Llamas and Lava Tubes

These trees are amazing!

Today, in Sojourn talk, was an easy day. We started out with a 34 mile bike ride. So easy, huh? But, we were in Washington State, where life is easy. And home to Washington Pears, as well as Anjou pears (the dark reds ones).

We crossed over the river early this morning and headed off into agricultural America. The trees are so huge they tower over everything. And, from my Twin Peaks days, I know they are Douglas Firs. So unbelievable. We unloaded in a little town that may have been called Trout Dale and started our ride. The first 5 miles were flat and smooth and went by one gorgeous field after another. I lost my odometer somewhere yesterday and had to turn back, so I was way behind the rest of the group. The first farm had some cows and 3 llamas, one of which had already been sheered. The next farm had dozens of llamas, all standing in the shadow of Mt. Adams. It is so imposing! Then, there was a llama standing beside the road, eating grass and not fenced in. Maybe they are wild here, I don't know. At one point, I swear there was a field of Yaks. At least one other person in the group agrees with me.

At about mile 5, the road started to gain a little elevation. At mile 5.5, it gained a whole lot of elevation! This hill, however, went on for two miles. So, while it was steep and difficult to climb, I didn't feel like I might tumble over backwards. At the top of the hill, the road started rolling. It was smooth and had very little traffic. And Mt. Adams followed me the whole way. It was awesome!

The last 6 miles of the ride was a descent, but the visibility was great so it was fun rather than terrifying.

Our ride ended at Zoller's Outdoor Odysseys, a third generation rafting company. After donning wetsuits and jackets, we were ready to do a different kind of rolling. The White Salmon River is a spring fed river flowing in ancient lava tubes. The geology on the banks is quite unusual. The river is spring fed from Mt. Adams and the water temperature is 38 to 42 degrees, year round. We were bundled and happy for it. The river was high today and the rapids were Class III and Class IV. It was a blast. Many people in our group had never been rafting before, so it was a real treat for them. Our guide was Joetta, the owner of the company. She looked to be about 22 years old with the most amazing arms, but she talked a lot about her grandkids, so I guess I'm a few years off. We had to paddle through the rapids and her direction was excellent. In the middle of the trip, there is a 14 foot waterfall. We got out of the raft, sent it over the falls and climbed back in. In the pictures, I am in the middle on the left side. I screamed the entire trip, which made me popular with my raft-mates.

Our guide told us lots of tall tales and one of the guys put his head over the front of the raft looking for a white car that was allegedly submerged. Of course, he saw a whole lot of white water, which was hysterical. I sat behind Glover, who is about 6 foot 5 inches tall. So I avoided some water, at least, hiding behind him.

After we changed and dried off a bit, we head for town and had dinner at the Full Sail Brewery. Great food, super beer. The hit of the evening was a beer float -- just like a root beer float, only with beer! Some people will do anything for a drink, I guess.

At dinner, Glover told me that he and his wife used to see Julia Child a lot because they live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, location of Julia's television show, as everyone knows. One time, his wife accidentally stole money from Julia. I asked him to get his wife's autograph for me. I think he thinks I'm kidding.

Tomorrow, we are hiking for about 4 miles and visiting Timberline, a hotel used for filming the outside locations of The Shining. After that, we will probably bike!

Have I mentioned that this lovely hotel has no elevator? Well, there is an elevator, but it can only be operated by a professional. Since I have never seen a professional elevator operator, I can't identify one. So each night, I have to walk three flights of stairs. I'm sure it is building character.