We slept comfortably through the night with the screened windows open and a fan bringing in cool mountain air, and not a mosquito in sight! Breakfast is served from 7-8:30 so we could not leisurely extend our sleeping time. Breakfast was another amazing meal with an egg casserole, fresh fruit, bacon, sausage and absolutely heavenly biscuits with a big pot of local honey and a plate of a 1lb slab of butter. Could it be the mountain air that caused me to load up my plate?

Judy had reserved a CanAm off-road vehicle for 4 hours so we could explore the area. Because it was located back in town we had to catch the “white” bus back to town when it left at 9 AM to deliver people returning to the ferry and pick up newly

arrived tourists. Jake would simply stop and drop us off at the rental agency to pick up our vehicle. The other riders with us were mostly young backpackers; I am certain we were the oldest people on the bus! As mentioned in the previous post the bus stopped at Rainbow Falls so we decided to get off and walk the short distance to view the 392 ft, two tier waterfall. The second tier is 312 ft high. Normally in the spring one can get a good dousing from the mist but we were spared as it is late in the season and water flow has been reduced. It was still an impressive amount of water however. Back on the bus with a quick stop at the Bakery for the other passengers (we passed as we were there yesterday and had already eaten a big breakfast), then the Garden (I passed) and finally we were dropped off at the rental shack near the ferry terminal.

Speaking about backpackers we chatted with a few on the bus as we progressed to Stehekin. The backpackers were young and hearty! Most have been walking the Pacific Crest Trail which runs 2,653 miles from Mexico to Canada! Stehekin is one of the populated areas where hikers can replenish their supplies and simply rest a bit before continuing on the last 70 mile leg to Canada. One young man said he has been on the trail since April! We were astonished when he told us he was married with an 11 month old child who was at home with his wife. When we asked why she was not with him he said she will be doing the hike next year while he watches their child. Boy, this is certainly a new generation! Another young couple said they had started to trek earlier this year but fires in California forced them to abandon the hike in California, travel north to Canada and trek south as far as they can, then complete the rest of the trek in the future. The several buses that run this road will stop and pick up any hikers if waved down. Rides are free but a tip jar sits by the front door.

Ted, the youngest of our group, was our designated driver for the off-road vehicle excursion. We piled in and off we went seeking some of the local sights. Our first stop was the one room school house (grades1-8) that was used from 1921-1989 until a newer school was constructed. The old school house is now a museum open to the public. We wandered through it, seeing the old school desks (that we all remembered from our school days), historical pictures and even some examples of school projects. There was more than one “I remember that” from our travel group.  By the way, there are 11 students presently attending the school. High schoolers must either go the Chelan to continue their education or be home schooled.

We next drove to the other “major” attraction in the area: The Buckner Orchard. The Buckner Orchard is one of the Stehekin area’s oldest homesteads and dates back to 1889. The homestead cabin is still there,  along with several other buildings, old farm equipment and hundred-year-old apple trees whose fruit is still harvested each year. The land was sold to the National Park in 1970. A gentlemen cutting the lawn turned out to be a distant relative and we spent some time hearing about the orchard, its trees and history. Our discussion period was limited because of a hoard  of mosquitoes that prompted us to move on. He told us how to drive to the nearby Stehekin River via a dirt path on the property. This was the closest to “off-roading” that we did!

 

By now it was decision time as lunch loomed. Do we stop at the Bakery or head back to the ranch for lunch ? We wanted to travel north  of the ranch to High Bridge and then to the “end of the road” so it was decided to eat lunch at the ranch as it was on the way to our destination.  Lunch choices were make you own sandwich or try the hot casserole called “cheesy cowboy casserole”, which likely consisted of all the leftovers (meat & vegetables) from last night’s dinner. It was excellent!

Visits to High Bridge ( basically a bridge high above a raging Stehekin River) and the end of the road (caused by landslides year ago) completed our touring excursion. High Bridge is important as this is where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the river. Hikers, who want to pause their hikes congregate here and wait for a ride to/from town as they start, stop or continue along the Pacific Crest Trail.

 

Our vehicle was due back by 2:30, so off we went to bring it back-safe and sound, I might add. To get back to the ranch we simply had to wait by the road and wave down the white bus who would be returning to the ranch after meeting the ferry in Stehekin. We had to wait a bit but it arrived and soon we were back at our cabins for a quick nap and preparing for the evening cocktail ritual. By the way, until very recently there was no internet service in Stehekin. This has changed with the advent of the Starlink satellite service. We were told you had to go over to a nearby log to get a clear view of the sky to get service. Sure enough, it worked, so part of the daily ritual was to check up on our emails and world events.

After last night’s great meal the cocktail hour discussion included speculating about tonight’s dinner, and, more importantly, what would be on the dessert menu!  When the dinner bell rang we responded like Pavlov’s experimental subjects and joined the other hungry residents of the ranch for yet, another marvelous meal which featured a marinated flank steak with chimichurri sauce. And the dessert menu did not disappoint, with many new pies and cakes to choose from.

We ate tonight in the outdoor, screened-in room and lingered afterward reliving today’s adventures until it was time to retire. Tomorrow we retrace our steps to civilization!