The heart of the Cascades

  • Monday, July 5th
    • Daredevil slack liners from Ohio, illicitly camped at the county park
    • Firework-borne brush fire in Lyle, “we think we know who it was”
    • Rogue county sheriff threatens to arrest public employees for violating his interpretation of the constitution
    • Traffic-free road along the Klickitat river, perfect for cycling
    • Silty swim in river – hat was lost
    • Glenwood: ample camping opportunities
      • Gladys’ park: all are welcome, except dogs
      • Bill the dog runs the town, to the chagrin of the elderly wizard hound
      • Zach met ranchers: they were slightly aghast at his short shorts, but he learned that ranching is about horses
  • Tuesday, July 6th
    • We’ve made it to the huckleberry belt: huckleberry-buckwheat pancakes in trout lake
    • Amazing views of Mount hood to the left, adams to the rightLong, slow climb up mount Adams
    • Hot hot hot, but plenty of streams/waterfalls to dunk/soak/drink
    • Takhlakh lake: perfect for swimming/camping, but mosquitos run the joint
    • Bosnians will foist their trout upon you, despite your protestations
    • Tortellini dinner for days
  • Wednesday, July 7th
    • More gravel than expected, but downhill was still glorious
    • Chicken-wire water cage experienced critical structural compromise, after 10 mile stress test. Industrial engineer Liu has rectified the design flaw
    • Record-breaking pace in tailwind up the cowlitz valley
    • Early end at Packwood rv park: there’s only one employee, others are charlatans
    • Growlers from brewery across street + pizza + musical jam = bike touring nirvana

Over the river and through the mountains

Woke up in the RV park with fresh laundry and clean bodies. We started the day at the coffee shop/bakery. Today we committed to spending our flex day exploring the Mount Rainier National Forest.

A quick 12 mile ride got us to the Ohanapecosh campground. We spent the day hiking amongst old growth cedars, crystal-blue streams, and baby skunks. We would discover later in the afternoon that our campsite was nestled amongst an enormous group of nosey church-goers on an annual summer retreat. One particular octagenarian would not leave us alone. Cue Cat Stevens. We ended the day with a frosty dip in the river, a gourmet dinner of cheesey broccoli rice, and some tunes next to the campfire before retiring to a delightfully chilly evening.