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August, 2007
The monthly meeting of the Golden Valley Men's Breakfast Club!
Thursday, August 9th. 8:00 am to 9:30 am, 410 Cafe,
Hwy 410 in Buckley.
EXTRA DAY ADDED...The Annual Community Yard Sale -- Friday and Saturday, August 10th and 11th - 9 to 4. Good opportunity to find some bargains or get rid of your 'stuff'.
How does a leisurely hike that gains another 1200 feet above the 6400 foot level sound? The 5.5 mile (3 hr) trail to Mount Fremont Lookout would take you much closer to Mt. Rainier seen at the top of this page. The Burroughs Mountain trail, which also begins at Sunrise, is rated as one of the 10 best in the state.
Sunrise campground also gives access to the White River which is seen fresh on its descent from the glacier field. Bolders make thundering 'booms' as they tumble along in the rushing torrent.
Pick a clear day soon, as the wild flowers are just coming into bloom and the area will close with the first snowfall. Check with me if you would like to come along on the next visit.
Perhaps a leisurely flight in a hot air balloon is more your style. We drove up to Woodinville and left the ground in the early morning light when the breeze was calm.
At an altitude of 300 to 3,000 feet, we floated down the valley to Redmond.
Bill, our pilot, (seen above in the light blue shirt), gave his eight passengers an unforgettable adventure.
The two-day, annual community garage sale has brought in some interested shoppers from beyond our gate. It also provided a great way to get out and meet the neighbors.
In the 'nighttime sights and sounds' category, the Perseid meteor shower is raining down on us this weekend. During the night of 10-11 August, three shooting stars were spotted in a limited area of the sky overhead, between 10:30 - 11 pm. Between 2:55 - 3:40 am another five shot across the sky. Although chilly, the clear sky gave a great view of numerous constellations and the Milky Way. High flying aircraft could be tracked for miles, while in the nearby woods coyotes would sometimes yip and yowl which disturbed neighboring dogs. The glow from the direction of Seattle limited viewing a bit, but even the discomfort of a stiff neck should not be a deterrent. Several more nights of the increased activity remain, but cloud cover may become the deciding factor of more sightings this year. (Note: The final count of meteor sightings as of the 14th came to thirty in four and a half hours of viewing.)
The last day of this year's garage sales found more eager shoppers. Good direction signs guided people to all areas of sales.
A relaxing band concert in a grassy park in Enumclaw provided old time entertainment to an appreciative audience on Monday, the 13th.
This self-appointed escort led the tram ride for a good distance when we visited the NW Trek. Pierce County and senior discounts keep the admission fee quite in reason, and getting there is an easy drive.
Air Force One saluted Golden Valley with a low altitude fly-over at about 2:15 Monday afternoon on the 27th.
I watched the skies between 2:45 and 4:10 on the morning of the 28th while sitting on the back patio. The Full Moon had been eroded by the Earth’s shadow to a tiny spot of light and as I watched, it turned totally into a dim reddish disk. Coyotes howled afar off and the sound of the White River, in medley with Golden Ripples, fully engulfed Golden Valley.
After the first hour with the Moon in full shadow, I retired to the indoors where the view through a large window afforded excellent respite from the chill of the morning air. This afforded the opportunity to settle back into a comfy rocker for the rest of the show. Alas, the sound portion was muted. A large raccoon shaped shadow moved through the back yard just as the neighbor was lowering their outside lighting.
Unfortunately the Moon slipped down into the tree line before it was able to shake itself free of the Earth’s shadow and the show ended for this viewer. I bet someone to the West, (say, on Guam) could vouch that this event concluded as predicted. God is so wonderful to allow these eyes to view such a show.
There was access to the White River shoreline on the 30th. Unseen vultures in this photo were flying up and down the river in search of exhausted salmon who next must face the challenge of the broken diversion dam in Buckley.
This is a place to see numerous salmon appearing quite regularly in the slower currents. With my slow responding camera, taking a picture presented a challenge, but I got lucky.
Some of the fish appeared to be swimming downstream to rest before continuing on. I believe this is a pink salmon.
September 2007
July 2007
Golden Valley Main Page
