Upstream, Downstream

Day 60: Let me tell you this about that: I did not like being on the far side of either of these bridges (Kernahan Rd., top; Elbe, bottom) to take these pictures for you. While I was standing on the Kernahan bridge, a tree struck one of the pylons with a loud thunk. Okay, I did not feel the bridge shake. I won't claim that, although I was left with a profound sense of my mortality as I thought about what was going on under the Nisqually's roiling surface. I have not seen it this high since the November 2006 flood...you know, the one which ate Sunshine Point Campground and closed the Park for six months. As a matter of fact, the Kernahan bridge was rebuilt after the 2006 flood. Here's a mere 10 seconds of the action today.

 

 

Border Security

Day 123: Whether clueless, curious or defiant, the number of people who think these signs do not apply to them have necessitated the stationing of a State Patrol officer at the junction of SR 706 and Hwy 7 in Elbe. I got out just fine, but in order to return home, I had to show identification before I was allowed up the road. SR 706 is a mess of limbs and trees fallen like jackstraws, downed power lines and work crews labouring valiantly to restore power and phone service to residents of the upper Nisqually Valley. Hwy 7 has its share of trees across the road, but the major obstacle there is an accident involving multiple semis which has yet to be fully cleared away. That said, my portion of the road is clear. My power has stayed on, although it's fluttered a few times (probably as crews change over the service from one line to another). I still have internet. And I have enough milk to last me into the next decade, thanks to Kevin and another friend who, lacking any connections, didn't get my morning message. A new supply of cat food has been laid in for the Fussy Eater, and my library book stack has been replenished. If the snow flies again as well it may, I'm ready.

Elbe's Best Tourist Attraction

Day 71: I don't recall exactly when someone painted Pence out of this sign just off State Highway 7 in Elbe, but it was some time last summer. Apparently unsatisfied with an incomplete job, that person (presumably the same one) returned just last week and sprayed out the T using the same paint. It seems that a fair percentage of der Führer's supporters have as little regard for the law as he does; Washington state law states that all election signs must be removed within 10 days following the election, yet I could list at least half a dozen similar violations. For now, though, this seems to be Elbe's best tourist attraction, train rides notwithstanding.

Not Good At All

Day 315: Let's start the day off with a bang...literally. At 7:33 AM, I heard a loud growling rumble which I initially thought was an earthquake. A minor rattling accompanied it, more like a reverberation than a shake. It was over in just a few seconds, causing me to re-evaluate my supposition, and upon review, I decided it had been an explosion, and of course I immediately associated it with the Alder Lake Fire. As I sat down to compose an email, I thought, "Maybe I ought to check the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network before I draw any conclusions," and lo and behold! There it was, a 2.9 quake, epicentered only a few miles from my home. Never a dull moment around here!

After putting in a full day at work, I decided to swing by Lillie Dale Road to check on the fire, and there discovered the same young firefighter standing duty by his truck and talking to a crowd of onlookers. He greeted me with a "Howdy, stranger!" and immediately took me aside to explain the fire situation in more detail. I was dismayed to learn that it is progressing eastward, and that it has now spread to 150 acres. The good news is that the Dept. of Natural Resources has now joined the fight since the blaze has crossed over into DNR land.

As my erstwhile "interpretive guide" ran his finger across the map, showing me where crews were actively working and where he had gone in on foot to scout a possible firebreak, I noticed a difference between his map and mine. "What about this ridge? Isn't there a spur road going out it? It comes to a T right along here." I traced the ridgeline for him. "Are you sure?" he asked. I replied, "Yeah, I have it on the old Gifford Pinchot map." He paused for a second before responding, "I'd like to see that map. Could you bring it down tomorrow?" I said I'd be glad to do so.

There's a reason I'm known to several friends as "Mapping Crow," a play on my geocaching moniker. I find maps more fascinating reading than any work of literature I ever held in my hands.Could it be that my map shows something they need to know? I double-checked when I got home. There it is, a short spur which T's off into the 017 and 015 along the crest of the ridge. I'll have my map in his hands at 8 AM tomorrow when he resumes his watch.