Tuesday, July 2 As we went to bed last night we saw flashes of lighting, heard thunder, and finally listened to a steady tap of rain on the Silvermine. It was not heavy, but it was very constant most of the night. Our plan for the day was to go back to Paradise . . . and beyond to the Longmire area of the park in the Southwest corner. The rain had stopped for the trip up the mountain, but the fog was dense. It was hard to tell whether not being able to see the cliffs-side drop-offs due to fog was a good thing or a bad thing! Just keep it between the yellow centerline and the white sideline and follow that big camper in front of you, Tom. Along the way we crossed over the Nisqually River which was a large and direct drain from the Nisqually Glacier high on the mountain. It was a massive chasm with a fast-flowing stream, although at this time it was not as full of water as it could have been. Longmire was down in a valley -- smaller trees and a denser forest. There were a lot of buildings: an old gas station, library, museum, general store, ranger station, Inn, an annex, and a lot of cabin/residences for the workers. We visited them all! The day was still overcast and we had no idea where the mountain was! We ate lunch in the Inn dining room – chili and cheese curds! We had a choice to go back to the campground: up past Paradise and over the mountains – or drive outside of the park and take a more southern, lower elevation route. We opted for the mountain road in the National Park! The mountain was still encased in fog! We passed by our campground for our daily run into the town of Packwood for an internet fix. I cranked out yesterday’s blog and we checked mail, made phone calls, and filled the truck with fuel. We left town rather abruptly when Tom developed a very distressed stomach . . . the chili? That continued throughout the late afternoon and evening, and we were convinced it was a case of food poisoning.
Tomorrow morning we will be leaving Rainier and heading for Olympia National Park.
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |