- 牡丹和芍药同宗？ [2012/04]
- 从旧金山湾区到大峡谷四日游 [2012/04]
- “只因为在人群中多看了你一眼” [2012/06]
- 走近美洲土狼，coyote ugly [2012/02]
- 【现场报道】旧金山华人抗议日本强占我钓鱼岛（二） [2012/09]
- 后海夜色 -- Night Life in Beijing [2011/09]
- 【太平盛世】步行街 (Shopping Plaza) [2011/09]
- 体验城际高速 [2011/09]
- 安享晚年 [2012/07]
- 英译《我的祖国》 [2011/01]
- 惊涛拍岸 （Spindrifts of Big Sur） [2011/05]
- 【现场报道】旧金山华人抗议日本强占我钓鱼岛（一） [2012/09]
- 【酒足饭饱，信口评说】天津狗不理包子 [2012/05]
- 【北岳恒山】千年悬空寺 [2012/05]
- 内部特供酒 [2012/01]
- 天津俗文化 [2011/09]
- 苹果梨 Asian Pear [2011/10]
- 【太平盛世】父老乡亲 [2011/09]
- 精品二锅头 [2011/10]
- 香椿菜 [2011/10]
- 厦大校园，美尽东南 [2010/11]
- 春的四月，院内花开 [2012/04]
- 苍鹭多高，鹈鹕多大 [2011/07]
- 家乡西凤酒 [2011/11]
- 春天多美好 [2012/05]
- 登峰六部曲 [2012/01]
- 黄了银杏红了枫叶 [2011/12]
1. 人生的小小愿望
时常听到些告诫人们如何限制个人欲望之说，比如贪欲沾污生命之纯净，等等。个人认为，生活里的一些想望往往是一种动力。比如，人在加州生活了许多年就想去一个气候比较湿润的地方避暑，毕竟加州每年从晚春到仲秋有长达五个月有余的旱季，干热。去过俄勒冈(Oregon)几次，只是那里的夏日与加州区别不大。就思忖着再往北去华盛顿州(Washington State)看看。
奥林匹克国家公园地处西雅图之西的奥林匹克半岛，去那里游览的计划去年已经摆上桌面，只是那时的汽油价格在布什政府的英明领导之下飙升到了四美元以上，等到今夏才得成行。
雨中圣海伦斯山谷
今年八月初，美国西北部遭遇史上罕见的热浪，西雅图接受了华氏上百度高温的烘烤。只是受工作日程限制，没能赶上一丁点骄阳如炽，万里无蔼的景色。上路时的情景还好，从加州到俄勒冈一路阳光明媚。只是到了头一天的目的地，塞勒姆 (Salem)，俄勒冈州首府，大约傍晚七点钟左右，天开始下雨。初落之雨给人一种如浴甘露的清新感，我们毕竟有三个多月没看到雨了。那空气一下子湿润了很多，有一种柔滑感，人就在一种难以言喻的愉悦里入睡。
2. 寻两峰不遇
第二天早晨雨住了，阴天多云，东方还出现了一丝鱼肚白，似乎预示着一个大晴天呢。只是欢呼跳跃还为时过早，毕竟人还在俄勒冈境内。开车过了波特兰(Portland)，跨越了浩瀚的哥伦比亚江(Columbia River)，就发现华盛顿州烟雨弥漫，阵雨天气，局部暴雨。高速公路大雨倾盆而下，大卡车驶过，激起千层雨雾，令人犹入云里雾里，开过了去503好公路出口，竟浑然不知。原本打算从圣海伦斯火山(Mount St. Helens)，北美大陆最近一次爆发的火山南边绕一个大圈，顺便入山观景，然后取东北方向北上去走访润尼尔山国家公园(Mount Rainier National Park)的。
圣海伦斯火山遗迹
可惜呀，当我们看到“圣海伦斯火山游客接待中心”的牌子时，车已到达504号公路的入口，这是一条游览圣海伦斯山的风景专线。这回算是掉入陷阱了，专线的另一端是穷途末路，这一去就是百多英里的来回路。算了，迷路，冤枉路，都是人在路途的必然境遇呀。
圣海伦斯火山烧焦的树木
风云雾雨，仍然有峡谷，绿山，瀑布，野花，烧焦的树桩，样样尽收眼底。504号路面良好，一路观景点很多，如果天好，这一路景色幽美，山峰林立，活火山，死火山，林林总总。只是山峰和火山口躲藏在浓云厚雾里，始终不肯露面。雨不大，可那云层始终不肯散去。
我们忙于赶路，无暇哭笑。从504号公路转505再转到12号，时针已指向下午3点，一路有雨，时紧时疏。
润尼尔山国家公园的银辉瀑布
