Tango and I are settled into our campsite on Mt. Baker. The others here are mostly older folks who live in nearby Bellingham or British Columbia. I am sure it is worth the drive for the Canadians to spend time in this sweet campground on the glacier-fed, turquoise-colored Nooksack River. We are surrounded by massive, old-growth Douglas Fir trees. Mosses blanket the ancient drooping limbs and ferns grow at the trees’ base. A classic Northwest forest in an old-school campground. The facilities are newer but the vibe is a 1970s campground in the deep, dark forest.  

Snowmelt feeds the river and creates a raging downstream flow. That never-ending rush of water is loud, and the sound is magnified as it bounces around the little canyon. As I already mentioned,  I could have camped right next to the river, but I was afraid for Tango! He hates water yet I could imagine him stretching out for a drink, falling in, and then being swept downstream. When I explained that to the ranger he explained it all: he is your baby.

I set up my tent/screenhouse compound with a twist. Unless I find mosquitos, I do not put up the screen walls. If I expect rain (both nights here), I put up tarps that hang nicely from the screen house frame. One guy suggested it looks like a stall in an exotic Moroccan bazaar. I guess it does, except that the blue tarps are not nearly as pretty as the fabrics that would hang from a bazaar. Anyway, when I was sitting in there this morning drinking coffee, a hummingbird flew near and hovered. I decided it was attracted to my red coffee cup.

Salmonberry bushes grow right next to the screenhouse. I checked to make sure, then I tasted one. The fruit looks like a salmon-colored raspberry but is not as tasty. Maybe they will ripen more. Berries of any kind make this bear country so I still follow my bear camping procedures – always storing food in the trunk and cleaning up right after a meal. It is all second nature now.

Tango and I are ecstatic that the campground has a beautiful loop road that we walk several times each day. As I walk, I am reminded of the campground loop in Petersburg, AK. That loop was longer but the setting was so similar- rainy forests with a mossy-fern covered forest floor. I have not found skunk cabbage, which is fine with me. I am seeing wildflowers, some of which remind me of foxgloves. If I spend time again on this wetter side of Washington (in addition to the dry side where my son lives), I will need to buy field guides.

My writing class started and the plan to drive to a Wi-Fi hotspot so I can upload stuff if working well. A few miles down the road I can get Wi-Fi from the grocery store. I can sit on their bench or just pull up in the car and log in from there. In either case, I go inside afterward and buy something. A few more miles down the road I found a grocery store-cafe combo that has Wi-Fi as well. They have tables inside, which is nice sometimes. Still, working in the car is also second nature. I can slide my laptop into place against the steering wheel and my belly and type away. In the class, we have daily writing assignments, but the best part is the other students. We are required to comment on each other’s postings. I love the fun connections we make and the constructive insights we offer each other. The teacher (a Public Radio writer and producer)  is wonderful and full of great suggestions and insights.

This afternoon has the sunniest forecast for this week, so I am going to drive up to Mt. Baker. Everyone says that I have to go but it didn’t take any arm twisting to decide on visiting a glaciated mountain in the lower 48. Tango seems recovered from our long driving days through Canada so I don’t feel too bad getting him in the car for the 40-minute drive to the top.

I have not received many comments after my plea for suggestions on writing about Alaska. I realize now this is a tough thing to ask, so I want to ask some specific questions. If you like, please send me your answers at [email protected]

Questions:

What parts of the Alaska trip were the most interesting to you?

What would you want to hear more about?

Because I will likely focus on being alone and what that was really like, how did you feel about me traveling alone?

Would you ever travel alone like that?