eggs. It was not possible to take a step without stepping on an Easter egg. It was very similar to worm picking on a balmy spring, damp, no wind evening in the same area of the park. Worms, like these Easter eggs, were everywhere and stepping on a worm resulted in that worm being unfit for resale at 1.8 cents. Stepping on a hard boiled egg just meant it was going to be the first egg in a potato or an egg salad sandwich.

Eggs retailed in the 1960’s for 57 cents a dozen. These were grain fed, one chicken per two to four square feet of 24 hour illuminated caged captivity. There were no “Free Range” happy go lucky have the run of the farm commercial chickens in the 1960’s. Just like long hair on a guy, until the Beatles came along, you’d have been laughed out of the county for suggesting happy chickens produce happy eggs. Just like in the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston,

“Let my people go!”
“Chickens be Free!”

Be free, be happy and produce happy eggs. The chickens of Skagit County in the 1960’s had no idea there was a movement afoot to free all chickens from the bondage imposed by man. Just as many in the northern United State were not aware a similar movement was afoot in the deep south of our country to free the Negroes in our country from hatred and bigotry and unequal voting rights. Free range chickens. Right! What could possibly be next? Organic produced chicken eggs?

The little league baseball field in Maiben Park was all enclosed in cyclone fencing and was the area in the park dedicated to the 8 to 12-year-old Easter egg hunters. This is the, “I’m too cool but still want to be a kid and hunt for Easter eggs” age group, especially the 12 year olds who thought they were stud athletes who had played in little league games on this field. Easter egg hiding places are far and few between the foul lines on a baseball field so the committee in charge elected to include the entire northeast corner of the park, which included the bleachers, trees, and the Girl Scout meeting building just north of the stand of old growth cedar trees. The 12 year olds would really need to look hard for their Easter eggs. This was also true for the 13 to 14 year olds whose egg hunting section of the park was in the old growth cedar trees in the southeast corner of the park.

The true believers, “the sky’s falling”, “run”, who will believe anything you tell them, age 5 to 7 had free range to look for Easter eggs anywhere they chose in the park following the free for all frantic dash for Easter eggs in their own 100 by 100 roped off section of park.

The majority of the kids, probably 99% of the kids, wore their play or school clothes to the Easter egg hunt. That dress code was not O.K. with Mom. Mom liked dressing us kids up whenever possible as she was proud of her brood and liked showing us off. And so it was on this gorgeous, cloud free Saturday, eight days before Easter at an Easter egg hunt in Maiben park just across the street from our front yard, thanks to Mom, we were all dressed in our Sunday best.

Mom thought a dark colored bow tie with a white short sleeve shirt and slacks on a guy, and a frilly pink layered dress with black shiny shoes with toe and heel straps, and short white socks were attractive attire for 7-year-old Nancy and 3-year-old Jackie. Besides their cute, frilly, J.C. Penneys Sunday school best dress, Mom had taken the time to curl, with hair curlers, blow dryers were still in the future, and style both girls straight hair into attractive, cute as can be, little girl hairdos with color coordinated hair berets and matching hand gloves.

Besides the hundreds and hundreds of Easter egg hunting kids, their parents, and relatives who had nothing else better to do, and all of the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis volunteers, two city of Burlington, Monday thru Friday employees, who were now on a Saturday overtime garbage detail, and a giant Easter bunny handing out Peeps to anyone he or she could see looking thru the two hidden eye holes in the bunny costume, there was a reporter sent from the Skagit Valley Herald to get the scoop on this years Easter egg hunt. So with his 35 mm black and white camera taking photos in one hand and his pen, note pad and journalistic prowess in the other, he began photographing and interviewing participants and parents for next Saturdays, the day before Easter, edition of the paper.

Dad was with Jackie in the toddler division waiting for the noon whistle when the Skagit Valley Herald reporter started photographing and interviewing cute little Jackie with her curly blonde hair and empty Easter basket.

“What’s your name?”
“How old are you?”
“Where do you live?”
“Is this your first Easter egg hunt?”
“Are you here alone?”

