MV Dirona travel digest for Early Summer 2022


Show Early Summer 2022 travel log map Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.

On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at //mvdirona.com/maps/LocationCurrent.html.


   

5/1/2022: Seven Seas Mariner
The Regent Seven Seas Mariner moored at Pier 66 in Elliott Bay. The ship was the first all-suite, all-balcony ship in the world when launched in 2002, and was named "Ship of the Year" by Ocean and Cruise News. The luxury liner has a staff-to-guest ratio of 1 to 1.6 and features gourmet cuisine by the renowned Le Cordon Bleu of Paris.

At anchor in the background is our "pet cruise ship", Ovation of the Seas. The Alaska cruise season started a week ago, with seven sailing so far. Seven Seas Mariner will depart tonight, bringing the count to eight.
5/1/2022: Pier 91
Quantum of the Seas, sistership to our pet cruise ship our "pet cruise ship," Ovation of the Seas, on the dock at Pier 91 in Elliott Bay. When delivered in 2014, Quantam Seas was the third-largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage. Partially visible behind is Carnival Splendor that will depart tomorrow on the ninth Alaska sailing from Seattle this season.
5/1/2022: Digging
The excavators at the Fourth and Bell construction site are digging down and producing carefully engineered piles of dirt. Convoys of dump trucks will eventually arrive to remove it.
5/1/2022: EcoFlow
Our Starlink satellite dish will keep us connected while wilderness camping, but we need a way to power it and all the rest of our electronics. EcoFlow is one of several lithium-based portable power solutions that have recently come to market. We selected an EcoFlow Delta Max 2000 because it has a super-fast charging mode, the ability to support high-load appliances, and an excellent app that supports remote control and monitoring.
5/1/2022: Charging
Our EcoFlow plugged in and charging.
5/1/2022: Camp Furniture
A camp table and two chairs from REI was one of several orders of camping gear that arrived today.
5/1/2022: Camp Furniture Test
Testing out our new camp furniture. We got a Camp Table and two Camp Xtra Chair. The table has several appealing features, including a large surface area and individually adjustable leg heights that help with uneven ground while camping. And both the table and chairs fold up into a compact and portable package.
5/1/2022: Luno
For our wilderness camping we plan to sleep in our truck rather than in a tent. The next piece of camping gear to arrive was a Luno air mattress sized for the bed of our Honda Passport. Luno gets great reviews for durability, ease of setup and comfort.
5/1/2022: Inflating Luno with EcoFlow
Our first test of our new EcoFlow Delta Max 2000: supplying 12-volt power to inflate our Luno air mattress. The EcoFlow can supply power via a 12-volt via cigarette lighter outlet, USB type-B connections, and 6 120-volt AC connections.
5/1/2022: Luno Half-Inflated
One of the features of the Luno air mattress is you can inflate just one side for a single person, leaving space on the other side for gear. Another nice feature is that each side inflates through a single valve, compared to some air mattresses that require inflating at four or more points.
5/1/2022: Testing Luno
James testing the fully-inflated Luno air mattress for our truck. The mattress is more than big enough for a 6-ft frame, and is super-comfortable. We also purchased a custom fitted bottom sheet.
5/1/2022: High Draw on EcoFlow
Our EcoFlow Delta Max 2000 can handle peak loads of up to 3400W. It handled the 1800W draw from a hair dryer no problem.
5/1/2022: Coleman Classic
For cooking at our campsite, we bought a Coleman Classic camp stove. It's a simple, basic unit with few moving parts that receives excellent reviews for longevity. We're quite happy with it so far.
5/1/2022: Luno in Honda
Testing the fit of our Luno air mattress inside our truck parked in our building's garage. It fits perfectly and we're really looking forward to trying it out in the wilds.
5/1/2022: Hasika Awning
Another important piece of gear we bought for wilderness camping is a Hasika awning to shelter us from the rain. The canopy stows compactly in this small bag. In use, it's a beautiful design, but not sufficiently durably built.
5/1/2022: Erecting Awning
Here we testing out the Hasika awning in our garage. Using three collapsible tent poles, the awning erects pretty quickly.
5/1/2022: Awning on Honda
Our Hasika awning in place over the tailgate of our truck with the hatch open. The far end attaches to the car and the closest end is supported on two adjustable-height tent poles. One of the reasons we selected this awning was for the drop-down sides that will provide a large area of shelter from rain and wind.
5/1/2022: Ovation of the Seas
Our "pet cruise ship", Ovation of the Seas, testing out it's North Star viewing pod while at anchor in Elliott Bay. The glass-enclosed pod is mounted at the end of an extendable arm that lifts occupants 300 feet above sea level over the side of the ship.
5/1/2022: Norwegian Sun
The cruise ship Norwegian Sun arriving into Pier 66 at Elliott Bay. We're loving having the cruise ships back in town again.
5/2/2022: Nat Geo Quest
The pocket cruise ship National Geographic Quest, arriving into Seattle. Quest is the first expedition ship built entirely in the US and is designed to navigate waterways too narrow and shallow for the larger cruise ships.
5/2/2022: Digging
Steel piles have been installed around the full perimeter of the Fourth & Bell construction site. The steel piles will form the sides of the excavation as they dig down several floors to form the foundation of the building.
5/2/2022: Fish Tacos
Delicious fish tacos for dinner.
5/3/2022: Traffic
A busy morning for the Seattle Vessel Traffic Center. Three tugs are assisting an APL container ship into the Port of Seattle while a car ferry and a passenger-only fast ferry arrive into Coleman dock.
5/3/2022: More Camping Gear
More camping gear arrived today, including a Rumpl down blanket, a Sea to Summit collapsible kettle, a Black Diamond Apollo Lantern, a GSI Outdoors Pinnacle camping cooking set, a TentLab Deuce backpacking potty trowel, lighters for our camp stove, and a collapsible 5-gallon water storage cube.
5/3/2022: Pillows
We want to make our truck camp bed as comfortable as possible, so are using standard Casper pillows. They are a bit bulky though, so we'll stow them using a compression sack.
5/3/2022: Compression Sack
The two pillows from the previous photo stowed inside a 32L Osprey compression sack. We were a bit dubious that they would even fit inside, and the compression sack does an amazing job of reducing their stored size.
5/3/2022: Window Covers
For privacy while sleeping in the truck, we ordered a set of WeatherTech sunshades that will cover all the windows.
5/4/2022: HVAC
The HVAC closet on our floor of the apartment building opened for service.
5/4/2022: Carson Diltz
Blog reader and boat owner Carson Diltz, who also happens to work for AWS in Wisconsin, was in Seattle and met us for drinks at Wild Ginger. We had a great time discussing a wide variety of topics ranging from AWS technology to living aboard.
5/4/2022: Quantum of the Seas
Quantum of the Seas, sister ship to our "pet cruise ship," Ovation of the Seas, departing Seattle on it's inaugural Alaska trip of the 2022/2023 season. This is the 11th cruise ship departure from Seattle this season.
5/5/2022: One Fathom Apart
The Fisheries Supply nautically-themed social distancing signs instruct customers to stay one fathom apart.
5/6/2022: Engines
Rows and rows of engines in the warehouse at Cascade Engine Center where we are attending Service Manager Dwight Allen's retirement party.
5/6/2022: Tim Sandeman
Tim Sandeman, Vice President of Sales at Cascade Engine Center in Seattle, standing with a new John Deere 6135AFM85 Tier 2 marine engine in their warehouse. Cascade supplied Dirona's ultra-reliable John Deere 6068AFM75. Tim's predecessor, Gregg Light, sold our original engine. Tim and the rest of the Cascade team have continued to take excellent care of us since.
5/6/2022: Cake
An fabulous cake for Service Manager Dwight Allen's retirement from Cascade Engine Center. Everything is made from cake and icing, including the purchase order, rag, gaskets and wrench.
5/6/2022: Dwight Allen
With Dwight and Sheila Allen at Dwight's retirement party after 51 years at Cascade Engine Center. Cascade supplied Dirona's ultra-reliable John Deere 6068AFM75 and Service Manager Dwight has been amazingly responsive in dealing with any questions or minor issues that we've had.
5/7/2022: Victoria Clipper
The Victoria Clipper V departing Seattle on its daily run to Victoria, Canada. Clipper Navigation put vessel into service in 2018, replacing the original Victoria Clipper I that the company was founded with in 1986. The new boat can carry 525 passengers compared to 296 for the original, burns less fuel, and has better onboard technology. Originally the Halunder Jet, the Victoria Clipper V was purchased from Clipper Navigation's parent company FRS who purpose-built the ship in 2003 for the run between Hamburg and the offshore German island Heligoland. We fueled Dirona at Heligoland several times en route to and from Scandinavia.
5/7/2022: Bay View State Park
At Bay View State Park near Anacortes where we have reserved a campsite for the night.
5/7/2022: Campsite
This is our first time camping in 30 years. We've got a spot at Bay View State Park that's relatively secluded from other campsites, although a bit boggy.
5/7/2022: Inflating Luno
Inflating our Luno air mattress at our campsite in Bay View State Park.
5/7/2022: Bed Ready
Our bed in the truck inflated and all ready to go for later. It looks comfy and cosy.
5/7/2022: Under the Awning
View to our bed in the truck from our camp table under our awning.
5/7/2022: Lunch
Enjoying our first camp lunch with our new gear. So far everything is working out super-well.
5/7/2022: 89%
After about five hours, we're down to 89% charge on our EcoFlow Delta Max 2000, and we're currently drawing 64 watts. We started the car to test the charging from the 12-volt system and are charging at 104 watts. At this input, it will take 4 hours to fully recharge the battery. The lesson here is the capacity of the 12-volt charging system is inadequate to practically charge the battery, so we'll look for other solutions.
5/7/2022: Stump
The plaque on this stump tells how Joe Hamel, a member of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission from 1959-1971, was instrumental in securing additional land for By View State Park and developing the beach.
5/7/2022: Joe Hamel Beach
Walking at low tide along Joe Hamel Beach off Padilla Bay. Directly to our south, not visible in the photo, is the narrow waterway leading to LaConner.
5/7/2022: Camp Host
Washington State Park camp hosts receive free use of a designated RV site as compensation for greeting visitors, answering questions and explaining rules, assisting park staff, and performing maintenance. This host has a pretty nice semi-trailer truck to pull their fifth-wheel.
5/7/2022: Starlink
We have good cellular connectivity here at Bay View State Park, so only have the Starlink out to test it with the EcoFlow as a power source. Both work great.
5/7/2022: Making Dinner
Making dinner on our Coleman Classic camp stove using our GSI Outdoors Pinnacle camping cooking set. We're pretty happy with the cooking set. It's lightweight and seems durable, and looks great.
5/7/2022: Tacos
Beef tacos for our first camp dinner with our new gear at Bay View State Park.
5/7/2022: Washing Up
Doing the dishes at camp. One of the nice features of the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle camping cooking set is the storage sack, bottom right, doubles as a wash basin.
5/8/2022: Morning View
The morning view from our bed inside the truck. We slept very well on the Luno air mattress and were warm and comfortable under a Casper down duvet and a Rumpl down blanket.
5/8/2022: Kettle
Boiling water for morning coffee using a Sea to Summit collapsible kettle.
5/8/2022: Breakfast
Making coffee to have with fresh pineapple as part of our breakfast. The coffee filter holder is a silicone Kuissential SlickDrip that collapses like the kettle. It worked well with the electrical travel kettle we got for our road trip across the country.
5/8/2022: 40%
After 20 hours, the EcoFlow is down to 40% charge and will be fully discharged in 6 hours at the current 58-watt draw rate.
5/8/2022: Office
James getting some work done at our campsite "office". We run an extension cord from the EcoFlow to the camp table where we can easily power all our devices.
5/8/2022: LL Bean Duffle Bag
We continue to make great use of our LL Bean rolling duffle bags. We keep one full of camping gear in our apartment storage room beside our parking spot, and use another to transport anything we need from the apartment. We stage from the bags to setup camp, then put them forward, one in each seat, when done. As with traveling across the country, we use packing cubes to keep things organized and not have to be constantly sifting through loose gear.
5/8/2022: Blankets
To keep everything in the car looking neat and tidy, we cover the gear in the back en route with two Utopia black fleece blankets, then move them forward to cover the bags in the front seat. The blankets are soft and durable and look great.
5/8/2022: Sea Trader
After breaking camp, we drove into Anacortes for lunch. We've always loved the view down Q Ave to the Dakota Creek shipyard when a big ship such as Sea Trader is in the boat yard being serviced.
5/8/2022: Anacortes Brewery
The large number of beers made over the years by Anacortes Brewery.
5/8/2022: Rockfish Grill
Following an enjoyable weekend camping at Bay View State Park, we had a good lunch at Anacortes Brewery's Rockfish Grill as we slowly meandered home, enjoying the route along the way.
5/9/2022: Victoria Clipper
The Victoria Clipper V crossing Elliott Bay to refuel before the daily run to Victoria, Canada.
5/9/2022: Ovation of the Seas
Our "pet cruise ship", Ovation of the Seas, finally is back to work in the summer Alaska run. We look forward to seeing the ship make regular appearances as it works the Seattle-to-Alaska route after spending the winter idle in the Seattle area.
5/9/2022: American Constellation
The pocket cruise ship American Constellation arriving into Seattle for an Alaska cruise.
5/9/2022: Formwork
The crew at the Fourth & Bell construction site installing timber formwork to support the concrete for the building's foundation.
5/9/2022: Outhouse
We often see construction outhouses lifted several feet above the ground when not in use to prevent them from becoming a public toilet. The crew at the Battery and 3rd construction site seem excessively concerned about that and have lifted their outhouse about ten stories above the ground.
5/11/2022: Window Cleaning
The biannual window cleaning is taking place at our apartment building. Spitfire managed to sleep through the whole thing.
5/11/2022: Zoox
A specially-equipped Zoox Toyota Highlander driving through downtown Seattle. The Amazon subsidiary makes purpose-built driverless taxis and tests on city streets using Highlanders equipped with sensors that mimic the driverless taxis.
5/11/2022: Formwork
The formwork installation at this level has been completed at the far side of the Forth & Bell construction site.
5/12/2022: Welder
A Miller engine-driven welder being offloaded at the Fourth & Bell construction site.
5/12/2022: Driller
A Davey Drill DK725, designed to work in limited access situations, at the Fourth & Bell construction site. The drill has a maximum horsepower of 260HP (194kW), a feed/extract force of 22,700lbs (101kN) and a maximum feed rate of 137f/min (42m/min).
5/12/2022: Prefab Wall
A prefab wall, with electrical and plumbing connections already installed, being lowered into place at the Battery & 3rd construction site.
5/12/2022: Dirona
Brian Lewis, owner of Nordhavn 46 Egret, sent us this picture of Dirona at his home port of Brunswick marina in Georgia. The last time those two boats were in the same marina was five years ago when we stopped in Brunswick on our way south along the US East coast.
5/14/2022: 22 LeGault
En route to camp at the Beckler River, we passed the mini stock car #22 of Ken LeGault racing heading north on I-405 to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe for Saturday night racing. The team finished 7th overall in the main event.
5/14/2022: Monroe
This 150 ft (45 m) smokestack, now a Monroe landmark, is all that remains of a 1908 milk condensing plant.
5/14/2022: Skykomish River
Crossing the Skykomish River just east of Monroe. The river is flowing hard after recent heavy rains.
5/14/2022: Beckler River
Passing the Beckler River campground in Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The campground is closed for the winter, but that's not a problem for us. We're looking for a wilderness campsite in the area.
5/14/2022: NF 6540
Driving along National Forest Development Road 6540 in search of a wilderness campsite. We passed many spots along the Beckler River, but they appeared rather boggy and were a little close to other sites for our taste, so we continued on and up along NF 6540.

