Back to the Interior

Bob and I said good-bye to the Pacific coast and headed back to the interior. Bobby had plans to go get his car from a port near Los Angeles. Christopher and DeAnna would travel with us down the Oregon coast until Bobby returned. Since Bobby was living in Lacey, we found a good place to boondock near his house---Cabela's! We arrived early afternoon and got set up. We had no idea how long we would need to stay as Bobby had to firm up his plans to fly to LA and retrieve his car. That evening, we all ate dinner at the German Diner. Unfortunately, the diner lost some employees (a cook and a waitress) earlier in the day and the service was slow. The food, however, was good--the owner stepped in for the missing cook.

The following morning, Bob and I drove a short distance to Nisqually Wildlife Refuge and walked the trails. The only critter we saw was this rabbit.

We saw evidence of beavers, including this beaver deceiver which diverts water through the beaver's dam.

The area is located on what used to be farmland. The owner built a 5 mile levee in the early 1900s so he could farm the land. The refuge was created in 1974 and the levee was removed to return the estuary to its original state. Now there are boardwalks so people can view wildlife.

 The twin barns are a remnant of the farm.

As Bob and I were returning to the entrance, we heard a loud crash--a tree falling in the pond we were walking next to---a beaver was at work to add to its dam.

All through the refuge, we saw wild blackberries. They weren't quite ready for picking.

 We returned to Sol and learned that Bobby had a flight out early the following morning. Bob and I would take him to the airport, pick up the kids and head for Oregon.

Best laid plans, we got Bobby to the airport on time, but his flight was delayed. He had to reschedule all of his appointment in LA. We still picked up the kids and headed for Oregon....they would be with us a bit longer than planned.