Having accomplished most all of my maintenance goals, we prepare to move on to Dash Point State Park tomorrow. Skies are clouding up and there is a promise of rain tomorrow. That's OK, we had a week of terrific weather while here at Puyallup. With our move to Dash Point we return to the traveling way. And will be making a somewhat hasty track back towards Texas and my Mom's house.

The payoff to the small output of time taken on this hike is to come upon these little falls. Not awesome falls, but serenely beautiful. Crystal clear water falling intoa sparkling pool with dappled sunlight dancing about. You can feel the Lord's hand in these moments.

My survival skills have served me well again. Being able to read nature signs enabled me to hike straight to the falls without getting lost.

Instead, equipped with my new diamond willow walking stick (that I made while in the Yukon), I hiked back along this well travelled path to find some falls alluded to on the State Park map. This is a little bridge fashioned from timbers to cross this part of the Carbon River.

Look closely. You can just make out the white peaks of Mt Rainier in the center of the pic. From this angle you might think the surrounding mountains are just as tall, but let me assure you that is an illusion. Mt. Rainier is easily twice as tall as the surrounding mounts. This picture was taken from the Carbon River glacial wash down from Carbon Glacier. We did not make it to this glacier, the lowest in the North America, because we did not come prepared for the hike to get to the glacial foot.

8/25/06. Headed out to Mt Rainier National Forest for a walk-about. A nice taste of things to come when we head down to the Redwoods of Oregon and N. California.

8/24/05. Found a real cool place to camp - a fairground. Of course there are no events so the park is open to all business. We're here at the Puyallup City Fairgrounds. At $15 a night with full hook ups and 50 amps of juice we're sitting pretty. On a clear day you can see the top of Mt Rainier. Nice. The best thing about the park is that it is rated for industrial activity, so we can wash our rig and do necessary repairs following the Alaska journey.

One of the aerial shots from the Cesna. The day was almost perfect. A bit of haze in the air prevented a view of Mt Rainier, all we could see was the faintest of shadows. After this we would return to camp, get rested and prepare for our move tomorrow. We will be heading a little south to the town of Puyallup. We'll be parked at the county fair grounds, another first for us. Now wecan join up with the rest of the clowns.

Christa seemed pretty at ease as she took in the Seattle scenery. Being the shortest, she had to sit all the way in the back, but it turned out she had the best windows.

... and this is the plane we were going to fly in, a Cesna 26 I think the pilot said.

8/23/05. Christa and I just before climbing into the plane. With Christa's fright of hieghts I am really surprised she wanted to do this.

After the Aquarium, Christa and I head for a treat that we meant to do on the caravan, but never could squeeze it in with all the other stuff we wanted to do. That treat of course is to fly in a float plane. This is the company we selected...

A quick shot of Christa on the top floor of the Aquarium overlooking the harbor.

The Seattle Aquarium is in construction mode so there was alot of that going on. Add that to the timing of our visit, also selected by 2 or 3 elementary schools for a field trip, and you have a rahter noisy aquarium. Still, they had some unique features, such as this viewing dome which juts out into Puget Sound (supposedly) for a pretty neat look at the local waterway. As you can see, we were joined by many of our new friends, seen here clamoring on the rails, banging on the glass, and testing the vibration affect of a good yell on the nearby fish population.

8/23/05. Mom took a light day on us, so Christa and I head back downtown for the Aquarium. Another one of my favorite subjects.

How fitting that you are greeted by Gort the robot from "The Day the Earth Stood Still." The rest was "Facinating."

After lunch, we went back to ground level to check out some of the other stuff. There are rides and plenty of stuff to do (if you look real hard you might even find a souveneir stand or two). What caught my eye right away was the Science Fiction Museum on the corner next to the tower. Anybody who knows me also knows I'm going in there.