In general, camping is allowed along any Forest Service road so long as no land is cleared and the camp doesn't block any roads or gates. Additional restrictions apply for designated Wilderness areas, and many National Forests have unique extra rules, such as being a minimum distance away from developed trailheads.

The rules for Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest are fairly standard. This forest does have several designated Wilderness areas, but we're not in one at Beckler River.
5/14/2022: Campsite
A short distance along NF 6540, we found this wonderfully secluded campsite with a mountain view to the west. We saw only one other vehicle pass the entire time we were here.
5/14/2022: Lunch
Enjoying lunch with a view from our wilderness campsite along NF 6540. Rain is falling, so an awning with side wings is critical for this adventure. This one by Hasika is a beautiful design, but not sufficiently durably built. After the ties tore off in the wind, we later replaced it with a stronger Redcamp awning.
5/14/2022: Walking
Out for a walk through verdant woods along NF 6540. The road ends a short distance to our north.
5/14/2022: Clearing
The skies cleared a bit later in the afternoon for some nice views to snow-dusted mountains to our west. We're loving this campsite.
5/14/2022: Dinner
Making dinner on our Coleman Classic camp stove. The stove is basic, but performs well.
5/14/2022: Moon
The skies completely cleared in the evening and this near full moon lit up the sky as we enjoyed the evening at camp. The wilderness campsite above the Beckler River worked out really well and we're looking forward to our next time out.
5/15/2022: Breaking Camp
Our camp gear all packed up in the truck and ready to go after a great night's sleep and an enjoyable morning. Rain has been falling most of the morning, and we took advantage of a quick break to pack up.
5/15/2022: Beckler River
Crossing the Beckler River as we return down NF-6540 from our campsite. At upper right a truck is visible parked at a wonderful spot overlooking the river.
5/15/2022: Fallen Trees
Before heading back to Seattle, we spent the morning exploring the area to scout more campsites for a future visit. We passed several places, such as this one on NF-6550, where the Forest Service had cleared recently fallen trees that were blocking the road.
5/15/2022: Road Closed
A short distance past the cleared trees, NF-6550 was temporarily closed due to more fallen trees.
5/15/2022: Campsite 1
This elevated campsite off the main road, NF-65, doesn't have the expansive view of last night's spot, but we still like it and may return to it.
5/15/2022: Potholes
Potholes, some quite large, are common along the Forest Service roads. The puddles make it difficult to gauge depth, so we need to proceed slowly.
5/15/2022: Snow
It's mid-May, but even as low as elevation 2,582 ft (787 m) the road is snow-covered at Jack Pass. We have all-wheel drive and reasonable ground clearance, but the snow here is getting deep enough that we don't want to take the chance of getting stuck.
5/15/2022: Campsite 2
We returned back down NF-65 to explore in the other direction. The truck that was parked at the site we'd seen earlier along the Beckler River had departed, so we drove down to it. We generally prefer higher elevation sites that are drier with more expansive views, but this one with the river running alongside it was absolutely beautiful, and we hope to return.
5/15/2022: Campsite 3
Another excellent secluded campsite, this one above the Rapid River and accessible down a short spur road off NF-6530. It's a very nice spot with a good view of the river, but quite muddy.
5/15/2022: Rock
Looking back along the spur road from the campsite along the Rapid River. That large rock extends into the road more than it appears, and we had to drive pretty close to it as we worked around the bend.
5/15/2022: Traffic
A large group was camped along Rapid River just off NF-6530. We'd generally not seen much traffic in the area, but passed several cars heading to that site.
5/15/2022: Campsite 4
A nice site along NF-6520 with a decent mountain view.
5/15/2022: More Snow
Passing through snow at altitude 2,687 ft (819 m) along NF-6520. The road was clear beyond the corner, and the snow wasn't too deep, so we proceeded.
5/15/2022: Campsite 5
An awesome campsite along NF-6520 with an even better view than the previous one. At altitude 2,814 ft (858 m), snow blocked the road a short distance beyond, so we returned back down.
5/15/2022: Rockslide
Returning down NF-6520 past a rock slide area. These roads definitely require some care to navigate.
5/15/2022: Campsite 5
Another potential campsite down a short spur road off NF-6520. It didn't have a view, but was a nice secluded spot, tucked away from the main road.
5/15/2022: Smokey's Restaurant and Brewery
Back at Smokey's Restaurant and Brewery for another good lunch, this time after a morning of scouting campsites rather than snowshoeing.
5/15/2022: Fog
The view from our apartment window as a dense evening fog descends upon the city.
5/15/2022: Fog Lifting
We can see a bit of the city again as the evening fog lifts.
5/15/2022: Bambino's
A delicious pizza for our first time at Bambino's Pizzeria near our apartment. We're still finding new restaurants in the area to try.
5/16/2022: Convoy
A small convoy of pleasure craft heading north across Elliott Bay from Bell Harbor Marina.
5/16/2022: Reinforcing
The concrete has been poured at the southwest corner of the Fourth & Bell construction site, and reinforcing supports have been drilled deep into the ground surrounding the foundation and bolted onto the face.
5/16/2022: Drilling
Drilling to install reinforcing supports at the north side of the Fourth & Bell construction site.
5/16/2022: Tavolata
A delicious meal at our favorite table at Tavolata in Belltown.
5/17/2022: Hurtigruten
"That sure looks like a Hurtigruten" we both thought as a black-hulled ship with red trim and white top-sides arrived into Elliott Bay. We frequently saw the coastal express ferries plying the coastline while cruising Norway, and even traveled on one ourselves, but weren't expecting to see a Hurtigruten here in Seattle. It was an actual Hurtigruten through, the Roald Amundsen, part of the company's fleet of global expedition vessels.

