August-September, 2022
Later this morning, I walked around the campground close to where I was camped, and discovered a single-track road that led off into the woods.
Where does that go? I checked my maps and even checked Google Earth … the road doesn’t show up anywhere. Well, that meant I needed to find out.
So I jumped into the big white truck and proceeded to drive out that road.
First, the road passed by the RVs that were stored here (photo below), just to the north of my campsite. I don’t know why the word “APPLES” is on the gate to that storage lot. If I find out, I’ll let you know.
After that, the single-track road continued through the woods …
It was beautiful! There were occasional wide spots in the road where two vehicles could pass in opposite directions. Eventually the road split, the left fork was still the same type of dirt road but it eventually connected to a paved road. The right fork is the one in the photo below … it took you down, right down to the edge of the river. Literally, you could drive right up to or into the river. So I drove down there!
I parked (nope didn’t drive into the river), then walked back up and took the photo below of where the big white truck was parked.
Besides that huge tree trunk next to my truck, there was another huge tree trunk just upriver a bit.
Turn your sound on for the video.
The water was so clear, so clean!
The photo below looks to the left, downstream, heading north to the Nisqually delta and then to the salt water of Puget Sound.
While I was exploring along the edge of the river, I heard noise from the land. It sounded like a train … but, out here? in the woods, along the river? Well trains have to travel on railroad tracks where the tracks take them yes? Watch up in the trees in the video below. Amtrak came rumbling past on it’s way south to Oregon, and then to California.
I poked around there along the river a bit, sat on that tree trunk for awhile and listened to the birds and enjoyed the sunshine. But then I got hungry for lunch and so headed back to the Riverbend Campground and my campsite and my trailer.
Here’s a video of a little part of the drive back through the woods, with the river to the left.
This was another one of those outings you don’t plan, because you don’t know it’s there. But you go exploring and come across some great finds. I really liked this one.
Such a beautiful place! I love a good river.
🙂 Me too.
Fantastic. I love that you fearlessly travel up roads that aren’t mapped. 🙂 Ok, that was sort of a Star Trek thing, but different.
LOL! I got that hint of Star Trek before I finished reading the sentence. I love Star Trek, and own every one of them. David, I will continue to fearlessly travel up roads that aren’t mapped. 🙂
That river is so clear! And so beautiful. 🙂
I took dozens of photos of that water, I just loved it.
I actually like trains, but not so much when they are interrupting my peaceful and quiet reverie with nature. Still, part of life, eh? Love the video when you’re driving back through the woods.
Well, this train was short and went by fast, so that seemed ok. But that drive back through the woods was gorgeous. Thanks. 🙂
Gorgeous! That river is so beautiful. When you go exploring and take us with you that is simply terrific. I love the drive back through the woods.
Thanks, Wanda. I will keep exploring and taking you with me. 🙂
Ann, thanks for the beautiful photos & travel story! I loved this one with the road to explore down to the river & through the woods. Hearing and seeing glimpses of the train was marvelous! This journey was amazing that as I read your words, I could hear your voice speaking, and I felt like I was with you!
Blessings Auntie💖
You are with me, my favorite niece in the universe. 🙂 And I am with you. I liked your words “down to the river and through the woods”, almost like that song. More journeys coming soon. More blessings. And peace. ❤ ️
I love how you write. It’s mostly grammatically correct, but it also is just enough NOT grammatically correct that it sounds like a real voice. From all you’ve said here on this blog, I bet you know correct grammar when you see it! 🙂 Thank you for just being you. I loved that video of the drive back through the woods too.
Darby, you are so good. I LOVE correct grammar. But I don’t speak it. So I’ve chosen to write mostly correct grammar here, but also to just write how I talk, where the preposition is in the wrong place, or with the over-use of the word “just”, just stuff like that. So yes, what I write here is more like how I talk, just like how I talk, so to speak. 🙂
That’s great that you see something and just go find out about it. I really like your curiosity. I like that video of the drive through the woods too, but I really like, I really like those photos of the water. I want to put my face in there! It just draws me in. Ha! ok no drowning allowed. 🙂
Still catching up on reading from the start … I’ll get there.
No, no drowning allowed! 🙂 Take your time catching up on the blog posts, Olivia, I’m not going anywhere except more camping and exploring. 🙂 Have to admit that when I was standing by that river, walking around there where it was so shallow, that I was SO tempted to walk into the river and put my face into the water. I did put my hands in the water …. yikes was that COLD!! The river is fed from a glacier on Mt Rainier. So I had the same reaction you did. I loved that water. And I will go camping there again!
Explore! Great photos of the water.
Will do, Steve. thanks. 🙂
Photos of the water are great. Makes me want to walk right in there. But I bet that’s cold water! APPLES .. maybe Mr and Mrs Apples? Ha!
Bill, I looked all over the internet and couldn’t find why “APPLES” was on that gate. Maybe it is … maybe it’s Mr and Mrs Apples!
Indeed, that river was ICE cold.