2013 Summer Trip NL #8

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    Tsg , g . O gs YOU s& s .

    A Travel Newsletter Issue #5: July 13- July 27, 2013

    Rubys Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington state

    Day 101: Saturday, July 13 Prior to our day-trip on the peninsula, we said Goodbye to our newfriends from New Zealand, Nicola & Bruce Little of Auckland (north island). We thoroughly enjoyed ourconversations over the past few days as we shared camping experiences both here and in NZ. Ourtravels today began with a tour through the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center located in CapeDisappointment State Park. The Center rightly earned its AAA GemSite status; this is an excellentlocation from which to learn all the interesting & exciting details of the Lewis & Clark expedition over thehour-and-a-half we were there. We spent several minutes watching the waves and folks on the beach

    below, then drove onto the north jetty where we parked and walked with lunch in hand to the edge ofthe huge-rock jetty to eat our picnic lunch. To avoid the wind running parallelto the coast we climbed down the edge of the jetty over 3-5 diameterrocks, a tricky climb. As we settled in we came upon a unexpected obstacle (1= Nicola & Bruce Little from New Zealand.)to our meal tiny wisps of wind-blown sand. It was difficult taking a bite in between the sand-wisps. We enjoyed the viewbut not so much the slightly crunchy meal, but, of course, they were SANDwiches!

    Following lunch we toured a few locations in the park, then drove north to Long Beach to see the results of the sandsculpture building competition, today being the culmination of the 3-day event. The tide was rising as we observed theentries and some were beginning to be washed away. Driving further north we toured a cranberry museum, not havingpreviously realized that Washington state is a center for cranberry farming, with Ocean Spray having a strong presencehere. A few stops at yard sales and we headed back down to Long Beach with Sally getting a elephant ear (fried doughsprinkled with sugar & cinnamon) and I got a frozen yogurt sundae. What a laid-back, fun day.(2= Sally sits waiting to eaSANDwiches on the jetty.)

    Day 102: Sunday, July 14 We arose early in order to get to Evangelical Lutheran Church for their 8AMadult study class. Located in Chinook, WA, less than a mile from our campground, we arrived in less thanfive minutes. The adult study class numbered nine including ourselves. This made for good conversations &discussions. Like the class at our home church, this group studies the Old & New Testament lessons for theday with discussion of what members feel the lessons are saying, asking, teaching, commanding, etc.Pastor Nels Flesher did a great job of keeping us on-task while also supplementing our ideas with hispastoral knowledge. The worship service was very nice and we marveled at the attractiveness of this oldfacility, it was so clean & neat. Following the service Pastor Nels had to drive 10-20 miles to get to the othercongregation he also serves to lead worship at 11AM. Meanwhile we remained as their guest for a brunch.This allowed us to talk with members in greater detail. (3= Pastor Nels at Evangelical Lutheran, Chinook, WA)

    Leaving Evangelical we drove back to the campground, packed up our trailer and headed north abouthalfway to our destination in the Olympic National Park, a temperate rain forest in northwest Washingtonstate. The trip took several hours and we stopped at several spots to walk the beach, take photos, etc. We

    met a guy at a gas station and inquired about a good place to eat. He directed us to a family diner (Clarks)near the campground where we had a reservation for the night. Sally & I shared a very good hamburgertopped with a bunch of veggies. Driving down the road we were unsure what our yet-unseen campgroundwould look like. Rarely do we see the campgrounds ahead of time so we cringe if we find its not as nice asexpected or preferred. The Artic Tavern RV Park was located next to you guessed it the Artic Tavern(which has karaoke on Saturdays! Missed it by a day. Drat!) The campground was very nice & neat with woodedsites, modern bathrooms, and several trails to hike. We would recommend this campground, especially in light of the fact that there are few others inthe area. The managers were very cordial, and even encouraged us to pick berries on the property. (4= Chris stands next to big tree on camp trail.)

    Day 103: Monday, July 15 Chris made waffles this morning. Yuuuummmm! We then drove north about 8 miles to Aberdeen and bought somegroceries at Safeway, used their wifi system, and followed with a fill-up of diesel at their fuel station. We then headed north toward the OlympicNational Park, specifically the Lake Quinault south shore. We took a site for three nights at the Rain Forest Resort Village RV Park. The specificcampsite that we chose was one spot from the prime spot closest to Lake Quinault. Immediately two of our park neighbors came over separatelyand made introductions: Dave from Site 1 and Mark from site 4. We set up in Site 2 and hoped 3 would remain empty. Finishing set-up, we took a

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    short hike on a nearby trail viewinginteresting trees and several smallwaterfalls. Getting hungry we each got abacon/grilled onion/mushroom/swissburger at the Mercantile Store & Cafe.Not a good idea. The food was fantasticbut we probably could have split one, itwas so big. We both agreed this wasone of the best burgers weve ever had,and we plan to go back for another

    before we leave the area. Following ourlate lunch we hiked another trail, amazedat the beauty of the trees and foliage in this region. Campground washing facilities were nice despite coin-operated showers at 25 per 2.5 minutes(If you allow time between 2 quarters you can easily bathe for 50.)

