Author: dhoch49

Tuesday, August 4th Ever hear of an Alphorn?   I saw in a brochure that a Alphorn player performed from a balcony at a hotel down the street from ours at 9:15.    After breakfast we walked several blocks to catch his concert.  Since we watched from across Highway 2, it was hard to hear the horn over the traffic.  But it was free, and it was the first time I had ever heard one.  Pretty cool!

The Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery just two miles out of town was our next stop.  In the Visitor Center there was display showing the life cycle of the spring Chinook salmon.  When the Grand Coolee Dam was built on the Columbia River in the 1930’s, migration of the salmon above the dam came to a halt.  The federal government established fisheries to help the salmon of the Colombia River.  We took a self guided tour and saw fingerlings which were about 4-5 inches and adult salmon just about ready to spawn.  Here at the hatchery they have naturalists who know when the salmon are mature and collect the eggs and sperm and fertilize them in buckets.    A truck from another hatchery was picking up fingerlings to take to their facility.   With the hot temperatures they are having trouble keeping the fingerlings in the cool 60 degree water they need for survival.  The sad part is that in spite of all these efforts through these hatcheries, the spring Chinook salmon is an endangered species. There was also a nature trail at the hatchery.  While on the trail, Frank said “There’s something moving over there in the woods.”  We watched. It was black and big.  “It’s a black bear!”  Frank whispered.   We froze and watched as the bear continued to eat.   I tried to get a picture, but was afraid to move closer.   He left, but we were able to catch another glimpse of him as we walked a bit farther on the trail. The bear lifted his face and looked straight at us.  He was too quick to get a picture.

In the picture above you can see the fish ladder the salmon must swim to get to the holding pond at the hatchery.  They swim this journey from May to July.   The wood platforms by the bank of the Icicle River are Native American fishing platforms.  From a treaty in 1855 they have the rights to continue  their tribal traditons of hunting for salmon which is their primary source of food.  Wish we had been visiting when they were actively fishing. Chelan and Stehekin were to be our next stops.    Stehekin is a remote town in the Northern Cascade National Park and a resupply town for thru-hikers on the PCT.  Unfortunately we had to change our plans because of a wildfire that was causing hazardous air conditions and evacuations in the Lake Chelan area. We headed south on route 97 to the Columbia Gorge area,  The Columbia River is the border between Washington and Oregon.  We stopped at Stonehedge which is located on a cliff by the Columbia near Maryhill. It is a full-scale concrete reproduction of the famous one in England.  It was built in 1918 as a memorial to the men from Klickitat County who lost their lives in WWI.  The founder of the town of Maryhill, Samuel Hill,  built this monument and he is also buried nearby. This area has a lote of wind turbines.  The hills by the river were full of them. Gotta get some rest for more adventures in the Gorge area tomorrow.  Goodnight!

Since we did not hike much today,   Frank and I counted today as a zero day.  In the hiker world, that means a zero miles of hiking day set aside for resupplying, etc.  For us, it mostly was a day to relax and give our sore leg muscles some rest.

The Bavarian Inn is a very nice hotel.   Our complimentary hot breakfast buffet was one of the best ones we’ve ever had.   In our customary fashion, Frank chose assorted goodies including biscuits and gravy, while I opted for fruit, yogurt and cold cereal.

Next we decided to rent bikes.   They were real clunkers with coaster brakes; we really missed our own ten-speeds. There is a bridge in Waterfront Park that leads to nature trails on 15 acre Blackbird Island.  In spite of the challenge of riding the rented antiques, we had fun exploring this area along the Wenatchee  River.

After an afternoon at the hot tub and pool, we decided we would try a German restaurant.  There were six to choose from, all within easy walking distance from the Bavarian Lodge.  We choose the Bavarian Bistro on Front Street.   Frank had weiner schnitzel  which is breaded veal and I had jaegar ( pronounced yager ) schnitzel which is breaded pork with a mushroom sauce, red cabbage and spaetzle ( a kind of noodle) pictured below.

Below are a few scenes  around town; a few show the mountains in the background.  All in all, Leavenworth is a really unique place to visit.   As Frank put it “Now who in the world would have thought to make a Bavarian alpine village in the middle of Washington state!”  Obviously those wise businessmen of Leavenworth fifty some years ago!

Saturday, August 1st, 2015

This morning we were up and out of our cabln before 8 am.   Kate had some hiking planned for us when we got to the Visitor’s Center at Mt. Rainier.   Even though our cabin is right near the entrance, it still took quite a while to travel the windy roads to the Paradise Lodge and Visitors’ Center.    It was cool this morning and I wasn’t sure whether I was going to need a sweatshirt, but as we hiked, believe you me, I did not need one.   Altogether we hiked about five miles stopping often for water breaks and for Frank and me to catch our breath.   Kate was very patient with her senior cititzen hiker companions.

