Back to Washington for a Volcano and an Ape

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Turns out that our stay at Barton Park in Boring Oregon wasn't very boring. We enjoyed the time here but now we need to head back north into Washington state. The main reason was another geocaching related destination. Back in 2001, a series of 13 special geocaches were placed around the world to celebrate the Planet of the Apes movie. Eight caches were in the USA and the other five were scattered around the globe. Since they were given a unique icon, they became ones that cachers really wanted to find. But by the time we started geocaching in late 2009, there were only 2 of them still active. One was in Brazil and the other in Washington state east of Seattle. 

We had never made it out to Washington before that one also went missing in 2011. I'm sure there were numerous people that made the trip to Brazil to get the last one but it wasn't likely we would do the same. Within the last year, a group of dedicated cachers went on a search and recovery mission. With a good plan and lots of perseverance (and some luck), they actually found the original container. The caching community was polled and it was decided they would hide the original container in the original location and make it available again. There was a big geocaching party when the cache was re-enabled and we really wanted to go to it, but it was only 2 days before the solar eclipse and we knew we couldn't do both the event and the eclipse. We figured we could head back to that area again before heading south for the winter.

Well that time is now. The destination is Snoqualmie Pass - where Interstate 90 goes over the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle. Being a bit longer of a drive than we like to do in a day, we looked for a good midway point on the trip. We could have just found a Walmart, truck stop or the like and made a quick overnight stop. But we really don't need to go at a fast pace and are consciously trying to NOT do that. We found an Elks Lodge in Kelso Washington, just across the Columbia River from Oregon. Kelso probably isn't a prime destination for many people but it is a reasonable drive to Mount Saint Helens from there. With that as our main objective, we head to Kelso.

When we pulled into the lodge, there were only 3 or 4 other rigs so there were numerous open sites for us to choose from. We head into the bar to register and are surprised at how many cars are in the parking lot. Upon opening the doors. We here all sorts of commotion in the bar. Turns out the Seattle Seahawks were playing and there was a large crowd of avid (rabid?) fans watching the game on multiple large screen televisions. We pay for 4 nights and head back to the rig to watch the game in a more peaceful setting. 

Our timing wasn't great from a weather standpoint. There was rain in the forecast for several days. On the first full day, we decide to just drive up to Mt St Helens and at least see what it's like even if it isn't great weather. We stop at the Mt St Helens Forest Learning Center prior to getting into the national park that is supposed to have a pretty nice education center. It might be nice, but it had just closed for the season so only the restrooms and small gift shop were open. We did do some of the short hikes and overlooks they have of the valley below and since it wasn't raining it was okay.

Overlook View on Way to Mt St Helens

Unlike many other national parks, most of the various stops at overlooks with the park don't require a fee or park pass. It's not until you go into the main visitor center on Johnson Ridge that you need to either pay your fee or show your pass. This fact required me to head back out to the car to get the pass we had hanging from the mirror. They have lots of  interactive displays that were quite interesting to explore. Johnston Ridge is north of the volcano which puts it on the side where the main eruption and flow occurred back in 1980. 

Coldwater Lake Near Mt St Helens

Boardwalk at Coldwater Lake

They have a pretty large and nice theater where they show a couple different movies describing what took place during the eruption. We have visited several other volcanoes during our travels but those have erupted thousands if not hundreds of thousand years ago. To have one that has happened within my lifetime was quite unique. A large screen lowers out of the ceiling and the dual digital projectors give quite a showing. They even have the subwoofers that makes the whole place shake making me wonder if the event is actually happening again. After the show is over the screen is raised out of the way and the curtains behind it are drawn back to display a breathtaking view of clouds! Yes it had really gotten cloudy while we were watching the show. What should have been a great view of the exposed crater was completely obscured. 

