Jutta On The Road – Day 13

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Crossing an arm of the Green River on WY-530 in southern Wyoming

Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until 17 years after the trip. It should be noted that it was a huge mistake to have not written it way back when. Sometimes, after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip (or even during), I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

Woke up in Green River, Wyoming, and before getting on the road south, we stopped in for breakfast at Buckaroos Family Restaurant because what sounds more old west than that? Wyoming State Road 530 is a small road, which suits us fine; it was on that when we crossed this arm of the Green River on its way to Flaming Gorge down in Utah.

Utah Road 44 Between Manila and Flaming Gorge

Utah State Route 44 is an amazing drive, not only for the incredible beauty it traverses, but there are interpretive signs all over the area telling what kind of deposits were laid down here, during which era in the historic record they came to be, and what you might find int hem such as alligators, dinosaurs, petrified sand dunes, or in the case of the Park City Formation from the Permian, phosphate for fertilizer.

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt at Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, Utah

Funny that across the border in Colorado is the town of Dinosaur, but here in Jensen, Utah, the Dinosaur National Monument is found.

Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, Utah

This skull pokes out of the petrified mud on the upturned river bed along with hundreds of other fossils frozen where they fell millions of years ago or within the past 6,000 years, depending upon your particular belief system.

Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, Utah

So there they were, God and a bunch of his (her?) assistants (?). It was the third day of creation, and dry land and plants had just been created. Already, I’ve got serious issues here as those plants need a sun for photosynthesis, but that arrives only the next day, and what about the water? Water shows up on day 5. But let’s go back to day 3. This is devious because with the dry land already in place, God knew that in the future, day 6 for him specifically, he was going to create land animals and people, which means in the making of all this rock, he planted hints in the shape of giant extinct lifeforms, knowing we’d be baffled by the mystery. I suppose I can go with the idea that he knew that the people he was creating were not going to be as dumb as a river bed of rocks, but come on, look around you. We are that box of rocks.

Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, Utah

Come on now, those of deep faith, just go ahead and admit that the spine that was destined for you got lost in the mud of creation, turned to stone, and now your ability to consider reality is as petrified as these old dinosaurs right here.

Caroline Wise, Jutta Engelhardt, and John Wise at the Colorado Stateline

Well, that was probably enough of me blaspheming his holiness’ mythologies and so we should just get on down the road and into Colorado, the colorful (and windy) place.

Old trading post likely near Rangely, Colorado

Ah, here’s something else I can stir the pot about. Remember Native Americans? Yeah, not many do because our ancestors were close to being fully effective in making relics like those found encased in stone, such as the dinosaurs. Do you know why that is? Because we are white gods cleansing the world of pesky things we don’t need, such as clean air, water, food security, a roof over poor people’s heads, and compassion. I’m not saying all of us whites are bad, just the bad ones, and you all know who you are. Sweet Jesus, our Lord in Heaven, says the atheist to nobody reading this; what’s the big axe yer grinding here? Oh, you think vacation is all about double cheeseburgers and sunshine? Luckily, we can still pass reminders of the people who lived on these lands for THOUSANDS of years before George, Helmut, and Lorenzo dropped in to kill everything that moved.

Pictograph at Canyon Pintado off Highway 139 south of Rangely, Colorado

Pictographs at Canyon Pintado are the only other reminders left in all of Colorful Colorado that Native Americans once lived in the area. Take notice of the red outline of the arms and hands, somebody (defaced) painted it all white in an effort to erase the reference to the Indian that first made it.

Pictograph at Canyon Pintado off Highway 139 south of Rangely, Colorado

Oh, it seems I was mistaken, and the evil oppressors missed something; no worries, I destroyed it right after I took this photo. Seriously, this is wall tongue-in-cheek, but I do have a real beef in that I don’t think America has begun to reconcile its sordid past of hate-based politics of exclusion. As for the God stuff above my incendiary Native American blatherings, that nonsense is just beyond the pale and needs to be retired.

Grand Mesa Byway in Colorado

Grand Mesa Byway is a terrific byway as far as byways go. The road travels to places that, if you’ve never been on this byway, will be unseen by you until you travel out this way. And when you get to the destinations the Grand Mesa Byway will bring you to, you’ll know that you’ve been there because that’s what byways do.

