Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Red Sun Gray Ash
Today we woke up to hazy skies through which a red sun glowed. Though eerily beautiful it is not normal and attests only to raging fires everywhere in the Northwest; ironically at the same time that flooding engulfs the Southeast.
Other evidence of the fires can be found in the ash floating in the air and landing on our cars.
A strange end to summer to be sure.
Praying and eagerly awaiting rain in the Northwest and sun in the Southeast!
~ Susanne
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Just Another Day Trip to Mt. Rainier, at Mowich Lake
We’ve visited Mt. Rainier more times this year than any other that I can remember. Maybe we’re finally taking full advantage of not working? (Okay, we’re retired, though I don’t like that word.) Or maybe it finally dawned on us how very close and accessible that wonderful Mountain is? Today we got off to a late start and when we arrived in Enumclaw, we learned the route ahead on Highway 410 was closed. No matter. We put Plan B into effect and headed south on State Route 165 to the less frequented Northwest corner of the Park. Into the wilderness and onto a gravelly, pitted road we went (oh yes it was) towards Mowich Lake. The views of the mountain were worth it.
After 11 miles of a bumpy, dusty, ride, we entered the National Park without any fanfare, save a self-service box for the entry fee, and a sign that told us we were in for a rough ride up the gravel road. (Yeah, we noticed; next time we’ll bring the truck.) Dusty cars lined the side of the road the last two miles, and we realized just how popular the area was to the locals. Still we carried on and arrived at Mowich Lake (el. 4,929 ft.), where my husband kindly dropped me off while he went to park the car, his first hike of the day.
Notwithstanding the number of cars, peace could still be found in secluded spots next to the pristine lake, the largest and deepest in the National Park. The temperature was in the nineties so the smart ones were swimming or boating in the lake.
The trails in the area are part of the Wonderland Trail that encircles the base of the mountain for 93 miles. We saw a few well-equipped hikers on the trail hiking 12 to 15 miles a day (sturdy young men with large backpacks, strong legs and determination), but mostly we saw day hikers like ourselves opting for shorter hikes, including families with children.
We stopped to eat our snack in a shady spot on the lake, before taking the hike to Ipsut Pass, which followed the lake through the woods, providing great views of the Mountain, before turning away and gaining some elevation.
On the trail up to the Pass we encountered many hikers coming down, mostly from Eunice Lake which was further than we intended to go.
‘How much farther?’ we would ask and always got the same general answer. Eunice Lake and Tolmie Peak were a couple of grueling miles further but well worth it (though not to us.) Ipsut Pass being half as far, was ‘just a little bit further’, ‘maybe 3 more switchbacks ahead’ and the trail was ‘not too steep’ though ‘rocky and rooty,’ a description I rather enjoyed. I suggested to my husband that we stop asking ‘how much farther’ as it only disappointed us when the estimates proved inaccurate.
Still, the camaraderie with other hikers is what makes hiking fun and that was the easiest thing to say to one another. One family coming down had two little girls, covered with dirt from the dusty trail, no more than five years of age, and cute as can be. They had come from Eunice Lake.
“How much further?” one of them asked us.
“You have a way to go to the bottom,” I replied having already learned the disappointment of bad estimates, “and actually we were going to ask you that very question!”
While we were chatting, she glanced at my watch and her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, “Oh what a beautiful watch! A blue watch! Blue is my favorite color!”
Charmed by her exuberance, I was almost tempted to give her the (cheap) watch. She surely appreciated it more than I did.
As they moved on down the trail she hollered back to me, “I love your necklace!” and I had to laugh.
We continued on under the shade and cover of the woods, though one short section sent us into the brilliant sunshine and onto a ledge with craggy rocks above, where the trail overlooked the valley below.
Shortly afterwards we passed the cutoff to Eunice Lake, and arrived at Ipsut Pass, a rocky area which dropped sharply below us where the Wonderland Trail continued on.
After a quick visit with a couple of backpackers who were taking the pass down to the Yellowstone Cliffs for the night, we headed back finding the way much faster and easier than coming up.
Back to the car and down the dusty, bumpy road we went, but not without a stop for another view and photo of the Mountain.
The long summer drought shows on her. But it won’t be long until winter will return and the mountain will be covered with snow once again.
Looking forward to it.
~ Susanne
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The Brotherly Antics of Tiger and Benji
Benji is a very sweet and cuddly kitty. But don’t let that fool you. The boy is action packed and often full of pent up energy. When you see these eyes, know that he is about to blow!
He flies around the house at cat-speed, over and under, round and round the battered perch.
All this is rather amusing to watch unless you’re Tiger and happen to be in the way. He may be coming for you next.
“Sue, we’ve got to talk,” he said.
“Sure Tiger,” I said. “What’s up?”
“It’s the boy,” he said. “He’s out of control. Can’t you do something?”