    Day 104: Tuesday, July 16 We arose early andwere on the road by 8AM. We drove about 90minutes north to the Hoh Rainforest area of theOlympic Natl Park. Our first stop along the waywas Rubys Beach, which is an ocean beachstrewn with driftwood and many off-shore stacks,or little mini-islands of rock in the water. There was alight fog hanging in the coves and off-shore thatmade for beautiful photographs. Initially we

    expected to walk to a view point and get back on theroad. The views were so stunning we spent almostan hour walking along the beach, over rocks, andamongst driftwood.

    The drive to Hoh was about another hour, most ofwhich is on US101, then a half-hour on the parkroad to the visitors center. Here we found severaltrails of varying length from a teeny introductory 0.1-mile Mini-Loop Trail up to the Hoh River Trail -to-Blue Glacier Trail at 18 miles. We walked a secondtrail, the 1.2 mi. Spruce Nature Trail, and saved thethird trail as it was the trek we would take on the ranger-led hike at 2PM. RangerMarsha Phillips was superb as she led a contingent of about 20 adults & children

    along the 0.8-mi. Hall of Mosses Trail. Making about five stops she gave excellentinsights into how certain species of trees and plants grow and interact with other plants.Her talk was so interesting I took out pad & pencil and hurriedly wrote as many notesas possible. My incomplete writings are listed in a separate section below. With our trekending at 3:30 we chose to drive back to camp, and so we arrived around 5PMstopping at the Quinault Mercantile & Cafe for ice cream. Then a short drive to our sitewhere we took a short hike around the edge of the lake. A family told us of a fallen treethrough the dense foliage so we climbed over trees and scurried up rocks andembankments and discovered a huge wind-blown fir that had been uprooted, probablydue to the lake-softened bank soil and high winter winds. The root ball was veryshallow but over 35 feet in diameter. What a great day. We slept well (even though Chrisdiscovered in the morning that hed forgot to turn the heater on!).

    Day 105: Wednesday, July 17 Deciding to remain close to home, we chose to spend our day traveling to locations nearer our campsite. Driving

    down the main road in Quinault we parked near the Mercantile. Hearing a waterfall nearby we peered over the bridge and found a waterfall below. Alittle observation discovered a pathway, so we hiked down to the waters edge to take more photos. Leaving the car parked in the small lot, we hikedthe Falls Creek trail (1.6 miles) that loops from the main road into the woods and back out onto the road less than a quarter-milefrom the start. We continue to be fascinated by the nurse trees when they die new trees grow upon then consuming theirnutrients as the old tree decomposes. Working back to our parking spot we discovered another trail that followed the lakes edge,so we hiked the Willowby Campground Trail that runs behind the lakes Lodge. Along this trail we had many nice views of theLodge, private homes, the lake, and other interesting sights. This trail is about 0.9 miles along the lake, then the same length backto the parking lot. At that point we decided to have lunch. 10= arrows show new trees growing atop stumps of old, dead nurse trees

    Following lunch we drove the roads that loop Lake Quinault. A visitor to our campground encouraged us to drive past his home onthis south road and look for a Sasquatch he made out of moss. This intrigued us so we now had a double reason to drive thisroad. The roads surface changed from paved to crushed stone; the asphalt surface covered the first 10-20 miles (we didntcount). We circled the east end of Lake Quinault via a bridge over the river feeding the lake. Besides looking for the Moss-Sasquatch, anothercampground neighbor said he once saw a cougar on this road but it was an additional 20 or so miles beyond our bridge turnoff so we kept our eyes

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    1= falls along our hiking trail. 2= Chris peers through hollowed tree trunk. 3= night view from our campers window.

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    4= Ruby Beach in coastal Wash state5= huge tree in Olympic National Park6= mossy trees in national park7= pealing bark also removes moss8= dead horizontal tree feeds life totrees on top of it; such trees are callednurse trees; this one is estimated at500+ yrs; those nursing on it are over50-150 years old. 9= after sunset thesky is still beautiful, clouds magnificent.