路况优秀，很快就从12号转向123号，行驶5-6英里就到了润尼尔山国家公园的欧哈纳珀喀什(Ohanapecosh入口。收费员态度温和，对当天的天气致歉。这里地势偏低，尽管天阴，树啦，山沟啦，山体啦，还都入眼。很多游人在银辉瀑布(Silver Falls）下留影，一片温馨。空气凉爽湿润，丝毫没有不适。不一会儿就到了匣子谷(Box Canyon)，一股急流，挟冰川从山石上打磨下来的石末，在谷底咆哮。那峡谷又窄又深，必须站在正中间方能看到谷底的急流。人在一百英尺之上，仍能感觉稠乎乎奶油咖啡色水流的恼怒，湍急，和野蛮。
润尼尔山国家公园的匣子谷
公园修缮良好，小路，木桥，可供游人徒步半英里，与那咆哮激流多厮守些时间。此时云厚天暗，大树浸湿，惟有这狂呼高叫的湍流告知所有生灵这片天地永远无眠。
人间天堂(Paradise)是当天的目的地，也是整个公园的骄傲。路途停车，在影射湖(Reflection Lake)驻足，听说天好的话，湖水绿蓝，美丽的雪峰就会有倒影入湖，那雪峰和湖水之间有一圈青翠的松林环绕。当日那山峰缺失，能看到的是湖和一些树，还有很多雾。
影射湖
到了人间天堂，一切照旧。听说这里有成片成片的野花娇艳。阳光明媚时（这个刺痛人心的概念哟），无数野花，颦颦婷婷，一直延伸到树林边上，林带之上有着银装的山峰，真实童话般的景象，摄影者的梦想之乡啊。只是高处的雨更大了，我们只能在修筑精美的亨利。杰克逊游人接待中心逗留了一会儿就离开了，实在是束手无策呀。
3. 生活依旧美丽
心中当然有些失落感，没有人愿意驱车千里寻山不见的。但是心中没有悲伤，这一路有着依附在大自然母亲怀抱里的孩童之温馨之感。虽然没有看到她俊美的全貌，那柔和，那优雅可是随时随地可循。
人间天堂的旅馆，与接待中心对面
是该出山找旅馆的时候了。下山的路上，娜勒达瀑布(Narada Falls)令人不得不停车观望。停车场几乎空无一车，有一只狐狸旁若无人地在桌子和下水道处嗅闻，寻找旅客洒落的食物。走到停车场边上，看到一股急流泻入脚下的峡谷。从这个角度照相比较难些，就顺着入谷小道而下。雨在不停地下着，那瀑布在雨中更显绝妙。这山里有瀑布无数，但不是所有的瀑布都在路边上。即使没有时间徒步探寻，我们仍旧与差不多五个瀑布不期而遇。
娜勒达瀑布(Narada Falls)
换路无数次，终于赶旁晚7点45分到达奥林匹亚市（华盛顿州首府），找到一家旅馆住下，夕阳的感觉甚是轻松美好。
4. 飓风岭
寻访圣海伦斯火山和润尼尔山不见，心情并没有太沮丧，原因也许在于此行是来走访奥林匹克国家公园的。好远的路啊，走了整整两天了，还没到目的地。奥林匹亚市离飓风岭还有三个多小时的路程，据说是公园的精华所在。
奥林珀斯山峰(Mount Olympus)和诸多白雪覆盖的山峰
早晨8点离开奥林匹亚，很快就找到了101号高速公路的东干线，于11点钟左右到达天使港(Port Angeles)，这个美丽的海湾城市伫立于狭长但是浩瀚的旺德福卡海峡(Strait of Juan De Fuca)之滨，奥林匹克半岛之顶端。广袤的太平洋从此地伸向内陆，把一片陆地切割得支离破碎，正因为如此，这里有很多令人刮目相看的景致，可惜一天的日程排得满满的，无暇驻留。
山梁景色
从天使港到飓风岭还得开车18英里。路好，雨也住了，淡淡的阳光试图从紧绕山体和树林的白云里透出。奥林珀斯山峰(Mount Olympus)和诸多白雪覆盖的山峰令人十分振奋，一些冰川分明就在眼前么。太阳时不时从云后探出头来，沿着山梁行走了一个英里多些，看到两只小鹿随鹿妈妈在草地长椅间寻觅吃食。回到大地母亲怀抱的人们个个喜气洋洋。这地方把此行推向了高潮，虽然我们只逗留了两个多小时。
接待中心看冰川
5. 红宝石海滩
在游客接待中心与一位服务人员交谈，说明今天要去游览飓风梁和何氏雨林(Hoh Rain Forest)的意图。服务员说从高速公路去雨林的山路达20英里，路面狭窄，弯弯曲曲，来回需要一个多小时。因此，她建议距离公路8英里的葵垴尔特雨林(Quinault Rain Forest)，这样路上也有暇在红宝石海滩(Ruby Beach)歇脚。
