slowp's neck of the wood's

[paccity]

just watched a new show called rockstars, there working up hwy 12 . not loggin persay but they did drop a tree across to hwy and took out the guardrail and hung the butt up the cliff. just wondering if patti or anyone up there has seen them working.

 

[chucker]

hope they were working on white pass, the last time i went over the hill from packwood it was a she bear.. rocks falling all the way up and down where it seemed the top of the mountain droped from the quake an st. helens...

 

[slowp]

I have been avoiding driving over to the dry side because of all the work and delays on the highway. We had enough going on in our immediate area. They were warning of up to 3 hour delays and they were even working on Saturdays.

I drove up to the top on a Saturday to work with a trail crew. I drove through 5 construction sites, and was early enough to only get stopped at the last one before the summit. I think there was more work being done on the east side too.

There was a tree that looked like they had a problem with. It was on an almost vertical cutbank above the road.

The road has problems with rocks falling on it. I'll probably hit one since I will be driving the new pickup up to go skiing. One winter, a rock as big as the ticket booth blocked the road on the eastside, at aptly named Rocky Point. Below that is Deadman's Curve. The west side is home to Elk City, which is named for the big elk camp that springs up, Haytruck Curve--where loads of hay are lost and the elk eat it up, and down in the flats, Radar Rock--a speed trap for the folks who don't know it is a speed trap.

More trivia. White Pass is usually the last pass to close during a big storm. So it becomes I-90 at times and our local cafes do a great deal of business. I used to live close by and when I heard a constant rumble at night, I knew the other passes were closed.

Probably told you more than you wanted to know.

 

[chucker]

lol sounds like old times never change !! their used to be a little white cafe( right side/north) there in packwood that served the best burger basket in the country as well as friendly waitress's.. ?? still there ??

 

[slowp]

I think you are talking about Ma and Pa Ruckers. It is no longer in business. A granola style healthy cafe tried to make a go, but it failed. The Club Cafe is also out of business. The mill closed, there is no longer a pharmacy, there is one grocery instead of two, the doctor left, so it goes when logging is curtailed.

They are now hoping to become a ski town. White Pass opened up a new lift up into a nice bowl. Packwood's industry is an ammunition factory, which has to get a zoning change so they can test it--Packwood is a no shooting area, not because they don't like guns but because with all the elk that wander around town hunting season could be dangerous for people. The other industry is the giant flea market held on Memorial day and Labor day weekends. Pretty sad.

 

[chucker]

sad to say! as the way of all good things that have to come to a end???? born here, but lived for the goat rocks and the pass... road the lift to the top and packed all through the vally over the hill .. good trout fishing in the small lake about an hours walk to the ne.. great views and soulatude(sp) with a better state of mind while there till time to head to the real world!! your a very lucky person with a view of heaven..

 

[slowp]

sad to say! as the way of all good things that have to come to a end???? born here, but lived for the goat rocks and the pass... road the lift to the top and packed all through the vally over the hill .. good trout fishing in the small lake about an hours walk to the ne.. great views and soulatude(sp) with a better state of mind while there till time to head to the real world!! your a very lucky person with a view of heaven..

Yes. We mentioned that this afternoon, while coming east and dropping into Morton. We had been shopping our way up I-5 today in the fog. We got to the top of that hill, saw the sun still shining on the snowy peaks and thought how it is a nice place to live.

But it does rain a lot and gets mildewy. :msp_rolleyes:

 

[chucker]

shared the same views a few times myself! lived there from 1965 till my oldest son was born and moved too far east to minnesnoda in 1983.. sorry to move but cant hollar to bad .. i can always dream of the other home! cuz it cant be taken away...

 

[Cedarkerf]

Yes. We mentioned that this afternoon, while coming east and dropping into Morton. We had been shopping our way up I-5 today in the fog. We got to the top of that hill, saw the sun still shining on the snowy peaks and thought how it is a nice place to live.

But it does rain a lot and gets mildewy. :msp_rolleyes:

You southerners south of the mountain complainin about the the cold wet weather.:msp_tongue:

Hi Patty

 

[slowp]

You southerners south of the mountain complainin about the the cold wet weather.:msp_tongue:

Hi Patty

:tongue2:

Hi Brian!

I drove up to White Pass. The road is now smoother, there is more of the Rock Be Gone mesh on the rock faces.

There are still rocks on the road.

 

[Cedarkerf]

i need to go skiing down there sometime havent been there since the 1990s. Dont they have a big elk feeding area down there some where

 

[slowp]

i need to go skiing down there sometime havent been there since the 1990s. Dont they have a big elk feeding area down there some where

The elk feeding is on the east side of the pass, almost to the junction with the Chinook Pass highway. You'll be in the fog!!:msp_ohmy:

 

[Joe46]

i need to go skiing down there sometime havent been there since the 1990s. Dont they have a big elk feeding area down there some where

What Patty said. Oak Creek. You can stand behind a fence, or ride in an old Army 6X6 out into them.