The drive across the North Cascade Highway wasn’t too bad. Karl hit one patch of black ice and the rear of the truck broke loose and he started to go sideways. I was sleeping but his gasp woke me up. After that, we took it much easier across the pass.
We made a short stop in Twisp at a fellow kayak angler's house to do a meet and greet. The guys connected through a kayak angler’s forum and Karl was hoping they could do some fishing over the weekend. After suffering a mild case of disappointment upon learning that a fishing trip wouldn’t be possible, we continued onward to the cabin.
We hit another slick spot coming up Cameron Lake Road. I was awake for this one…yowzer! Scary knowing that the canyon was on one side with a steep drop off. Karl quickly got it back under control and we continued up the hill.
The cabin was cold when we got there. Let’s fire up the woodstove and warm this baby up! We got things situated and before long it was time to hit the sack for the night. There were patches of snow, too.
The steps to the cabin were icy and guess what? I fell down those, too.
Thursday - Thanksgiving Day
We woke up brrrr cold! The stove had gone out during the night, even after restoking it a time or two. With no insulation in the cabin and a little stove…well it takes a lot to keep it warm. The air in the mattress even got cold which made it that much worse.
We decided to see if Wal-Mart was open and purchase a few things, like an electric heater to help keep us warm at night. We also bought a foam pad to put on top of the air mattress to help insulate us from any cold air.
Around 3:30 p.m., we saw a large bird fly near the cabin. It was getting dark early because of the dense fog. We looked out of the windows and found the bird on top of the telephone pole next to the cabin. It was a large owl. Later we found out it was a Great Horned owl. It was huge and we watched as it flew from tree to tree searching for dinner.
Great Horned OwlFriday – aka Black Friday
We survived the cold night with the assistance of the heater. It was actually too warm to sleep at first.
We did a bit of Black Friday shopping, believe it or not. There was a card table set at Ace Hardware advertised for $50. The camp table and chairs just weren’t cutting it. The chairs were too low for table and they were hard to get up close to it also.
We got up and were at Ace Hardware somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. Ace had plenty of sets so we really didn’t need to be there so early.
Then we went to Home Depot to get a 30 to 15 amp adapter. After that, it was breakfast at McDonald’s and pretty much back to the cabin.
Daytime highs have been hovering around 30 for both days so far and the nights are slightly cooler. There’s been quite a bit of freezing fog, too. It’s been so cold, I made ice cubes outside.
Jelly (below) and Buddy had a grand time playing in the little bit of snow we had.
JellyKarl decided he would go fishing on Saturday so he spent the afternoon working on his kayak. Later he realized he didn't have his license. We think it got left at home so he would try to get a replacement.
We saw the owl again but only from a distance.
For dinner, we ate turkey leftovers, except for the stuffing which we had tossed out the night before. Yummy.
Our after dinner entertainment consisted of watching two DVDs. We were able to hook up the stereo to the computer for extra speakers and it made it much easier to hear than through the computer's speakers.
During the movie, Karl’s friend called about fishing tomorrow. He could make it now. Karl was happy and we finished watching the movie. Then it was off to the warmth of the flannel sheets and sweet dreams.
Saturday – Nov 29th
After breakfast, Karl loaded up the kayak and gear and left around 8:30 to meet Bill.
I cleaned the cabin, went for a short walk with the dogs, and played on the computer.
The sun started melting the ice and the temp probably reached 34 degrees. Heat wave!
In late afternoon, Karl returned from his fishing trip to Rufus Woods Lake with one nice trout and a sunburn on his face. He had a good time. Of course, any time fishing is a good time.
Karl's TroutI made use of the woodstove to heat up turkey orzo soup. It was nice and warm and filled our bellies. Now I need to figure out if I can make biscuits on top of the stove.
After dinner, we found Buddy sitting in front of the heater on the floor. It was hilarious. Like the woodstove wasn't warm enough for him!
Buddy staying warmSunday – Nov 30th
Karl made his special pancakes for breakfast. They were oh so delicious. Then it was time to pack up and head home.
We left OK around 11 a.m. We needed to stop in Twisp and drop off a couple of things that belonged to the new fishing buddy.
On the way up Highway 20 towards Washington Pass, we saw a vehicle flipped upside down on its roof. Hopefully no one suffered serious injury. The wrecker was in the process of getting ready to turn it right-side up so it could be towed away.
The accident served as a good reminder to be careful. Even though the roads were clear in most spots, black ice could be lurking around a shaded bend in the road. The higher we climbed, the warmer it got for a while.
Crossing the pass, the outside temp was 45 degrees! The trip on the downside saw moderate temps and not much traffic. Before we knew it, we were pulling into our driveway. The weekend was over. Boo hoo.
Now we are looking forward to our next trip back to Okanogan.
No comments:
Post a Comment