While we were having lunch this kid at the table next to us got this wild looking dessert. I think they called it a Lunar Sundae. A trademark sweet of the tower. We had to have one as well. Here, Mom and Christa are preparing to dig in, you can bet your last nickel that I was there before they got the first spoonful to their mouths.

Me and a couple hundred of my friends check out the Needle view, pretty good.

8/22/05. Next we were out early wanting to see some of Seattle while we were here. So what do we do - of course - head for the tourist magnet. The Space Needle. Actually, it's pretty much the same as the Hemisphere Tower in San Antonio, but with one heck of a view. We of course had lunch (mucho denero).

8/21/05. OK, we're moving again - and without the group. Feels kind of funny, most of the day I was checking out all the other rigs tryingto see if I would see one of the caravaners. No luck. We finally arrive in Seattle. Actually, we arrived in the small town (suburb?) really close to Seattle named Bothell. We stayed at the Lake Pleasant RV Resort. Pretty nice, the best part is that they allowed you to wash your rig on site. Man did the bus need a good bath. Then I was ready for some relax time.

And the Caravan Ends!

8/19/05. We arrived at our final destination after crossing through customs on a rush weekend. Still, we got to the HiddenValley RV Park in Lynden, WA, with little incident and settled down to relax. The next morning, Jery and Ed (our wagonmasters) made breakfast for the bunch of us. Pancakes and coffee, very good. Most spent the day just sort of relaxing or taking off the improvised armor that had been riggd for the riggors of the northern roads. Later that night we had a pot luck dinner followed by an "attitude adjustment" hour over at Jerry's rig. Great supper and a good time enjoying our last night together as a caravan. Many good-byes and, as can be expected, evident emotions. We have been together for the last two and a half months, seeing a lot, experiencing a lot more. Many made jokes about not knowing where to go next without someone telling them.

Even though it was time for the caravan to end, and we were all pretty tired and ready for it to end, still, you get that bit of sadness knowing that something that was pretty memorable was about to end. Something that was one of a kind and not to be repeated. There are no pictures for this as section as I did not take any. I wish not to remeber the parting, but rather the possibility of continuing the journey with these new friends at a later date.

Tomorrow morning, Mom, Christa, Lucy and I head south for Seattle and a campground that we can spend a week at and do nothing but relax and maybe straighten the rig up a bit. To my Caravan friends, I look forward to seeing you all sometime in the future, to everyone else following this blog, I invite you to continue on with us as we head (sort of) back towards Texas.

On the other end of an adjacent table to us, Robert, Clarretta, Donna, Al, Marie, and Bruce join the fun. We really swamped 'em.

Rusty and Jo Ann join the party eventually. Boy, I'm glad we got here fairly early.

Later, as we sat waiting for our meal to arrive, it seems like the rest of the gang found the spot. Cathy, Ed, Peggy, and Frank wait to place their orders.

And who do we find, but more of our fellow caravaners. Seated are Christa, Dian, Cathy, Winston, Joyce, Chuck, and Lamar. Mom is in there as well, but not pictured.

Once across, you able to visit a fishery exhibit, gift shops, concessionaires and the restaurant. We went straight for the restaurant being pretty hungry and all.

I think the Airtram is a better mode of transport than what Frazier himself had to use. He has it pretty rough, but I can't help sympathizing with the bearers instead.

Starting at the top and across the chasm, we boarded an Airtram to carry us across the river to the other side and the waiting gift shops and restaurants.

8/19/05. Along the way we came across this little tourist item. Hell's Gate. Aptly named for the dangerous pincture of rock the Frazier flows through causing strong turbulence and whirlpools.

And here is the complete Guide-on with everyone's input. Quite a monument with road repair equipment, road patch kits, stuffed bears, moose, otters, plastic mosquitoes, Royal Mounties, Eagles, a drunk bear, a flag and fire weed. Jerry plans on displaying the Guide-on at the next National Rally. His are the only caravans that do this.

After the brief, we feasted on the pizza. Tasted good.

