Once we got into Washington, we headed to the grocery store to replace the eggs the border patrol took from us. It was pretty early so we stopped in Blaine for a great breakfast at small place called Monte’s. Then we headed to see my good friend Stacy who lives in Birch Bay. Stacy was my roommate for 10 weeks at the National Forensic Academy back in 2009. We’ve only seen each other a handful of times since then but every time feels like we never miss a beat. She had to go to work after we arrived, but I was able to get laundry done and Craig did an oil change and tire rotation. We appreciate all our friends who have let us park in their driveways and use their facilities. It’s always a huge help for us and we can’t thank them enough.
We went to Beach Dog brewing and had dinner and beers Friday night with Stacy, her husband, Frank, and one of their daughters. It was so great to catch up with them and hope it won’t be another 4 years before we see them again.
After leaving Stacy’s house Saturday morning, we made our way to Bellingham and grabbed more groceries and were so happy to be able to get some things we couldn’t find in Canada. Then we headed to US 20 and headed east until we found a little place to boondock up a mountain road.
The drive along US 20 is beautiful and we were happy for a clear day. As the day went on, we noticed it getting overcast and then we were smelling smoke.
We were hoping to spend some time around the Diablo Lake area but found the campgrounds and iOverlander spots in that area were closed due to a fire on Ruby Mountain. We ended up staying at the Bridge Creek Trailhead- Pacific Crest Trail South hoping not to get kicked out.
We made our way to Mazama and stopped in at the Mazama Publc House for a beer. We sat at the rail and had a great time. The bartenders were chatty and there was a local couple next to us that gave us some great recommendations of things to do in the area. One was to drive up to Hart’s Pass.
We headed up to Hart’s pass which was a beautiful drive. This drive intersects with the Pacific Crest Trail. We met a very tired young man who asked if we were heading back into town that night. We told him we weren’t but asked how we could help. He said he had run out of food so we packed up some trail mix and gave him some protein bars. Hopefully he was able to catch a ride. We stayed at the parking area at the top and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset.
We headed back down the next morning and soon ran across another hiker looking for a ride into town. He had done a segment of the PCT over 5 days. I rode in the camper for the 18 miles back to Mazama. He was so thankful and we were so happy to help.
We stayed on US 20 and made our way to Idaho. We wanted to drive the Idaho BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) which we could pick up in Sandpoint. I wanted to watch a basketball game so we headed down another forest service road. Because Starlink requires an unobstructed sky, we chose a nice open spot instead of a spot tucked into the woods. It was hot and sunny when we arrived.
Around 5, it suddenly got darker and the wind picked up. We heard thunder and lightening and then trees crackling and falling. It came in so fast! Craig got a short video before our camper door slammed shut and we could hear the dust & dirt hitting the side of the camper. It was over pretty quickly but that was probably the scariest winds we’ve been in although we never felt like we were in danger.
We heard a bike on the road and then it stopped. Shortly after, Peter, who was on the bike, was pushing his bike toward our camp. He was drenched and looked so tired. He had been able to get around a couple tress but his tires were going flat. Craig was able to pump us his tires and he tried to call his wife using our wifi without success. He took off and we hoped he would make it home safely. Soon after, 2 high school boys were walking up to our campsite. They were in a Toyota truck and were stuck between two downed trees, unable to get out.
They also used our wifi to call home to let their parents know they were safe. Craig got his chainsaw and got to work. In the meantime, Peter came back stating the road was completely blocked by trees. After giving them protein bars and water, all the boys took off to clear the road with just a battery powered chainsaw. I sat watching my game since I would be of no help.
They were gone longer than I liked but finally I saw truck lights and the boys had brought Craig back with Peter following. Craig had used up all the batteries he had for the chainsaw and there was nothing more he could do. There was a crew following behind the guys pulling trees off of the road because they had big trucks scheduled to be on that road in the morning. They had continued when the boys brought Craig back.
The boys and Peter took back off and we were hoping they would make it home safely. We texted them asking to let us know when they arrived home safely. We knew the boys would stick with Peter so when we got a text that they were home safely we were relieved. In the morning, Peter texted to let us know that a road crew had cleared the last of the road so that is how they were able to get out. They had lost power and cell service so that is why he was unable to get a hold of his wife or text us back that night. He also had lost his gloves, which we found and met up with him in town to return them. It was quite the event and we are thankful that everyone got home safely.
Off to the Idaho BDR…