It was a clear day and views of Mt. Rainier were magnificent.  We had been here in 2002, but that day it had been cloudy and we never saw the mountain.   We saw a deer and a marmot, like a groundhog back home only cuter.   I think I will just have to let the pictures speak for themselves.   It got to be about 83 degrees today.   In the sun it seemed hotter and of course the ascent was far worse than the descent.

When we finished the trail we had lunch at the Paradise Inn. The inn was built in 1917 and was one of the first national park lodges that many others have been modeled after.   As we sat in the cathedral ceiling room with its tall log supports and rafters, the setting was indeed a pleasant one to enjoy my Coors Light and food after our strenuous workout.

It was very crowded at the Visitor’s Center.   After watching the 20 minute film about Mt. Rainier we left and headed back to our cabin to rest up.   I don’t think Frank and I will be taking on any long distance hiking any time soon.

It spite of the crowds, we saw beautiful scenes today on our hike.   Thank you, Kate, for being a very patient tour guide!

Friday, August 31st

On the road again.   Last night Frank and I flew to Portland to visit daughter Kate and do some touring as well.   Kate just recently got home from a trip to Iceland, so she really couldn’t take time off from work.   The plan is that she will spend the weekend with us and will return to Portland on Sunday night. We have a rental car and will do some more sightseeing and will return to Portland Thursday for our flight home on Friday.

Since it was sunny and 102 today in Portland, Frank and I opted to stay close to Kate’s  town house apartment while

she was at work. Kate lives in the Northeast section of Portland.   The houses are wood frame and  look to have been built in the 1950’s. The houses and lawn are so different than backhome. It was fascinating to get my 10,000 steps today!

Kate got off work a little earlier than expected. After a late lunch in her neighborhood, we headed for Ashford, Washington where I had reserved a cabin for us to spend the weekend exploring Mt. Raineer.

Wednesday, July 1st, 2015

Sad but true, this was our last day to enjoy Hawaii (for this trip anyway).    When  Frank and I were here before, we had climbed Diamond Head.  In my mind, that was a must for Betty since the scene from the top overlooking Waikiki is amazing.  I am not so sure that Betty thought so, but she had agreed to give it a try .  So off we went once again, although this time we had signed up for a tour rather than taking a bus.

Diamond Head is a left over part of an old tuff volcano.  That means it didn’t actually ever erupt but there had been volcanic activity here and the dust that flew up in the air formed the high cliffs that surround the crater.  It just wasn’t lava.  When you’re on Waikiki Beach and look to the southeast, Diamond Head’s silloutte is iconic.

It has been very hot here as I mentioned yesterday.  Taking a hike up a mountain in the late morning in this heat was not a pleasurable experience.  Plus the physical demands of hiking the switch backs and the final steps were a bit more rigorous than I had remembered, but then again I was nine years younger.   With many rests stops and sweat pouring down our faces, we did indeed reach the summit.  And yes, the view was amazing!

Going back down was much easier.  Betty was worried that we would be the last of our group to get back, since we appeared to be the oldest in the group.   Our guide was waiting for us.  Betty asked, “Are we the last ones back?” And of course the answer was yes.  We felt a little embarassed as we got back on the bus.  But we made it didn’t we?That’s what counts, right?   Perhaps I am aging and I  just don’t like to admit it!

After returning from our hiking tour, since we had already checked out of our hotel room, the desk attendant loaned us a key to the fitness room so that we could shower.  We wanted to head back to the beach area before returning to catch our shared ride shuttle at 6:10 for our flight at 8:40.

We had a little trouble with getting the shower room.   A young Japanese woman got there  at the very same time we did.  We tried to work out a compromise, but neither one of us could understand the other’s language.   The young lady finally walked away.  Seizing the opportunity, I quickly locked the door and we took our showers.  We tried to hurry as fast as we could, but did not see her when we left.

We used the hotel shuttle to the beach area and headed for The Cheesecake Factory and had a great meal.  After some last minute returns and a few more purchases, we headed for a bench by the beach.  It was fascinating to watch the surfers, the swimmers, the huge waves cresting, and the brightly colored turquoise ocean.

Flagging down a taxi, we were back to our hotel in plenty of time for our shuttle.  We waited and waited and waited.  Finally when it was 6:40, a half hour later than our scheduled pick up time, Betty and I opted to take a taxi rather than take a chance on missing our flight.  I can hardly wait to call Speedi Shuttle  to try to get a refund from their not so speedy service!

Our flight from Honolulu to Dallas was about seven hours.   Our lay over was supposed to be about two hours.   There wasn’t a gate open for our plane, so that time got cut drastically.   We had about twenty minutes to get to our gate and buy some food before boarding.     What a contrast to our five and half hour lay over in Los Angeles on our way to Hawaii. We made our flight, a little ruffled, but glad to be heading home.  Unfortunately our bags did not make it to Philly.   When we checked in at the claim desk, the man said they did not have on record that the bags were ever scanned.   Not a good sign. So we drove home without our bags.  They are supposed to be delivered to our homes when they are found.