Of course I agreed with him, but when Benji gets into one of his fits, I’m not about to reach in and risk a hand.
“I’m hoping he’ll grow out of it,” I told him. “You know he’s not yet two years old. And he’s good most of the time.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” he replied.
“But Tiger, if he comes after you in one of his whirlwinds, you have my permission to give him a wallop. It would probably be more effective coming from you.”
“Aw Sue, I couldn’t do it. That’s not who I am.”
“I know Tiger, and I love you for it. You’re the best, you know? How about for now I give him the boot outside until he settles down. Then you and I can visit peacefully.”
“That’ll do Sue,” he said. “Thank you.”
And so we did.
~ Susanne
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Wonderful Whidbey Island
Forgive me in advance for overdoing it with the ‘W’s, but we had a wonderful visit to Whidbey Island on Wednesday this week! Since my husband and I are no longer working (I don’t like the “r” word; retired sounds old, even to me) we like to take mid-week excursions and avoid the crowds and traffic. This week we opted for a day trip to Whidbey Island, an hour or so north of Seattle.
On the way we stopped by Anacortes, an unassuming working town on Fidalgo Island, known mainly as the gateway to the San Juan Islands.
From Fidalgo Island we crossed over to Whidbey Island at Deception Pass. The view from above is amazing but neither of us had the courage to cross the bridge on foot. With the skinny walkway and at 181 feet, it’s too high up for us!
On the other side, we stopped by Deception Pass State Park, the most visited state park in Washington, complete with campgrounds, beaches, lakes, hikes, and views of the bridge.
Then it was on to the charming town of Coupeville, first laid out in the 1850’s and part of Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve.
In downtown Coupeville, Penn Cove has great views of dreamy, floating Mt. Baker to the north.
The next stop was Fort Casey. According to the Washington State Parks website: “Constructed in the late 1800s, Fort Casey was equipped for defense and used as a training facility up to the mid-1940s. The fort houses a pair of rare 10-inch disappearing guns. While the guns were the height of technology in the early 1900s, improvements in warships and the advent of airplanes soon rendered them obsolete.”
A boy’s playground, no?
We left the fort as the cloudy sky was preparing for sunset.
We headed toward Clinton on the southern end of the island where we took the ferry to Mukilteo, for dinner and home, just as the sun was setting.
A wonderful Wednesday trip!
~ Susanne
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One Year with Benji
“Hey, Benji, can you move over a bit? I’m trying to write a story and you’re in my way.”
“Sorry Sue,” he replied. “Let me help; I’m good at typing.”
“Thanks Benji, you can help but not like that. You see the story’s about you, how you came to live with us a year ago and how happy we are that you did. I’m having a hard time knowing what to say.”
“I know!” he said. “Why don’t you post some pictures of me and I’ll narrate!”
“Great idea Benji. Let’s start at the beginning.”
“Aw, look at me! I was so small! That collar is almost as big as me!”
“Yeah, we ditched the collar pretty soon afterwards, didn’t we boy?”
“Here’s another one of you from the early days, after you’d gotten over that nasty respiratory infection. You were such a good little kitty taking your antibiotics.”
“I remember that Sue! I finally stopped sneezing and was released from quarantine. And I finally got to meet Tiger! I liked him from the start but for some reason he didn’t like me. Whenever I tried to play he just hissed and ran away.”
“True. I was worried about you two. But when I saw you sleeping side by side I knew it was going to work out.”
“And it helped when you shared your mouse with him outside. He really liked that.”
“It was the least I could do. You know I’m the better hunter.”
“True Benji, but don’t tell Tiger I said so.
Do you remember your first snow?”
“Yes I do! It made the world quiet and peaceful, but cold and wet and too deep for me to walk in. I hope I get another chance this year now that I’m bigger.”
“Me too Benji. I love the snow! But I’m always happy when spring arrives and we get to work in the garden. Thanks for your help, by the way. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Sure Sue anytime. Always willing to lend a paw.”
“I’ll remember that Benji. There’s always plenty to do outside. But I gotta tell you I was worried when I saw you on the roof. You almost lost outside privileges after that.”
“Don’t worry about me Sue. I’m pretty tough! See?”
“Yes you are, Benji! And smart too. Do you remember what you were thinking here?”
“Cat thoughts, Sue. Cat thoughts. You wouldn’t understand.”
“I suppose not. How about this one? You were in perfect feline form.”
“Just posing for you in that one. I saw you with your camera and wanted to give you a good shot.”
“I appreciate it Benji. You really are photogenic, especially when you’re sleeping!”
“I can’t argue with that Sue. I do love to sleep!”
“I could go on and on, but I better close here. And just in case you couldn’t tell, I want you to know much we love you Benji and can’t imagine our family without you! You’re a special cat and a real tribute to the species.
Happy One Year Anniversary!”
“Aw thanks, Sue. I feel the same.”
