2023 CDT - The days that followed

And my 'bad' for not documenting them sooner. Just a few of the highlights of the days after getting home and (spoiler alert) we're heading out again.

North Cascades Highway, near Mazama, WA

In the last week of our travels in north Montana we learned that a very dear neighbor had passed away. She was a beautiful woman with a wonderful family and dearly loved by all our neighbors, her family, and friends. I dare say by anyone who knew her. She is what I would call a beautiful soul. We went to her memorial service a day or two after our return home and it was not something I will soon forget. The church where they held the memorial was huge and it was packed. Several fire engine from the local fir department were there as one of her sons was apart of that family. Each one of her three sons spoke. Their words touched me in ways I cannot explain. The presentation of her life touched me in ways I can't forget.

On Sunday we attended services at our church and it was a good time to reflect and to be grateful for all the beauty we saw and all the experiences we had shared in the past couple of months. It was also nice to see so many of our friends again after being away from home so long. They have been so supportive of Peggy's hiking and of my blog. Some of Peggy's family came over with the grandkids and brought dinner and Beau flipped over with belly up to see the grandkids and was whining like crazy to see them all again. Yes, it was nice to be home.

We received a call from our dear friend Clax, a hiker some of you may remember from our early days on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019. He is quite intelligent, tall, good looking, an avid runner and mountain climber, and a loving friend. He lives in Boulder, CO now and we have kept in touch since the years since first meeting that first day on the trail. He would be in Seattle on Tuesday and we made plans to meet up. At home took care of all the things we had neglected while were away like banking, mail, weeding, touching base with family and with friends. I (we) did a lot of eating, sleeping, getting Beau out for multiple walks, and unpacking and repacking the truck, trailer, and Runningbird's backpack. On Wednesday we got up early and made our way into Seattle for my 0715 blood test and then were to meet with my oncologist for the closing appointment of my drug trial. While we were waiting his nurse called my cell phone to cancel and reschedule for the following week as the doc was sick. Imagine that! There went the closure I was looking for on my trial, at least for this part of it. From there we went to North Seattle and picked up Clax and went to the Capital Hill area for coffee. I don't visit this area much and I guess I could only say that it was colorful and the latte was excellent. From there we picked up spring rolls and Clax joined us for lunch and a visit to Peggy's mom at her place on Lake Union. Pat is a charming woman and I always enjoy my visits with her. She is a cannon at the cathedral, intelligent, has a bit of a Canadian accent, and has a great sense of humor as well as a vast knowledge of maritime history. She and Clax got along well and had some great discussion of celestial telescopes and observations on the beginning of creation, or as Canon Pat said, "the pillars of creation". While that was a bit too mind boggling for me, the four of us had a great visit. Peggy negotiated with Clax to come back to North Bend to stay the night so we could extend our visit a bit longer. We all wolfed down a burrito from Rio Bravo and called it an early night.

the next day, after Peggy's morning dentist appointment and then a second appointment in the early afternoon we hooked up the trailer and the three of us and Beau took off north. The plan was to take Clax to a campground near Darrington in Northern Washington to meet up with some other friends of his, then proceed an hour and a half further to the North Cascades Highway. I'm sure I've quoted this before but, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans". Well, our plans failed. We had checked the highway conditions relative to the wild fire up north and the road was clear. About an hour before arriving near Darrington to drop Clax, we checked the road report again and the highway had been closed within the last hour. This would not do at all. Proceeding on to Rainy Pass was so Runningbird could finish her last 70-mile segment of the PCT. Well Dang! To put it in writing nicely. So, we dropped off Clax with his friends at the campground and we drove a short bit up the road to another, more quiet spot along a river. It was late and we were too tired to get on the alternative route to the PCT. It was a nice, private spot and perfect for getting a good night's sleep and making an early start in the morning. After checking the highway report again!