Johnston Ridge Visitor's Center

Scale Model of Volcano Area

A little bit later, the rain had stopped and we could at least go out and try to get a glimpse of the crater. Breaks in the clouds gave a hint of the crater and some of the newly fallen snow. We did a little exploring outside the building but the rain started again and forced us to just head to the car. This will need to stay on our list of places to visit again but hopefully on a much clearer day. 

Just a Glimpse of the Volcano

Large Tree Snapped Off During Blast of Volcano

Landscape Below Volcano Forever Changed

Rivers Heading from Mt St Helens

Our second day wasn't any better weather-wise so we knew there was no hope to see the volcano. And the third day was only marginally better. We just headed over the Cowlitz River to Longview to check out Lake Sacajawea. There are nice walking paths all around the lake with a couple bridges to take you across the long skinny lake. We do the complete 3.5 mile walk and enjoy it. We manage to get a few geocaches along the way and even find something else we have never seen before. Squirrel bridges! Yes, they (people not squirrels) have constructed a bridge of sorts between trees that appears to be flat and wider than the typical power line they might use. They even have a bit of a bridge look to them.

Lake Sacajawea

Squirrel Bridge

Closeup of Bridge

Our next stop is near Snoqualmie Pass. There aren't a lot of camping choices in the area or not ones for a rig our size. If we were in a tent or small trailer, there are plenty of options although some of the federal forest campgrounds were already closed for the season. While investigating options, Chris read in somebody's blog about a place called Valley Camp. It is a Lutheran Retreat just outside of North Bend. They have a campground that is open to the public although it doesn't show up in our go to app - All Stays. We had called a week or so beforehand and they had room for us. They have full hookup 50 amp sites with a $161 weekly rate. We figured it was a decent price and was very near the things we wanted to do. So even if it wasn't the best, it would work. 

The drive back up to this area was pretty. Most of the woods are evergreens but there are enough deciduous trees that are just coming into their full fall colors. Valley Camp is just outside the town of North Bend. Once off I-90, the road back to camp is paved, but also windy, hilly and somewhat narrow. There isn't much traffic on it so we manage to make it back. We were pleasantly surprised with how nice the place is. They have gravel sites that are spaced apart fairly well. We later found out that during the peak camping season, they actually double up and have people parked in the grass between sites. That explained why there were two sewer pipes at each utility pole. Unlike some of other commercial campgrounds that are right next to I-90, this one is far enough off the road that it was nice and peaceful.

Night Shot From Valley Camp

Besides the APE cache, the oldest cache in Washington state is also in the area. It's geocaching number is GCD. Which is the only 3 digit geocache that is still active. We decide to attempt this one on our first day. We are having pretty decent weather for late September but the cache is up on Mount Margaret just off I-90 near Hyak. Part of the way to the cache is on a steep and twisty forest road to the parking lot and trailhead. We  are a little surprised to find half a dozen other vehicles up here when we get there. Since we had done a series of caches along the drive on the way up, we decided to just eat our lunch in the parking lot rather than lugging it up with us. The initial part of the hike was scenic but close enough to the very busy expressway that it was fairly noisy. 

Heading to Mt Margaret

By the time we had gained much of the total elevation we would need to hike up, the clouds had rolled in and was actually looking like it might rain. This wasn't good since we really had planned for dry weather and didn't have the proper gear along. Of course once we got up to the elevation that our main goal was at, we ran into a little bit of snow on the ground from a previous day's snowfall. With this cache, we have now found the oldest active geocache in 20 of the states. 

After Finding Oldest Washington State Cache

I talked Chris into going up the trail a little bit further. There was a cache on the actual peak of Mount Margaret. The main trail only gets you to within about 300 feet of the cache, but how tough could 300 feet be? Well we never discovered a deer trail like we had been promised by the cache description and this last bit of trail was steep. But the biggest issue was the fact there were a couple inches of snow on the ground and it was really slick. There was one point where even I nearly said "that's it!", but we persevered and eventually made it to the top. Even with the clouds, the views were quite nice. It was a bit of a challenge to actually find the cache with the snow on the ground. I thought we had given up that aspect of the sport when we moved out of Rochester NY. 