The fire siren atop the three story city hall building in downtown Burlington blew a noon whistle or siren, every day of the week to mark midday, or the noon lunch hour. The siren could be heard well beyond the welcome to Burlington city limit signs on Highway 20 to the northeast of town and as far south as the Highway 99 bridge crossing the Skagit River into Mount Vernon. This Saturday noon whistle would signal the start of this years Easter egg hunt. At the first inclination of the sound of a siren the ropes being held by the volunteers were dropped and the mad dash to pick up as many eggs as possible by the kids and some parents was on.

The mad dash for hard boiled colored Easter eggs in the toddler to 4-year-old division is over almost as quickly as it begins with the parents of the toddler to 4 year olds leading the charge to pick up as many eggs as possible for their little ones. The anticipation and excitement of the Easter, egg hunt is quickly replaced with a look of despair, and hurt, and “I wanna cry!” by some of those in the toddler division whose parents didn’t or weren’t able to help pick up any Easter eggs.

The search for the 8 to 12 year olds in the little league field area and the 13 to 14-year-old division in the woods took a little longer to find all the eggs, not because there are more eggs or because some of the eggs, including the “Golden Egg” were actually hid and required some actual Easter egg hunting, but because its not cool being an older kid to run or act excited about looking for an Easter egg.

And so it was 5 minutes after the Easter egg hunt began it was over. All the ropes were on the ground and all ages of kids and parents were milling about the park looking for family members or that last rogue hidden egg. There were 1 golden and 1silver egg hidden in each division and each golden or silver egg was redeemable for a cash prize. As it turned out the Easter egg committee let it be known shortly after all the mayhem there was still a rogue egg hid out there somewhere in the park and it was one of the silver eggs. I was standing next to the Easter egg official when he shouted

“We’re still missing a silver egg!”

As he made the announcement he pointed with his finger, (he knew where the undiscovered silver egg was hid), towards the far end of the park and a tree directly in front of our house. I noticed as he pointed his finger, his finger pointed up just slightly. The egg must be in the tree. I was in and out of that tree within two minutes, the silver egg was hid in the branches 8 feet up the trunk of the tree. I never would have found that silver egg if it weren’t for the Easter egg official pointing up to that tree.

“Jackie’s picture is going to be in the paper”
“How do you know that?”
“Because the nerdy, but competent, Skagit Valley Herald reporter said it was his turn for an exclusive Saturday edition story and he thought cute little Jackie with her naturally curly blond hair would be perfect for next Saturdays, the day before Easter, edition of the paper.”

How cool is that? Little sister Jackie was going to be on the front page of the paper. We just had to wait a week before she became famous.

News Flash! Friday, March 27, 5:36 pm. A 9.2 earthquake has struck the Alaskan town of Anchorage and its surrounding area. Many are feared dead. A Tsunami warning has been sounded for coastal towns.

The Skagit Valley Herald’s weekend edition of the news is its Saturday’s edition of the news which is collaborated Friday evening for early Saturday distribution. The news of the devastating Alaskan earthquake trumped all previous scheduled news scheduled for print on that Friday evening. The cute photo and accompanying article of a naturally curly blonde three-year-old girl named Jackie, in her frilly pink layered Easter dress with her black shiny shoes with toe and heel straps and short white socks, and her color coordinated hair berets and matching gloves were now filed in the round file cabinet on the editor’s floor of the newsroom never to be seen again.

The reverberation of the four-and-a-half-minute earthquake, the most powerful recorded mega thrust earthquake ever recorded in U.S. history and the resulting tsunami and its consequences extended further than a front page story in the Skagit Valley Herald. The earthquake and following tsunami were responsible for 139 deaths, $311 million dollars in damages, and years and years of rebuilding.

I want to believe in the big three, Santa Claus, even if Dad has a part in it, The Easter bunny, which brings joy and happiness, and the Tooth Fairy, who just brings cash. There’s no downside to believing. Life is too fragile and can so easily be taken from you at any time without a moment's notice. Who does it hurt to believe? I want to believe. I will believe, not just for me, but for all I leave.

Jake Jones

Aunt Alice Tells Us Zeke's Drive-In Voted Best Northwest Roadside Burger

2017-05-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Zeke's Drive-In was voted the Best Roadside Burger in Best Northwest Escapes 2017 viewers' poll.

Aunt Alice, who used to live somewhat near Zeke's Gold Bar location, when she lived in Sultan, prior to moving to the town of Tonasket in Eastern Washington, pointed us to Zeke's today via a report about Zeke's Drive-In on Seattle's KING 5 News.