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    open for that possibility, as slim as it was. The road on the north side of the lake was crushedstone also for the first 10 or so miles from east to west, then it became paved and there weremany new, expensive homes (photo #1)being built where the pavement started. Circlingback onto the south road it was now 4:30 and we planned to have our afternoon snack,maybe ice cream, but we preferred to eat a bit later. We hadnt seen Sasquatch so we droveback up the road a second time. Now we clocked our distance on theodometer. We were told to look at a point about 4 miles from thecampground. As we drove this path again we suddenly found a waterfall wehad missed before, so we took more photos. We continued to drive furthereast and still no missing link Sasquatch. As we prepared to turn around we

    saw a small, cast-resin Sasquatch clamped to a tree stump. This couldnt bethe Moss-Man, could it? It didnt fit the description, way too small, but wetook photos anyway (photos #2 & #3).As we drove back to camp the driverof a pick-up truck coming toward us stopped to ask directions about thelakeside loop road. I explained the lack of paving, time length to drive, etc.and he shook his head and drove off. As we drove on looking for the Moss-Man I stoppedto look down a driveway on the right for Sasquatch and the same truck came back upbehind us, so I waited thinking he had more questions, but he drove right by. Just beforewe started to drive away we looked to our left and amazing there was Mongo theMossqautch! Wow we found him! (photo #4) (Now, that may not seem like a lot to you, butwe had been searching for this guy for over an hour!) We drove back to the Mercantile for icecream, then back to camp to view the worlds largest Sitka Spruce that just happens to beat the end of our campground. Photo #6 doesnt do justice to the size of this tree due to theangle; I had to shoot upward to get the entire tree in the viewfinder. The dimensions for the

    tree are: 5811 circumference, 191 tall, about 1,000 years old. Whew! A sign noted thatthis valley also contains the worlds largest Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, Mountain Hemlock, &USAs largest Yellow Cedar and Western Hemlock. Its all due to the unique climatethat exists in this valley that is not duplicated anywhere else in the world. Wow, wehad an exhilarating day!

    Day 106: Thursday, July 18 Today was another driving day. We left the RainForest Resort Village RV Park (516 South Shore Rd, Quinalt, WA) having madesome more friends. especially our neighbors in adjoining campsites and the staff atthe Mercantile Cafe (those folks know how to cook). Driving south we hit Aberdeen inabout 40 minutes, then headed east toward Chris cousin Mikes home in Belfair, WA.Mike & Gloria (his wife) are being visited by his sister Angela Marie who is a RomanCatholic nun (Sister Peter Marie). Chris hasnt see (first cousin) Angela Marie in over 40 years since we moved from Buffalo, NY to Florida. It was agreat reunion with the afternoon and evening spent in reminiscing old events, family functions, past parties, sentimental celebrations, happy holidays

    and lost loved ones. Gloria & Mikes friends, John & Cindy, were also camping in the backyard in their fifth wheel travel trailer. We truly appreciateGloria & Mikes hospitality and the opportunity for us to be invited to be with Angela Marie during her vacation from her duties in Texas.

    Day 107: Friday, July 19 We spent our morning sitting around the kitchen table reminiscing about the old days. It was so good to be reminded ofevents forgotten. We found that the more we talked the more little holes in our lifes experiences were filled in: who lived where, who was related towhom, and how. It was a fun exercise for our minds & memories. Time had escaped us when we realized we had an appointment for a tour of theTaylor Shellfish Company in nearby Shelton, WA. Along the highway we took note of garage & estate sale signs, and we passed an auto salvageyard, all of them possible places we might explore if given the time.

    Taylor is the largest shellfish supplier in the nation. We spent over an hour on tour with Nate Bernitz was our tour guide. Right from the start wewere impressed with Nate and Taylor Shellfish. Nate introduced us to the shellfish industry from stem to stern, and were we impressed. We felt thathis was so special that weve included it in this issue as a special feature. We know youll enjoy finding out for yourself some very interestinginformation & facts about this unique food farming & processing industry.

    Driving back to Belfair to continue our family visit we stopped in Grapeview, WA at All West Coast Auto Wrecking (an auto salvage yard) and

    inquired about two parts we needed for our Volkswagen: a hub cap and door lock assembly. Surprisingly they had both in stock (a rare find) so wepaid and they started digging into the cars to extricate the parts. The hub cap came quickly. The door lock assembly took almost an hour due to itslocation deep within the door, with so many parts to be unbolted, moved to the side, etc. to get the part out in one piece.

