Carpe Spring? !

Credit climate change; Spring was as good as any summer.  It turned into something close to one long thrill ride.  Let's recap.

March 27 - Florida (click to enlarge any photo)

April 4 - California

April 18 - St. Louis

April 25 Hike - Giffford Pinchot

April 27 NBA Playoff

May 2-9 - Roatan

May 9 - Atlanta

May 16 - Montana

May 19 - Lorie in Portland

May 21 T L

May 23 Caffe Allora

May 28 T L

May 29 Sleeping Beauty

May 31 - Steamboat

June 6 - June! - Monte Cristo

June 14 Family dinner with
a fool (the dessert)

June 13 - Steamboat

6/17 City champagne

Country cider

6/19 - Kayak down Deschutes River to Sunriver

6/20 - Bicycle 'round Bend

Mosquito Lake, PCT and Ann.

Mosquito Lake, Gifford Pinchot National Forest

July 13, 2013.

Saturdays in Trout Lake means waking up to 50-some degrees.  Then, we close the windows to bank the cool against the 80-something afternoon.  

This Saturday, we awakened with a vague plan to hike somewhere new.  So I studied the forest map over waffles and coffee, looking for a trailhead where we thought there would be no mosquitoes this time of year.

Ironically, we headed up to Mosquito Lake because our neighbors kayaked there last week and reported it bug free.  It’s a pretty little lake that reminds me of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe area because it is flat and pristine – no mountain view.  Then, we took off up the Pacific Crest Trail for a while.  

The PCT north of forest road 8851 is nothing special.  It is a gentle grade with no major ups and downs.  It provided us a simple walk in the woods, which suited us way better than a treadmill.   

Ann visited us on short notice, which meant dinner at the Country Inn instead of an Allyson-home-cooked feast.  We love visitors, especially Ann.  

Bicycle to the Zen Abbey

Click on photos to enlarge.

A gorgeous, lazy summer day in Trout Lake.  We got on our bikes to burn off the waffles. But, instead of our normal 11-mile route over the rivers and around the farms, we detoured to the he Mt. Adams Zen Buddhist Abbey.

As we were looking around, the Rev. Kozen Sampson greeted us, welcomed us, and encouraged us to explore the ever-improving grounds.  He's done a wonderful job of building beautiful spaces and landscaping.

Bicyclists pause over the White Salmon River

Road to the Abbey

UFOs in Trout Lake, Washington

Trout Lake, Washington is known for UFO activity.  With clear skies and very little light pollution, Trout Lake offers good stargazing.  In just 40 minutes the other night, I spotted a couple of satellites plus a shooting star.

But, UFO’s? 

ECETI stands for Enlightened Contact with Extra Terrestrial Intelligence.  The Eceti Ranch is just down the road from our own Mt. Adams Base Camp.

James Gilliland, ECETI’s founder, has a theory, and he’s sticking to it.  Why would ET’s, who must be vastly superior to us, want to engage with Earth brutes who possess weapons of mass destruction?  Would you, for example, want to sit down to a chat with a hungry crocodile?  Of course not.  So, a prerequisite to benevolent contact from ET’s is an open mind and a loving heart.

What about Pope John Paul, II or President Obama, they both seem to have loving hearts and want to do good?  Why would ET’s chose James Gilliland over them?

His answer, “The benevolent ones do not want to further any one agenda, government or religion, which answers the question why they have not landed in the Vatican or the White House lawn.”  Mr. Gilliland continues, “They do not believe in structured truths which create separation, division and sometimes war in endless power struggles. They have transcended all religious and cultural boundaries into a profound love for all people and all life.”

So, ET’s select Trout Lake over Mecca or the Vatican.  I live in Trout Lake.  I have profound love for people that transcends any religious dogma.  I do not believe, for, example, in stoning to death insolent children, and I certainly disagree with hiding women under burqas.  Maybe my universal love of women and others is helping to draw ET’s to Trout Lake. 