Grand Mesa Byway in Colorado

Uh, we did not; I repeat, we specifically did NOT order snow for this trip. A frozen lake in June? Give me a break; it’s summer, right?

Grand Mesa Byway in Colorado

Sure, I know there’s snow out there, but that’s just decorative, so I can attempt to take dramatic photos.

Ouray, Colorado

Ouray back when it was just a small mountain town still unclaimed by the wealthy horde that was about to take it over.

On the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado

The Million Dollar Highway was cut out of Billion Dollar Views.

On the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado

Why there is Twenty Dollar Weather hanging out over perfection is an unknown, kind of like how God creates light on the first day, but the sun doesn’t show up until day 4. I’m living in some kind of Catholic Parallel Universe trying to make sense of what’s inspiring me to write so much nonsense when I’m obviously not writing a bible.

Brown Bear Cafe in Silverton, Colorado

Brown Bear Cafe in Silverton was our temporary heaven as they had hot food. There were no angels, but they did have dessert.

On the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado

We are quickly running out of light, and me out of ideas about what else I can write here to finish fleshing out this blog post that would probably have been a whole lot better had I written it 17 years ago as the events of the day were unfolding. Well, at least the photos are now here.

Jutta On The Road – Day 12

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until 17 years after the trip. It should be noted that it was a huge mistake to have not written it way back when. Sometimes, after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip (or even during), I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

Again, at the break of day, we are on our way into another Yellowstone adventure of exploration. I can say this with confidence all these years later because every time we’ve been in this park, it’s left indelible impressions on us regarding our time here. It’s probably a cliche to put it this way, but I don’t think we are as much into Yellowstone as Yellowstone gets into us.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

If it looks like boiling water, you’d be a fool to put your hand in to test the observation, so I’m just going to assume that these grasses and plants have learned to live on the edge of a hostile environment, though I can also accept that what I think is boiling is just escaping gas floating to the surface of this pool.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

There are plenty of obvious sights here in the park that easily suggest a great photo might be had, but to try and see what, while common, may not have been seen frequently is a challenge.

Bison in Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

And then there’s that moment when no matter how often you’ve seen a bison, a deer, or an elk, you just have to take one more photo out of fear that you won’t have seen any other wildlife during your visit so you use it to prove your visit included animals because what would a Yellowstone adventure be without the beasties?

Don’t forget the iconic photos either, preferably not one with your mother-in-law being gored by a giant sharp-horned hairy bison the park service constantly reminds people to stay clear of, but more like this one where mother and daughter pose for a photo together in front of the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

I’d really love to know how this tree came to lose whatever earth might have been below it prior to its roots having to act as legs.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

Okay, so the trees have been standing in this shallow, apparently hot, highly mineralized water long enough to give the trees the appearance of wearing white ankle socks, but then why isn’t the grass white? While I can answer with a bit of quick logic that the grass grows and dies off so quickly it doesn’t have time to absorb the same chemicals the trees do, what I cannot figure out or learn from the mind of the internet is how this grass is growing in such a hostile environment in the first place.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

Godzilla, is that you? Oh, it’s just my mother-in-law leaving the bathroom; just kidding, I love hanging out with Jutta, seriously.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

Not Old Faithful.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

Orange bacterial mat with mineral islands sporting forests for microscopic life I cannot see, this is why I come to Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

Reflections that blur the point between sky and earth are another good reason to be here.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

Humans throw coins in fountains to have their wishes come true. While I can’t be certain, I think the marmots sneak out here when nobody is looking and throw marmot coins into this pool, hoping their wishes might also come true. If you think those are mostly just stones of the same size, you’d be wrong. I verified them as currency, and that’s that.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

There, did you see that? The Eye of Yellowstone winked at us in the reassurance that it was okay for us to leave as we’d be coming back again. With that, we pointed the car south and moved on.

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

I’d like to offer my apologies for including this photo at such a low resolution, but there were so many mountains in this shot of the Grand Teton range. I couldn’t even take this one photo and had to take countless images that were assembled as the panorama you are seeing. To have included a high-resolution version would have meant I would have had to upload one, and then anyone could have just stolen this masterpiece, claimed it as their own, and grown rich.