The 459 ft (140 m) is designed to reach less-visited locations that are inaccessible to larger cruise ships such as the 950 ft (290 m) Carnival Splendor visible in the background. When launched in 2019, the Roald Amundsen was the world's first hybrid cruise ship, capable of traveling electrically for 45 to 60 minutes.
5/17/2022: Healy
The USCG ice breaker Healy departing Elliott Bay. Launched in 1999, the 420 ft (128 m) ship is the largest in the coast guard fleet and their most technologically advanced icebreaker.
5/18/2022: EcoFlow App
We selected an EcoFlow Delta Max 2000 because it has a super-fast charging mode, the ability to support high-load appliances, and an excellent app that supports remote control and monitoring. Here the app shows the charge level is 53.79%, the battery is charging with input of 1700 watts, and there are no draws on any of the AC, 12-volt or USB outputs.
5/18/2022: Inverter
At home, we can charge the EcoFlow quickly and easily by just plugging it into a wall socket and enabling fast-charging at 1800 watts. And the battery capacity is sufficiently large that no charging is required on overnight camping trips, but we will need to charge on longer trips. The EcoFlow has optional solar panels for charging, but they are rather bulky and delicate, so we wanted to consider other options first.

Our Honda Passport has two accessory outputs, an AC power outlet designed to supply power for appliances up to 115 volts that are rated 150 watts or less and a 12V socket rated at 180 watts (15 amps) or less. The EcoFlow draw can be adjusted downward to avoid overloading the circuit it's plugged into, but the lowest setting is 200 watts, which is still more than the Honda 120V circuit can deliver. So that option won't work. The 12V system is only capable of charging at 96 watts, so it will work, but it's very slow. When we need faster charging, we use a plan to use this Bestek 1000W inverter.
5/18/2022: Charging via Accessory
The built-in inverter on the Honda Passport can only produce 150 watts on the 120V outlet, and the EcoFlow can't be adjusted to below 200 watts, so we can't charge the EcoFlow on that circuit. The Honda's 12V supply is rated to produce only 180 watts, but James noticed it was fused to support 240 watts. So our theory was the circuit probably would be capable of delivering 200 watts.

We tested this theory by plugging the Bestek 1000W inverter into the 12V system and charging the EcoFlow via the inverter. The fuse never blew, but as the draw went up over 180 watts, the Honda power delivery system went into lockout.

We wasted some time on this one, not understanding the lockout system. The power socket appeared to have failed, with no fuses or breakers tripped. The fault can be cleared by just shutting off the car and restarting it, but it took us a while to find that.
5/18/2022: Charging via Battery
Here we are testing charging the EcoFlow through our car battery. We have attached the inverter to the battery with the accompanying cable and have the EcoFlow plugged into the AC output of the inverter. And we're generating a big draw with a hairdryer to provoke a charge.

This worked quite well and is much faster than using car's the 12v adapter. With this approach, we can adjust the EcoFlow's charge rate up to the maximum rate prior to discharging the car's battery. Basically, we're taking all the power available from the alternator, and this produces very good charge rates.
5/19/2022: Tent
We generally plan to sleep in the truck, but purchased a small tent to give us a little more flexibility. We've seen a few very nice wilderness campsites that were a short walk from the reach of a vehicle, so we might choose to use one and setup camp away from the truck. Here we are testing the assembly of the tent in the garage of our apartment building.
5/20/2022: Ovation of the Seas
Our "pet cruise ship", Ovation of the Seas, arriving at Pier 91 after completing it's first Alaska cruise of the 2022 season. We're loving have the cruise ships back in town.
5/21/2022: Staycation
If we're away for more than a night, Spitfire stays at "the resort" (Wagly Pet Campus in Bellevue). But for single night camping trips, we set up "Kitty Central" in the powder room for his "staycation".
5/21/2022: Mt. Rainier
Great view to Mt. Rainier as we head south on SR-167 to camp at Huckleberry Creek.
5/21/2022: SR 410
Beautiful tree-lined corridor along SR-410 near Huckleberry Creek.
5/21/2022: White River
Crossing the White River shortly after turning off SR-410. Huckleberry Creek, where we're heading to camp, is one of the river's many tributaries.
5/21/2022: Sno-Park
The last time we were here, this area was the snow-covered Sun Top Sno-Park and the road was closed beyond. It looks very different here with the snow gone.
5/21/2022: NF-310
A tent camper just off National Forest Development Road 310 as we drive the road looking for a site.
5/21/2022: Snow
A patch of snow at altitude 3,360 ft (1,024 m) along NF-310. The snow was a little deep, but we could see clear road beyond and were able to pass with two wheels in the dirt on the right.
5/21/2022: Lifting Trees
NF-310 is rather overgrown, and we had to lift some small trees out of the way to pass.
5/21/2022: Road Overgrown
We eventually reached a point where NF-310 was too overgrown to pass, so we turned back to look elsewhere for a campsite.
5/21/2022: Crowds
We'd been looking for a site in the hills south of Huckleberry Creek, and here are crossing over the creek to look on the other side. In the distance several cars are parked next to a large group camp. We've been finding that the areas around creeks tend to be much more crowded than up in the hills behind. Possibly people prefer being near to the water, or it's just an easier place to find a campsite.
5/21/2022: Campsite
We'd been looking for a campsite for a couple of hours and were beginning to feel a bit discouraged when we came across this spectacular site at the end of NF-7320 with a great view to 5,263 ft (1,604m) Sun Top Mountain at left and the 7,000-ft (2,100m) mountains just east of Mt. Rainier at right.
5/21/2022: Lunch
Enjoying a grain bowl lunch with a view from our campsite on NF-7320 above Huckleberry Creek.
5/21/2022: Mountains
A close-up view of the 7,000-ft (2,100m) mountains southwest of our campsite off NF-7320.
5/21/2022: Subaru
Several vehicles arrived and departed at our campsite, one just after we arrived, so we felt especially lucky to have nabbed the spot. We chatted briefly with the owner if this Subaru, who was scouting for sites following weekend. He'd extensively customized the vehicle to make it extremely off-road capable.
5/21/2022: Hail
We're warm and dry under the awning, but you can see hail pounding down around us.
5/21/2022: NF-110
Out for a walk along NF-110, a closed branch from NF-7320. It looks like the road hasn't been in use for a long time.
5/21/2022: View
Jennifer climbed onto this big rock for a view to the valley below. But like Tigger, getting up was a lot easier than climbing back down.
5/21/2022: Camp From NF-110
Looking southeast down to our campsite from NF-110 as we return from our walk.
5/21/2022: EcoFlow Draw
In the early evening, the EcoFlow app indicates we currently are drawing 19 watts on the AC output, are down to 70% battery, and at this draw have 22 hours and 39 minutes of power remaining.
5/21/2022: Sunset
The setting sun lighting up the mountains to our southwest. We believe the conical mountain in the distance at far right is 6,785ft (2,068 m) McNeeley Peak with 7,015 ft (2,138 m) snow-covered Antler Peak in the far distance at center.
5/22/2022: Good Morning
The view from our bed in the truck to our camp after we popped the hatchback first thing in the morning.
5/22/2022: Sunrise
The morning sun lighting up the mountains to our southeast.
5/22/2022: Clear Day
We haven't had any clear and sunny days like this at camp so far. It's especially beautiful up here in the mountains in these conditions.
5/21/2022: Starlink Power Draw
We've been loving the Starlink, but it's power draw is often up in the 60-70 watt range, so it consumes quite a bit of power. Yesterday, after the hail, the Starlink was running at a steady 70 watts and we discovered an interesting option power-saving option called "snow melt mode". In heavy rain, hail or snow, the Starlink attempts to clear the potential obstruction by heating, which we're sure is helpful, but does double the power draw.

We switched the option off, which seems to keep the power down in the 35-watt range. And if reception becomes an issue, we can always wipe off the dish. Because most of our camping to far has been in colder weather, and we've seen a lot of rain and snow, this change makes a substantial power consumption of the Starlink.
5/22/2022: Charging
Using our Bestek 1000W inverter to charge the EcoFlow from the car battery with the vehicle running. We'll be heading home this morning so don't need to charge today, but we wanted to test it. One of the features of the Bestek we really like is the voltage display so we can be sure we're not discharging the car battery. We tuned the EcoFlow charge rate to ensure the battery voltage stayed above 13 volts. Right now the car battery is at an acceptable 13.5 volts, and 566 watts is heading to the EcoFlow.
5/22/2022: EcoFlow App
The EcoFlow app while we are charging from the car. Currently, 623 watts are coming in and 33 watts are going out. Most of that draw is the Starlink.
5/22/2022: Honda on Starlink
Our new Honda Passport has a built-in cellular modem and can provide telemetry and some basic controls through the HondaLink app. But we have no cellular service out here, so the car can't connect. As an experiment, we put the car onto the Starlink network and were able to connect to it.
5/22/2022: HondaLink
With the Honda connected to the Starlink network, we can now get telemetry via the HondaLink app. We're right beside the car, so don't actually need this of course, but it's nice to see it working.
5/22/2022: Wings Up
With the nice sunny weather, and no hint of rain, we rolled up the wings on our awning for the first time. The ground is drying, but it was quite muddy yesterday. We've placed boughs on the ground to cover the mud, and use a small tarp to keep clean any gear we have on the ground, such as our cooler and water bottles.