According to Eceti.org,  “An unprecedented event is unfolding in a small town known as Trout Lake, Washington. This event has the potential to change the course and destiny of Humanity and the Earth. The people of Earth are being offered a chance to join the rest of the universe in peace.”

Uh oh!  This could be bad.  Will we have 10 million seekers rivaling the annual pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe?  Will there be hordes as in Lourdes?  I don’t want traffic jams driving north on WA 141 as millions visit.  I like the peace, quiet and bucolic character of this excellent community.

Fortunately, our Reporter possessed the requisite open heart and open mind to obtain an invitation for a private visit to the Eceti ranch, so I can get some insight.  He took Allyson.  I did not go.  I did not qualify because of my skepticism, born of logic and my ability to understand the English language.  Logic often disables people from following love gurus.  As the Bhagwan Shree Rashneesh said, “Logic ridicules love, and love smiles knowingly at the whole foolishness of logic.” 

Listen to the ET believers' videos and read their papers with a knowledge of English, and nothing makes sense.  Damn law school!  Damn my Vulcan logic!  I'll miss out on the upcoming world-altering events.

The Eceti Ranch consists of a beautiful 70 acres, if you don’t look too hard at some of the run-down structures.  Eceti’s “Field of Dreams” has a full view of Mt. Adams and a nearly horizon-to-horizon window to the star-filled sky.  

Our Reporter and Allyson saw many satellites and some shooting stars. 

The guy with the tattoo of a feline-like alien, with whom he has contact, saw something different. The woman who has had Ayahuasca treatment in the past saw things.  Believers and James Gilliland declared that moving objects were “powering up.”  THEY could distinguish "the motherships" from the "scout ships."  Those airplanes overhead must be keeping an eye on the Eceti Ranch and not merely be transporting people.  Lights on the mountain could not be backpackers overnighting before climbing Mt. Adams. “Why would they be looking this way?” “That’s 13 miles away; lights would not go this far.”

Well, our Reporter is into science, not fantasy.  Satellite speed depends on distance from Earth.  The ones farther away are not "powering up" – they go faster.  Allyson knows that campers look around in every direction, which would include the direction of the Field of Dreams.  Could it be that Eceti folks' shining lasers at moving objects attract attention from backpackers on the mountain with headlamps?

In conclusion, CarpeSummer’s intrepid reporters could not confirm any UFO activity.  That does not mean UFO’s do not visit Trout Lake with great frequency.  If our reporters had stayed until sunrise, maybe they'd have made contact.  Just because goofy people believe in something does not mean that it does not exist.  Maybe our reporters just missed contact by a night or two.  Maybe Allyson did not possess the requisite open mind. 

So, without ET contact, we have no way of disputing Mr. Gilliland’s experience with ET’s, and I do not want to dispute his hope for universal peace and love.  He wrote, “They all carry a universal message. Their focus is universal peace, brother / sisterly love and to honor the Creator in all creation. It is the same message handed down by every enlightened master that ever walked the Earth.”

Brotherly Love

Ken (& Scout) and Steve (& Allyson):  Lake Merwin, the Shorthorn Trail, perfect weather and two brothers with widow-maker stents, which allow me to enjoy extended play with them. 

 

        Tuesday, Ken and I pretty much had Lake Merwin to ourselves.  The calm water leading to the waterfall was clear to the bottom and a beautiful blue-green.  Scout demonstrated his swimming ability (above) and his extreme devotion to his master.  We found a good place with a sandy bottom to get out of the boat in the water.  When Ken disappeared under the water, his loyal hound swam out.  

        16 months ago, Ken was lifeless for about 60 minutes while Ann and paramedics pumped his heart for him.  This week, we could lounge on the boat in the water, with a beverage and a sandwich and, like a dog, just enjoy being. (Couple more photos here).

            Saturday, Steve joined us for a fairly long, uphill walk on the Shorthorn Trial in the shadow of Mt. Adams.  It was pleasant, with temperatures in the 70s. This time of year, the trail is a bit dusty, and few flowers bloom until . . . . we reach the Spring-like area near the rushing creek, which is the payoff of the hike.  