Zeke's Drive-In was opened by Zeke way back in 1968, almost a half century ago.

Zeke is no longer with us, but Zeke's Drive-In remains a family operation.

We remember Zeke's as having in season fresh fruit milkshakes. Blackberry being a favorite.

Fresh fruit shakes and cheeseburgers with real cheese, with the cheese grated for maximum flavor and meltability.

At Zeke's, at least back when Zeke was still making the burgers, one had multiple cheese choices, such as opting for extra sharp cheddar. The last time we stopped at Zeke's, late in the previous century, on the way over Stevens Pass en route to Leavenworth, the Zeke's burger's cheese option was no longer grated, with a selection of cheese choices.

Even without Zeke's signature grated cheese the Zeke's cheeseburger and blackberry shake was still memorable.

We suspect the Fidalgo Drive-In in Anacortes was a close runner up in the Best Northwest Roadside Burger poll. We recently posted a review of the Fidalgo Drive-In's burgers.

Zeke's Drive-In does not have a website, but Zeke's Drive-In is on Facebook...

Seattle Space Needle April Fools Day Collapse

2017-04-01T08:03:00.001-07:00

Text message received moments ago with the text explaining what we see in this photo...

Seattle Space Needle has collapsed.

A calamity such as the Space Needle collapsing would seem to be big news, but so far the only report received about this calamitous catastrophe has been the aforementioned text message and accompanying photo.

Since today is April 1 we strongly suspect this news about the Seattle Space Needle collapsing is what is known as an April Fools Day bit of foolery...

Oso Washington Mudslide Update From The Jones Boys

2017-01-31T16:58:00.004-08:00

Update from the Washington Jones Boys about the Oso Mudslide.

Today we drove down and visited for the first time the nation's deadliest landslide. The pictures don't do justice. A small community literally was covered when an logged mountain couldn't hold an abnormal amount of rain. We expected to do some hiking this afternoon, but the area is off limits to the public. A makeshift memorial of this tragic event is located where we were able to stop and snap a few pictures.

The text on the makeshift memorial....

This is the site of the deadliest landslide in U.S. history. The SR 530 Flooding and Mudslide disaster occurred at 10:37 a.m. March 22, 2014. It took lives of 43 people and injured 10 others, destroyed 36 homes, and flooded 9 others as the slide material dammed the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River. The slide also damaged a one-mile section of State Route 530 and the Whitehorse Trail.

The future of this area is dependent upon many factors, including river activity during the winter and spring, as well as any further movement of the hillside.

Snohomish County Parks has purchased thirteen (13) acres with conservation futures funds for a future memorial site that will meet the expectations of the families affected by this disaster. The families consider this ground hallowed and we ask for your cooperation by staying off the property until a formal memorial can be developed.

Looking through the Jones Boy's windshield at the remains of the mudslide and the makeshift memorial, with what looks to be a flower tribute at its base.

Fidalgo Drive-In Cheeseburger Summer Review

2017-01-28T10:42:00.002-08:00

It is the middle of winter, currently.

Even though it is the middle of winter I thought a Summer Cheeseburger Review might come in handy if you are traveling to Anacortes, Washington, possibly on the way to get on a ferry to the San Juan Islands.

This Cheeseburger Review is brought to you via YouTube by the food critic you see here, taking a big bite of a Fidalgo Drive-In Cheeseburger, with some reviewing help from her dad and grandma.

One bite sends the Cheeseburger Reviewer into Cheeseburger ecstasy.

That item you see with two straws sticking out of it is a Root Beer Float.

The Cheeseburger Reviewer was equally pleased with the Root Beer Float, even after it gave her a brain freeze moment.

The Fidalgo Drive-In is easy to find. It is located at 2908 Commercial Avenue, which is the main drag through Anacortes, which most people drive on their way to the ferry dock, or Washington Park

You can get more info about the Fidalgo Drive-In, and check what else is on the menu besides Cheeseburgers and Root Beer Floats, by visiting the Fidalgo Drive-In website.

You can watch the Fidalgo Drive-In Cheeseburger Summer Review below....

Maxine's 2016 North Cascades Adventure Trek To Stehekin

2016-10-28T12:16:00.004-07:00

What follows is Maxine's tale of this year's North Cascades trek to Stehekin...