The tarp is a later addition to our camping kit, as is the one-gallon small blue water bottle to the left of the 5-gallon collapsible cube. We found the big 5-gallon container a little cumbersome to deal with, so use the 1-gallon as the regular supply and fill it from the 5-gallon as needed.
5/22/2022: Huckleberry Creek
After departing our camp at the end of NF-310, we made a pass through the area scouting for other spots. This is a nice site with a view to Huckleberry Creek. It's a little boggy right now, but would be great in the drier months of summer.
5/22/2022: NF-73001
A great mountain view as we return down National Forest Development Road 73001 after being blocked by snow a short distance behind us at altitude 3,178 ft (969 m). The road was rather narrow on the parts we could access, and we didn't find any viable campsites.
5/22/2022: Abandoned Trailer
A real mess of an abandoned trailer near the highway access to the Huckleberry Creek area.
5/22/2022: Mt. Rainier
A fabulous view to Mt. Rainier from along NF-7305. We found a few potential spots along the road with partial views, and big potholes blocked further progress. More capable off-road vehicles clearly had passed beyond but the ground clearance in our car isn't high enough.
5/22/2022: Shrine
A shrine in the woods along NF-7305 dated 3/6/2015.
5/22/2022: Gate
A truck tucked down in the woods beyond a closed gate off NF-7305. A fair bit of private property is in the area.
5/22/2022: Campsite 1
We crossed over to the other side of SR-410 to scout for campsites. This one along NF-72004 has a nice view to Mt. Rainier.
5/22/2022: Campsite 2
Another great view to Mt. Rainier from a second site along NF-7200.
5/22/2022: Campsite 3
This ultra-private spot at the end of a spur road off NF-7200 had nice view to Mt. Rainier and other mountains. The site was occupied, so we just took a couple of quick photos and departed. The road is quite overgrown and driving it is a little tough on our car with branches dragging against it, but it is a lovely spot.
5/22/2022: Campsite 4
The view to Mt. Rainier from the best spot we found along NF-7200 before snow blocked further progress at altitude 3,437 ft (1,048 m).
5/22/2022: Accident
As we returned home to Seattle, SR 410 was blocked for several hours due to a pretty scary-looking accident between a van and a motorcycle. Both drivers were evacuated by helicopter.
5/23/2022: Kaleetan
A tugboat pushing the Washington State Ferry Kaleetan across Elliott Bay.
5/24/2022: I-5 South Closed
The I-5 southbound lanes on the Ship Canal bridge were closed this morning after an accident while rescue worked searched for the missing driver of one of the vehicles. Divers recovered the driver's body four hours later.
5/25/2022: Golden Bear
The Cal Maritime training ship Golden Bear moored at Pier 66. The 261-ft (80 m) vessel is large, but barely visible behind the buildings, unlike the big cruise ships that dominate the skyline when moored there.
5/26/2022: Sierra Nevada
View to the Sierra Nevada mountain range as we fly south to Palm Springs.
5/26/2022: Lake Arrowhead
The distinctive shape of Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. Construction of a dam at the artificial lake began in 1904, with the intention of providing irrigation water to the San Bernardino Valley. But construction was halted due to conflicts over water supplies. In 1922, the Arrowhead Lake Company completed the dam with the intention to develop the area. The lake is privately controlled and access to the lake is allowed only to residents with lake rights.
5/26/2022: Whitewater River
The Whitewater River flowing through the San Gorgonio Wilderness in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. The river is part of the Salton Sea drainage system.
5/26/2022: San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm
Driving towards the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm en route to Joshua Tree, CA. One of the three major wind farms in California, San Gorgonio Pass contains 1,224 wind turbines with a total rated capacity of 652 MW.
5/26/2022: Canyon Bat
We stopped off at the Joshua Tree Cultural Center in the town of Twentynine Palms to pickup a park map and talk to the rangers, who pointed out this Canyon Bat sleeping on the side of building. The bats prefer roosting in rock crevices, but this one found a shady spot high on an outside wall in the middle of the town.
5/26/2022: Edchada's
Edchada's Mexican restaurant is in a building that used to be a bank, and their restrooms are in the old safe. We'd come for lunch, but they weren't yet serving food.
5/26/2022: Mexican Street Tacos
A delicious lunch outside in the shade at Mexican Street Tacos in Twentynine Palms.
5/26/2022: Say Yes to Tacos
We got a giggle out of the "Say yes to tacos" sign at Mexican Street Tacos.
5/26/2022: Shelter: One
A first look at Shelter: One, our home for the next three nights. The modern and light-filled small house is right near the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
5/26/2022: Joshua Tree Saloon
Dinner at Joshua Tree Saloon. The food was good, but the portions were gigantic.
5/26/2022: Sunset
Enjoying the sunset from the wonderfully private back deck of Shelter: One through the silhouette of several Joshua Trees. The house is really fabulous.
5/27/2022: Park Entrance
Entering Joshua Tree National Park for a day of hiking. A few cars are ahead of us at 9am, but it only took a few minutes to pass the gate.
5/27/2022: First View
A first few to the fantastic rock formations and Joshua Trees that the park is famous for.
5/27/2022: Ryan Mountain Trailhead
At the Ryan Mountain trailhead for our first hike of the day in Joshua Tree National Park. At 9:30 am the temperature already is 80°F (27°C);
5/27/2022: Ryan Mountain Trail
These rock formations along the Ryan Mountain trail look a bit like upturned feet and toes.
5/27/2022: Steps
The Ryan Mountain trail has an elevation gain of 1,062 ft in 2.9 miles (324 m in 4.6km). But the path is well-maintained, with steps along the steeper sections.
5/27/2022: California Barrel Cactus
Striking red California Barrel Cactus along the Ryan Mountain Trail.
5/27/2022: Ryan Mountain Vista Point
The fabulous view looking north across Joshua Tree National Park from the Ryan Mountain Vista Point at altitude 5,359 ft (1,634 m).
5/27/2022: Snack
Enjoying a snack with a view on Ryan Mountain before returning back down.
5/27/2022: Great Basin Collared Lizard
A pair of Great Basin collared lizards sunning on the rocks as we descend from Ryan Mountain.
5/27/2022: Hall of Horrors
Inspecting the big piles of rock at our next destination for the day, Hall of Horrors. It's not clear why the area is named that, possibly because of the narrow slot canyons nearby.
5/27/2022: Slot Canyon 1
We could just barely squeeze through this slot canyon in Hall of Horrors.
5/27/2022: Slot Canyon 2
A second slot canyon in Hall of Horrors. It was really fun to work through the narrow passageways.
5/27/2022: Lunch
Stopping at Cap Rock for lunch before walking the trail there. There's not much shade here, but we enjoyed the spot and the view.
5/27/2022: Cooler Bag
The car gets very hot while we're out hiking. We kept our lunch cool with nested cooler bags and large ice packs made by freezing water-filled food-storage containers.
5/27/2022: Cap Rock Trail
Jumbled rocks piled high along the Cap Rock trail.
5/27/2022: Prickly Pear Cactus
Bees pollinating the yellow blooms of a Prickly Pear cactus on the Cap Rock trail in Joshua Tree National Park.
5/27/2022: Joshua Trees
A forest of Joshua Trees extending to the horizon, viewed from the Cap Rock trail.
5/27/2022: Keys View
After walking the Cap Rock trail, our next stop at Joshua Tree National Park was the Keys Vista. This is the view looking south across the park.
5/27/2022: Joshua Tree Brewery
A refreshing pint at Joshua Tree Brewery after a great day hiking in Joshua Tree National Park.
5/27/2022: Dinner
Take-out Thai on the deck at Shelter: One.
5/27/2022: Sandal Blowout
James' sandal suffered a blowout, so we have some shopping to do.
5/27/2022: Evening
Enjoying the evening desert view from the patio at Shelter: One near Joshua Tree National Park.
5/28/2022: The Office
Getting some work done in the morning on the patio at Shelter: One before a second day at nearby Joshua Tree National Park.
5/28/2022: Pinto Basin Road
Great view to the Eagle Mountains as we drive south along Pinto Basin Road across Joshua Tree National Park towards Cottonwood.
5/28/2022: Transition Zone
Joshua Tree National Park straddles the boundary of the higher-altitude Mojave Desert and the lower-altitude Colorado Desert. We spent yesterday in the Mojave Desert portion and now are in the transition zone between the two as we head south towards Cottonwood in the Colorado Desert. The plant life here is quite different, with scrub brush replacing the Joshua Trees and cactus we saw so much of yesterday.
5/28/2022: Cottonwood Spring
At Cottonwood Spring to hike to Mastodon Peak.
5/28/2022: Fan Palm
Huge California Fan Palm in a small oasis along near the trialhead to Mastodon Peak. Of the 158 fan palm oases in North America, 5 are in Joshua Tree National Park.
5/28/2022: Oasis View
Looking back to the fan palm oasis surrounded by desert. The palms need a constant supply of water, so oases tend to form along fault lines where groundwater is forced to the surface.
5/28/2022: On the Trail
Continuing on the trail to Mastodon Peak. The temperature is a little cooler today, and nicer for hiking.
5/28/2022: Steps
Climbing steps as we ascend gradually towards the base of Mastodon Peak, visible in the background.
5/28/2022: Mastodon Peak
Taking a break to enjoy the wonderful 360-degree view from the top of Mastodon Peak.
5/28/2022: Handstand
A hiker performing a handstand on the top of Mastodon Peak. She held the pose for quite some time.
5/28/2022: Mastodon Mine
Mostodon Mine was worked for decades starting in the 1930 and is one of about 300 mines within the bounds of what is now Joshua Tree National Park. The heat, scarce water and lack of wood for building made mining difficult in the area, but the lure of gold drew many to try.
5/28/2022: Wash
Walking through a dry wash on a loop trail back to Cottonwood.
5/28/2022: Cottonwood Visitor Center
The visitor center Cottonwood was fairly busy on a Saturday morning around 10am. At the southeast corner of Joshua Tree National Park, Cottonwood is one of three paved road entrances to the park. But it doesn't have an entrance station, so visitors needing to pay the entrance fee or pickup maps need to go to the visitor center here.
5/28/2022: Loneliest Road
Heading back north on Pinto Basin Road reminded us of our drive along Highway 50 across Nevada, known as "The Loneliest Road in America".
5/28/2022: Cholla Cactus Garden
The Cholla Cactus Garden, near the transition zone between the Mojave and Colorado deserts. The higher levels of water here allow for a greater density of cactus than elsewhere in the park. These cactus are dubbed "teddy-bear" cholla because they appear soft and furry. But those are sharp spines. The cactus also is known as "jumping" cholla because of their tendency to break off and attach themselves to people and animals as a means of reproducing.
5/28/2022: Trailhead
At the trailhead for Heart Rock and Arch Rock. Compared to Cottonwood, where we hiked earlier this morning, this section of the park is much busier.
5/28/2022: Heart Rock
A short trail through the desert leads to aptly-named Heart Rock.
5/28/2022: Campsite
One of the over 300 campsites in Joshua Tree National Park. It looks like a pretty nice spot, tucked away from the other sites.
5/28/2022: Arch Rock
Arch Rock is one of the more popular attractions in Joshua Tree National Park. Dozens of people were out walking the short trail and posing with the formation.
5/28/2022: Skull Rock
Skull Rock is another very popular formation in Joshua Tree National Park. It's right off the side of the road, so easily accessible without much of a walk.
5/28/2022: Jumbo Rocks
From Skull Rock, we walked a short and enjoyable loop trail past the popular Jumbo Rocks Campground. These are some of the big rock formations the campground is named for.
5/28/2022: Geology Tour Road
We ended the day at Joshua Tree National Park with a drive along Geology Tour Road. This lightly-visited 18-mile (29km) unpaved road provides another view to the park's diverse geography, and is a fun drive as well. Here we are nearing the point where the road changes from two-way traffic to a one-way loop where a 4-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended.
5/28/2022: Rough Road
We rented an AWD Buick Enclave to allow us to do the Geology Tour Road. There were a few rough sections like this, and places with deep sand or ruts, but the road was generally in better condition than we were expecting and we had no difficulty driving it.
5/28/2022: Pleasant Valley
Sweeping view north from Pleasant Valley along the Geology Tour Road, just over halfway along the one-way loop. The road we drove down on is visible snaking up the hill in the distance.
5/28/2022: Advertising
While we were driving Geology Tour Road, the radio in our rental car suddenly sprung to life with an advertisement for Sirius XM.
5/28/2022: Intersection Rock
Passing 150-ft (45m) Intersection Rock as we exit the park. The iconic rock is one of the more popular climbing rocks in area with nearly 30 climbing routes ranging from easy to quite difficult.
5/28/2022: Queue
Queue of cars waiting to enter the park through the west entrance as we exit. Joshua Tree is the closest national park to Los Angeles and San Diego, and is very popular. On a busy Saturday the line of cars can extend over a mile, with wait times of nearly an hour.
5/28/2022: Laundry
Doing a little laundry at Shelter: One. To avoid checking bags, we only brought carry-on luggage and being able to do laundry locally minimizes the clothes we need to have.
5/28/2022: La Palapa
A delicious meal on the patio at La Palapa Mexican restaurant in the town of Yucca Valley.
5/28/2022: Flood Runoff
Flash floods are common here in the late summer and early fall. The size of this flood runoff gives an idea of how much water can be in motion.
5/28/2022: Patio
We're really enjoying our stay at Shelter: One. The house is bright and modern, with a wide variety of places to relax outside, including a hot tub and a cowboy pool. Here we are trying out the chaise settees.
5/28/2022: Firepit
Taking in the desert sunset by the firepit at Shelter: One near Joshua Tree National Park.
5/29/2022: Kitchen
Preparing fruit as part of breakfast on our final morning at Shelter: One. We really enjoyed the house and hope we can find more like it in other areas.
5/29/2022: Swing
We didn't manage to try all the different outdoor seating options at Shelter: One, but did get to most of them.
5/29/2022: Dust Storm Warning
Both our phones lit up with a dust storm warning while we were having breakfast. We don't see a lot of those in Seattle :-).
5/29/2022: La Contenta Road
Driving along sand-covered La Contenta Road en route to Eureka Peak, our last stop in Joshua Tree National Park.
5/29/2022: Tortoise Crossing
A sign along La Contenta Road cautioning drivers to slow down and be alert for tortoises on the road. The destert tortoise is California's state reptile and is considered a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
5/29/2022: Warning
Entering Joshua Tree National Park along Covingtion Flat Road. Although the sign warns of difficult road conditions, the road from here to Eureka Peak was in much better shape than the ones we traveled to reach this point. The hard part was already behind us.
5/29/2022: Joshua Trees
Joshua Trees are prevalent along Eureka Peak Road, and much larger than we'd seen elsewhere in the park.
5/29/2022: View to Palm Springs
Fabulous view southwest to Palm Springs from the Eureka Peak parking lot. The mountain at right is 10,834 ft (3,302 m) San Jacinto Peak in Mount San Jacinto State Park. We'll be taking the aerial tramway up to the park while we spend a few days in Palm Springs.
5/29/2022: Trailhead
Several trails lead from the Eureka Peak parking lot. We plan to walk a portion of the Eureka Peak trail to the Eureka Peak summit, visible in the background, and perhaps a little beyond.
5/29/2022: Dust Storm
Looking east from the Eureka Peak trail, we could see the dust storm that we'd received warnings about this morning.
5/29/2022: Eureka Peak
The views got better and better as we walked the Eureka Peak trail and reached the 5,521 ft (1,683 m) summit of Eureka Peak. This is the panoramic view from west to east, with north at center. San Jacinto Peak and Palm Springs are left (west), the Rodman Mountains Wilderness Area is at center (north) and the town of Yucca Valley, where we had dinner last night, is on the right.
5/29/2022: Descending
Descending a dip in the Eureka Peak trail near the intersection with the Bigfoot Trail. We quite enjoyed the walk and the interesting terrain.
5/29/2022: Woollystar
Giant Woollystar, a member of the Phlox family, growing along the Eureka Peak trail.
5/29/2022: Lunch
Lunch with a view along the Eureka Peak trail.
5/29/2022: Side-Blotched Lizard
A Desert Side-Blotched Lizard sunning on the rocks while we had lunch. The short-lived lizard has a lifespan of roughly a year.
5/29/2022: Mojave Mound Cactus
Mojave Mound Cactus about ready to bloom along the Eureka Peak trail.
5/29/2022: Mule Deer
A mule deer, with it's distinctive large mule-like ears and black tail tip, along the road as we descend by car from Eureka Peak.
5/29/2022: San Jacinto Peak
Great view across the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm to 10,834 ft (3,302 m) San Jacinto Peak as we drive into Palm Springs along Salton View Road.
5/29/2022: Gusty Wind Area
It's clear why San Gorgonio Pass is a good place for a wind farm. Strong gusts buffeted the car shortly after we passed these wind warning signs.
5/29/2022: Morgan
A Morgan Aero 8 parked along North Palm Canyon Drive as we approach our hotel in Palm Springs.
5/29/2022: Portraits
Eye-catching celebrity portraits on the wall at the Hyatt Palm Springs.
5/29/2022: Il Corso
A great meal on the terrace at Il Corso in Palm Springs.
5/29/2022: La Quinta Brewing Co
Taking in the street action while enjoying the cooler evening temperatures at La Quinta Brewing Co in Palm Springs.
5/30/2022: Morning Sun
The morning sun lighting up the foothills of the San Jacinto mountains, viewed from the balcony of our Palm Springs hotel room.
5/30/2022: El Patio
A yummy Mexican food lunch at El Patio in Palm Springs.
5/30/2022: Walk of Stars
The Palm Springs Walk of Stars, established in 1992, honors various past and current residents of the Palm Springs area. Some of those honored include artists, civic leaders, and US Presidents. Pictured here is the star for past US president Gerald Ford.
5/30/2022: Artificial Rock #131
The sculpture Artificial Rock #131 by Chinese artist Zhan Wang outside the Palm Springs Art Museum. When founded in 1938, the museum focused on the desert and local Native American artists and evolved to include natural science, contemporary art and performing art. The permanent collection includes over 24,000 objects, about equally split between art and natural science.
5/30/2022: Sculpture Terrace
Looking down into the art-packed sculpture terrace at the Palm Springs Art Museum. The museum was closed today, otherwise we would have visited as the displays looked quite interesting.
5/30/2022: Babies
The Babies by Czech artist David Cerny have appeared all over the world, including Australia, England, the Netherlands, Germany and Prague, and are temporarily installed in an empty lot near the Palm Springs Art Museum. The huge infant statues, with barcodes for faces, make a statement about dehumanization.
5/30/2022: History of Suspended Time
Gonzola Lebrija's History of Suspended Time (A monument to the impossible) opposite the Palm Springs Art Museum. The car used in the exhibit is a 1968 Chevy Malibu that weighs about 2,500 lbs (1,113 kg) as installed (the engine and transmission have been removed).
5/30/2022: Forever Marilyn
26 ft (7.9 m), 24,000 lb (10,866 kg) statue of Marilyn Monroe on Museum Way in Palm Springs. Sculpted by John Seward Johnson II in 2011, the statue has generated controversy in the city. Many residents feel the statue is good for tourism in the city, but a group who have raised $700,000 to remove it claim the statue blocks traffic access to the Palm Spring Art Museum beyond and provides an unappealing view of underpants when leaving the museum. Personally, we're ok with walking around it and saving $700,000 :-).
5/30/2022: Isabelle
The striking sculpture Isabelle by quantum physicist turned artist Julian Voss-Andreae is made of slices of polished stainless steel, making the statue see-through at certain angles.
5/30/2022: PS I Love U
The PS I Love You sculpture was erected in 2020 and is hugely popular for photo-taking. Visible from our dinner table last night, it was rarely free of people posing for pictures.
5/30/2022: Hotel Atrium
The airy and light-filled atrium of our hotel, the Hyatt Palm Springs.
5/30/2022: Tac/Quila
A wonderful meal on the plant-filled terrace at Tac/Quila Mexican restaurant.
5/30/2022: High Bar
The view from the High Bar, the rooftop bar at the Kimpton Rowan Hotel. Below us is the Palm Springs Babies exhibit, with the Palm Springs Art Museum in the background. The jagged red line next to the Babies is the Fault Line Meditation exhibit in the shape of the San Andreas Fault, the source of many fierce California earthquakes.
5/31/2022: Uptown Gastropub
A delicious lunch at the Uptown Gastropub in northern Palm Springs.
5/31/2022: Est. 2020
2020 was not a great year to establish a restaurant. But the Uptown Gastropub made it through.
5/31/2022: Visitor's Center
At the Palm Springs Visitor's Center. The city is known for it's mid-century modern architecture and the visitor's center has some excellent displays and photographs.