    Further down the road we explored some finds at an estate sale, then headed back to the Ricigliano homestead for a HUGE family supper. In trueItalian custom there was enough food to feed an army: boiled crab, just caught today by Mike & Glorias sons Phil and Patrick, corn-on-the-cob, pizza,

    salad, boiled shrimp, and the list went on. After the feast John, a family friend, didsome magic with his famous Hooey Stick, and Chris did some tricks with levitation,playing cards and mind reading. Jake, their grandson, got involved and had a blast

    just seeing everything going on, while also showing his emerging skills with theHooey Stick. John, an RV full-timer, shared photos of the belt sander racing theydo in his Texas winter location on the Gulf of Mexico. Wow, what people do for fun &recreation. We went to bed exhausted and slept like logs. (7 L>R = Chris, Sally, Gloria &Chris cousin Michael; 8= Sally, Chris cousin Sister Peter Marie (Angela Marie), Chris)

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    Day 108: Saturday, July 20 The breakfast table was alive again with conversation. Gloria found old family photos and we spent time conjecturingwhose name went with what face. This was especiallydifficult with photos where a family had a lot of daughterswho carried a similar family appearance. That made foreven more comments, contradictions, and laughter whenwe finally determined who was who. Following breakfaswe walked across the road to Patricks house (Gloria &Michaels younger son). Patrick built a beautiful gardenand greenhouse and we toured both in detailConversations expanded and we found ourselves really

    enjoying Patrick & Debbies company. Debbies daughterChristy was also delightful. We wished them well as they will soon be on a family vacation includingGloria & Michael.

    While we were talking with Patrick & Debbie, Gloria & Michael were preparing lunch for the members oftheir Koi fish club. We had been invited to stay for the barbecue and meet their friends, so we met someterrific folks and enjoyed the food and fellowship. Time was quickly speeding by, and we needed to get toTacoma to set up at our new campground, so goodbyes were shared all around. We will certainly missGloria, Michael and Angela Marie. Its a shame that time & distance takes such a toll on ourrelationships, especially with family. We look forward to seeing them each again, hopefully in less than1-2 years, like its been with Mike & Gloria, and certainlysooner for seeing Angela Marie, as it has been42 years since wed seen each other. Way too long. (See ya soon cuz!)

    The drive to Tacoma was typical. Our campground seems quite nice, and Shirley in the office was veryhospitable. We spent about an hour planning out our four days in Tacoma. There seem to be many

    interesting places to visit, with several being AAA GemSites. Lets see what develops!

    Day 109: Sunday, July 21 We packed it in today! Ourmorning began with bible study at Immanuel LutheranChurch in Puyallop, WA. After the class we attended worshipat their (contemporary) late service. Many members greetedus and we felt very warmly welcomed. The Museum of Glasswas our next stop where we saw live glassmakingdemonstrations followed by self-guided tours of two galleriesand a movie. We did such a coordinated effort we foundourselves done by 2:30. With that much time left in the day wechose to walk the Glass Bridge over I-5 to the WashingtonState History Museum. We finished the various galleries justas the 5PM closing time came. A stop at DQ finished out our

    day.

    Day 110: Monday, July 22 Breakfast was fast so that we could get an early start in our drive to the western end of Mt. Rainier National Park. TheGPS said it was about 40 miles from our campground but driving time was almost two hours; the GPS onlycalculated distance to the park gate, not the visitors center. We werent really sure what to expect; besideshiking and scenic views what would you do at a mountain? The first thing we discovered was that parkroads need to be re-striped just like highways. There were signs & maintenance vehicles & flagmen atseveral locations. But they were scenery and didnt disrupt sightseeing or traffic flow. As we drove deeperinto the park we were amazed at the views from the numerous lookouts. Mt. Rainier is H-U-G-E and has asignificant influence on everything around it. Its tremendous mass changes the weather that comes at it fromvarious directions.

    After stopping at several lookouts for photos and viewing, we drove to the Paradise Visitors Center. Wechose to visit on a weekday thinking the crowds would be smaller than on a weekend. The parking lot directly

    adjacent to the center was clogged with cars. Pavement striping had caused the overflow lot to be closed so itcould be swept for painting tomorrow, but folks slipped in there past the barricades. We chose to use anotheroverflow area about a 10-minute walk away. The scenery kept us enthralled so the walk was beautiful. Weinquired at the info desk as to when ranger-led hikes were scheduled and the ranger confirmed the timesposted in the parks newspaper. (Larger national parks print a daily or weekly newspaper of events, maps,activities, history, etc. Theyre usually provided at the pay station.) Our first activity was to watch the 21-minute video about Mt. Rainier. It gave us a good intro to the mountain and its significance. Next we joinedthe 2pm hike along the Nisqually trail. Our hike leader was a volunteer on an internship with a geologicalgroup. She had only been at Mt. Rainier since May but had studied the area and provided very good &informative commentary. The hike was less than a mile with several stops at lookouts where she pointed outdetails of what we were seeing. On one slope of Mt. Rainier we could just make out hikers ascending thelower slopes heading toward the Muir Base Camp on a 2-day climb to the top, then another 2 days backdown. The guide informed us that such a trip runs $1200-$1300, which usually includes the hiking gear. At

    1= Sally, Michael, and son Patrick talk gardeningat Pats house. 2= Rear view of garden &

    greenhouse Pat built. 3= old photo circa 1955.Chris is second from left in western shirt (arrow).