                Soft, green grasses and bouquets of wildflowers envelop the sparkling water, which looks pure enough to drink. (Photos here). So, we lingered, talked, and did just a bit of exploring, where we spotted an American Dipper dancing, then flying down stream to keep its distance from us. 

Busy in a Trout Lake kinda way.

Saturdays in July are prime time in Trout Lake, Washington.  We did not even have time for the Saturday Market. 

Morning into afternoon, we hiked the Salt Creek Trail with neighbor Dale and his two dogs.  It’s an easy trail, which, allegedly, has a great pay off where two rivers converge with an in-your-face mountain view.  Unfortunately, the “Trail End” signed fooled us into thinking we went the wrong way, so we turned around before the pay off.  So, instead, we enjoyed a 4+ hour hike through the woods, with views of one river, and a big pond / wetland engineered by beavers.  Evidence of their work in progress is below. 

Then, we popped into the Trout Lake Festival of the Arts to see this-year’s offerings of art and music.  I caught about four songs from The Humphrey | Hartman | Cameron Trio.  A cellist plus two other women who played guitar, and or banjo and sang with beautiful folky charm.  Their songs were funny, too.  One was a ballad on payday loans, another about the “cleavage” of the rear kind, inspired by sitting on the bleachers of a baseball game sitting behind people with shirts too high and pants too low. 

Kent and Karis then stopped by the J & A rest area to reconfigure their gear and get some food.

Later, we joined neighbor Susan and her friend Claudia on her back deck, which feels, like a picnic spot in the forest.  There, we enjoyed conversation, dogs and the rest of our homemade (by someone else) Huckleberry Pie as the as evening turned to starry night, which is best appreciated in our hot tub at home.  

Next morning, as I had sipped my coffee and read on the back deck, one of our other deer neighbors could not let me go without stopping by.  

Enjoying our Good Luck on Friday the 13th

Friday the 13^th was a good day.  

A weekday / workday in Trout Lake means we place ourselves above our work.  It means sitting, watching the jays at the feeders, home cooking, and shoulders relaxed to a level at least two inches lower than times when we are at our desks keying out paragraphs and fending off E-mails like ninja warriors defending against samarai sword swipes. 

So, this morning, bicycled about 11 or 12 miles around the bucolic valley, with cows, views of two mountains and two rivers.  Then, we finally made our way to the local swimmin’ hole (bottom photo).  It’s too secret to disclose how to get there.  The water is cold, so we figure we must get inner tube float toys so that most of our bodies can absorb the hot temps while our butts and feet keep us cool. 

When we are in Portland, we think, “Why do we have a second house that we hardly visit?”  When we get out here, we think, “Why are we living in Portland?”

Preamble to Summer

Mountain Goats on Sleeping Beauty

Finally, summer begins at 4:09 p.m. tomorrow, at least for two days, before more rain on the weekend.  Nevertheless, I’m doing a pretty good job of enjoying what I can when I can, despite a fairly heavy workload.  The picture on top was from Saturday’s hike with Dale.   Four mountain goats we saw up there.  More pictures here.

Friday, I had the Buck Creek trail entirely to myself.  The variety of conifers is pretty remarkable.  Western Red Cedar with Ponderosa Pines plus a variety of firs.  The trail, like most of the area, seems to be on the knife-edge of the wet and dry climate. More photos here. 

Friday morning, I had my coffee on the “lake” in Trout Lake.  Once again, I had the space all to myself: smooth water that reflected the snow-capped mountain, the sounds of birds, and the feel of warm sun, even at 7:00 am. 

In all three of the above spots and times, it was a pleasure to just sit and let nature come to me.  On the lake, one snipe, then another, flew past.  On the Buck Creek hike, I paused for a while, and a small Rufous Hummingbird directed my attention to a single flower on a bunch of Indian Paintbrush.  It looked like a weed whacker had ripped off the other flowers - probably bitten off by deer.  And, of course, it was wonderful to view and ponder the presence of the mountain goats.  This must be the place to have their kids: very defensible from any predators because of the sheer cliffs and multiple crevices to hide behind.  I suppose they stand on top to watch out.  After awhile, they got uncomfortable with the stare down between them and us.  Mama and baby scampered down as the biggest one watched us.  After awhile, he worked his way down, too.  When other people arrived, we scampered down, too.  