顺便提了一句北加州也有值得一看的海滩，她说此地的海滩更加崎岖蜿蜒，只是一时不明其意。红宝石海滩就在高速公路边上，海滩上人很多，还有成堆的横七竖八的大树。这些树被洪水从山上冲落海里，再被海浪送回海滩。始终没有看出来这海滩的奇特来。
红宝石海滩
有趣的是这大西北收获木材的过程。这里种树，树木成长一般需要几十年光景。一旦长成，就成片收割，给新树苗腾地方。路边立有巨大木牌，昭示收割种树的日期。
6. 葵垴尔特雨林
在红宝石海滩吃了些零食，休息片刻，时间已是下午3点半，必须赶路，看雨林时光线至关紧要。五点钟到达公园管理站，除了零星几个游人，无人管理。告示牌建议自导自游，我们就钻进了林子。雨林实在没有什么看头，只是比一般树林多些长在树身挂在树枝的苔藓而已。林内光线不足，很多细节不显。只是惊叹于这里的年降雨量，要知道这里的纬度已经相当高了，绝对不算热带雨林，而是冷雨林。
雨林景象
在林中走了一圈，大约一英里有余，从另一端穿过一片果园后，找到停车场。之后还有很长一段路程，驱车经过昊魁木(Hoequim)和阿伯锦(Arberdeen)，这两个地名在跨越太平洋的飞机上盯过无数次呢。回奥林匹亚的路上，在101号高速公路突遇暴雨，雨点之急，连扫雨刷都失去了功效。车速以下子从每小时70英里剧降到45英里；大幸啊，路上车少，人人减速行驶十五分钟。纵然如此，还是赶在8点钟之前回到奥林匹亚，住进了昨天住过的旅馆。天哪，这一天够忙的。
值得一提的是何氏和葵垴尔特都是古老印第安部落的名称。走访过几多州，就数华盛顿州对印第安人最为尊敬。
7. 再寻两峰
这一程是为了奥林匹克国家公园而来的，但是润尼尔山和圣海伦斯火山也让人大感兴趣。南下途中，我们决定再次回访。再者，预报说周五有可能天气良好呢。当然只是可能而已。离开奥林匹亚时，天空渐亮，然后出了太阳，似有好事等着人哩。
克莉丝汀落瀑
其实不然。直到公元门口，能见度一直尚好，而且无雨。惟有那大雾纠住大山不放，浓雾洒泪，弄得地面精湿，打滑。
雾中游客
我们可是铁了心要按两天前预定的路线倒回来走的。天暗云低，我们就只看眼前能看到的景物，套句谚语，“自然授受，不存贪欲。”克莉丝汀瀑布(Christine Falls)姣好，朗迈尔(Longmire)有小商店和陈列馆。到了人间天堂，雨倒是没下，只是杰克逊中心被大雾团团包住，从停车场都看不到大楼了。进去搞到了山路的信息和地图，我们就开始徒步上山，尽管大山全然不见踪影。看到了漫山遍野的花，大雾也遮不去她们明艳的笑靥。还有数不清的瀑布，溪流，甚至冰川。只是那雾愈来愈厚重，人都被弄得湿个透。快回来时，能听到迎面的行人，就是一时看不见呢。就这样走了四英里，呼吸到了真正水灵灵的新鲜空气。开车下山也是毛骨悚然的一程哪！如此这般，与大自然亲近无间。
雾里看花
从地图上看，圣海伦斯火山的风岭(Windy Ridge)观景点离公路不远，但实际距离有16英里之遥，山路弯曲窄小。尽管天气预报说了这里下午有阳光，3点钟了，还是云遮雾绕，火山口依然真人不露相。比两天前还是好了许多，看到了大片的山地，上得一山梁，看见了火山留下的巨大深坑，30年前，大量土石涌至，制造了这个高原。遍地野花怒放，安慰着那些山坡上倒下来，烧焦了的树木。被烧烤过的山体还在呻吟。我们尽了自己的努力，其余的只有任其自然了。
火山遗址
8. 回返俄勒冈
没有时间也没有理由生气，骂人，或者自怨自艾。世间一切，包括我们自己都是大千世界的一部分。为了避免心灰意冷，我们决定回访哥伦比亚大河谷。六年前来访过，但出于种种原因没有看全很多从山崖跌落的众多瀑布。再加上我们已经人在内陆，直下进入哥伦比亚大河谷正好进入瀑布群，然后再顺大河谷朝海岸线方向回归高速公路。
Mutlnomah瀑布
换路一次又一次，绕着大山，深谷，河流走，到了卡尔森。车过神明桥(Bridge of the Gods)时，已是下午6点多了。河谷沿岸有瀑布二十多座，因为是回访，没用几分钟就找到了地方。还是只能走访路边的瀑布，徒步爬山追寻是万万不能的，没有时间哪。就这样，在半个小时之内，我们还是看到了Elowah, Horsetail, Lower Oneonta和Mutlnomah几个路边瀑布，其中Mutlnomah最大，属所有瀑布之最。一路走来，7点45左右在波特兰找到旅馆。
9. 回归加州
归途无话，驱车千里。早晨八点钟多点上路，傍晚7点多到家，一路走了11小时。
