No pictures today. Just a report about why there are no pictures.
Well... It seems we've started a streak of bad endings to an otherwise wonderful summer holiday. Remember last year: We got towed 150 miles from Ketchum to Boise and were stuck there for three days - blah, blah, blah. That was actually funny, when we look back on it.
This story certainly isn't funny. Anyway, Brian was mountain biking, doing reconnaissance for racing the High Cascade 100. He was climbing a steep and very loose section when his rear wheel washed out and he toppled over to his left. He reached out to break the fall and put his hand down on an uneven rock... and snap! Wrist broken.
The good news is that no surgery is required. The bad news is he's in a cast for at 6-8 weeks.
He was in a lot of pain and had to lay low for a couple of days. But since he got the cast, he's feeling much better. We're planning to go for a little hike today and see how that goes. If it goes well, you'll see more pictures.
;-)
You’re probably wondering how we always seem to find the most epic hikes. Most of the places we visit have hundreds of miles of trails (Mount Rainier has over 240). It would be nice if we had some special powers, some magical intuition… But (heavy sigh), no. We read trail guidebooks. We like the ones that either have trail ratings, or flat out say, hey, this is the must-see thing to do while you’re in this place.Our Mount Rainier book rates trails from 1 to 5 hikers – one being a “hike worth taking, even with your in-laws” and five being one that the “aesthetic and physical rewards are so great that hikes given this rating are forbidden by most conservative religions.” DUH! We pick the 5-hiker trails; and are never disappointed.This particular 5-hiker trail included a warning about a stretch of trail that crosses a steep, extremely hazardous snowfield that shouldn’t be crossed without an ice ax or other means to self-arrest because “a tiny slip here can be- and has been- deadly.” Hmmm. Second thoughts about the 5-hiker trail.
So we stopped at the Ranger Station to inquire. Not only did the ranger ease our fears by reporting that the snow was mostly gone, but he told us about an unmarked, unofficial, steep trail extension to the hike which he said, “has the best views of all.” Super! Let’s go!So here it is: Definitely the best day of hiking this summer!
On our way back to the RV Park, we stopped to walk through the Grove of the Patriarchs featuring the oldest trees in Mount Rainier National Park (some are over 1,000 years old!).
Over the past several years, we've stayed at lots of RV parks. We've traveled in California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta, Canada.
We imagine that the majority of you who read this blog have absolutely no idea what RV parks are like. So we're going to post photos and show you; and we'll update this from time to time with the best and the worst of the places we "live" while we're on the road. Starting where we are now, July 2, 2009, in Westfir, Oregon.
This is Casey's Riverside RV Park. It's super clean with big pull-through spaces.
Casey's has a nice club house. Generally speaking, we don't use such amenities; but lots of RVers really like them.
We have a riverfront spot - on the middle fork of the Willamette.
This is Mounthaven RV Park in Ashford, Washington. We're less than 2 miles from the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park; so here we pay for location rather than amenities. It's forested and quiet, and there are a couple of "pet" deer who've been fed through the winter, and now hang out like family friends. There are cabins, RV spots, and tent spots here. So it's more like a campground than an RV park.
On our way back to the RV Park, we stopped to walk through the Grove of the Patriarchs featuring the oldest trees in Mount Rainier National Park (some are over 1,000 years old!).
Casey's has a nice club house. Generally speaking, we don't use such amenities; but lots of RVers really like them. 
We have a riverfront spot - on the middle fork of the Willamette.
This is Mounthaven RV Park in Ashford, Washington. We're less than 2 miles from the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park; so here we pay for location rather than amenities. It's forested and quiet, and there are a couple of "pet" deer who've been fed through the winter, and now hang out like family friends. There are cabins, RV spots, and tent spots here. So it's more like a campground than an RV park.