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

This looks awfully familiar, and that would be because every trip we make to the Tetons requires us to stop right here at this oxbow bend in the Snake River, which is also the same area we saw our first ever moose back in the year 2000.

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

More Tetons because everyone loves the Grand Teton.

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

Not a wolf.

We are on Highway 26 going southeast after leaving the national park via Moran Junction instead of traveling through Jackson Hole.

It might not be that great town of Jackson that everybody adores, but it sure is beautiful out here, too; plus, it’s taking us into part of Wyoming we are unfamiliar with.

Going along enjoying the rainbow of earth.

Every trip should include three or four obligatory stops at incredibly photogenic abandoned businesses and homes.

We’ve turned west on Highway 28, traveling along the Oregon Trail for a bit before cutting south again.

The Great Plains in Southern Wyoming.

Jutta On The Road – Day 11

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until 17 years after the trip. It should be noted that it was a huge mistake to have not written it way back when. Sometimes, after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip (or even during), I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

The Roosevelt Gate, which could also be known as the “Gate to Heaven,” stands at the north entry to Yellowstone National Park. While the rest of the trip might have been taken at a fast pace, we have two nights in the area in order to get a good dose of the place.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

On the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs for sunrise, such a wonderful place to catch the sun’s arrival.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

We learned long ago that one of the treats of Jutta visiting us in the United States is to be found on the occasions when we can bring her back to a place she never thought she’d get to visit even once in a lifetime, such as what we’ve done taking her to the Grand Canyon time and again.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Then there’s our own curiosity following our first encounter with Yellowstone back in early 2000 when we saw the remnants of the destructive force of the big Yellowstone fire of 1988 that burned for approximately five months. Each time we return to this place, we are scouring our own memories, looking for signs of change and regrowth.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

This might not be the conventional or popular view associated with Yellowstone, but I find that unfortunate as the diversity of landscapes on offer is incredible. One can only wish to be on hand for a couple of more years to see the evolution of changes due to the seasons, water levels, cloud cover, lighting, and the rest of the environmental factors that impact the view.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

If you were to ask Caroline or me, you’d learn that we’ve never met a boiling cauldron of gaseous mud that we didn’t love, not that one gets to encounter such things on a regular basis.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Behold an evolved skin-removing device capable of snuffing out the life of those who tempt the gods of crusty edges found at the hot springs of Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Almost worse than someone dying in a hot spring is the damage done to the surfaces around the springs, where visitors have to witness that idiots preceded their own visit. For those who somehow don’t know, this is the Grand Prismatic Geyser.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Sure, a bison, elk, or bear might walk across this, but they live wild; we live with intention and are often capable of following rules. Heck, just to visit Yellowstone, a person most obviously has been able to maintain a job somewhere otherwise, how’d they afford to get themselves to this remote corner of America? To the best of our ability, these places shouldn’t be trampled underfoot by hordes of people neglecting their responsibility to help preserve such treasures for those who follow. And of the bear that walks across this? There will never be thousands of them per day.

Jutta Engelhardt and Caroline Wise at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

We are staying at Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins, obviously in a cabin.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Once we were checked in, the next obvious stop would be Yellowstone Lake.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Followed by that favorite area called West Thumb.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

This being our 5th visit to Yellowstone, there’s a certain calm allowed in chasing around to see it all; we can just go slow and take in the detail at a pace I’m certain my mother-in-law is a lot more comfortable with, too.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

I’ll never tire of the phenomenon when the environment is so big that we can see a storm off in the distance and dream of its ferocity and just go on with our sightseeing like the bad weather is a million miles away until it’s not.

Jutta On The Road – Day 10

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt at Glacier National Park, Montana

Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until 17 years after the trip. It should be noted that it was a huge mistake to have not written it way back when. Sometimes, after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip (or even during), I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

Wake up, practice the ablutions you’ve adopted, and step into new, unknown experiences so your life might rise like the sun on the horizon. When the final night comes, will you be able to celebrate in the knowledge that you danced through this life, even if it’s just metaphorically? Yes, Jutta comes to America primarily to visit her daughter and maybe me a bit (but only a bit), and then there’s the obligatory exploration of aspects of her ability to bring in the new, to dance with her children in unfamiliar places, often doing unfamiliar things. Today, that involves the three of us driving into the mountains of Glacier National Park here in Montana. Before we got to this park sign, we detoured a brief way up north to the Canadian border, getting there before the sun did, turned around, and headed this way.