We took a new route in to Stehekin this year, we wanted to take this trail last year but it was closed due to wildfires. We took the Thunder Creek/Park Pass route, the trailhead is at the Colonial Creek Campground and Mike dropped us off at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday the 6th of September.

I thought I could use my 25 liter pack but it was too small, so borrowed my sisters 36 liter pack and it was too small so I ended up borrowing a 60 liter pack from Skip. We all ended up carrying about 33 # each which doesn’t sound like much but it was heavy enough!!!!! and I used everything I brought.

The first day we hiked 14.8 miles to Skagit Queen Campground, the trail follows Thunder Creek and was up and down all day through a mossy forest. We saw a woman and her daughter about 20 minutes in to the trail (they had spent the night at Neve Campground) and then we didn’t see another person again until day 3 after we made it over the pass.

There were 3 of us, my friend Delyn and Skip and me. Skip has always wanted to hike in this trail; he has always been our fearless leader, when we crawl out of our tent in the morning there is always fresh coffee waiting, he makes sure we have the proper gear and our packs are loaded properly - that kind of a guy. He had colon cancer 3 years ago but is very fit, trim 5’4” 130# and has hiked in Bridge Creek and Cascade Pass since his surgery with no problem.

Skip was sick the whole first day on the trail and ended up so weak by the afternoon he was taking 10 steps and resting, 10 steps and resting. Delyn and I reached Junction Campground at 5 p.m. and thought we should spend the night there rather than go on but Skip wouldn’t have any part of it and insisted we hike on to Skagit Queen. I was ahead on the trail and kept thinking I would reach our campsite, get a nice fire going and hike back to help with the packs.

It kept getting darker and I had to put on my headlamp, I kept thinking the campground would be around the next bend and the next and the next. I reached the bridge crossing Skagit Queen Creek at 7:45 and waited for Delyn and Skip, After a half hour of waiting I started getting uneasy, had I taken the wrong path? Were they in trouble?

So I hiked back down the path, hollering as I went. They were about a mile back. Skip was even weaker. Skip’s GPS said the campground was very near the bridge, once we made it to the bridge Skip said leave me here, find the campground and come back and get me.

I insisted he leave his pack and that we all would find the campground together and I would go back and get his pack. The campground was another 10 minutes down the trail. We got there at 9:30 and set up our camp by head lamp.

I went back and got his pack, armed with Bear Spray. Skip was exhausted and went to bed without eating. Delyn and I made Top Ramen, hung our food in a tree and got into our sleeping bags at 11 p.m. Water was a 20 minute walk away down to the creek. It started raining after we went to bed and was still raining the next morning.

We slept until 8:30, had a leisurely breakfast and hit the trail at 10:30. We passed ancient mining equipment and followed switchbacks bisected by a huge pipe used to divert Skagit Queen Creek long ago.

We were so tired from that first day, we stopped for lunch at 12:30 in an area strewn with huge boulders near a creek. We decided a hot lunch would be good so boiled water and had more Top Ramen. While we were eating Delyn saw a black blur, we all looked and sure enough it was a mother bear and 2 cubs. Big, beautiful and with glossy black coats. They couldn’t get away from us fast enough and scrambled over each other to get to the other side of the creek.

I am so glad they were scared!

We put on our ponchos and continued down the trail, up, up, up and down, down, down. We reached Thunder Basin Horse camp about 4:30. There is creek crossing there with no bridge, no tree to walk across or rocks to hop our way to the other side on so we had to wade across in water that reached midcalf.

We continued on and hiked out of the forest in to a meadow area, we can now see the pass and the trail leading across and it’s way up there. We stared up at it and figured “no way”. By now it’s 5 p.m., we’re soaked and cold. The underbrush is all wet blueberry bushes.

When Skip reaches us we tell him we think we need to spend the night at Thunder Basin and hike over tomorrow and he agreed. We set up camp in the rain, Skip went to bed to warm up and we passed a Mountain High Chicken and Dumpling meal in to him to eat. Hung up the food,

I had a cup of hot Tang and Delyn ate part of an ancient egg salad sandwich and we were in bed by 7. I put on nice warm socks and then went to pee and by the time I got back my socks were soaked. Fortunately I had one more pair of dry socks left. This was supposed to be an 8 mile day and I am sure we did only 5, maybe less.