Betty and I had spent a lot of time planning this trip and did get in all the activities on our agenda. I am pretty sure Betty was out of her comfort zone several times this past week with some of my hasty decisions.   All in all, we made a lot of wonderful memories.  Hawaii sure beats the trips to Ocean City, N.J. that we took together as teenagers!

Tuesday, June 30th

Off to the Ilikai Hotel once again.   This time to catch the bus to the Polynesian Cultural Center.  This place is like a Williamsburg for the history and cultures of the islands in the Pacific-Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, and Hawaii.  It was established by the Church of the Latter Day Saints in the 1960’s  as a way to  explain the cultures of the islands and to provide a college education their students. 75% of the proceeds of this attraction go to their college expenses.  Most of the tour guides, dancers and workers are students.

Our escort on the bus wound up being our tour guide.   Ash took us around to the different cultural shows and saved us a lot of wasted time trying to figure out what we were going to do next.   Our biggest problem was the heat and humidity.   I had thought Hawaii was always sunny and 70.   This trip has proved that to be a fallacy.   It must have been in the high 80’s and very humid.  We both remarked how Frank and Jim would have been miserable.  There was an Imax movie which was in an air-conditioned theater.  The scenes of Hawaii were breathtaking, but the cool air was even better!

I tried to put the pictures at the end, but they wound up all over the place.   But I think you get the idea.   Gotta go.  Off to climb Diamond Head and then later catch our flight home.   Guess we’ll sleep well on the plane.

Monday

June 29th, 2015

Who comes to Oahu and doesn’t spend some time on the beach at Waikiki?  That certainly was on our list of must dos.  Since we were signed up for a luau that would pick us up at 4:00, we decided this would be a day to sleep in, go for breakfast, and then head for the beach.

Waikiki, is spite of the string of high-rise hotels, ABC stores, and specialty stores galore, is really beautiful.  We browsed through some shops then hopped onto the beach.  We set up our towels under a shady palm tree and took turns swimming in beautiful clear aqua blue water.  It was sunny, hot, and in the 80’s.

We took the hotel shuttle back to our hotel, got showered and headed to the meeting place to catch the bus to the Germaine Luau. It wa a hour and a half bus ride to the site which was on the leeward or west side of the island. Our escort was named Chad; he looked about 16, was quite comedian and  kept up a lively dialogue. We even played bus games and sang a humorous rendition of Old MacDonald with those on the bus participating on the way back to Honolulu.

I had been to a luau previously. The Germaine Luau was smaller with only about 150 guests tonight. They pulled the roasted pig out of the pit and proceeded with our buffet. There was a lot of audience participation like women volunteers learning to dance the hula and a men’s hula competition. Betty and I opted out of the hula instruction. There was one hula dancer from the show who came on stage with her back to the audience. She had on a grass skirt but no top across her back. I noticed the men paid careful attention to her swaying, anxiously awaiting for her to turn around. Unfortunately for the men, when she did, she had two strategically placed coconuts securely in place.

Can you believe it; I was still awake by the time we returned to the Hawaiian Prince at 10?  That proves that the luau  was indeed a successful evening! Got to get some rest for more adventures tomorrow!

Continue reading “USS Arizona and Aloha Swap Meet”

Saturday, July 27th, 2015

Today was the day for the Lions Club International Parade.   There are about 20,000 Lions club attendees at the convention.   It was neat to see delegations from all over the world wearing their native costumes and/or outfits representing their club.   Betty had borrowed  a loden green PA Lions shirt for me to wear, had the appropriate pins and even a small PA flag for me to wave.   Our PA group was 38th in parade order.   As we walked it was neat to see so many people wave back and cheer as we passed.   I can see how international conventions like this do a lot for building community worldwide.   Quite a contrast to all the bad you see on the evening news each night!

We spent a relaxing afternoon at the pool here at the Hawaiian Prince Hotel.   Then we got ready for the International Show at the Convention Center this evening.  It was a rock music extravaganza.   Since most of the audience was older, we were surprised at this choice of entertainment.    The groups performing were Journey, Jefferson Starship and Kenny Loggins.   Betty knew a lot of the songs such as Journey’s Anyway You Want It and Jefferson Starships’ Sarah.    I recognized a few but not many.   I did recognize Your Momma Don’t Dance and Your Daddy Don’t Rock n Roll and Footloose by Kenny Loggins.    I must say this concert was a quite different that my usual Saturday evening back in Blandon.

Tomorrow we are headed for Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona.  We need to catch the 7:21 am bus.   Hope we make it!