远瞧珊斯达山峰(Mount Shasta)
当高大的珊斯达山峰(Mount Shasta)以其皑皑白雪裹顶出现在眼前时，内心为之一动。明媚，山峰从不拒绝见客。
旅途：2009年8月11-15日
英文：2009年8月18-24日
翻译：2009年8月24-26日
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Paradise Missed
1. Life's Little Desires
In life we often encounter advices telling us to curb our greed. It is said that desire corrupts the purity of life. But it seems to me that reasonable desires are the driving forces of life. For example, after having lived in California for many years, it's only natural to desire a slightly wetter place for the summer. Here in California it doesn't rain for five long months from late Spring to mid-Autumn. We did take some trips to Oregon but the summer scene there failed to distinguish itself from that of California. So, we thought about a bit more up North, like the State of Washington.
Reflection Lake, Mount Rainier National Park
The plan to drive up to the Olympic National Park at the Olympic Peninsula just west of Seattle was on the table one summer ago. But the gas price under the Bush Administration went up over $4 per gallon. The trip had to be postponed for a year.
The Great Northwest experienced some historic heat wave early in August. Seattle was scorched by triple digit heat. But due to different work schedules, we didn't catch any of the great sunshine and tremendous visibility. Our trip started out promising as we had brilliant sunshine in California and even Oregon. Only when we reached the destination of the first day, Salem the capital city of Oregon, it started to rain about 7 o'clock in the evening. The rain felt so soothingly at the beginning, for we hadn't seen any real rain for the past three months plus. The air was, indeed, moist and soothing to the skin. Everyone went to bed feeling blessed.