Cloudy View from Mt Margaret

Overlooking Lake Margaret

We never did experience rain although it seemed like we did see a snowflake or two while up at elevation. The hike back to the car was pleasant. It turned out to be 6.7 mile round trip with a total elevation gain of just over 2200 feet. Of course that would mean we would need to put off the bike ride to the APE cache a day or two to recuperate. 

We stumbled upon the Northwest Railway Museum in the nearby town of Snoqualmie while doing an internet search. They have both a museum and an train ride. It turned out the the next day was Museum Day Live sponsored by Smithsonian magazine. All you needed to do was print out a coupon. In the case of this location, the coupon was good for free admission to the museum and half price off the train ride. So what would have cost us $40 without the coupon, we got for $10. We arrived at the museum just as it was opening, so we waited for a few minutes until there was a small group and the docent walked us through the museum telling us all sorts of interesting facts about the various cars and locomotives they have on display. Some are fully restored, while others definitely need some TLC. 

Caboose Could Use Some Work

Locomotive With Great Paint Job!

Possibly the highlight of the museum is the Chapel Car. This one was only recently finished restoration. In fact, there were still wet varnish signs hanging up. Since we hadn't seen the "before" condition, it is difficult to comprehend how much of the interior needed to be recreated. But as a woodworker, I could appreciate the detail that went into creating the gorgeous oak interior. I suppose if I needed to settle down and volunteer at a place, I would likely enjoy helping with the restoration work done at a place like this. In fact, other than a couple full time employees, the museum, train ride and restoration projects are all run by volunteers.

Wall Behind Lectern

Listening to Docent

Restored Woodwork

Next was our train ride. I'm guessing a few dozen people boarded the train at the museum. There are three cars to choose from. Each one was at a completely different level of amenities. For the first leg of the ride, we picked the last car. It seemed to have more of a box car theme rather than a passenger theme. The only seating was some well used wicker furniture but the two side doors were open with only a makeshift railing keeping people in the train. The first part of the ride headed up to Snoqualmie Falls. There isn't a terrific view of the falls from the train, but it was enough to pique our curiosity. There was a dog that is one of the "volunteers" on the train ride. Nader is an extremely mellow lab that has been part of the train ride since he was a few months old. That might explain how he was able to handle all the noises including the extremely loud whistle. 

Train Ready for Boarding

Volunteer Nader Relaxing on Train

Next stop is the depot in Snoqualmie. While we have the opportunity, we switch to the next car. This one is a real passenger car in reasonably good shape. Another short ride takes us past the museum into the stop in North Bend giving us the chance to switch to the third car. This one is in very good condition with stained glass transom windows. A short ride gets us back to the museum. The whole ride took about 90 minutes and went eight miles round trip. Not the best train ride we have taken but fun nonetheless. 

Snoqualmie Train Depot

Stained Glass in Passenger Car

Afterwards, we drove up to the falls to see them up close. Being a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon, the place was packed with people. There are a couple viewing platforms at high elevation. We needed to actually wait our turn to get to the railing to see the falls and take pictures. There is also a short but steep walk down to the lower water level and the power station. I was surprised how many people were doing the walk. Some of them didn't look like they would make it back up. Many kids were playing in the water but we opted to stay dry. There is a boardwalk that goes past the power plant and provides a good view of the falls. While we were enjoying the falls, we noticed people at water level but on the opposite side of the river. But not just ordinary people - a bride, groom and photographer. It wasn't clear how they even had gotten to their location let alone how they were climbing over boulders to get in the proper position for the photos. 

