Leaving Spokane

I haven't blogged for a while and I am sorry for the delay, for those of you who read this blog.  I have not taken my computer out for some time and I have been in places where I haven't had the reception to do so.

I have been lucky enough to stay in Spokane for several days and my friend Cat calls it my "Northwest Basecamp."  Max and I really enjoyed the company of Cat and her friends.  During my stay, I was able to participate in many activities including going to the lake, concerts at the gas station, walking in the park, going on a merry-go-round, a trip to Idaho, eating a shrimp boil, herding cows at a working ranch, and many more fun things that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to participate in if I didn't make the trip.

I especially enjoyed my time with my dear friend.  Sometimes we get so caught up in doing our daily activities and responsibilities that spending quality face time with friends ends up towards the bottom of the list.  As much as we can connect online with email and facebook, those things won't get you closer to the people you love as much as sitting in the same room for a chat will.  I am lucky I had the opportunity to take the time to slow down a bit to catch up on each others lives.

After my short trip to Long Beach to attend the roller derby and catch up in my home town, I flew back to Spokane to stay another night and plan a few days ahead.  Max had a great time playing with her dog, Bella and I had such a wonderful time with Cat's friends.  Thank you to all of you who made me feel like part of the group.

As with all good bye's, this was a sad one but I know I will be back.  Now it's time for Max and I to get on the road and head East.  I will talk about our adventure in the next few days of blogs.  Thank you for reading and for being a part of it with us! Also, a big thank you to the WSU design team and Danna Snow for allowing me to come in and photograph you!

Herding Cows On A Working Ranch In Washington

I would consider myself adventurous.  My friend Kari wanted me to experience a little of what life is like on her family's ranch so I agreed to play along.  I headed out to the ranch located two hours West of Spokane outside of a small town where there aren't any stoplights or grocery stores to be found.  However, I did notice a blacksmith and a post office.

This is her way of life year round.  The cows are out to pasture at the moment, so I decided to tag along while she moved them to another pasture.  Trading horses for ATV's, we headed out to herd the cows from one stretch of land to the next.  It's a good thing she knew where we were driving and what we were doing.  There were bumps, holes, drop offs, etc in the ground that I didn't notice until I was right up against it.  The last time I sat on an ATV I was 16 and it was a three wheeler.  As I was going up a hill, I didn't distribute my weight high enough so I jumped off and the ATV went crashing down the hill.  Of course, I didn't mention this to Kari at the time.

This time, it was a smoother ride.  I learned a lot about ranching on our adventure.  I didn't know that cows will come to you when called.  At one point, we were driving along and she kept yelling, "here...cows!...hereeeeee cows!!!"  I thought that was nice that she was saying hello but in fact, they listened and a few moments later, we were in the line of a stampede.  Just as the cows got to the gate, they stopped when they saw me, unsure of what I was doing there with my camera.  I slowly tip toed out of the way and they continued on their way.

After we did this a few times, we drove around the area to explore empty barns, a cemetery and stopping to chat with a neighbor on his ATV driving by to check on an area he sprayed the day before.  Three ATV's on the same road would be considered a traffic jam in this area.  In fact, after chatting with Kari's dad for a while, he doesn't even know where the key to his house is located.  "What do I need a key for?" he said.

Life is sure different out on the ranch.  I think everyone should experience this once in a lifetime.  I am not a beef eater but I think it's a good education to see where your food comes from and the people behind the work.  I also toured a working ranch in Arizona where they branded cows in front of us.  Wasn't the most pleasant sight but it's what they do to keep Americans fed.

Thank you Kari for the tour! She will be featured in my "Women's Work" project.  To see more photographs of these women, click HERE

Camping In Northeast Washington Hoping Bears Won't Show Up

I drove along the 20 freeway in NorthEast Washington and went as far as I could before I was really sick of driving.  It got to that time so I pulled into the first driveway where I saw a tent icon on a sign.  After scouting the area, we found the last spot and pulled in.  Lucky for us, the nightly fee was only six dollars!

I am more afraid of a confrontation with a bear than a person for some reason.  I worried a bit in Yosemite when I was lectured by the bear police to keep all lip balms out of the car and put them in the bear box because bears, "love a good lip balm."  I'm glad he told me that because I found all of the ones that I seemingly "lost" and lined them up in the bear box...all 8 of them.  At least the bear will have a variety if it figured out how to open the bear box at the campsite.

Since then, I have calmed myself down a bit thinking that they wouldn't show up.  I read a few blogs from time to time and just when I had a calming feeling, I read the blog from Rich Luhr about a bear approaching his campsite at night, letting out a huge roar...my worst nightmare.

So, here we are again, camping in our tent.  I let it go and decided to relax and enjoy the beauty in the area.  The night was quiet and the next morning was relaxing.  I was having a cup of coffee at the site as the ranger came by.  I didn't think anything of it since I payed my whopping $6 fee.  As he approached, he looked at me and said, "did you see any bears?"

What?  Bears?  Are you kidding me?  I thought I was free from those thoughts and here comes Rick the ranger to put them right back in my brain.  I thought he was joking but he was very serious. You know, that serious ranger face look? Well, Rick had it. We chatted for a bit, he agreed for me to take his photo and later Max and I decided to go for a walk.  Needless to say, the walk didn't last long.  Each crack of a branch or rustle in the bushes made me jump so it wasn't the relaxing morning I had hoped for.  I know, such a big whimp!  I will get over it and not worry.  Good news is, I have plenty of lip balm handy.