You know you’re in trouble when you get a 10:30 start and take a hot lunch break 2 hours later.

The next morning the weather had improved, we packed up and were back on the trail by 8:30. The climb up to the pass was steep through woods and rock rubble, but no scary cliffs or drop offs. The whole time I have been anticipating scary drop offs.

We rested at the end of every switch back and reached the pass about 11 a.m. There were nice views of glaciers, mountain peaks and even a rainbow. The pass is 6100 feet and Delyn is nauseated.

Is it the altitude or the egg sandwich?

The sun was coming out on the east side and the east side drops down to a beautiful dry meadow. We reached Buckner Campground ( our original destination for our 2nd night) after 4 ½ hours of hiking. We see a Park Ranger grooming the trail and then pass a young couple hiking up to the pass.

Skip and I are in the lead and Delyn hears them say “I wonder if those are the people that were supposed to stay at Buckner”. We take a lunch break at Buckner Campground, replenish our water and reach Bridge Creek Campground about 6:45 p.m. This is the meet up spot for 6 members of our group who are hiking to Stehekin via Cascade Pass. Only 2 members of the group are there, Ger and Barb.

This year I invited my cousin Frank and his wife Lynn to hike over to Stehekin. Lyn works with some of the other nurses that are part of this group and both Lyn and Frank are very outdoorsy and I thought they would enjoy the trip. Frank was a boy scout leader for years and they both are in shape and were excited to hike in. They invited a friend and her son to join them. Ger and Barb had talked to the Park Ranger just before we got there. Lyn had trouble walking on the rock scree and her knee was bothering her. Frank was carrying both packs, they were hiking less than a mile per hour. There was a park ranger at Pelton Basin rescuing someone with a heart attack and Frank and Lyn ask him to relay a message to Ger and Barb that they were moving slowly and would get to Bridge Creek late that night or the next morning.

The next morning, Ger and Barb and Skip head on to Stehekin Ranch. I decided to wait for Lyn and Frank and Delyn said she would wait with me. Frank and Lyn were moving so slowly that we figured we would need to spend one more night at Bridge Creek. Ger and Barb and Skip left all their leftover food with us. We settled in for a leisurely day, gathered firewood and cleaned up camp. Lay the tent and our bags out to dry.

At about 11 a.m. Lyn and Frank’s two friends came rushing in to camp. Frank had fallen and twisted his knee and couldn’t bear his weight. They thought we needed to get horses from the ranch and ride up to rescue them.

Then Colter, son of the ranch owner Cliff, showed up to replenish the tent. We told him we would clean up if he would take Lyn and Frank’s friends to the ranch to arrange for a horse rescue. Off they went, we gathered our gear and were back on the trail by 12:30. We made it to the ranch by 3. Cliff set off by horseback with two horses following him. He reached Lyn and Frank by dusk and spent the night on the trail with them. They got up at 5:30 a.m. and came out on horses, Cliff led the way and the horse he rode in on was used to haul their packs.

Lyn and Frank were fine, except for their knees. I heard the horse rescue cost $1,000.00 as opposed to a helicopter rescue of $50,000.00. I didn’t have the heart to ask. They were in good spirits, thank God! And enjoyed their stay at the ranch. We dipped in Lake Chelan the next day and one of our friends brought in blow up paddle boards and so I went paddle boarding for the first time. Had the best massage I’ve ever had in my life and then we hiked out the Bridge Creek trail on Monday the 12th. We had mandolin and guitar music, it was a great time.

One good thing that happened is that Cottonwood camp that has been closed for years had just been reopened this year and Stehekin Outfitters had a big tent with cots set up there, so Lyn and Frank spent 2 nights there. They didn’t know that is was associated with the same outfit that provides the tent at Bridge Creek, just a fortunate coincidence. When Cliff showed up with the horses they thought they were going to have to move out of the tent because a paying customer had shown up.

My camera died on day one so I didn’t take many pictures. Fortunately Skip did so I will have pictures to show soon.

m

Click for more about Stehekin

Wade Hudson Family & Friends Picket Okanogan Courthouse For Justice

2016-04-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

In January we blogged about Justice For Tonasket's Wade Hudson's Murder By Omak Cop.