Glacier National Park, Montana

We were not those lucky few who could afford to stay within the park’s borders, so we had to drive down from Eureka through Whitefish and Columbia Falls to get here, but upon our arrival, it appeared that everything was just as amazingly beautiful as if we’d slept within Glacier. The lodges in the park are highly coveted and, like all great places, are booked well in advance, but don’t worry if you can’t snag a reservation; just look at the following photos to see that you too can experience the astonishing.

Glacier National Park, Montana

We’ve read that Glacier is crowded; well, maybe that’s true in the summer or up at the Logan Pass visitors center, but right here, right now, things are, as you can see, perfect.

Glacier National Park, Montana

What’s not perfect is the insane road that’s been carved out of the mountainside. Beware those who easily entertain a fear of heights.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Just looking at all that snow triggers my anxiety as I can easily imagine that during the winter, the road we are traveling is a frequent target of the snow gods ready to toss passing cars off the road. Funny how the imagination can impact the pucker factor even when such situations are not really possible or even likely but somehow have crawled into the mind.

Glacier National Park, Montana

The worst part of the road is that you can see it ahead, while the best part is EVERYTHING ELSE!

Glacier National Park, Montana

You know, to be honest, I’m happy to be here before the main summer season gets underway, as with the amount of snow here still draping the mountains, one gets a faint idea of what this corner of Montana looks like during the winter.

Glacier National Park, Montana

That’s Wild Goose Island in Lake Mary, meaning we’ve already gone over Logan Pass, and while I may be mistaken, I think that’s Going-To-The-Sun Mountain to the right and the namesake of the road we are on.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Heading into the Many Glacier area of the park that requires visitors to get on Highway 89 north towards Canada and turn off at Babb, this is one seriously big national park.

Swiftcurrent Lake at Many Glaciers in the Glacier National Park, Montana

We’ve arrived at Swiftcurrent Lake and will now dream for as many lifetimes as necessary about staying at the chalet over on the far left.

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt at Swiftcurrent Lake at Many Glaciers in the Glacier National Park, Montana

After visiting Glacier National Park, a number of people asked if we’d ever been up to Jasper and Banff National Parks, and as sad as it is to admit here in 2022 when I’m writing this post, we’ve still not visited that corner of Canada.

Glacier National Park, Montana

It’s all pretty crazy when you stop to think that this is just a small part of the Rocky Mountain range that stretches 3,000 miles from northwest Canada down to New Mexico.

Driving north on Highway 89 towards Canada in Montana

Being a short 10 miles from the Canadian border, you bet we headed up there.

Blackfoot Nation Sculpture in Babb, Montana

We could have shared a boring photo of the customs station or sign to Canada, but this roadside Blackfoot Nation Sculpture was way better.

Somewhere on Highway 89 in Montana

Highway 89 will take us all the way to Gardiner, Montana, today, which is where we’re staying the night so we can visit the next national park first thing tomorrow.

Somewhere on Highway 89 in Montana

Along the way, we’ll pass through Fairfield, Neihart, Ringling, Wilsall, and Wineglass.

Somewhere on Highway 89 in Montana

Minutes before, we were passing through Ringling, Montana. It sure is wide open out here.

Rainbow over the Yellowstone River on Highway 89 in Montana

You just know that this had to be the last photo of the day as we cross the Yellowstone River with one fairly strong rainbow and a hint of pale one to its left. Yep, this is how life should be: rainbows welcoming us back to Yellowstone, where we’re going in the morning.

Jutta On The Road – Day 9

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until 17 years after the trip. It should be noted that it was a huge mistake to have not written it way back when. Sometimes, after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip (or even during), I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

We wake up in a place that’s new to all of us. Nobody here on this adventure has any experience of what to do once the day begins in Concrete, Washington, about 40 miles south of the Canadian border. Well, I have a general idea, that’s to continue our drive eastward.

Adding a new national park to the list of these American treasures we’ve been so fortunate to visit, here we are at the North Cascades National Park today.

