There are electricity projects along route 12 in south central Washington. The Tacoma Power Company has built several dams. Each dam, there are at least four in the area, comes complete with a wonderful state park complete with fishing bridges, huge full-service campgrounds, playgrounds for children, a swimming area, and trails to hike. The facilities are wonderful and the scenery is gorgeous – clean lake, beautiful skies, a deep forest…quiet and peaceful.
We opted for Taidnanam, the park closest to Mt. Rainier. We think, but are not able to verify, that when the power company wanted to dam the rivers, the state made them provide the parks. Although the reservation for the campgrounds is through the state reservation system, the employees don’t seem to be state rangers. Checking in on Tuesday, we had our pick of a mostly empty park. Shortly after making camp we checked out the fishing bridge and boat ramp. People were lined up on both sides of a pedestrian-only bridge, catching trout. The boat launch was deserted, giving us a chance to give Doogie a short swim before Steve had his first mishap, turning his ankle on the rough pavement on the boat launch. He limped around for a few minutes, and then was fine.
Steve’s second mishap came as we were preparing to head out for an after-dinner stroll. He stepped out of the trailer and turned the same ankle, only this time he really turned it and fell into the leaves and dirt. He was in severe pain, covered with forest debris, and couldn’t walk. We could feel it swelling through his sock. So here we are, fifteen miles from Morton, Washington, which is not exactly nowhere, but you can see it from here. No cell reception. No internet. So we got him into a chair, determined that he could bear a little weight without collapsing, and then hoisted him into the trailer.
First the trailer. Now Steve. What a trip!
Fortunately I read the study published a couple of years ago that concluded an x-ray is not necessary first-line treatment for an ankle injury; ice, Ibuprophen, an ace bandage, and elevation being the better strategy. If something is broken, waiting 24 hours won’t make it worse. So we decided to tough it out. He was in such pain that I really worried about it, but after 400 of ibuprophen he was lots better, and by morning he was able to walk a little. We did go up on the mountain, and though we couldn’t go for even a short walk, we enjoyed the scenery and had a nice lunch in the lodge (green chile and chicken stew (my fave, and blackberry pie al a mode for desert).
So last night we had Girl Scout dinner. We started a fire (Although not in the Girl Scout way; we used charcoal and lighter fluid. Let's keep perspective here.). I cut a couple of potatoes into thin slices, tossed them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, wrapped it all in a foil envelope and cooked them 40 minutes on the coals. Likewise with a few carrots – salt, pepper, butter, dried basil, foil envelope, 40 minutes on the coals….delicioso! It’s even better with a little grated onion and garlic, but I was too lazy. And a wonderful fruit salad for desert – cantaloupe, grapes, and blueberries simply tossed together.
And Steve’s ankle is almost 100%, and my sore throat is feeling a little better. And it’s almost 10PM and we’re not wearing two sweatshirts! It’s warmer at last..
Interesting factoid: Aldus Manutius the Elder (1450-1515) invented the semi-colon! Bet you didn’t know that. You’ve got to read Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Lynn Truss, Penguin Books, 2003. It is just hilarious.
So this morning the ankle was hurting again, so we opted to chill today. We're in a coffee shop in Morton checking messages and trying to figure out how to get from Cascade Locks, OR to Reno, RV easily. We will head back to the trailer soon to elevate and ice. The campsite is deep in the woods and is quiet and restful as well as being very pretty to look at. Next post will be from Cascade Locks, Oregon on Friday or Saturday.