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    4= Immanuel Lutheran Church worship. 5= Sally gazes up at ceiling of blown glass art onthe Glass Bridge over I-5 in Tacoma. 6= miniature scene in model railroad exhibit in the

    Washington state history museum downtown. Notice Sallys finger in size comparison.

    7= glacier-carved valley at base of Mt.

    Rainier. 8= Sally asks question of ranger-guide as we begin our hike alongNisqually trail. We recommend rangertours as best way to learn neat stuff.

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    14,000 feet altitude, you need to be in good shape and preparedfor this thin-air adventure. The guide led us to the end of the hikeand then allowed us to go back at our own leisurely pace. Ofcourse I stopped often to take photos from the variousviewpoints. There was still snow, in patches, along & on the trails.

    Back at the visitors center we explored several more rooms ofexhibits and then caught the 4pm ranger talk but it finished about2 minutes after we arrived late. Visitors asked questions so wegot more insights into Mt. Rainier and its environs. We walkedback to our car and drove along the exit path stopping at variouslookouts and hiking around a waterfall at the roadside. We left Mt.Rainier with a greater amount of awe and were very happy wetook the time to visit this national treasure. To round out our day we stopped at Famous Daves BBQ for no, not ribs no, not chopped pork yeptheir super-delicious bread pudding. Its so huge we split it. What a way to top off a great day of travel.

    Day 111: Tuesday, July 23 Chris was in hog heaventoday went spent the day at the LeMay American CarMuseum in downtown Tacoma, WA. The original collectionof Mr. LeMay numbered about 3,000 cars with about 50 ofthem being 1941 Chevrolets. (LeMay more than liked thatmodel!) Several hundred cars from his collection reside inthis one-year-old museum, along with hundreds from otherprivate collections, plus motorcycles and race cars all of

    which include domestic and foreign makes. The museumsstructure is styled to look like a scoop on a car. Naturalaluminum sheet roofing covers a wooden roof over hugelaminated wood beams. The museum building is gorgeousin its own right. We arrived at 11am and signed up for the12:30 tour. We toured some of the cars then went on a guided tour with Doug, a docent. He gave us some interesting insights into many cars whilasking us about our experiences with certain cars in our personal history. This made the tour even more interesting. We finally left at 4pm to gesupper (wed missed lunch cause the cars were so good). On our journey back to our campground we noticed the VW running oddly; thetransmission wasnt shifting like usual, and the engine didnt seem to want to accelerate like before. I did some looking around and drove to an autoparts store for some rubber vacuum hose. I replaced an old vacuum hose that had swollen on one end and seemed to be leaking. Once the hosewas replaced it ran better than it had the last few days. Total cost? Less than $6 and 20 minutes of labor. Thank you, Lord!

    Day 112: Wednesday, July 24 With an extra open day in our Tacomacalendar, we chose to tour the car collection at the LeMay (familys

    Collection Foundation, 325 152nd Street E, Tacoma, WA, ph253-272-2336. This location is a little difficult to find because its actuallin a section known as Spanaway, which is either a section of Tacoma oa suburb, Im not sure. Its also unique in that its on the grounds of aformer Catholic Nuns convent and boarding school that finally closedThere are several other things that make this collection & location sointeresting. First, it consists of cars that Harold E. LeMay didnt donateor sell to the LeMay American Car Museum in downtown Tacoma, WA(where we toured yesterday). Secondly, the cars are not always speciacars, or fancy, pristine autos, but cars that many generations saw on thestreets everyday. That was of special interest to Mr. LeMay just theaverage cars that you or I might have owned. Thirdly, most tours aredone with a tour guide, a volunteer who walks with you and explains thesignificance of the cars you view. Fourthly, there are a LOT of cars to

    see. LeMay ran a successful garbage collection business that expandedinto many other enterprises. Friends bought a Model T and tried toconvince LeMay and his wife that they too would enjoy owning & drivinan antique auto. LeMay finallybought one, but not a ModelT. In 1960 he chose to buy aModel A. By the time he died

    in 1999 he had expanded his collection to include cars, motorcycles, trucks and other motorized vehicletotaling over3,500 pieces. In addition to this collection of vehicles, he & his wife also collected auto jacks,salt & pepper shakers, brass garden hose nozzles (#9 at right), dolls, and other collectibles. LeMay wouldbuy a car from a private party or auction and then have to find a place to store it. He bought warehouses,barns and even chicken coops. One farmhouse he owned had over 350 cars in its barn! His vehicles werestored at some 87 locations, but are now consolidated into about 40 sites. The Foundation location has

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    1= Climbers on Mt. Rainier at near peak and way too tiny to see even with binoculars.2= Little specks are climbers viewed through telescopic camera lens on first day of climb.

