anyway, we left the camp we've occupied for a couple weeks now...
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| *Loup Loup camp on the Okanogan NF* |
Some guy, Heidi talked to, on some trail, near some ski area, the other day ??? :) asked her; "Had we been to Beaver Lake?"
He told her; "You go up here a ways, take the right fork, and then the left, and then park near the cattle guard, and walk."...
Typical, back country directions... "Just stop near the rock... and turn left at the tree!" ... Uh huh... right...
Like, there ain't too many rocks, trees or cattle guards even... in the Rocky Gol' Durn Mountains! to confuse such directions!
Well, me bein' the bushwhacker that I are, passed up his place, cuz who would walk down a logging road, if there's a regular foot trail back into the timber to be had?
We followed the road... to a smaller road... to a smaller road... to a road that wasn't a road no more, and then found a place to cache the truck whils't we exercised some boot leather.
Right off we crossed what I took to be Beaver Creek...
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| *Beaver creek on the Okanogan NF* |
... and followed on up the trail through thick and heavy timber. It got a mite steep for a few short sections, but like he said when Heidi'd asked him about "Steep"... "Well, it's ONLY a mile!" :)
I started out a lil' wary of the trail. It angled off from where we'd found the road, that wasn't a road, on a map that showed no trails... but pointed in the direction of the goal of Beaver Lake...
I kept knowin'... the lake is yonderway's... but this trail we're trekkin', is takin' us... this a way... while we walked through the trees. But, finally, the trail, twisting through the firs, leaned back the right way, and started angling toward where the lake was supposed to be found.
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| *Berries for Bears on the trail* |
When we looked around, finding Berries all over, it kept a guy, on the last day of August, with a wary eye for grumpy, hungry Bears... I'd no idea of findin' out who wins that scrap...
... the cranky, hungry, calorie huntin' bruin?... or the foul tempered... fouler smellin'... badder mooded bent up Ol' biker cowboy with a burr in his sock?
Passed what could be one of the last, lonesome, wild flowers of the season...
I'm guessing it will be anyway... It's in my thoughts that Fall is comin' on fast...
... seein' as how we fired up the furnace on the last day of August... cuz it got cool here in Northern Washington last night!
Well, bushwhackers that we are, we found that lil' jewel of a Lake... hidden in amongst the Washington timber. No Idea why they call it Beaver Lake, saw no sign of those brush cutters and timber fellers... but... it was a nice lil' spot for crackers and cheese lunch, sittin' on a rock watchin' the fish jump...
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| *Beaver Lake on the Okanogan NF* |
It's a mite difficult to capture "spectacular" photographs, for me, in such thick stuff... you have to focus on the smaller, bits and parts... and some things, like the view of a far off, still snowy high mountain peak, through the trees just couldn't be captured at all.
Those are some of the things you've got to just file away in your memory... and those are the things some folks will miss, if they spend all their time trying to find those Big Pictures... you miss the lil' ones.
While we walked, a round winged Hawk of some sort went flittin' through the trees. Again, a small lil' piece of the woods, and no way to capture it on "Film"...
At first, I thought it an owl, but he landed, for a few seconds... just long enough to duck and get a quick looksee of his head... and a Hawk it was... and a Pretty good pilot!
I was impressed... I tried to imagine running a dirt bike along this trail... at half the speed he'd gone flying through there with, bankin', flarin', and zippin' through the trees... made me certain sure I'd go home with splinters... and likely... Splints!
Made it back to this crowded camp... just us... the Forest Service Camp Host... and one Ol' boy in one of those lil' Toyota Warrior by Winnebago? Motorhomes... or... would somethin' that lil' be a Motorapartment?
Yeah... it's tough to live this crowded together. :)
hmmmm... maybe we should take a break from this hard livin'... and ride on back down to Winthrop... and take another meal at that Old School House Brewery... where we had lunch the other day... and that fine, cool, beer they brew there... hmmm....
Watchin' the Days Gettin' Shorter... already
Brian
Return to the main site of goin' RV Boondocking or Visit my Sister website Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
4 comments:
The crowd has thinned out here too, in our little spot on the Arkansas River in Howard, CO. I imagine it will fill up again in the next couple of days for the last summer holiday.
I have a housekeeping question for you and Heidi. I know you travel (and live) with TWO hairy dogs. We do the same with our Border Collie, Sophie. She is the short haired version, but we still seem to have dog hair everywhere. Any tips on keeping it to a managable level?
Thanks
Snackmaster and Jan
I lived surrounded by the Okanogan forest for years. So many hidden treasures. Glad you finding some of them amongst the crowds.
Snackmaster and Jan; Uh huh... sell the dog! :) yeah... well... the only advice another dog gal told us once was; Don't wear fleece! :) The only things we've done, is took out all the carpet and went with hard flooring... so sweeping is quick and easy... so often! ... and the other is frequent use of a shedding comb she got somewhere... other than that... it's a constant "Conversation" around here ;)
Gaelyn; Went to the Smokejumper Base near Winthrop today... might make a try to spot Salmon spawning areas on the Chewuch river tomorrow or the next day? or... just keep our heads down till the holiday passes :)
Thanks for the dog advice:) We do most of those things already. Would love to get rid of the carpet, but will have to wait on that remodeling job. We have a "furminator" comb we use on her and I even use the vacuum sweeper on her. The more we comb, the more she sheds:(
Oh well - it's the downside of living with such a great companion (the dog, I mean).
Snackmaster and Jan
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