2. Missing Mountains
The next day greeted us with cloudy skies but no rain. As a matter of fact, there was a little breaking on the horizon as if a sunny day was to emerge. There was nothing to celebrate, however, for we were still in Oregon. By the time we drove past Portland and crossed the mighty Columbia River, the State of Washington was saturated with moisture. It was showery with pockets of heavy downpour. Some part was so stormy that the big rigs on the highway kicked up some fiery balls of water mist. It was hard to see where we were; as a result, we drove by the exit to connect from Highway 5 to Route 503 without any notice. The original plan was to loop around the south side of Mount St. Helens in order to have a glance of the most recent erupted volcano on the continental US. From there we could proceed on to the northeast side of Mount Rainier National Park.
Unfortunately, by the time we could see the sign that read "Mount St. Helens Visitor Center" we were looking at Route 504, a scenic bypass built just Mount St. Helens. This was a trap as this 50 mile drive had no outlet at the other end. In other words, we were looking at a hundred mile round trip. Anyway, missing connections and going extra miles was all part of life on the road.
Mount St. Helens was hidden in the clouds and rain. We could see most of the elements, like deep valleys, lush green hills, waterfalls, flowers, and burnt tree stumps and newly planted trees. Route 504 was excellent. well paved with wonderful viewpoints. In a good day, one should have a wonderful time stopping by and see the mountains around, erupted or not. But the mountain peak or the erupted crater was entirely absent, enshrouded in stubborn clouds and thick fog. It rained lightly but the white clouds simply wouldn't relent for the duration of our short visit.
Mount Rainier Model
We had no time to laugh or cry, for we must move on. A swift connection from 505 (a northwest slant from 504 towards Highway 5) led us to Route 12. The clock was fast ticking towards 3 pm. The rain stayed off and on along the way.
Again, the road condition was excellent. Soon Route 12 led us to Route 123. Five or six miles later we found the Ohanapecosh entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. The gate agent was very polite and apologized for such low visibility. The entrance was still at a fairly low altitude. In spite of all the clouds, one could still see the trees, the valleys and some part of the mountains. We found many folks taking pictures at Silver Falls right by the road. That was nice. The moisture and mild temperature provided some comfort; nothing was irritating, yet. A few minutes later, we were at Box Canyon where the water mixed with rock powders grinded off by glaciers roared down a canyon. The canyon was so deep and so narrow that one must stand right atop of the canyon (on a bridge) in order to see the rushing water at the bottom. Standing some 100 plus feet above, I still could feel the anger, the rush, and the power of the water in murky chocolate milk color. This was a well-established park. We took a half mile walk to cross a foot bridge just to be with the roaring water. At this point, the sky became dark and the trees were wet. Still, the roaring river made one feel the day would never sleep.
Parking Lot Fox
Paradise was our destination of the day. It was one of the most decorated point of the entire park. Along the way we stopped at the Reflection Lake by the road. It was said that on a good day one could see the reflection of the snow peak of the majestic Rainier in this beautiful body of green water with pine trees lined just under the white snow peak. Today the peak was missing; so, we could only see the lake and some trees and plenty of fog.
Tourists Looking at Narada Falls
At Paradise, the same theme repeated itself. It was said that this part of the park had extensive fields of gorgeous wildflowers. On a sunny day (ah, such a painful concept), one could see huge meadows of flowers extending into the tree lines, the snow covered peak would be just above the timber. It would have been a fairy tale picture unfolding gracefully in front of our eyes, a photographer's dream. Instead, the rain had picked up at the higher elevation. We could only tour the fabulous Henry M. Jackson visitor's center and left. There wasn't much we could do anyway.
3. Life Is Still Beautiful
No doubt there was a little disappointment, for nobody wished to drive 1,000 miles to be stood up by mountains However, there was no sadness. All the time, I felt like a child in the arms of Mother Nature. I might not be able to see her beauty in her fabulous entirety but I could feel her wonderful presence of softness and elegance.