The visitor center itself is housed in an old gas station, designed in the 1960s by Albert Frey, one of the earliest of Palm Spring's modern style architects. Frey was the first to design a building in what became known as "desert modernism", notable for its use of glass, clean lines, natural and manufactured resources and connection of indoor and outdoor spaces. The house we rented near Joshua Tree, Shelter: One, seemed a modern version of this style.
5/31/2022: Tramway Gas Station
A photograph at the Palm Springs Visitor's Center showing the building's original incarnation as the 1965 Tramway Gas Station.
5/31/2022: Aerial Tramway
At the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to ride up to Mount San Jacinto State Park. The tramway, originally built in 1963 and redesigned in 2000, is one of the area's major tourist attractions. Over 20 million people have ridden the tram, and the pre-pandemic ridership was about a half-million per year.
5/31/2022: Valley Station
Valley Station for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is at an altitude of 2,643 ft (805 m) in the Sonoran desert. We'll be riding 2.5 miles (4 km) to the alpine wilderness of Mount San Jacinto State Park at elevation 8,516 ft (2,596 m).
5/31/2022: Main Drive Gear Box
The the main drive gear box and the service brake rotor at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Valley Station.
5/31/2022: Cable Display
Display at Valley Station showing, from top to bottom, the lower haul rope (diameter 1 9/16"; 40mm), the upper counter rope (diameter 1 3/4"; 45mm) and the track rope (diameter 1 7/8"; 47.5mm).
5/31/2022: Tower 1
Looking down from altitude 2,841 ft (866 m) past Tower 1 to Valley Station. Tower 1 is 227 ft (69 m), the tallest of the 5 support towers and the only one accessible by road.
5/31/2022: Chino Canyon
Views to dramatic rock outcroppings Chino Canyon as we travel on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The canyon is one of the steepest in North America, rising from 2,700 feet (820 m) to 8,500 feet (2,600 m) in less than a mile.
5/31/2022: View to Mountain Station
Looking up to Mountain Station as we near the top.
5/31/2022: Grubb's View
The spectacular view east across Palm Springs from the Grubb's View observation deck in Mountain Station at elevation 8,516 ft (2,596 m).
5/31/2022: Mount San Jacinto
Mountain Station is in Mount San Jacinto State Park, a 14,000-acre (21 sq mi; 57 sq km) wilderness that encompasses 10,384-ft (3,165 m) San Jacinto Peak.
5/31/2022: Trails
Trail map outside the Long Valley ranger station in San Jacinto State Park showing the many hiking opportunities in the area. The Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,653 mi (4,270 km) long distance trail between the Mexican and Canadian borders, passes through the area from bottom right to top left.