    3= View of 1/4 of top floor of the LeMay American Car Museum, Tacoma. There are four floors inall. Plan to spend several hours. 4= Doug, volunteer, does terrific personalized tour of carmuseum. Tours increase en o ment of what a museum or collection has to offer.

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    5= Larry gave splendid 2-hour tour of LeMay Foundations vehicle collection. 6= Oneof Chris favorites is 1958 Edsel with push-button automatic transmission buttons incenter of steering wheel. Only made one year that way. 7= Another Chris favorite:1957 Buick Cabalerro pillarless station wagon. 8= Check out the spotless interior.

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    Dining experiences worth repeatingA dining location rates well with us if we say wed go there again. Here aresome places that fit that criteria:Lake Quinault Mercantile & Cafe, 352 South Shore Rd., Quinalt, WA: located beyond the Lodge onthe South Shore Road of Lake Quinault off US101, south of the Olympic National Park. Varied menu,fair prices for this region (cheaper than all the rest). The bacon-swiss-mushroom burger is terrific.Comes with regular fries, curly fries or chips. Free fountain drink refills, DYI. Famous Daves BBQ, inPuyallop, Tacoma, & Richland, in Washington state (plus other locations). Chris says the ribs are thebest anywhere. Sally swears by the chopped pork. We both agree to bread pudding is out-of-this-

    world and the only dessert we buy in restaurants. Huge portion with ice cream & whipped cream. Morethan enough for two. The sauce atop is yum-yum.

    several buildings, one of which has vehicles stacked on three levels on heavy-duty shelving. Every car is labeled. We arrived around 11:15am and left around4pm. Whew Chris says hes on car-overload! Tonight we walked to the streetbehind the RV park so Chris could take photos of the almost full moon just aboveMt. Rainier, plus we picked fresh black raspberries from bushes bordering theroad where we took the photos. This was our second & last night to pick berriesas were leaving in the morning. The berries were fantastic with cold cereal in themorning. (1= Mt. Rainier at the end of sunset with large moon hanging above.2= one of two bags of black raspberries we picked. So sweeeeet!)

    Day 113: Thursday, July 25 Today was another driving day of sorts. Aftersaying goodbye to a few campground friends like Nurse Cheryl and Tim, we hit theroad and headed to Snoqualmie Falls, a Washington state attraction that is quiteimpressive. The falls is taller than Niagara Falls but certainly not as voluminous.Still, it has a nice walk around its upper level, but the trail to the base is underrepair or maintenance, so we could only view it from up high. After lunch we droveI-90 for a few hours and camped at the RV park behind Days Inn in Ellensburg,WA. Though its really just a lined parking lot, it was neat, clean, with new RV-stylewater faucets. We got to use the hotel indoor heated swimming pool and hot tub.(3= Snoqualmie Falls close-up; 4= Snoqualmie Falls, taller than Niagara Falls!)

    Day 114: Friday, July 26 We arose earlier than usual in order to drive tothe Wild Horse Wind Energy Center near Kittatas, WA, about a half-hourdrive east of Ellensburg. Our early start helped us because just as we were

    finishing our packing and take-down a neighbor in the next campsite toldus of a reflector house in Ellensburg, near the old Lutheran Church thatwas converted to a restaurant. Well we just HAD to see both of thosesights! The reflector house is a cluster of all kinds of art work. At the endof the block the Yellow Church Cafe masks its former life. Chriswondered, Do they serve anything besides casseroles? (Lutheran joke)

    The tour at the Wild Horse Wind Energy Center was very informative.We saw all aspects & equipment at this huge wind farm on the ridges ofthis area of Washington state, which is actually a high desert. We wereeven escorted into the base of a wind turbines tower where we could lookup to the top! Two tours are held each day at 10AM and 2PM. Its a bit out of town but well worth it! Here are some interesting facts This project isnot a test or experimental venture; Puget Sound Energy uses electricity from these wind turbines to supplement power from hydro plants and othe

    sources. Wind turbines are placed 300 apart side-toside and 800 apart front to rear to maximize windpower. Older units make 1,800,000 watts of poweeach; newer units make 2,000,000 watts each and cos$3-$.5 million each. Wind turbines were manufacturedby Vestas in Denmark but are now Vestas-made inUSA. Wind turbines need power from another sourceto run, so solar panels are used to power the visitorscenter, maintenance shop and the wind turbines(computers, controls, etc.). Wind turbines run at aconstant 9 miles-per-hour (mph). If winds are strongethe blades feather, or turn to not spin as fast, to stayconstantly at 9mph. This speed of the propeller and theattached shaft drive turns the gearbox to raise therevolutions-per-minute (rpm) up to 1,600 rpm. If winds

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    5= Sally reads info at kiosk on lawn at thereflector house. 6= House is viewable fromall sides and really cute in a funky way.