While everyone’s heard of the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite, I don’t know of anyone who’s told us that we just had to visit the North Cascades. Might this be one of the United State’s best-kept secrets, or is it like Alaska and too difficult to get out here?

We’re at Gorge Lake, fed by the Skagit River; just out of sight are some high-tension powerlines; who built powerlines through a national park?

On one hand, it’s a shame that back during these days of moving quickly through these environments, we’d race through, take in an overview, and move on. With Jutta traveling with us, it wasn’t any better or worse as our methods of taking inventory had us thinking we’d scope the amazing places we want to return to, and then at a future point, we’d do just that. That hasn’t always worked out, such as with the North Cascades.

Looking through these memories, I’m struck by how beautiful this place is and wonder if Caroline and I shouldn’t consider putting a trip to Seattle on the itinerary, renting a car, and combining a return visit with another trip to nearby Olympic National Park too so we might get to do some hiking in these areas and feel like we’ve seen something more than what can be gleaned from a pullout on the road.

Off on a tangent, I went, where were these peaks and streams? If I do plan for a return, say in 2023, where should I look for trails for us to hike?

Maybe a little too much elevation gain would be required to hike to the top of the treeline, but I could think of worse ways to spend a day.

I believe this is Mt. Terror, strangely named, I think, but then again, I’m never going to try to ascend its peak.

We left the park and drove east as my crazy ambition was to have us visit Glacier National Park tomorrow; this is just nuts. And though we might be rushing through the landscape, we still have time to stop for a woman making waffle cones for homemade ice cream in the quaint town of Winthrop.

Time for old farm buildings bordering on decay? Always.

While we may not have taken enough time to truly linger in the flora of eastern Washington, I’ll certainly try to capture enough of the sights so we can remember that we were at one time in places that might have failed to lock into our mind’s eye quite the way Yellowstone or the Oregon Coast has.

Tiger Historical Center and Museum required a stop at the request of my mother-in-law. You see, the Engelhardt’s have what you might call spirit animals associated with them or animals they grew up loving. For Caroline, that would be the snail; for her sister Stephanie, it is the mighty mouse; and for Stephanie’s husband Klaus, it is the tiger.

This is the Columbia River, and at the time of this writing, in 2022, I can’t remember in what year back in the early 2000s Caroline and I first traveled the Columbia between Oregon and Washington, but looking at this image here I’m left thinking how different this northeast part of the river looks when compared to it entering into the Pacific Ocean at the Columbia Bar.

Caroline Wise with Jutta Engelhardt and John Wise at the Idaho State Sign

Taking these selfies at state lines was not always easy as the state signs themselves were not put up in consideration of sun orientation and time of day when you might be asking people with sensitive blue eyes to look, so I’ve taken plenty of squinty-eyed photos of these two women.

Then there’s the camera operator error and not recognizing that we were all too blurry to be able to use the selfie. If you are wondering what happened to Idaho and our driving across it, there were photos but nothing worth sharing.

Do not listen to sentimental music when exploring old memories; as I try to write about our moment here at the banks of the Kootenay River, the music in my ears renders a solemnity on the verge of sadness about the man I was as I applied a fierce intensity of moving us through such beautiful places instead of taking the appropriate amount of time to let it all sink in. Now that I’m older, I can better see the world through my mother-in-law’s eyes, and back then, on this trip, she was already 70 while here at the cusp of my turning 60; I’m enjoying our newer go-slow approach. I suppose this was the price to be paid when hanging out with your children still ripping through the world with a take-no-prisoners approach to life.

An American Bald Eagle flew just feet in front of our car while driving a back road and perched in a nearby tree in Montana

Just in front of our car, as we passed the Yaak River, an American Bald Eagle swept across the road and perched in a nearby tree. I stopped as quickly as possible, certain I was frightening away the eagle. Caroline jumped from the car with the camera in hand, and to our surprise, the eagle sat patiently posing while Caroline clicked away. Wow

The Tobacco River near Eureka, Montana, at sunset was near our cheap motel. While the lodging might have been a bit on the shoddy side, the views never are.

