Travels with Carol

I write this from a waterside cottage on an island in Puget Sound. I've been awakened a few times by the sounds of the foghorn from the ferry that thrums between the island and the nearby mainland. Every day, seagulls call and tiny fisherboats putter past. The sea side of the house smells like fresh salty air and sunwarmed barnacles. The other side of the house smells like camping.

I've been lax in reporting, I know. But friends and travels, preparing for the upcoming Italy trip, and lazing in the afternoon sun have kept me from my keyboard.

Let's catch up a little.

A week and half ago, I boarded the Amtrak at the King Street Station in old downtown Seattle, heading south to Albany, Oregon. Why would I do that? you might wonder. Well, Carol was driving north that very same day from California to pick me up for a road trip, as there were treasures of the Northwest she was eager to learn about.

After putting up for a short time with an overly talkative seatmate who had stories that I will most certainly not repeat here, I made my excuses and escaped to the observation car of the Coast Starlight.

There I proceeded to spend nearly all of the six and a half hour train trip. I had a very good book, access to snacks and beverages, a ringside seat to the beauty of Washington and Oregon...and my camera in my lap. Now, it's not easy to take photos from a speeding train. But bear with me, as I caught a few interesting ones.

There were some men dressed like cub scouts in the car who turned out to be representatives of the National Park Service and who had some good stories along the way about the history, both natural and otherwise, of the area through which we traversed. They told us that this hill was made of ash from the eruption of Mt. Saint Helen...

...and that there was a man buried in this driveway because his dying wish was to be able to see who was coming and going.

We had a layover in Portland so I ate a hamburger and wandered around.

Carol found me at the Albany train station and we  headed northeast to Clackamas, where we spent the night in a Super 8 Motel so as to get a head start on our exploration of the Columbia River Gorge. We liked our motel: there was a German restaurant across the parking lot and we got to meet our alter-egos in the plant world, too.

We drove out the back way.

Carol had driven through heavy smoke from forest fires in southern Oregon, and, as we drove east that morning, there was more in a distant haze from a fire at Satus Pass, which had been my chosen route north and which was closed to traffic due to smoke. The weather was somewhat hazy, too, but the views were still beautiful.

We changed our plans just a smidgen and pretended we were Lewis and Clark.

We drove highway 84 along the south rim of the Gorge, dipping south at Hood River for a drive through the Fruit Loop. Here, scattered through the verdant countryside, are dozens of family fruit stands peddling their colorful wares. We were especially enamored of this one, owned by the lovely Donna Cody, where we filled our cooler.

Carol wanted to stop at the Hood River Lavender Farm and pick some. I made myself happy by gazing at Mt. Hood in the near distance.

Then we crossed the giant river and made a beeline to the Maryhill Museum, a truly astonishing installation in the middle of nowhere which deserves an entire blog post all by itself.

Sam Hill started building the museum in 1914 as a private home. The story is divine, so I'll link to it below and you can read it at your leisure. Oddly and wonderfully, Maryhill has a world-class Rodin collection which I can never resist stopping to see when I'm in the area.

When Maryhill closed for the evening, we drove east to avoid the forest fires, then wound our way through the Yakima Valley toward Seattle. 

We have been in this delightful cottage for the past nine days, enjoying friends and the glories of this piece of the world.

I leave in a few days for Italy. Give me a week to get my balance, then do check in for the first of my reports from the land of (half) my ancestors.

Meanwhile, enjoy the rest of your summer. I wish you all the bounties of this unfailingly interesting and often delicious planet we call home.

The Maryhill Museum of Art

Comments

[Jeanne]

Are those Saturn peaches? I love those!

Your photos are gorgeous!

Sorry I'm behind on my blog reading - events have intervened. I'm catching up now! Thanks!

[frannyb]

I'm certain if one were to check the bottoms of your shoes there would be no moss....Traveling mercies, amiga. You will be missed and warmly welcomed when you return. xo

[Sheri]

Loved reading this and seeing all the wonderful picks. I loved the train pics with you in the reflection. I'll be watching for your reports from Italy. Thanks for sharing your beautiful life with us!

[Fred Feibel]

Thank you, I needed that!