Speaking of deer, a couple of them decided to eat at the bird feeder Saturday morning.  

Seizing good weather opportunities

The weather gods have cooperated this spring; we’ve enjoyed some of our best days on the weekends.  Last Saturday was a great Saturday in Portland.  Allyson and I hiked 6 miles in Forest Park.  Then, we replenished our lost calories outdoors at Beesaw’s for brunch.  Later, we enjoyed an evening boat cruise with Ken and Ann. 

Even though we’ve been on that stretch of the Willamette many times in the past, it is always great to go.  Particularly the part between downtown and Lake Oswego, it seems like such a different world with the gracious waterfront yards rising to mansions, rocky cliffs, trees . . . . If we lived at the coast, we would walk the same beach.  So, why not boat the same river.

This weekend, too, I had plenty of sun on Friday, sat outside for dinner at the Country Inn, and walked along Trout Lake Creek this morning. You may ask, why is there water in the creek? Well, I’ll show you. 

Drive up about 8 miles, and the road is blocked by snow. Little Goose Creek, I hear, is truly little during the summer.  But now, with snowmelt, it seems pretty big and powerful as it tumbles through a steep rock gorge toward Trout Lake.    

Eventually, the water flows into Trout Lake Creek and wetlands, which is as close as we have to a lake in Trout Lake, Washington.

Hike in Mt. Adams Wilderness

To qualify as wilderness, an area must be at least 5,000 acres and roadless (among other things.) So, in the Gifford Pinchot Forest, Road 23 skirts along the edge of the Mt. Adams Wilderness Area, which comprises over 47,000 acres on the east side of the 12,326 foot high mountain. We drove around to Tahk Lahk Lake, then on to the trail head for the Divide Camp trail, which leads hikers into the wilderness. We worked our way up through forest and meadows full of lupine in bloom. Then, we hiked past fields of rocks where torrents of water at some time in the past had washed out the all of the dirt and vegetation. Some gray glacial water still flows in other areas.

Our goal was the intersection with the Pacific Crest Trail, pictured above. But then we went a little farther and found a glorious overlook with a 180 degree view that included Mt. Baker.

Gorgeous day. Temp in the 50s, but it felt warmer with sun and exertion. More photos on flikr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39474118@N06/sets/72157624759307497/

Jump Start on the Labor Day Weekend

I broke out of Portland Thursday morning for the Labor Day weekend. That does not mean, of course, that I escaped from phone calls from current clients and wanna be clients. But, when Mary tells them I’m out for the weekend, then, if I answer or return a message, they are pleased.

It’s interesting what we notice when we slow down. I’ve ridden my bike around the valley dozens of times. Thursday, I noticed the above, nondescript barn as something that makes the ride what it is. There are many more dramatic views: Mt Adams, Mt Hood, the two rivers, the cows, and more picturesque barns. For some reason, the above barn got me to stop and snap a photo. One day, this valley will probably be carved up into lots and homes. The “planning commission” just rubber stamps whatever the landowner dares to ask for. (Change the comprehensive plan to rezone for you? Sure thing, friend.) What a different ride it would be if it were not a rickety barn here, a barn-full-of-cows there, massive irrigation systems, and outlaw (unpermitted) irrigation ditches there.

In the evening, I just sat by the marsh for about 45 minutes as the sun set. A solitary Spotted Sandpiper, teals, and grebes kept my attention, as well as the changing light. At times, there was the mountain, a dark space in between, and reflection in Trout Lake Creek. For a time, the light struck the trees in between.

Friday morning, I joined the other 3 dozen door-busters for was the big rummage sale to benefit the local scholarship fund. Who could pass up a bunny with big eyes and a smile asking for a new home? Friday evening, Allyson & I reunited.