Smokejumpers

Barry had said we were gonna love the Costco gas. He was so right. brand new, not a stain on the concrete and no lines. Lyn drove the car the 4 miles from the campground, and after she filled it pulled around behind the stealth glamper, to hook up, while I was still filling up! Three lanes open, so no worries. Not like Fresno where I have driven by several times, when too crowded to wait on the street!

He also said highway 20 across the Cascades would be the route to take and was right. Mostly loping along at 45 mph under a treed canopy or next to a river with traffic not a problem. We got to our next site in Marblemount. Another less refined campground where we would have been happier last year (when the trees were shorter).

We setup and took off in the car to explore (go to the rangers office and ask about the fires!). The haze (no fake journalism here: it was smoke mostly from the 564 fires in BC!)

We had already rerouted from Redding, and now Wenatchee, and had heard 20 was closed ahead at Kettle Falls which would force us to Canada (564 fires) or south (more heat and still smoke).

The stealth glamper is pretty airtight. If you park under a tree by a river with a clean windshield, and have both ACs cycling you don't even know there is a forest fire 20 miles north of you until you go out to the car for more alcohol and see all the ash on the windshield!

Aaannnyyyhow, the ride over the pass from Marblemount to Winthrop was spectacular, and as the road straightened out, we could see the smoke from that fire (Crescent Mountain) like you see the fog when you approach the ocean.

We passed the fire staging area and entered Winthrop, a cute western look tourist town. Five miles south the air was better and our site was pleasant (and satellite friendly last year!)

You say: Rich don't you have a dish on a tripod so you can park under a tree and still have the best of both worlds? I say: Yep, and I won't be leaving it in the garage next time!

Turns out the farther north you go the lower in the sky the satellites are AND the higher the trees are!!

Across the river from our site is the North Cascade Smokejumper Base. They allow tours, although the plane was not there, a few jumpers were on site and one gave us a tour. This was the first base dating back to 1939. We were shown the equipment and he answered questions while showing us the training tower and parachutes being folded, etc. Quite interesting to hear how up to 8 jumpers jump from a small plane with 90 pounds of gear strapped on and hope they don't land in a tree, but are equipped to rappel down if they do. The plane circles and drops 3 days worth of supplies and tools for them to fight (usually) lightning strike fires.