Reunion - Time to Go Home

We said good-bye to David on Wednesday. Below - The Griffins started their 2,000 mile trek home early Thursday morning. Their goal was to get to the Mount Rushmore area that night. The Kings left midmorning. They were going to Yellowstone on the way home.  

We headed out early afternoon. The GPS indicated we could have been home by 10:51 that night (not counting stops)

 A few hours later we got on I-90 at Missoula. The next instruction from the GPS - turn in 366 miles! We're up to an 11:29 arrival time by this point in our trip. We stopped in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for the night. 

On the way home we visited the Ginko Petrified Forest State Park in 

Vantage, Washington, just west of the Columbia River 

 The river is very low because there is a crack in nearby Wanapum Dam. The low water level has created huge problems - people with "waterfront" property haven't been able to use their docks or boats. Public boat ramps also can't be used. Initially salmon couldn't navigate the fish ladders. Nothing can be done for the people and their boats. For a while the salmon were collected, bused around the dam, and put back in the water above the dam. When the modified fish ladders appeared to be working, the salmon were on their own to make it up the river. Read more about it here. This article talks about the huge numbers of salmon that come up this section of the river. Click here to read about the "math error" that resulted in the cracked concrete. 

The interpretive center at the top of the bluff had a wonderful museum of petrified wood and interesting display about the history of the area.

"Ginkgo Petrified Forest is a registered national natural landmark. It is regarded as one of the most unusual fossil forests in the world." source

 petrified pine logs discovered during nearby highway construction

At one time this part of Washington had a very different climate. Shallow lakes, forests, and swamps abounded.  "Species of both broadleaf and upland conifers ended up buried in the mud of small lakes and pools. Perhaps they were transported from higher elevations by mudflows produced by volcanic eruptions; perhaps the fallen trees were carried by normal rivers and flooding. Later, a volcanic fissure in southeastern Washington sent floods of molten lava across the Columbia Plateau, leveling the landscape and destroying the standing plants and trees. However, the waterlogged, mud-covered trees were left intact. When lava from the “Ginkgo Flow” contacted the water, it formed pillow basalt that further protected the trees.

"Entombed in basalt, the wood slowly began a chemical transformation. As Ann Saling explains in The Great Northwest Nature Factbook, buried wood usually decays, but when the groundwater contains enough silica (picked up from volcanic ash) and other minerals, the minerals penetrate the wood in a process known as petrifaction. Some wood remains, visible under a microscope, but most is replaced by silica. Other minerals and compounds in the groundwater also percolate through the wood, adding brilliant color patterns. Over time, the wood becomes stone." Click here for more. (history link.org) 

Many samples of petrified wood were outside the visitors' center. 

These Native American petroglyphs were cut from rock cliffs that were buried in water when the Wanapum Dam was built. 

This interpretive center is technically in the town of Vantage, Washington. The town was moved to its current location in the 1960s when the construction of the Wanapum Dam created a lake and the original town of Vantage ended up being under 50 feet of water. See before and after pictures here. 

Reunion - Balloons & More Balloons, Bonfires, Apartment

Our grandchildren had a massive water balloon fight. A fun time was had by all. 

Balloons, pipe cleaners, and other crafty items have been part of each reunion. It's fun to see what the children, and adults, come up with. There was a game room in the lower level of the Grasshopper. The first night we set out the craft supplies and watched to see what the children created over the next few days. 

bonfire & s'mores one evening

everyone had glo-sticks, including Schmeagle

The children played tag in the dark. They marked themselves (and the two water spigots) with glo-sticks. They also had fun playing sardines.

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Fortunately we were able to rent the apartment at the Grasshopper along with the rooms. The apartment has a living room/dining room, full kitchen and separate bedroom (and bathroom of course). We stayed in the apartment. It made a wonderful place for us to have breakfast, gather during the day, and enjoy those special times together at the end of the day. Two different nights all the grandchildren ended up in the apartment with us at the end of the day. Precious, precious times together. 

M&Ms are part of each reunion

this is how the bowl looked at the end of each evening

Some people(s) don't eat red M&Ms

Schmeagle hopes for handouts and/or dropped food 

while we fix sandwiches for lunch

The striped tablecloth has been at each of our reunions. This might be the last one. It's getting a bit worn and torn. Several matching ones already had to be retired from service. 

a number of our people are puzzle workers

Reunion - More

Whew! We had three main photographers at the reunion. When the memory cards were downloaded Wednesday night and combined with photos on my phone, we had about 1,200 images!!! and days of wonderful memories. 

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 Everyone survived with no cell phone access from their arrival on Monday until departure on Thursday. The Grasshopper did have Wifi for those who couldn't totally disconnect from the outside world.

 These dogs got tired of waiting for handouts outside the restaurant. One of them dropped a stick at Joe's feet and looked at him in expectation. He wanted Joe to play with him. And he did!

We had video chats with two of our older grandsons 

who weren't able to join us because of their jobs.

The pig came down from Patrick's room for the reunion

Below - the pig is ready to go back upstairs

Click here to read the great story that goes with this pig

Reunion - Round and About the Grasshopper

This sign is at the intersection of Route 278 and the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway

Grasshopper Inn is about 9 miles north on the Byway

Click here for a pdf full of interesting information about this valley

left - a beaverslide - used to stack hay for decades

Click here for more pictures of the area and a video showing how a beaverslide works

right - "new" hay bales

on Route 278 before turning onto Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway

Click here for more pictures of this beautiful area

All are safely gathered in - family cars

 panoramic views from Grasshopper Inn

 Big Sky Country indeed

This is cattle country. The Tash family (sign on right) has ranched in this valley since the late 1800s. 

Hundreds of head of cattle spend the summer grazing in the mountains north of Polaris. The black cattle are difficult to see on the road at night. At the Grasshopper we met a 63 year old man who has been a cowboy his entire adult life. This summer he's in the mountains riding herd on 700 head of cattle belonging to three ranchers. 

Elk, antelope, moose, deer and other wildlife abound in the area.