The tramway is at upper right and 10,384-ft (3,165 m) San Jacinto Peak is at center directly below the "Mount San Jacinto State Park and State Wilderness" label. The 10-mile (16 km) round trip trail to the summit takes about 5.5 hours to complete, with an elevation gain of 2,555 ft (779 m). We'd likely hike it if we had a little more time.
5/31/2022: Long Valley Creek
Passing over the currently dry Long Valley Creek on the Willow Creek Trail.
5/31/2022: Notch 4
Enjoying the view to Palm Springs from Notch 4 of 5 on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Desert View Trail.
5/31/2022: Notch 2
Panoramic view across the Sonoran Desert and Palm Springs from Notch 2 on the Desert View Trail. Chino Canyon is at left, with a portion of the tramway parking lot just visible in the bottom slightly left of center (click image for a larger view).
5/31/2022: Jeffrey Pine
The Jeffrey Pine, one of the most common in the area, has a surprising butterscotch scent that you can smell up close.
5/31/2022: Desert View Terrace
Enjoying a cold pint with a view at Desert View Terrace in Mountain Station.
5/31/2022: Tram Car
Tram car arriving into Mountain Station. The cars rotate twice per journey and the tramway is the largest of the three rotating tramways in the world, and the only one in the Western Hemisphere. We've ridden one of the other two down from Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. The third is in Titlis, Switzerland.
5/31/2022: Counterweight Pit
The 60.83-ton counterweight at Valley Station keeps constant tension on the haul rope.
5/31/2022: Original Car
One of the original aerial tram cars from 1963 on permanent display near Valley Station.
5/31/2022: The Tropicale
A memorable meal on the terrace at The Tropical for our final night in Palm Springs. The service was wonderful and the food was excellent.
6/1/2022: Removing Dirt
The excavator at bottom right is loading dirt into a nearly-full truck at the Fourth and Bell construction site. An empty truck is parked behind at bottom left, ready to move forward when the first truck is full. The dirt supply is coming from the excavator on the left. The operator is removing the dirt all around the vehicle, leaving it perched on a small hill.
6/1/2022: Furniture
We're still completing the furnishing of our apartment and just recently found an entry rug and bench we like.
6/3/2022: Regatta
The luxury pocket cruise ship Regatta arriving into Pier 66.
6/4/2022: Mt. Rainier
Great view to Mt. Rainier as we head east across I-90 to go wilderness camping.
6/4/2022: Boogie Man
Outboard race boat Boogie Man being towed along I-90.
6/4/2022: Green
Bright green leaves pack the trees alongside I-90.
6/4/2022: Snoqualmie Pass
By early June, only a small bit of snow remains on the hills in the distance as we approach Snoqualmie Pass.
6/4/2022: Summit at Snoqualmie
Patches of snow still remain at the Summit at Snoqualmie, but the ski resort is long closed for the season.
6/4/2022: Keechelus Lake
Reflections in the still waters of 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Keechelus Lake looking west from I-90. Prominent in the distance at right is 5,605 ft (1,710 m) Silver Peak in the Cascade Range.
6/4/2022: Sign Board
Sign board at the I-90 exit just south of Keechelus Lake. We'll be heading right (west) towards Stampede Pass through Okanogan-Wenatchee and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests.
6/4/2022: Stampede Pass Road
A truck coming the other way as we ascend Stampede Pass Road. At altitude 2,427 ft (740 m), some snow still is on the ground beside the road in early June.
6/4/2022: Snow
At altitude 3,097 ft (944 m) snow covered most of the Stampede Pass Road. We could pass along the edge here, but the snow was deeper farther along, so we turned around to avoid getting stuck.
6/4/2022: Downed Trees
Jennifer moving some downed trees from a side road so we can proceed from Stampede Pass Road down to NF-420.
6/4/2022: Road Blocked
The side road was blocked farther along by more downed trees that were too large to move.
6/4/2022: Shortcut
With the side road blocked, we gingerly worked down a steep, rocky and rut-filled road to reach NF-420, visible ahead.
6/4/2022: Traction Branches
We do have AWD, but even at a relatively low elevation of 2,610 ft (796 m), the snow was deep enough along NF-420 that we were having difficulty with traction. It was only a small patch, so we placed fallen boughs over the snow to give us sufficient traction to pass through.
6/4/2022: Meany Lodge
This time it wasn't nature that blocked our progress, but a private property gate. The century-old Meany Lodge beyond the gate is the Mountaineer's oldest winter sports lodge. The nonprofit organization's mission is "To enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond."
6/4/2022: Power Lines
Three sets of 500 kV power lines pass through the area, carrying power about 75 miles (120km) from the Bonneville Power authority's substations of Schultz near Ellensburg WA to Raver, in Maple Valley about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Seattle. The Schultz substation is in turn fed from the Columbia substation along the Columbia River in eastern Washington.