A paragraph from that blog post for those not familiar with this particular crime...

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 33 year old Wade Hudson was brutally beaten to death in Omak, Washington by police person Shane Schaefer. Wade was murdered because he had a series of epileptic seizures from which he had not fully recovered and was not able to respond to the demands of this very aggressive, abusive killer in uniform. There is a civil law suit filed by Wade's parents against this murderer and a congressman helping to ask for an independent investigation into this death. The Omak, WA police agency has done an internal investigation and found the killer not guilty of murder. The evidence and witnesses do not support their decision. Please help us, Wade's family send this evil cop to prison and get him off the streets before he kills more innocent citizens for being very ill and disabled.

On Monday Wade Husdon's family and friends staged a demonstration in front of the Okanogan County Courthouse protesting the fact that the Okanogan county prosecutor has failed to prosecute police officer Shane Schaefer for the brutal beating of Wade Hudson who was having an epileptic seizure, which the ignorant police officer found threatening, apparently, and thus fatally beat Wade Hudson.

All caught on video.

The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle covered the Hudson Family Protest, as you can see, above, via the front page of the Tuesday, April 12, 2016 edition.

Slowly the wheels of justice turn. Sometimes too slowly....

In 1963 Riding The Seattle Monorail To The Airport

2016-01-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

My nephew, Jason, emailed me that which you see here.

Jason has always been a big fan of the Seattle Monorail. Jason has lost track of the number of times he has ridden the Monorail back and forth from Seattle Center to Westlake Center.

Way back when the Seattle Monorail first carried passengers, during the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, many assumed that the Monorail would be expanded, but that never happened, at least not by 2016, but not for lack of trying, including multiple ballot issues attempting to add to the Monorail line.

The caption under the drawing said "The Monorail as it might run to the airport." This was in the February 24, 1963 edition of the Seattle Times.

In 2016 you can not take a Monorail ride from Sea-Tac International Airport to Downtown Seattle, but you can take light rail which sort of looks like the Monorail, and is elevated in some locations, from the airport to Downtown Seattle where you can exit the train at the Westlake Center station and ride an escalator up a few flights where you can board the Seattle Monorail to continue your journey to the Seattle Center.

Not quite what the Seattle Times envisioned way back in 1963....

Justice For Tonasket's Wade Hudson's Murder By Omak Cop

2016-01-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

On Friday, September 25, 2015, at the end of his first day on new job in Omak, Wade Hudson had a seizure. An ambulance was called which brought Wade to the Omak Hospital.

Wade's mom and dad soon drove from their hometown of Tonasket, to Omak, to see Wade.

They did not know, at the time, that that hospital visit would be the last time they saw Wade alive.

The next day Wade returned to his job, where he was told he was in no shape to work. What happened after that is not known for certain.

But, it is known that at some point on Saturday Omak police stopped to question Wade. What happened next is explained in the text above, which I will copy below....

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 33 year old Wade Hudson was brutally beaten to death in Omak, Washington by police person Shane Schaefer. Wade was murdered because he had a series of epileptic seizures from which he had not fully recovered and was not able to respond to the demands of this very aggressive, abusive killer in uniform. There is a civil law suit filed by Wade's parents against this murderer and a congressman helping to ask for an independent investigation into this death. The Omak, WA police agency has done an internal investigation and found the killer not guilty of murder. The evidence and witnesses do not support their decision. Please help us, Wade's family send this evil cop to prison and get him off the streets before he kills more innocent citizens for being very ill and disabled.

Wade's mom and dad still do not know, after all this time, what happened which brought Wade into contact with the Omak police. They got a call saying Wade was back in the hospital. And then another call telling them Wade's condition was so bad he was being flown over the mountains to Seattle's Harborview Hospital.

Where Wade died.

Please sign the Change.org petition asking that Washington State Attorney General, Bob Ferguson seek justice for Wade, his mom and dad, and daughter, Lavada.

Saturday's Deadly Washington Windstorm Knocks Down Trees Leaving Half Million Powerless

2015-08-30T08:02:00.002-07:00

Yesterday a windstorm hit the Pacific Northwest, with gusts gusting into the over 60 mph range in the Puget Sound zone, while 80 mph wind was recorded on Destruction Island off the Olympic Peninsula.

