It is now Saturday afternoon June 6th and I am writing yesterday’s events.  This couple I am with are wearing me out!  In a good way!  There is so much to see up here on the Columbia River and the surrounding area that we are off and running (well driving actually) at some point every day.  Today’s running has not yet happened.  We have plans for later.  We are having a salad soon and then going to take off to climb a rock.  A big rock.  Look back at yesterday’s postings and see the picture of Beacon Rock.  That is the rock that Larry and I plan to climb when it gets a bit cooler  It is really quite high and has some rough trails that go around on the ledge.  I have been told it has a magnificent view of the Columbia River at its highest attainable point.  I get sort of a trilling stomach when I think about doing something as precarious as that.  Yet, I feel like I can trust my body to perform for me.  I haven’t had as much opportunity to workout this past week so I need a good strenuous challenge to look forward to.  I spoke with Dave earlier and he told me that he attending a dinner tonight with the “Prime Time” group.  It is where you go to someone’s house who is preparing a dinner for you but you don’t know whose house until you arrivet.  He has an idea.  I hope he has a good time while I am sweating my way up that rock.

Now to yesterday, Friday June 5, 2015  Day 93.  It was an awesome day.  My friends have been retired for awhile and are teaching me some things.  One is how to sleep in, have a nice easy morning, then do what you want.  Sounds pretty nice.  Turn down to yesterday’s photos listed below and see the one captioned “Charlene’s backyard view”.  That is exactly what I can see when I look up from the pages of my computer screen.  It is 94 degrees, no humidity, and actually quite lovely here under a covered patio that comes off the side door from my lower level suite.  Not just lovely, but absolutely grand!!!!  I love this place.  It speaks to my heart and soul.  If I could I would convince Dave to come back to Oregon so we could live in this beautiful environment, albeit is drying up like California.  That is so sad.  I do hope snows and rains come this year for this country on the west coast.

After our luxuriously wonderful morning we high tailed it out to make up for lost time.  Now I had on my red patchwork dress that I made in 1974.    Carlene assured me that we wouldn’t being seeing anyone and that we would mostly be in the car and only out in the wilderness.  So I decided to wear it.  It was just too comfortable to change.  I put on my stripped toe socks, red walking shoes, pearl earrings, and walked out into the wilds of the world wearing my floor length polyester vintage patchwork quilt red dress.  It was wonderful!  A little ways down the road past their house were some very secluded, unmarked waterfalls.  Or so we thought they were unmarked.  Charlene pulled over alongside this country road, deep in the heart of the forest (with huge trees) and we began walking down a narrow pathway that descended about half way down the mountain side we were on.  At the end of our descent there was a lookout platform and straight ahead of us and below us were the most beautiful waterfalsl.  The waterfalls comes out of the side of a mountain that loomed above us.  The Panther Creek that runs in the backyard of Larry and Charlene’s place meet the falls at that point and both water sources combine into the Panther Creek.  There were a lot of white rapids as the creek narrowed where it met the falls.  It was so beautiful, so isolated, and sounded like how I imagine the chorus of heaven might sound like.  I was in awe!  I have a picture posted below but I was only able to get a portion of the falls because I was so close and couldn’t back up.  How do I share in words something so awesome and beautiful.  Now it does not compare with the Niagra Falls scope of waterfall but it’s beauty is all its own.  There is an underground creek named Nine Mile Creek that feeds the falls.  With so little snow left on the mountains I wonder how much longer it will run.

We made the climb back to the top of the road on a pretty steep embankment.  When I got to the top and crossed the two lane narrow road I look down and see where someone spray painted the words:  “FALLS” on the highway.  It might have said “WATERFALLS” but I can’t remember.  There was a big arrow of paint pointing to the opening path to the falls.  So, I guess it isn’t such a secret anymore.

We drove around the mountains for awhile and stopped at numerous places.  One of the places was at Forlorn Lake.  It is one in a collection of several lakes all named the same–Forlorn Lake.  Perhaps because they are all so small and in out of the way places and not easily found.  They may be “forlorn” but they certainly had a pristine, primitive beauty to them.  I also have a picture of one of the Forlorn Lakes posted.

As we descended the mountain there were several breathtaking views of a huge, snow capped mountain named Mt. Adams.  When we finally arrived to the valley floor we stopped and took photos.  That is the first photo you will see below.  It is an awesome mountain.  We drove through many small towns.  One town we drove through actually had a MacDonalds.  Charlene told me that that was the only fast food restaurant between where we were and Vancouver Washington, about 90 minutes away.  How refreshing is that.  All these little towns was  peppered with quaint little mom and pop restaurants and many different specialties.  We stopped in a little town which I do not remember, and ate at a place called Henni’s.  It was a restaurant that offers small plates of food at reduced prices so you can choose two or three different entrees.  I ate octopus for the first time and found it to be very interesting and tasty.  I also ordered a wilted spinach salad.

Well, remember I am in my floor length leftover hippie looking dress from the 70’s, walking across the street toward an outdoor restaurant with red oxford shoes on, a red camera dangling around my neck, and striped socks of a myriad of colors, none of which matched the dress.  And everyone is looking at me.  I received a few smiles, a few furrowed eyebrows, and some who just glanced away quickly when I met their eye.  Then the waitress comes out and makes a comment about her mother having had a dress like that way back when.  She asked me where I bought my vintage dress.  You should have seen her expression when I explained that I had made it 41 years ago.  She went back inside, got her camera phone and asked if she could take a photo.  I said yes, but she had to take two.  The first one was a floor length picture of me holding my dress out.  The next one I pointed my toes out, pulled my dress up and let my beautiful socks do their glory, and she took the picture.  Everyone around were just smiling and I don’t even want to know what they were thinking.

I was just called for late lunch, it is 3:32 p.m. so must go.  This will be it for yesterday.  It was a fun day.  I’m off to climb the world.