Air generally is a poor conductor of electricity, but can with sufficient voltage. At 500 kV, the voltage of the lines is high enough that the surrounding air does conduct and a loud buzzing sound is produced as the current passing through heats the air.
6/4/2022: Palouse to Cascades Trail
Cyclists on the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, a 250-mile (402 km) rail trail that extends from Cedar Falls in the Cascade Mountains east to the Columbia River in central Washington state.
6/4/2022: Mess
Collapsed building and abandoned vehicles in a small pocket of private property within Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest as we leave the Stampede Pass area. With snow and other obstruction blocking further exploration, we're going to try our luck on the other side of I-90 towards Kachees Lake. We're hoping that the slopes there will have less snow with their more western exposure.
6/4/2022: Keechelus Ridge
Heading up National Forest Development Road 4934 along Keechelus Ridge, we were able to reach a much higher altitude of 3,847 ft (1,173 m) before snow blocked the road. Just before that point, we found a great spot along the side of the road with a view to Keechelus Lake.
6/4/2022: Keechelus Lake
View to the southern end of Keechelus Lake and the Cascade Mountains beyond from our campsite.
6/4/2022: Edge of Road
The spot we're in along NF-4934 is a little narrow, but we have just enough room to setup our camp without blocking the road. And it was wonderfully private—we saw only one other vehicle the entire time we were here.
6/4/2022: Yakima River
After setting up camp, we took a walk along NF-4934. This is the view to the headwaters of the Yakima River, the longest entirely within Washington state. The river flows 214 miles (344 km) from Keechelus Lake at right to the Columbia River in eastern Washington. The area we were driving through earlier today is on the left with the power line corridor visible at upper left (click image for a larger view).
6/4/2022: Snow on Road
Lots of snow at altitude 3,866 ft (1,179 m) on National Forest Development Road 4934 just above our campsite.
6/4/2022: Frog
This little frog is so well-camouflaged it is barely visible on the ground right in front of us (click image for a larger view).
6/4/2022: Office
Getting a little work done at our campsite along Keechelus Ridge. We had good cell connectivity here, so didn't need to use Starlink.
6/5/2022: Fog
Not much visibility in a heavy fog when we wake up at our Keechelus Ridge campsite.
6/5/2022: Low Clouds
The thick morning fog at Keechelus Ridge gave way to just low clouds about an hour after we got up. We enjoy the different scenery as the weather changes. The small red box under the table is a Mr. Heater Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU propane heater that keeps us warm in the colder weather.
6/5/2022: CO Alarm
We keep a small carbon monoxide monitor in the car when we're sleeping and put it on our camp table if we're running the car to charge the Ecoflow. We're not likely to have problems, but this is an easy way to be safer.
6/5/2022: Rockslide
Passing a recent rockslide on National Forest Development Road 4934 as we depart our campsite on Keechelus Ridge. Those big rocks could do some major damage if they hit the car.
6/5/2022: The Commonwealth
A delicious lunch at our favorite table in the Commonwealth at Snoqualmie Pass.
6/5/2022: Army Convoy
A large army convoy parked along the road at Snoqualmie Pass. The army maintains a 327,000-acre (510 sq mi; 1,323 sq km) facility, Yakima Training Center, just east of Ellensburg and regularly runs convoys between there and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
6/5/2022: Rain
Heavy rain as we descend from Snoqualmie Pass on our way home.
6/5/2022: 364ESC
One of several more army trucks we passed on the way home. The designation 364ESC at upper left on the back refers to the 364th Expeditionary Sustainment Command of the US Army Reserve. The 364th ESC, headquartered in Marysville, WA, commands more than 40 Army Reserve units across seven states.
6/5/2022: Digging Deeper
A view to the Fourth and Bell construction site from street level as we walk out for dinner. The excavators continue to dig deeper, transferring the soil from the foreground to the background, where it is lifted into waiting trucks. We find it quite interesting to see how the three excavators work together to stage and remove the soil.
6/6/2022: Refueling
Christensen arriving at 6:30am to supply fuel for the Fourth and Bell construction site.
6/6/2022: Protesters
A pro-choice demonstration crossing 7th Ave within the Amazon campus.
6/6/2022: Booster
At Bartell Drugs to get our second COVID booster shot.
6/6/2022: Taqueria Cantina
Dinner outside at Taqueria Cantina. The days are getting warmer.
6/6/2022: RX-7
An early Mazda RX-7 parked along Vine St. James owned a black 1980 RX-7 that we both really enjoyed and drove across Canada three times in.
6/6/2022: Tight
The driver of this car parked on Vine St. is going to have a really difficult time leaving.
6/7/2022: Substation
What appears to be a micro street-side power substation.
6/8/2022: Distance Pennants
We just received the Nordhavn distance pennants for 75,000 and 80,000 miles after crossing the Atlantic.
6/9/2022: Dirt Hill
The excavators have staged a huge pile of dirt for removal as they continue to dig lower at the Fourth and Bell construction site. At right, scaffold stairs have been installed to reach the bottom.
6/10/2022: Snow
We're out scouting for camp sites east of Keechelus Lake in Wenatchee National Forest along National Forest Development Road 4934. At altitude 3,305 ft (1,008 m) the road is blocked by this van stopped, and probably stuck, in the snow.
6/10/2022: Big Rock
A large rock on the side of National Forest Development Road 136. Rock of this size could severely damage a car or block exit.
6/10/2022: Water Flow
Water is flowing rather heavily down National Forest Development Road 136. We can get through, but this will eventually wash out the road if not diverted.
6/10/2022: Branches
Moving branches out of the way as we worked down NF-136. We really enjoy exploring out here, but these conditions are tough on our car's paint job :-(. Just up the road from here we were blocked by deep snow.
6/10/2022: Fallen Trees
Here along NF-4930 several recently-fallen trees have been cleared from the road. We couldn't make any more progress in the area just east of Keechelus Lake, so tried farther east nearer to Kachess Lake. The similar names are derived from native American words: Keechelus means "few fish", while Kachess means "more fish".
6/10/2022: Box Canyon Creek
A nice-looking campsite along Box Canyon Creek. We are finding that people gravitate to the lower elevation sites, particularly those along creeks, and that the higher elevation sites are less busy. We prefer the higher-elevation sites for the views, but would have considered this one if it weren't already occupied.
6/10/2022: Falls
A small waterfall along Box Canyon Creek along NF NF-4930. In the summer, the basin below the falls is a popular summer swimming hole. But in mid-June, snow blocked the road a short distance up and the water likely is quite cold.
6/10/2022: Amabilis Mountain
After several hours of exploring, we found an awesome site below Amabilis Mountain off NF-4822 with a view across the Yakima River headwaters to Keechelus Lake. We stayed here for two nights and didn't see another vehicle the entire time.
6/10/2022: Warm and Dry
The area clouded over, with frequent rain, shortly after we setup camp. But we are warm and dry under our awning. This one by Hasika is a beautiful design, but not sufficiently durably built. The ties tore off in the wind the following day, and we later replaced it with a stronger Redcamp awning.
6/10/2022: Cascades
The clouds cleared later in the afternoon, with a few wisps caught in the trees, and we got a great view to the Cascade Mountains on the other side of Keechelus Lake.
6/10/2022: Campsite
Our campsite along NF-4822. The rain has stopped now, but has been falling pretty steadily most of the day and is running down the road.
6/10/2022: On the Edge
To not block the road, we're right on the edge of a steep slope, but have just enough room to secure the awning.
6/10/2022: Evening
Enjoying the evening at camp below Amabilis Mountain. At 7:30pm there's still plenty of light. We're nearly at the longest day of the year, with the sun rising at 5:11am and setting at 9:06pm giving nearly 16 hours of daylight. The longest day, June 22, has 5 more minutes of daylight for exactly 16 hours.
6/11/2022: Critters
A chipmunk at right, and what looks like a vole (a stocky rodent similar to a mouse), out foraging in the morning on the slope below our campsite.
6/11/2022: Tire Tracks
Out for a walk up to Amabilis Mountain from our campsite on NF-4822. These are our tire tracks from yesterday when we turned around at the snow.
6/11/2022: Snow
The snow was much deeper as we neared the top of Amabilis Mountain.
6/11/2022: Kachees Lake
The sweeping view to Kachees Lake from atop 4,508 ft ft (1,374 m) Amabilis Mountain.
6/11/2022: Mount Daniel
7,960+ ft (2,430+ m) Mount Daniel in the distance, viewed looking north across Little Kachees Lake from Amabilis Mountain.
6/11/2022: Warming Hut
The Kongsberger Ski Club built this public warming hut at Amabilis Mountain that just opened for the 2022 season.
6/11/2022: Hut Interior
The beautiful interior of the warming hut, complete with a Mr Heater Buddy propane heater just like we have. A sign on the wall indicates the future of the hut is uncertain because the current landowner, the Nature Conservancy, is transferring ownership of the land to the Forest Service this year.
6/11/2022: Sunshine
The sun came out as we returned back down from Amabilis Mountain and we warmed up enough to remove a couple of layers.
6/11/2022: Lunch
Lunch back at camp along NF-4822 with a view to Keechelus Lake and the Cascade Mountains beyond.
6/11/2022: Stump
The National Forest roads were built mainly for logging, and evidence of past and recent logging is visible throughout. This old stump near our campsite on NF-4822 probably was cut many decades ago.
6/11/2022: Western Trillium
Beautiful Western Trillium growing along NF-4822 near our campsite.
6/11/2022: Dinner
Dinner at our campsite below Amabilis Mountain on NF-4822. The rain has stopped, so we've got one side of the awning open for a better view. Our GSI Outdoors Pinnacle camping cooking set at left is working out well. The cookware is lightweight, well-made, and attractive.
6/12/2022: Breakfast
The coffee and tea is already made, and now we're preparing granola and fruit for breakfast at camp while we get a little work done. This is our first time staying two nights at camp and we've really enjoyed it.
6/12/2022: Electrical Kettle Test
We boil water on a propane stove using our Sea to Summit collapsible kettle, but this morning decided to test how the Ecoflow would do with an electric kettle. It had no problem supporting the 846-watt draw, but at this rate we only have 1:05 left of run time. It's nice to know we have a backup should the stove or kettle fail, or we run out of propane.
6/12/2022: Thermacell
Bugs haven't been a major issue at our campsites so far, but we don't like any around us and deploy a Thermacell mosquito repeller at the first sign of the pests. The Thermacell is remarkably effective at keeping mosquitoes away, particular compared to the bug coils and candles we've used in the past with limited success.
6/12/2022: Charging Ecoflow
We can easily go 24 hours at camp without charging the Ecoflow, but need to charge if we're much longer than that, particularly if we are using Starlink. We probably could have gotten away with not charging it this morning, as we've have good cellular connectivity here and will be leaving soon, but we wanted to give the charging system a good test.
6/12/2022: CO Monitor
The car exhausts towards our camp table, so we monitor for elevated CO levels while charging the Ecoflow.
6/12/2022: 519 in 27 out
After an hour of charging, the Ecoflow is up to 68.75% charge from just under 50%. At the current input of 519 watts and output of 27, it will be fully charged in 1:42.
6/12/2022: Fallen Tree
Working around a fallen tree as we depart the campsite at Amabilis Mountain.
6/12/2022: Army Convoy
An army convoy heading west on I-90, similar to the one we saw last weekend and likely coming from the Yakima Training Center just east of Ellensburg.
6/12/2022: Bandit Dwarf
Richard Stark's number 42 AMCA Bandit Dwarf heading home from Wenatchee super-oval. Dwarf cars are 5/8 replicas of 1928 to 1948 coupes, sedans, and panel trucks with open wheels, all sheet metal bodies, and a street motorcycle engine up to 1250 cc. The AMCA Bandit Dwarf series races on dirt and asphalt throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, Canada.
6/12/2022: North Bend Bar & Grill
Another great lunch at North Bend Bar & Grill, our favorite stop in North Bend.
6/12/2022: Redcamp Awning
An awning with sidewalls is a critical piece of gear for us to enjoy camping in the rainy Pacific Northwest. We really liked the Hasika awning we were using, but it was not sufficiently durably built and the wind tore the ties off yesterday. We researched other options and ordered a Redcamp awning that arrived today. It appears more durably built, with reinforcing material and extra stitching at the stress points. It also includes built-in straps, visible at right, to attach the car end of the awning to the wheels.
6/12/2022: Tinkham Road
We were eager to test out our new awning and, even though we'd just returned from a two-night camping trip, we decided to head out for another night.