A Viewpoint along the way to Hurricane Ridge
We had to get out of the mountains and find a hotel for the night. On our way down, Narada Falls stopped us. On the almost empty parking lot, there was a fox sniffing the tables and gutters in search of food dropped by tourists. At the edge of the parking lot we saw this really energetic water fall dropping down into a deep gorge. It was hard to take a decent picture of the fall. So, we took a short walk into the gorge. The waterfall was gorgeous even in the steady rain. The mountains had many waterfalls but not all of them were by the road. With no time to wonder off the road, we still ran into about five waterfalls along the way.
A Deer Family
After many changes of routes, we arrived in Olympia around 7:45 in the evening and found a hotel. The sunset was beautiful, everything seemed nice and easy.
4. Hurricane Ridge
Maybe the reason we didn't feel it was such a tremendous loss to miss seeing the spectacular peaks of Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier was that our trip was to see Olympic National Park. The trip was such a stretch that we drove for two days and haven't reached the destination. As a matter of fact, Olympia was still a good three hours away from Hurricane Ridge, presumably the best portion of the park.
At Hurricane Ridge
We left Olympia around 8 in the morning and quickly found the east fork of Highway 101. And around 11 we arrived at Port Angeles, a port city on the shore of the narrow but gigantic Strait of Juan De Fuca that shaped the Olympic Peninsula. The Pacific Ocean reached deep into the land here to make this part of the world scattered. Because of that, there were so many beautiful places and marvelous scenes to behold. However, we could not linger, as we had our plate full for the day.
It was an 18 mile drive from downtown Port Angeles to the visitor's center on Hurricane Ridge. The road was marvelous. The rain had stopped. Faint sunshine tried to break through clouds that clung to the mountains and forests. It was such a tremendous thrill to be able to see snow covered peaks around Mount Olympus. Some of the permafrost or glaciers were clearly visible. The sun was breaking through now and then. We took a mile long hike along the ridge trail. A mommy deer lead two small deer were searching through grass and benches for lunch. People were happy to be in the arms of Mother Nature. We had our best moments of the trip there, though we only had a little over two hours there.
5. Ruby Beach
At the visitor's center, we mentioned to a trip adviser that we wished to see Hurricane Ridge and Hoh Rain Forest at the park. She said that the driving distance from the highway to the Hoh Rain Forest was a whopping 20 miles. The road was narrow, winding and mountainous thus a round trip would take more than one hour. Thus she suggested to try the Quinault Rain Forest with only 8 miles one way. Along the way we could stop by Ruby Beach.
I mumbled that we had nice beaches in Northern California, she said that the beaches here was more rugged. I had no idea. Ruby Beach was right there by the highway. Not only were there many people but also many large dead trees on the beach. The trees were washed down by flood water all the way from the mountains to the ocean. Then waves pushed them back onshore. Still there was nothing spectacular about Ruby Beach.
What was interesting was how lumber was harvested in the Great Northwest. Trees were planted and were given a few decades to mature. They they were clear-cut for new planting. Huge wooden boards were erected bearing the history of planting and harvesting.
6. Quinault Rain Forest
After snacking and breaking at Ruby Beach, the time had passed 3:30. We hurried up to catch some daylight for the Quinault Rain Forest. We arrived at the Ranger's Station around 5 pm. Nobody was there, except a few tourists. Following the information that seemed to suggest self-guided tours, we hiked into the darkness of the forest. The rain forest wasn't that spectacular as moss grew on tree branches and some hanging vines. The light wasn't so good so it was hard to see all the details. Still, it was amazing how much rain this part of the world received each year, for the altitude was rather high. This wasn't any tropical rain forest but cold water rain forest.
Hanging Moss in Rain Forest
We didn't our one mile plus loop trail in the woods and came through an old orchard farm to find our car. After that we had quite a few miles to drive through the towns of Hoequim and Arberdeen, two names I stared at a lot taking airplanes across the Pacific. When we were almost back to Olympia, we caught up the front of a fierce rainstorm on Highway 101. The downpour was so ferocious that the windshield swipe didn't offer any help. I had to slowed down from 70 miles per hour to around 45. It was such a bless that there weren't many cars and everyone drove slowly for about 15 minutes. We checked back into the same hotel in Olympia before 8 pm. Whew, that was quite a day.