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    7= cable elevator carries maintenance items up to nacelle at top of tower. 8= view up 220tower workers climb w/ cable assistance (optional). 9= Single blade of wind turbine is 129long and weighs 7 tons (each blade). Panel in rear is one of three in solar array (read text).

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    exceed 56 mph the blades feather and the wind turbine shuts off. Each wind turbine can turn itself for the best wind alignment. It can turn almost 3full revolutions before the internal cables must be turned back to keep from being too wound up. The nacelle (box on top of the tower housing thepropeller, generator and gearbox) is 34 long, 11 wide, 13 high and weighs 75 tons empty and 105 tons when filled with the mechanicals. Eachblade is 129 long and 11 wide and weighs 7 tons, constructed of a carbon fiber & foam composite with a lifespan of about 20 years. Blades arematched to each other within 6%-7% so the blade assembling is balanced. During assembly a blade was dropped one foot and the edge developeda crack. It could not be used and a new one was ordered taking several months until one was within the weight tolerances required of the other twoblades. Blades turn at 16.5 revolutions every minute, so the speed of the tip of each blade is about 150 miles-per-hour. The steel towers height is220 plus the height of the nacelle (13) and 13 diameter at the bottom and 7 diameter at the top, and is held to a 30-foot deep, 260 cubic-footconcrete foundation by 120 bolts. Inside the tower two cables assist technicians with repairs & maintenance. A safety harness clips to one cable tokeep the worker from falling down. The 2nd cable helps lift some of their weight while climbing up the ladder to reduce physical exertion. Withou

    assistance the climb up the 220 rungs takes 6-10 minutes, with cable assist it takes 3 minutes. A cable coming out the bottom of the nacelle raisesequipment & supplies up through a trap door.

    Upon reaching our campground we discoveredtwo items needing repair, and a third issue welconsider handling when back in Florida after somefurther planning. First, a headlamp in the VW wentout. Second, our Aliner is a bit low in the rear soChris installed drag wheels so the trailer couldroll if it hits a dip in a steep driveway rather thandrag the frame, bumper, or stabilizers. One ofthese steel wheels broke in half & fell off. We must

    have hit a street surface too hard. Third, we found an a-wall hinge that seems to have shifted on the trailers main body a fraction of any inch. Thismay have occurred due to the impact that broke off the drag wheel. Chris easily handled the first two jobs taking about 45 minutes to do them bothChris spoke with John Pfeil, the (unofficial) guru of Aliner repair who shared his expert knowledge with Chris. That third repair will require work athome. Thanks, John, for your super expertise. John is the operator of Midwest A-Frame Repair in Illinois and can be reached via the memberdirectory atwww.alinerownersclub.org

    1= Axles of both dragwheels were bent. New steelcaster became the donor ofa new replacement wheel.6= New wheel installed onrear of trailer to keep it fromscraping on big dips indriveways. Stabilizer on rightis placed up when driving &is higher than the wheel.1 2

    Special Feature

    Ws YO& C, Ss !

    While visiting the Puget Sound region of Washington state we heard of the nations largest

    producer of shellfish- Taylor Shellfish Farms. Headquartered in Shelton, WA, Taylor Shellfishis in its fifth generation having started in the late 1800s. Working with 18 farms in the PugetSound and British Columbia area, Taylor harvests manyvarieties of oysters, and since 2006their main product is live oysters for the artisan connoisseur. Taylor ships fresh oysters withinhours of harvest to points all over the USA and is eaten fresh within a week. Taylor also specializes in flash freezing versusregular freezing methods. Fresh shellfish is frozen solid in 8 minutes through this process rather than waiting hours for thefood to become totally frozen. This results in the freshest product, which is then shipped out to thousands of consumersespecially through the best restaurants. Asia is fast becoming a major consumer of flash frozen shellfish, especiallygeoduck oyster (pronounced GOOEY-duck); Asia consumes about 50% of geoduck oysters. This type of oyster take 5-6years to grow to harvesting size and is grown by inserting the geoduck (remember, GOOEY-duck) seed larvae into thesand of beaches. They burrow their way down about 3 feet under the beachs surface. After 5-6 years you go back and dig

    em out no easy task because they run (burrow down) to avoid capture. At maturity geoducks weigh about 1.5 lbs... each.