Jutta On The Road – Day 8

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Disclaimer: This blog entry wasn’t written until 17 years after the trip. It should be noted that this was a huge mistake to have not written it way back when. Sometimes, after writing so much about other days, it happens that at the time directly after the trip (or even during), I convince myself that the details are not that important. Years later, these details are that important, and pulling them out of foggy memories is difficult. The photos help and often leave clues, and then Caroline’s memories are usually far clearer than mine. With that said, here goes.

I might just have to concede defeat: it’s now been two years since I struggled through the day prior to this one, as any semblance of story is so far away from anything I remember. I could write a generic story about the love of nature and how my mother-in-law Jutta responded to these deeply immersive journeys into America but there would be no real personal details that harken back to these days.

This is the tragedy of not following up in a timely manner with something that, at the time just wasn’t imperative. I feel like I had been a spider, and I spun out a single thread, and then days later, on the verge of starvation, I’m wondering, how’d I go wrong? The answer is simple: always do all you can to capture not just your meals but your memories, too.

Back in 2005, I did write something, maybe 100 words if I’m lucky. Part of that original text was that we’d stayed in Forks, Washington, overnight, and from the itinerary I still have, I can share that we paid $46 for a night at the Town Motel. I also included that we stayed this far north so we could visit the Hoh Rainforest first thing today before heading over to Olympic National Park; actually, the Hoh Rainforest is part of Olympic National Park.

While I also wrote of the rabbit and some elk hoove prints, I didn’t mention that we’d seen elk crossing a river; photos are below.

Over the years of capturing so much imagery of the United States shared with Caroline, Jutta, and others, I’ve tried to advocate that others should be blogging, too. By now, I cannot believe it’s not a national directive with studies showing how meaningful, rich details from our past can bring us back to the experience as though they happened yesterday. Back when Caroline and I ventured out driving from Arizona to Maine and down to Louisiana before heading home, we took great notes, and while we took a minimal number of photos due to the expense of memory cards during those nascent days of digital photography, I was able to craft a narrative compelling enough that I know more about that adventure than I ever will about this one that occurred five years later.

Now, fortunately, Caroline and I have been on the Hoh Rainforest trail before, along with the Quinault Rainforest part of the park out here on the Olympic Peninsula, so we have some strong memories about a lot of what’s being seen here, but those tiny details that bring back the laughter of a mother-in-law, wife, kids nearby, or the sound of the forest itself, those things regarding these specific days have drifted on.

There’s no way to bring any of it back. Even Caroline is unable to add further detail. In any case, the mighty banana slug will always be mighty in our eyes.

Sure, these scenes are gorgeous; that’s why we thought to bring Jutta up this way, though a 16-day road trip was going to be grueling.

There are moments on our journeys when we encounter situations when not only would it be impossible to see anything similar in Germany, but even if Caroline and I had seen something remotely the same on a previous excursion, we’d still be here in astonishment right now. We see lizards, coyotes, ants, and too many pigeons in Phoenix, while Jutta might see pigeons in Frankfurt. Nature enchants all of us, and I’m sure it did this day, too, but did Caroline or her mom utter something noteworthy? I wish I remembered.

Caroline’s cooling her feet in Lake Crescent; I only know this because the next photo has us heading into the mountains to visit the main area of Olympic National Park.

Mt. Rainier is in the distance, meaning this is an incredibly clear day as that mountain is about 120 miles away as the crow flies.

Up on Hurricane Ridge.

Thanks again to the old itinerary I’ve been reminded that we are at Port Townsend taking the ferry over to Fort Casey on Whidbey Island. Once over there the plan was to go north to Fidalgo Island and catch another road east up to North Cascades National Park, a place Caroline nor I have ever been to.

We are staying in the Eagles Nest Motel in Concrete, Washington; the name wasn’t lost on my mother-in-law. Back then, it cost us $55 in cash to stay, but my search of the place shows it shut down around 2014.

Now, this is one of the seriously strong memories I’ve held on to; Caroline and her mom are about to try Rocky Mountain Oysters (bull testicles), and while Jutta thought they were just okay, Caroline grimaced a bit as she chewed into the soft piece. After a few bites, she also declared that eating testicles is no big deal. As for me, I was not up for a food challenge and instead played chicken; plus, I’ve never liked organ meats. And that’s all I’ve got.