Wild Flowers in Rain and Fog
It should be mentioned here that both Hoh and Quinault were ancient Indian tribes. Washington State seemed to pay a lot more respect to Native Americans than other states we had been to.
7. In Search of the Missing Peaks, again
This entire trip was to see the Olympic National Park. However, Mounts Rainier and St. Helens had aroused a lot of interests. On our way down south, we wanted to give the two mountains another shot. Plus, the forecast said that the weather might improve for Friday. Just might. As we were departing Olympia, there was first faint sunshine then some bright sunlight. Everything seemed promising thus far.
Myrtle Falls in the Rain (Mount Rainier)
It was not to be. The visibility was good all the way to the gate of the Park. It did not rain but the fog stubbornly hanged around the mountains. The fog was weeping big tears; heavy drizzles made the ground wet and slippery.
Creeks and Flowers in the Rain
We were determined to make the reverse loop intended two days ago. When it was dark and cloudy, we concentrated on the views in sight, in a cliché, "taking what life gives us." Christine Falls was gorgeous and Longmire offered a nice shop and a small museum. When we arrived at Paradise, there was no rain but the Jackson Visitor's Center was enshrouded in manacing fog. It was impossible to see the building from its own parking lot. With information about hiking and a simple trail map from the visitor's center, we went out to take a hike, in spite of the horrendous absence of the mountains. Ah, there were so many wild flowers, smiling, under heavy fog. There were waterfalls, creeks, even glaciers, aplenty. The heavy fog that became progressively thicker made us wet. At the end, we couldn't even see those who ran into us at the same narrow trail. Still it was a four mile hike, good to breathe in some fresh air with true moisture. The downhill drive in the fog was an hair-standing experience. All in all, it was nice to be so close to nature.
Wild Flowers in the Fog
From the map, the Windy Ridge observation point seemed rather closer to the main road. The actual distance was a whopping 16 miles of winding and narrow road. In spite of the forecast of a sunny afternoon, at 3 pm the sky was still cloudy and the volcano site was no show. The only improvement from two days ago was a lot more land came into sight. We climbed up a ridge and saw the giant crater, it was created by the run-offs of the volcanic eruption almost 30 years ago. There were many wild flowers, providing consolation to those fallen and burnt trees all over the hills. The scorched hillsides were still moaning. After all, we made our effort and the rest was in the hands of natural forces beyond our control.
Mount St. Helens
8. Back to Oregon
There was no time or reason to be upset, to curse or to feel sorry for ourselves. Everything, including ourselves, was part of nature. To add some brightness, we decided to revisit the Columbia River Gorge. We went through the gorge about 6 years ago but didn't see all the waterfalls dropping down from high cliffs. Also, we were already so far inland; therefore, a straight drop into the Columbia River Gorge area would land us right among the clusters of waterfalls. So, it made sense to come out to the coast along the river and under many waterfalls.
After many switches and winding around mountains, valleys, rivers, we reached Carson. By the time we crossed the Bridge of Gods, it was already quite a few minutes past 6 pm.
Horsetail Falls, Columbia River Gorge
The river gorge was narrow but long with over 20 waterfalls. Since this was the second time around, we managed to find those waterfalls within minutes. Our policy was to stop by those waterfalls by the road and avoid hiking up the narrow gorges for waterfalls off the road. We simply didn't have the time. Still in the frame of half an hour, we saw Elowah Falls, Horsetail Falls, Lower Oneonta Falls, the mother of all falls, the Multnomah Falls (for the second time). When we found a hotel in Portland, Oregon, the time was around 7:45.
9. Back to California
The return trip was nothing but a long drive. We hit the road shortly after 8 am and got home shortly before after 7 pm. So, it was an 11 hour affair.
Windy Ridge, Mount St. Helens
The mind was touched once again when the majestic peak of Mount Shasta with plenty of snow around the top came into view. California had so much sunshine that the mountains rarely went hiding.
Trip: August 11-15, 2009
Written: August 18-24, 2009