Winston fulfills his mission of finishing off the Guide-on in a fitting way. Installing a faux fireweed symbolizing the reaL first beauty of the north we got to experience. He then had placed the Alaska flag in a mound of rocks symbolizing our goal. Joyce had painted mountain goats and and snow to represent the glaciers and wildlife. He finished it off with a section of Diamond Willow from Destruction Bay with our info inscribed on it. Good job Winston.

That evening in the Brookside RV park, we gathered for the debrief and a pizza dinner provided by Wagonmaster Jerry and Asst Ed. We used the available pavillion for the meet.

8/18/05. The next day we're on the road again heading towards our final destination for the caravan - Lynden, WA. But we will have one more night over stay in Cache Creek, BC, at the Brookside Campground. Here Sid leads the way.

Yeah, Rusty's as snug as a bug in a rug. Note Jo Ann trying to keep a straight face (not very successfully) in the background.

After dinner many opportunities for photos happened and most will remain for my own personal enjoyment, but a few deserve publishing. Here, Ted assists Rusty don a bear skin so he can take a comfortable after dinner nap. Actually, they spilled a bunch of glasses over in this bit and I had to capture some moments.

Adding a little mirth to the experience is Claretta, dazzling us with a little magic trick before dinner.

Christa, Mom and I had the pleasure of Dian and Lam ar at the same table. Perfect. They had been celebrating there 42nd anniversary (you'll have to ask them about the significance of hamburgers on this event). Awesome, I really like to see that.

A touch of mirth on the exterior belies the ellegance of the dining experience on the interior. This would be 2nd best dining we did on the caravan, 2nd only to the Cups Cafe in Homer, AK.

8/17/05. Following the debrief, we headed off for another caravan sponsored event, a dining out at The Log House Restaurant and resort. A beautiful resort sitting on a beautiful lake. This place has a few RV sites as well, keep this place in mind for a future visit. In front is (from right) Mom, Iva, Bruce, and Christa.

And Winston is the recipient of the Guide-on. He will be making the last contribution. The Guide-on was passed around to everyone on the trip and each one placed an item of rememberance on the Guide-on. Winston's delemma is to finish the guide-on off with a fitting end.

After all the awards and gifts we were back to business. Sid passes on the Guide-on to another of the caravaners after he lines out his contribution to the monument of our journey.

8/17/05. Ed and Cathy received a signed limited edition print as well, and a scroll signed by all of us also. A great gunner for the caravan, we hope to see you all on a future caravan or maybe at national.

I posted this pic earlier, but I sort of got that a little out of order. Here, Jerry and Donna, receive a gift of thanks from all of us for the wonderful journey they provided. Jerry holds a scroll we all signed and Donna holds a limited edition print of Mt McKinley. Great job guys, we hope you hold another caravan, you have built in customers.

Lamar reads a poem written by Dian that sort of wrapped up the caravan. A fitting tribute to the trip and the new found friends we have all made.

Lamar and Dian received this reward, a stuffed otter, for their upbeat and friendly attitudes. Always on the positive side, they were great traveling companions.

Ted receives a stauette of an Eagle for his efforts as the caravan banker.

Jeanne and Roger recieved tokens of appreciation for the hard work they did on the Caravan Book. We all chipped in to get them these carvings from in Iron Wood of an Eagle and an Otter, the symbols of our journey.

8/17/05. Just sort of bummed around the mostly industrial city of Prince George. A very tidy city for a working town, just goes to show that you can work industriousness and beauty together. Later this nigh we gathered for the prebrief as usual, but with a difference. The end is coming pretty quickly and we took this opprotunity to express gratitude to thos who really made the caravan a success.

8/16/05. After a rather uneventful, but pretty, ride through the BC countryside, we finally arrived at Prince George. We stayed at the South Park RV Park. Very nice considering what we have been used to for the last couple of months. Real grass in between campsites instead of the atypical gravel prevalent in the northern campgrounds.