Long Overdue Update! Ellensburg and our Month at Valley Camp!

We are currently in Valley Camp, east of North Bend WA, our fifth year here--a place we and the dogs love--Bandit, Rusty and Puff, then Rupert and Bitty. Bitty really loved it here! Mike would be walking and she would be yanked to a stop as Bitty had stopped to roll in the grass! These desert dogs really appreciate grass when they find it! It is bitter sweet to return to her favorite place. As we have hiked familiar hikes, the memories have come back. We also had Bitty's remains sent here from Oregon, so picking them up brought it "real" once again, but also has provided a certain closure. We have her paw print, and the connected
hearts--"forever in our hearts"....so we are moving on, celebrating her memory!

 We spent Wednesday, June 4 through Friday June 6 in Ellensburg, WA where we watched Mike's great niece enjoy her high school graduation! It was great fun seeing all the fun Ally and her friends had during the ceremony--at 8:00 PM on Friday night.... All that fun they had helped keep us "old timers" awake as we are usually in bed at that time!

Our friends in Gallup, John and Patti, told us of a family friend with a shop in Ellensburg, so we stopped by and had a neat chat with her! The more we travel, the more we realize just how small this world is!

We left Ellensburg Saturday morning, June 7, arriving at Valley Camp around noon, backed in and set for a month! The weather has been gorgeous--sunny, in the low 70's....well, excepting for a few days here and there where the true colors of the Pacific North West showed themselves....RAIN!  The long range forecast is looking good---maybe even in the low 80's! We are NOT complaining! This cool weather gives us a chance to wear jeans again, and pull out the sweaters and long sleeve t-shirts! Lindy did leave the grill out on the picnic table, covered, and we plan on using it starting tomorrow!

Rupert is LOVING it here, for he can be off leash, and plays soccer each day. Recently there were two packs of cup scouts here:  one group Friday night through Saturday am; then another pack in Saturday afternoon through Sunday am. Lots of screaming and yelling--not any different than recess at school! It did mean that Rupert needed the leash to go outside.  During the nice weather we are walking twice a day:  each morning our hour walk, then a half hour in the after noon on the loop trail around the campground. One afternoon we startled an elk off of that loop trail. We haven't seen the elk down in the meadow (we go to bed too early!) but have seen evidence of their presence in the meadow!

On these walks "in the woods" Rupert is off leash--however he sticks right on Mike's heels. He keeps looking for the ball we had at the beach! Now in the mornings, when Mike returns from her walk she picks up Rupert and his ball and they walk to meet Lindy (a slower walker than Mike!). After meeting Lindy and when we all are back on Valley Camp grounds, Mike throws the ball for Rupert.

One afternoon we hiked up to a view area, a 1.2 mile hike, with a gorgeous view! Along the way, we did see fresh bear scat...! That renewed our sense of awareness, so that at 1:30 AM when Rupert had to go out, Mike was extra careful!!!  Here are some pictures of the hike to Greg's View. See the snow on the mountain peaks?! Some of that snow is fresh! It has been chilly during these rainy times! Yet the sun can and has warmed things up during those times it breaks through the clouds! Valley Camp does offer much in the way of scenery, and nice hikes!

There is major road construction on the Middle Fork Road past Valley Camp which leads to several camping areas and day use areas. This means that during the day several huge gravel trucks pass by Valley Camp trucking gravel for the new road. They use the Lake Dorothy Road -- our favorite walking and biking road! So yesterday we loaded the bikes on the car and drove to Marymoor Park near Redmond where we rode the Sammamish River Trail, which connects to the Burke-Gilman Trail. Several years ago (ummm, could it be 30...?!) we road the Burke-Gilman Trail with Mike's parents. This trail was among the first rails-trails, and helped inspire dozens of similar project around the country. Of course we could not remember where we parked after all those years, nor could we remember anything about the trails! We did discover that we were way below the Burke-Gilman Trail. We finally reached a portion of it after 12 plus miles, and decided we would turn back, planning to come again! One thing we know for sure, we had a lot of fun, riding 24 miles round trip, and hope we can do it at least one more time before we leave!

We stopped at Wilmot Gateway Park in Woodenville where we bought lunch at Jack-in-the-Box.

It was cloudy, with possible showers....We "lucked out!"  Cloudy and cool for the morning, but warmed up to the high 70's by afternoon, the sun burning through the clouds! A very good time to be out riding bikes!

We hope to return, parking at an access point closer to the Burke-Gilman trail before we leave.

Later!  Roving Riders, enjoying the Great Pacific North West!

The Depot in 1925 Woodenville

A "patio" type structure provide cover for the picnic tables at the park.