Two people were killed in Western Washington. A 10 year old girl in Federal Way was killed by a wind blown tree branch. A Gig Harbor man was killed when a tree was blown over on his Subaru.

Almost half a million people were left without power. Many who did not lose power did lose their Cable TV connection, right when they were getting ready to watch the Seahawks play some football.

The photo above arrived in my email this morning, sent by Spencer Jack's dad, my favorite nephew Jason. A tree was blown over on to the Skagit River bridge which connects downtown Mount Vernon with West Mount Vernon.

Reading various news sources this morning it seems a bit unclear whether the windstorm and its accompanying rain helped stifle the wildfires. It would seem strong wind would fan the flames. But a good dose of rain might counteract the flame fanning.

Spencer Jack Tour Of Washington's Shrinking Skagit River

2015-08-13T08:01:00.001-07:00

The rivers of the Pacific Northwest are overheating and drying up, killing off millions of fish; salmon, sturgeon, trout, due to the water being too warm and in short supply.

Today Spencer Jack takes us on a look at the incredibly shrinking Skagit River, in the Skagit Valley of Washington.

In the first picture Spencer Jack is standing on a sandbar in Mount Vernon. Under normal conditions Spencer Jack would not be able to stand at this location. He would need to be swimming.

Behind Spencer Jack, on the other side of what remains of the Skagit River is downtown Mount Vernon, with its iconic Tulip Tower, while towering over the Tulip Tower is Mount Vernon's Little Mountain.

Skagit River information which Spencer Jack sent along with the pictures....

The Skagit River measures just 10 feet at it's deepest location in Mount Vernon. Believed to be a 60 year low. Typical lows don't normally occur until mid-September, 30 plus days from now.

More of Spencer Jack's look at what is now known, for now, as Skagit Creek....

Above Spencer Jack is in Mount Vernon, on the west side of the river.

Above we are on the east side of the Skagit River, showing some water, looking at the Riverside Bridge which connects west and east Mount Vernon.

Here Spencer Jack has driven to the Burlington side of the Skagit River, where he is waving at us on Young's Bar, usually not a location for casual beach driving.

Above Spencer Jack has walked away from his car to take a picture, looking west, across the new Young's Bar Sand Highway.

We conclude with Spencer Jack standing under the railroad bridge crossing that crosses over Young's Bar. Again, under normal conditions Spencer Jack would need to be swimming at this location.

Chris & Jeremy Safely Exploring The Big Four Ice Caves

2015-07-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

What with Washington's Big Four Ice Caves being in the news, for a deadly reason, with one person killed and several injured, after ignoring the warning signs indicating entering the Ice Caves was not safe in warm, let alone, hot weather, I thought I'd share some photos of a safe, winter, frozen visit to the Ice Caves with my nephews, Christopher and Jeremy.

This hike to the Ice Caves took place back in the early 1990s.

Winter is a safe time to visit the Ice Caves. In late Spring the Spring Thaw brings about new Ice Caves as melting chunks of ice crash down from the steep cliff above, creating a spectacular attraction which attracts a lot of onlookers to look at the cascading chunks of ice and listen to the explosive cracks of ice.

This pile of ice later morphs into the Ice Caves, becoming safe to enter with the return of freezing in Winter.

The Ice Caves are never safe in Summer. Just look at the below pictures of Chris and Jeremy in the Ice Caves and imagine being so foolish to do on a HOT summer day.

One my Washington website's Cascade Mountains webpage there is a good description of the Ice Caves....

Ice Caves
There is a road called the Mountain Loop Highway that goes from Darrington to Granite Falls. This road is in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. It is the way to Glacier Peak which is one of the 5 volcanoes in Washington, and the least known and most difficult to get to. The Mountain Loop Highway is very close to the lowlands of Puget Sound and is easy to get to and closer than going up to the ski areas on Stevens or Snoqualmie Pass in search of snow to play on. There are many attractions on the Mountain Loop Highway, Mount Pilchuck, Granite Falls (the actual falls, not the town), Monte Christo, an old mining town which is now a ghost town and a major mountain biking and hiking destination in summer and a cross country skiing destination in winter. But the most unique thing on the Mountain Loop Highway may be the Ice Caves which form every year as the winter's accumulation of snow that has slid off the mountain forms caves as water erodes the ice away. The Ice Caves are about a mile hike from the Highway. There are warning signs. 'Enter the Ice Caves at your own Risk', 'Ice Caves Dangerous on Warm Days'. People have died in the Ice Caves.