Snoqualmie Falls from Above

Enjoying the Snoqualmie River

Water Pipes Feeding Hydropower Plant

Falls from Below

Bride and Groom

The next day we decided to wash the rig since it has been several months since we had the opportunity. Then we took advantage of some of the trails they have at Valley Camp. Actually the loop trail on the property is only a mile long but it provides access to other trails. The main trail nearby is up Mailbox Mountain which is overlooking the campground. It sounds like a great hike but at over 7 miles long and over 4100 feet in elevation gain, we decided to skip this one and head back after a few miles of exploration. 

We had planned to go for the bike ride to the APE cache the next day, but a rainy forecast forced us to change plans. We did portions of a couple other hikes near Denny Creek. The area is near the pass over the Cascades. The interesting part is I-90 is elevated over the area a couple hundred feet. The Asahel Curtis Nature Trail circled through an area with some more of the enormous trees we have become accustomed to during our stay in Washington. We enjoyed the short hikes and stayed mostly dry. 

Along Asahel Curtis Trail

Westbound I-90 Overhead

Along Melakwa Trail

Chris Finds Shelter in Tree

By waiting to go for the APE cache an extra day, we had a great fall day. Of course that fact makes no difference for the first 2.3 miles on the Iron Horse Trail out of Hyak. That's because we get to ride through the Snoqualmie Tunnel. This trail is along the former Iron Horse railroad line. We have hiked through some tunnels that were a mile long but never one this long. Plus we were on our bikes. Chris used a headlamp and I used a flashlight. By taking it slow, we found it was a pretty easy ride. The trail surface is in good shape and didn't seem to be littered with lots of trash or have many bumps or ruts. There is even a geocache roughly halfway. Of course our GPSr doesn't work while inside the tunnel, which would make finding a cache problematic but the cache owner solves that problem by telling us it is in an alcove. There are 41 such alcoves roughly every 300 feet along the tunnel. We just need to keep track of how many alcoves we pass and stop at the correct one. We had no problems locating the one in the tunnel.

Chris Heads Into the Dark

We Find the Cache

She Makes It Out

Once out of the tunnel, we had a pleasant ride down to the location of the APE cache. It turns out the hiding spot is just off the trail out in the open in a large pile of rocks. Chris brought along some bananas as a snack to celebrate us finding this one - a fitting tribute. Since it was such a nice day and the trail is very nice, we continue on for several miles down the trail finding caches along the way. Near our turn around point, we find an interesting structure - an avalanche shelter. It was built over the train track at an area prone to avalanches keeping the tracks from becoming completely impassable. 

Western End of Tunnel

Nice View of I-90 Below

APE Cache Easy Find

We Found It

Nice Fall Colors

Avalanche Shed

We spent the last day taking advantage of the great weather and going for another bike ride. We drive to Fall City and find a parking lot for the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. This is a rail trail that extends over 30 miles. The trail itself is nice and wide and in great condition and there wasn't a lot of traffic. There are  dozens of geocaches placed along the trail so our effective pace is slowed down somewhat. We eventually make it to the town of Carnation and stop at Tolt River Park. There happens to be a campground here that looks like it could work for our size rig. We will need to keep this place in mind. The park is split in half by the Snoqualmie River. A unique suspension bridge allows pedestrians to cross the river where there are some yurts and a fairly elaborate trail system for hiking or biking. We might have considered trying it out but as it was, our ride ended up being 18 miles total. We pass a large farm in Carnation that has all sorts of autumn decorations. When we stopped to take a picture, three alpacas actually ran over to us. We are guessing they are used to being fed by visitors. Unfortunately we didn't have anything to give them so they lost interest.

Out for a Wagon Ride

Suspension Bridge at Tolt Park

Bright Barn

Not a Sign You Often See

Feed Us!

We really enjoyed our stay in the area and could easily have stayed for another week or two. The number of hiking trails in the Cascades could keep us busy and happy for quite some time. Plus Valley Camp turned out to be a real gem and we need to work it into our next trip in the area - whenever that will be. We already made plans for our trip to the Oregon coast so we can start our slow journey south for the winter months.