Here we are heading down Tinkham Road towards Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest's Tinkham Campground. It was a Sunday night and we expected the site would be lightly occupied and an easy place to stop, about an hour from home.
6/12/2022: Campsite
As we guessed, Tinkham Campground was less than a quarter full, and we found a lovely private site in the forest.
6/12/2022: Awning Test
The new Redcamp awning is a little shorter than the previous Hasika awning, but is wider with longer sidewalls, giving us overall better rain protection. We're quite happy with it.

Rain is falling steadily right now now and we're staying warm and dry under the awning. Visible by James' feet is the warm glow of our Mr. Heater Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU propane heater.
6/12/2022: Cleaning Up
Washing the dishes after dinner.
6/12/2022: Forest
A view to the beautiful forest around our campsite. It's quite a lovely spot, and very different from the places we normally camp.
6/13/2022: Out of Propane
Our propane was low after the weekend's trip, and the extra night pushed us over the edge and we ran out. So shortly after testing that the electric kettle worked with the Ecoflow, we ended up needing it this morning to make coffee. Here we're drawing 837 watts and have 2:08 of power left at this consumption.
6/13/2022: Charging
We run a waterproof power strip out from the Ecoflow to underneath our camp table for convenient access to power there. It's just visible on the ground between the propane tank at left and the heater. Right now we are charging both our Fitbit watches with it and have another cable running to a laptop.
6/13/2022: Rock Creek
Rock Creek flowing over Tinkham Road as we depart. It seems unlikely this is by design, so a drainage pipe under the road must be plugged.
6/13/2022: Case IH 6150
A brand new Case IH 6150 combines harvester, worth about $450,000 USD, heading down I-90 on a flatbed truck.
6/13/2022: Deere
We still love seeing a Deere in the wild. We passed this John Deere front-end loader while heading home from Tinkham Campground on a very rainy morning.
6/14/2022: Deeper
The excavators at the Fourth and Bell construction site have removed much of the dirt hill we saw a week ago, and continue to dig deeper.
6/14/2022: Vodafone SIM
Our Spanish Vodafone SIM card just arrived for our upcoming trip to Switzerland. This traveler's SIM works throughout Europe and even Turkey and the US.
6/14/2022: Alec Peterson
Alec Peterson (seated) invited some folks out for a tour of Elliott Bay on his Selene 49. We had a great time and joked that maybe we should buy a boat :-).
6/14/2022: USS Gabrielle Giffords
The littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords moored at Harbor Island in Elliott Bay, viewed on a harbor tour. The littoral ships have been plagued with issues ranging from cost overruns, high operating costs, insufficient firepower and manpower to complete required missions, an excessive beam that hindered their ability to maneuver in narrow channels, and, most recently, hull cracks. Future purchases have been cut and the Navy is considering decommissioning some that are only three years old.
6/14/2022: Leschi
The Seattle fireboat Leschi testing its pumps with the skyline in the background, viewed on a harbor tour of Elliott Bay.
6/16/2022: Car Wash
Taking our Honda Passport through its first automated car wash. Washing it in our building's car wash is more convenient, but we had some errands to run today near this car wash.
6/16/2022: Downtown Sailing Series
Competitors in the Downtown Sailing Series that runs from Elliott Bay Marina across the Seattle skyline and back.
6/18/2022: Global Entry
At the US Customs and Border Protection office in the SeaTac airport for in-person interviews to renew our Global Entry membership. For air travel, Global Entry gives us expedited entry into the US and streamlined TSA PreCheck security screening.
6/18/2022: Fireworks
Fireworks for sale in the Muckleshoot Reservation for the upcoming 4th of July holiday. The use and sale of fireworks is illegal in bordering King County, but not on Indian Reservations. Since the arrival of Europeans in the area in the 1800s, Native American history has generally not been a happy one. But the Muckleshoot Tribe has gone through a remarkable transformation.

From the brink of extinction, with only only one acre of Tribally-owned land in the 1970s housing a community hall that had just burned down, the Tribe now owns nearly 4,000 acres, with an additional 105,000 acres of working forest. They own and operate the Muckleshoot Casino, Emerald Downs horse-racing track, and the 25,000-seat White River Amphitheater. Much of their success follows from a conservative financial policy of reinvesting any profits back into Tribal services.
6/18/2022: Slippery Creek Road
Heading up Slippery Creek Road off Highway 410 in search of campsites in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
6/18/2022: Campsite
We found a fabulous campsite on a switchback along Slippery Creek Road at altitude 3,400ft (1,036m) with a sweeping westward view across the Slippery Creek valley.
6/18/2022: Level
The Slippery Creek campsite is excellent in all regards except for the grade. Here we are using Tri-Lynx levelers to level the truck.
6/18/2022: Camp Table
The car wasn't the only thing that needed leveling. One of the reasons we bought an REI Camp Table was for its four independently adjustable leg heights. We're using that feature here in the sloping Slippery Creek campsite.
6/18/2022: Tire Strap
Our new Redcamp awning has built in straps for attaching to the car wheels.
6/18/2022: Walking
Out for a walk further up Slippery Creek Road.
6/18/2022: Road Closed
The Forest Service closes roads that are no longer in use to reduce maintenance costs, but the 4x4 community often finds a way around. This one is blocked with a dirt berm and concrete pilings, but we could still see tire tracks through.
6/18/2022: Snow
Walking along the blocked road, we encountered patches of snow at altitude 3,952 ft (1,205 m).
6/18/2022: View
A wonderful campsite at the end, so it's a real shame the Forest Service closed the road. Our current campsite is visible slightly left of center, above the two light green square patches in the hillside (click image for a larger view).
6/18/2022: Campsite From Above
A close-up view to our cliffside campsite on Slippery Creek Road from the end of the closed road.
6/18/2022: Walking Back
It's not clear why the Forest Service closed this road. The roadway is wide and in good condition with no obvious risk of rockslide or other potential blockages.
6/18/2022: Other Campsite
Later in the evening, we walked down Slippery Creek Road to check out another campsite below us that was occupied when we drove up.
6/18/2022: Shooting
The occupants of the site below us were just there for the day for target practice. Shooting is allowed on most National Forest land and is very popular. We often hear gunshots in the distance, or in this case, nearby, when we are out camping in the National Forests. Unfortunately, some shooters leave shell casings and used targets.
6/18/2022: Evening View
Enjoying the view from a rock outcropping near the campsite below us.
6/18/2022: Rock on Road
We squeezed past this big rock on Slippery Creek Road on the way up to our campsite.
6/18/2022: Sonos Roam
Our Sonos Roam speaker perched on the rear of our SUV. Sonos Roam is a pint-sized and lightweight outdoor portable smart speaker with impressive sound quality. We recently added one to our travel kit and are loving being able to play our music wherever we go. The speaker is ruggedly built of shock-absorbent materials, is drop-resistant, and has an IP67 dust and water resistance rating.

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6/18/2022: Clouds
Rain falling in the evening after a day of dry weather. We're warm and dry under our awning, so the rain doesn't bother us.
6/18/2022: Bear Grass
Bear Grass (Xerophyllum tenax) blooming near our campsite along Slippery Creek Road.
6/19/2022: Breaking Camp
Packing up the Tri-Lynx Levelers as the final step in breaking camp at Slippery Creek Road. It was our first time using the levelers and they worked quite well. Driving the truck onto the stack was fast and easy, as was getting back down.
6/19/2022: Road Blocked
After breaking camp, we continued up Slippery Creek Road to explore the area. Just beyond where we walked yesterday was another spur road closed with a berm and concrete pilings. Too bad, as it appeared from the satellite imagery to have a campsite with a view at the end.
6/19/2022: Outside National Forest
We stopped exploring any further down Slippery Creek Road when we exited Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest into land where wilderness camping isn't permitted.
6/19/2022: Slide Area
Passing through a slide-prone area on a narrow lane with a steep drop-off to one side. We try to avoid lingering in places like these to limit our exposure to slide risk.
6/19/2022: Logging Legacy Memorial
Memorial in the city of Enumclaw to loggers injured or killed on the job, an industry that brought growth and prosperity to the region. According to the inscription, an astonishing 8,000 died and 65,000 were injured over the past century while logging in Washington State.
6/19/2022: Cole St.
Looking down appealing restaurant-lined Cole St. in Enumclaw, temporarily blocked off for pedestrian traffic only.
6/19/2022: The Historic Mint
We had a great lunch at the Historic Mint Restaurant and Ale House on Cole St. in Enumclaw. Established in 1906, the restaurant sources locally as much as possible. This customer appreciation sign on the wall lists the many local business that The Mint does business with and their distance from the restaurant. Many are only a few miles away, and some only a few hundred feet (click image for a larger view).
6/19/2022: Instant Hot Tank
Our maintenance list remains pretty small now that we're living in a condo, so a maintenance log no longer is required :-). But we do have the occasional job, such as replacing our instant hot water tank that started to leak recently.