In the following three photos we go inside the Ice Caves with Chris and Jeremy.

Above you are looking at Chris and Jeremy looking at HUGE chunks of ice which fell from the Ice Caves during the previous Summer's melting phase. Again, why would anyone ignore the multiple warning signs and enter the Ice Caves on a warm July day?

Spencer Jack Takes Me Back To Washington To Birch Bay

2015-06-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

No, that is not my nephew, Spencer Jack, still on a beach in Hawaii.

Spencer Jack is back on the mainland, which would make Spencer Jack's location, you see him at here, Birch Bay, in Whatcom County, in Washington, a few miles south of the Canadian border.

Birch Bay is an extremely popular tourist destination, both for Americans and Canadians.

Birch Bay is a shallow bay, so at low tide the water recedes a great distance. On a warm summer day the sun heats up the exposed sand. When the tide rolls back in the heated sand heats the water.

Thus swimming in Birch Bay can seem like swimming in a heated pool, at times.

The Wikipedia article about Birch Bay explains the nature of the bay in details I'd not previously known.

Birch Bay is a headland bay created by the refraction of incoming waves on the headlands that lie on either side of the bay. The headland to the north is Birch Point, and the one to the south is Point Whitehorn. The waves bend as they enter the bay and lose energy in the process. The result is a half-moon-shaped bay with a gentle sloping beach.

Birch Bay is not an incorporated town. However it is a census designated place where at last count 8,143 people were populating the Bay.

Locals refer to Birch Bay simply as The Bay. For example, growing up in the next county south, that being Skagit County, mid week mom and dad might ask if us kids wanted to go camping at The Bay next weekend. We never said no. We would camp at Birch Bay State Park at the south end of The Bay.

Way back then there was a carnival attraction at about the halfway point on the road which follows the shoreline. There was a Ferris wheel, a train and other rides. The carnival has long been replaced by condominiums.

The carnival is long gone, but Birch Bay currently has a waterslide park called Birch Bay Waterslides.

When I was a real little kid my Grandma Vera had a cabin at Birch Bay. I only vaguely remember the cabin. It was up a hill, above The Bay, surrounded by trees.

Way back then there was a real cool old-fashioned putt putt golf course that likely dated from way back in the 1920s. Or earlier. I wonder if that is still in existence?

I do not know if the 2015 version of Birch Bay still draws huge crowds in summer, with a non-stop traffic jam of people driving, real slow. I suspect the non-stop traffic jam is likely even more so these days.

I must remember to ask Spencer Jack to take his dad back to Birch Bay to see if my favorite piece of driftwood is still there, in the state park zone, across the road from the picnic area restrooms. I spent a lot of hours climbing on that driftwood when I was Spencer Jack's age, and younger....

Texas Tulips Are Not Blooming In The Skagit Valley

2015-03-20T09:30:00.001-07:00

No, you looking at this in Washington and the Skagit Valley, there is no new tulip field in the Skagit Valley called Texas-Tulips, growing some sort of new giant hybrid Texas-sized tulips.

Texas-Tulips is the first tulip field to bloom in Texas, blooming right now, at the same time the Skagit Valley tulips are blooming, earlier than the norm, ahead of the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival which runs the entire month of April.

You can go to the Texas-Tulips website to learn all about this Texas Dutch experiment in growing tulips in Texas.

I have blogged about the Texas-Tulips on a couple of my other blogs....

Tiptoe Through Texas Tulips & A Tale Of Texas Tulips And My Great Grandpa Rejecting The Lone Star State.

Right at this moment thunderstorms are booming in the area of the Texas-Tulips. Along with pea-sized hail. North Texas in entering that time of the year when the wind blows strong, sometimes as a tornado.

I would think it would be a daunting task to grow Tulips in Texas. Then again, the landscape of Texas will soon be colored with the annual wildflower display, with flowers which seem to have no problem dealing with the harsh Texas climate.

Maybe delicate looking tulips are more hardy than their appearance and will do just fine in Texas.

As long as a wilting HEAT wave does not come along whilst they are doing their blooming....