That's Gneiss! #88 ~ TOILET FULL
Greetings dear friends!
We survived our camping trip with nary a lonely old white man to disrupt our peace. Huzzah! Actually, there was plenty of activity in the campground, as it was full.
Well, according to the “Reserved” signs on every site it was full. But the number sites that sat empty because nobody showed up was shocking. It seems there was no policy in place that freed a site if the people didn’t show up after the first day without canceling. Too bad, because I’m sure there were plenty of people who would have liked to have a campsite (like the couple next to us the first night that had to leave from a site that then sat empty for two more nights). It’s incredibly selfish and rude of people to just not show up. I find it difficult to believe that so many people had emergencies that kept them away and unable to cancel their reservation.
Here is the view from our campsite:
And off into another direction:
In 2015 the Goodell Creek Fire burned over 7,000 acres around the town of Newhalem, including a section of the campground. Loop C was closed for two years, and reopened last year after cleanup and rebuilding of sites took place. We liked the looks of it when we walked around here last year, so when it came time to make reservations for our trip I selected site 95 - which also happens to be the highest campsite in the entire campground.
It was fascinating to see the effects of the fire, and the plants that are starting to grow back. The rocks had been burned clean of any weathering or lichens that were on them, and some were obviously cracked by the heat of the fire.
There were tiny plants everywhere - Oregon Grape, Salal, and tiny trees. I’m somewhat dismayed to report that when I put my glasses on and looked around, I could see even tinier trees growing all over the place. Here’s one of the larger tiny trees. It’s no more than four inches tall.
On the second day we drove up to the Washington Pass Overlook. If you live in Western Washington, or are visiting, it is well worth the drive and your time to visit. The views are spectacular!
It was a bit hazy on the Liberty Bell side.
Rowland wasn’t impressed by the view down to the highway. In fact, he seemed to be rather uncomfortable on the entire short little walk at the overlook.
It is a long ways down. I wonder what was going through his head.
There isn’t much in the way of amenities way up in the mountains, and some of the bathrooms were locked!
Oh dear…
This sign was also posted on the bathrooms. Read it, and think about it for a minute or two.
The only thing missing was “For more information please reread.” So Scarfolk!
Needless to say, there was no host in the lower parking lot - just a travel trailer that looked like it might be the host’s office when onsite.
Good luck with those emergencies when they’re not onsite…
Rowland wanted me to let you know that camping is utterly exhausting, and that we took him on way too many long walks and didn’t give him enough treats for his troubles.
It’s true, we did take him on a lot of long walks. It’s also true that he’s a drama queen.
I noticed quite some bits of trash around the campsite, so I decided to pick it up. I put my glasses on so I could find all of it (my eyes don’t work as well as they never did before). By the time I was finished, I had quite a pile.
It’s amazing how much junk gets left behind by folks too lazy to pick up after themselves. Mostly plastic, which would have sat there forever. I am a nickel richer for my efforts though!
It was a very restful and fun trip. I read a lot, and played around with my watercolors. There was a very intriguing stump that I decided to paint.
It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself!
I took a lot of photos on the trip - if you’d like to look through them they can be found on my Flickr site: Camping at Newhalem. I used my point & shoot instead of my phone, and I can tell a difference in the quality. The phone is decent, but the camera is darn good. I’ve been neglecting it, and Flickr. Time to remedy that.
Time to go - I hope you all have a good week.
Cheers!
Tidbits
Light this week - very little screen time this week!
Emergency preparedness kit - don’t procrastinate (I tell myself)
Making: I spent some time with my watercolors while we were camping. I did some abstract dribbling, then inked around it. I was inspired by some of the work of ballpointpenguin, and artist I follow on Instagram. It was easy, fun, and could be addictive…
Reading: I plowed through The Darwin Affair while out camping. It was a well-done Victorian thriller with plenty of recognizable characters and a really hatable bad guy. I recommend it! Then I started The Farm - because who doesn’t need a good dystopian nightmare now and then?
Recently eaten: we eat well when camping - chicken a la king, tadka dal, chili, and eggs benedict…
Video of the week
I heard this song twice in the last few days. Don’t worry that there’s nothing to see - it’s all about the story - listen carefully.
Tour Jacket with Detachable Sleeves - Half Man Half Buscuit
Which of course reminds me of this, another great story song.
The Gift - Velvet Underground
Question of the week
Answer if you wish, and I’ll share next week - anonymously of course. Just hit reply…
Do you have a favorite story song?
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Last week I asked about the highlight of your year so far.
It’s been uneventful, I guess.
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