~ Susanne & Benji
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Late Summer Hike
Sunshine and still summer according to the calendar, but it felt like fall on this recent hike along the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie. Over the river and through the woods and under the watchful eye of the Cascades we went; a familiar river but our first time together on Trail #1003. The trail is open to mountain bikes (we saw none) and horses (we saw evidence) but we encountered only a few hikers like ourselves on foot.
We walked through the quiet forest floor then crossed the river over the footbridge.
Bob took the lead through the tunnel of dense forest canopy
and I followed slowly, distracted as always by my camera. Here I got a peek of the peaks through the trees,
and here a Fomitopsis Pinicola, a common type of fungus where children may carve their names onto its soft white surface (don’t ask me how I know this.)
We walked an hour or so through the forest, stopping to rest by the river and eat our snack (candy bars and water, everything tastes better in the woods), before heading back.
We got a late start today so will have to return another time to make it to the hot springs, the promised reward at the end of the trail.
Susanne
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The Shared Experience of the Solar Eclipse
Greetings from Alki Beach in Seattle where we experienced the 2017 Solar Eclipse. Yes, it was awesome. And no, I didn’t plan to watch it from here. I woke up this morning bright and early to clear blue skies and a brightly shining sun (did he know what was coming?), ready for the big day.
We planned to go to the Boeing Museum of Flight where they were handing out 1,000 pairs of solar glasses to watch the eclipse; inside it would be live streamed from around the country. Perfect, I thought. What better place to watch an eclipse than with the sky experts? Certainly 1,000 pairs is a lot, is it not? And so we arrived at 8:30 a.m., early enough to obtain the glasses we thought, and if not, at least early enough to watch it on the big screen inside (stifle your laughter right now.) But ten minutes from the Museum the traffic slowed considerably and it wasn’t long after that we saw the line which seemed to go on for miles and miles and miles and it was then that we realized we were very late to the dance, unlike these people near the front.
So then dear, where shall we go now? I asked the driver.
And that is how we ended up at Alki Beach in West Seattle where we found great views of the City (periodically shrouded in fog), plenty of free parking, and lots of fellow eclipse watchers, many equipped with the coveted glasses and many, very happy to share them. As twilight descended almost imperceptibly upon us, there was quiet, friendly, chatter, a passing of the solar approved glasses and a marveling at what we were witnessing.
No, we were not in the path of totality so we didn’t have complete darkness. But we did experience a mysterious dimming of the lights that’s hard to describe. Kind of like you were wearing sunglasses, someone said. And when I was offered the solar glasses at various stages, I had those few seconds to peer into another realm, where I saw a waning orange sun and a dark moon creeping across its face, until the sun became a slim crescent.
When the time of peak darkness was over, we said goodbye and went for a walk on the beach. The tide was as far out as we’d ever seen it; coincidence or not, we don’t know.
As the sun slowly reemerged, ‘Here Comes the Sun’ played on the radio nearby. An awesome experience. I hope I live long enough to see another.
~ Susanne
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The Work Continues
This morning I woke up to the usual noises of destruction (I mean construction) behind my house in what was once called the Tiffany Park Woods and went to take a look.
This is what I saw.
Which is all fine and good but I certainly hope the brakes are in good working order.
~ Susanne
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Solar Eclipse – Will You Watch it?
Yes, I knew it was coming; they’ve been talking about it for months. That once in a lifetime event on Monday August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse coming to a neighborhood near you! Once in a lifetime, counting from when the last total solar eclipse crossed the contiguous USA in 1918. But those from the Northwest may recall the eclipse in 1979, something of a non-event in the Seattle area because of cloudy skies. Clear skies are in the forecast for Monday, so this will be something to see. Or not, read on.
No, Seattle is not in the path of totality; for that we’d have to travel to Oregon, along with the other billions so headed, resulting in unprecedented traffic, which for this area is saying a lot. Honestly, I’m not that desperate.
Still, according to those in the know, we will experience 93% totality here, that time when the moon will almost completely block out the sun, starting at 9:08 am and bringing darkness at 10:20 a.m. Silly girl, don’t you want to see that?? Of course I do! Oh why then did I wait so long to get those eclipse glasses? The event of a lifetime overhead but I can’t look up!
There are still a few places this weekend where they will be handing out the coveted glasses until supplies run out. I will head to one of them and hope for the best. We shall see (no pun intended.) If I’m not one of the lucky ones, I guess I could build my own viewing device no matter how hokey it may appear; instructions abound on the internet. But is watching a shadow on a piece of cardboard really the same? I think not.
For a planner like me, I sure blew this one. How about the rest of you? Do you have plans to watch the solar eclipse?
~ Susanne
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The Turtles of Coulon
Of all the things to be enjoyed at Coulon Park….
the boats and planes
the docks and piers
the elusive mountain
I think the best may be the turtles.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 