    Taylor also harvests many other varieties of boutiqueoysters for the demanding oyster lover including easternkumomoto, virginica, shigoku, olympia, kushi which assavored at your high-end oyster bars. Sophisticatedoyster buyers may even inquire as to the beach or areawhere their oysters were raised, as these connoisseursclaim to be able to taste the difference.

    Oysters are eco-benefitters. As sea life that eats theinutrients from the oceans floor, shellfish eat the plant life

    (Above L) Geoduck larvae are about 1/2 in length & cost $1.25 each. Theygrow (R) to about 9-11 when mature; used in sushi. Blue rubber band holds

    the geoducks shell closed and in place.

    http://www.alinerownersclub.org/http://www.alinerownersclub.org/
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    that grows abundantly from residual fertilizers that run off agricultural fields into the water. Their ability to eat this richplant life reduces water weeds and other super-growing plant life without any effect upon them because they have alwayseaten this microscopic plant life. Humans benefit because, unlike other foods (cattle, crops, etc.) shellfish make the watercleaner than when they were born. They require no food to grow, no fertilizer, and no additional water. (Wow, isnt thatamazing!)

    And the popularity of fresh, boutique oysters has boosted the Taylor business tremendously. Taylor is the single, largestshellfish producer in the USA. Everyday their products are shipped all over our nation, with a tremendous market in the

    big cities of the East Coast. This constant and growing demand has led to 600,000 DOZEN oysters being shucked(removed from the shell) every year. Thats over 7 million oysters from Taylor alone. The demand is so high that Taylorhelps others to farm oysters by providing the oyster seeds for growing oysters.

    Heres some more interesting tidbits of shellfish knowledge Oysters need an oystershell in order to grow up, so seed oysters are planted in areas with old, shucked oystershells. But its not as simple as it sounds. In order for this to be done properly the cultch, or old, used oyster shells, mustbe thoroughly washed and then dried in the sun to kill any bacteria. This washing is donein a reasonable time period, but the drying must be done in the sun for 2 YEARS! Theshells are then re-introduced into the beaches used for farming. Some oysters must begrown on teeny, tiny shells fragments that are ground up after the wash-dry process.The ground cultch is then introduced into the water and the oysters attach to the shell

    to grow. Other oysters grow onto full-size washed & dried shells with up to 10 oysterson one cultch shell.

    The processing of oysters is labor intensive with a lot of shuckers prying openthe shells to get the goodies out and quickly shipped fresh off to market orthrough the flash-freeze process to guarantee freshness to markets too far fordelivery in few days. Taylor has recently developed a process for immersing liveoysters with recirculating, filtered sea water, which ensures greater freshnessprior to shucking. Talk about attention to detail !

    But Taylor doesnt stop at oysters. They also raise Manila clams, which aregrown above ground producing the tenderest of clams in both small & large

    sizes. And we were amazed to see razor clams that are bigger than any clamsIve seen before. Shucking must be an art because their shells are, in fact,almost razor sharp on the edges. Shellfish are brought in at night from thevarious growth areas. Shuckers arrive at 5AM to begin their work shucking up to

    3 tubs a day (see photo). This early arrival further ensures the product getting to customers quickly and full of more flavor.Geoduck is only grown in Puget Sound and commands a premium price selling to wholesalers for $25 a pound, with theretail customer paying about $35-$40 a pound due to the cost of rush shipping these babies to the store or restaurant,many times by air freight packed in ice. Dont count on me to be a shucker cause its hard work. But folks remain at Taylorbecause Taylor values their employees dedication, which is rewarded with good pay, full benefits and a retirementprogram. Everyone I talk with loved working at Taylor Shellfish Company, and there are a total of 450 Taylor employees,including all their work sites.

    Our thanks to Nate Bernitz of Taylor Shellfish for taking over an hour of his time to open our eyes to the Taylor Shellfishexperience. And Nate is very modest. When we thanked him for all his expertise and detailed info he just respondedShucks. Thats my job, like all of us a Taylor. Well said, Nate!

    Nate explains cultch process to Sally.Shells are thoroughly washed thendried in the sun for TWO YEARS !

    Veteran shuckers can open 3 tubs per 8-hour shift. Shells go into stainless steelhoppers below for re-use.

    We hope youve enjoyed this issue of our travels. Weve begun to turn the ship around and were slowlyworking our way back eastward. But the trip is ffaaaaaaarrr from over. Weve still got many miles andalmost 10 weeks of travel still ahead. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. And no were not there yet!