Karla's Kronicles #6

Greetings Dear Kronicle Readers.
I will attempt to recap what has happened since we arrived at Marblemount, WA last April. Some of you will know our "news" and for others it will be "new news", so bare with me and please excuse the repetitious information for some.

So now, Dear Kronicle Readers, what have you all been up to????

Let us here from you and please make sure you have our correct email address at: kldayhuff@hughes.net
More later....Keep in Touch!

See the USA the Internet Way!

The Karla Kronicles - November 2006
Greetings Dear Kronicle Readers. I will attempt to recap what has happened since we arrived at Marblemount, WA last April. Some of you will know our "news" and for others it will be "new news", so bare with me and please excuse the repetitious information for some. Since we were "in the neighborhood" we were able to attend the May 2006 Marine Systems Retirees Association luncheon in Mill Creek WA and the June Solstice Luncheon in Snohomish, WA to catch up and see many former co-workers and friends. Both gatherings were lots of fun and lots of visiting! However, at those functions, we pretty much announced that we were back and making plans to make Marblemount our home, build a log house, and become Washingtonians for the next several years! It was great to be back again. Larry had designed our log home and we were in contact with our builder...really on a roll with these new plans! Well, you know what they say about "best laid plans" and "as fate would have it". Our 90-acre property had been on the market for 4 years. During that time we had one offer for 1/2 the selling price and did not even consider it. While we kept hearing that the market was improving in our remote area, we made a decision to remain on the market until the official expiration of the sales agreement on August 17, 2006 and if we got a good offer, so be it. Well, many of you readers know the news already and the rest are probably figuring out what I'm about to say... On August 7th , a full price offer came in; on August 9th, our 16th Wedding Anniversary, we were signing off and faxing the sales agreement back to our realtor. Done Deal; Marblemount was sold. The new owners were not expecting to find their dream land that trip up from California, but they also knew we would be coming off the market. Their concern was not leaving the land unattended until June 2007, when they can be here more often and asked that we remain here until then. So, here we are! Spending more than a full year on our land that we've owned since 1992, but had never lived on for any length of time. It's been a bitter sweet experience; mixed emotions on the comings and goings, but in June 2007, go we will! In the meantime, we hope you enjoy these photos of the Marblemount Property and surrounding area that many of you have visited and many more have heard us speak of so often.
Summertime in Marblemount. We had an incredible dry summer in Marblemount. Annual rainfall in the area is approx. 90"/yr. However, we were blessed with a beautiful summer in 2006; days when it was too warm to work outside in the afternoon. The pine tree next to the sign was about 14" tall when we planted it in 1995! We escaped from the heat by eating lunch under the shade of our gazebo each day. The RV was getting pretty warm inside and we hated closing up all the doors and windows in order to run the air conditioner. We watched the deer from our back window of the RV, as well as a resident bunny rabbit that came out each morning to graze.

	The GRAND STUMP...now cleaned out from all the weeds and salal that it had been drowning in! You can see the "notch" about mid-way up from the logging spring boards used long ago. This is an old Cedar tree stump. The Little Douglas Fir next to it, is named "Hazel's Tree" for Larry's Mom! She saw this little tree in the walking path around the property on their first visit to our property back in 1994. She was not about to let it get stepped on (it was about 4" tall then) so she surrounded it with rocks to protect it. When we transplanted it near the GRAND STUMP it was only 10" tall! Other than a curved trunk, it seems to like it's new location and we've enjoyed watching it grow.
One of our first projects being back on the Property was to build a secure, climate controlled storage room for our furniture until the Log Home was built and to have a workshop. Larry built a super room (about 10' by 13') in the back of the pole building; fully insulated, lights, heater, no-show doorway and a sturdy enough ceiling for extra storage for items not needing to be in "climate controlled" space. So in June 2006 we headed to Tucson, rented a moving truck and brought back all our belonging. Had we known that 2 months later, the land would be sold, we could have saved ourselves that trip. Now we get to pack everything up and move it again, probably to storage in Walla Walla, as we begin our nomadic ways again in June. By using two older tool boxes for a foundation, Larry made a nice work bench surface that is getting a lot of use! He also mounted a security light outside the Pole Building and ceiling lights in the open bays. So our first few months here were very busy ones!

	Meet Boo Boo! This photo was taken from our RV bedroom window. One night as we were climbing into bed, we heard a rattle (the lid to that barrel clattering) and with a flashlight, saw this cute little guy! It took several hollers and hand clapping to make him retreat into the woods that night. However, at 5 a.m. the next morning, this photo was snapped. Boo Boo got his stash and ran into the woods with it and then came back for more! That day, the refuse barrel was moved into a locked tool container.
Here, Boo Boo is standing at the front corner of the RV... We saw him several times this summer. One day we were lunching under the gazebo; the heavy metal doors of the tool container were open as we had been hard at work outside and we heard a familiar clatter. Boo Boo had actually pulled the door of the tool container open further and walked in to retrieve his bootie! What a rascal. We ran over to the container, shouting and clapping our hands, and he really didn't care. He was getting pretty bold, but we did not feel threatened in any way. It was a thrill to see him so often and we hope he is hibernating nearby and will return next year!
	Shortly after we arrived in April, Pat and Trisha Kelly both retired from work, sold their Edmonds home, and were commuting from their retirement home in Idaho to appointments in North Seattle area, so we were glad that they could spend a few days with us in Marblemount. Little did we know at that time, it may be their last chance to visit us at ScoHeDaKeBla (they are the "Ke's"!).
In May, on their way to Canada and Alaska, Les and Carole Wright came to stay with us. We had met then in October 2005 at our Verde Valley Thousand Trails park in Arizona. By keeping in touch via email and websites, we were able to make this visit happen! This photo was taken at Taylor's Channel, a Fisheries Department project that is about a mile's walk North of our land. The Channel was dredged in to run parallel to the Skagit River and provides a sheltered spawning region for the salmon. Their pup is MiMi, a Labradoodle with a great personality and lots of energy!
	Now, this photo is for our Motorcycle Gang...We had a neat surprise one September Day as we were in the process of moving out of the RV for the winter months and into the Mobile Home. This tall man "dressed in black" was walking up our driveway. When I hollered "Hello?" and he replied "Karlotta!" I knew immediately that this was our good buddy, Doc Heckler! He'd taken a little ride out of Edmonds and just happened by our place. Of course, he knew our location as he is the "HeDa" of ScoHeDaKeBla!!! We got the gate opened and he rode in on his new ride, a gorgeously spiffy Triumph with lots of pretty chrome work. Doc admits he was a bit embarrassed when he called his agent for insurance...The VIN number on his bike starts out KOOL...too Cool!!!! After a much too short visit, he headed for home as the clouds were starting to look a bit threatening.
The Marblemount property is just one mile off Washington State Hwy 20 which is also referred to as "The North Cascades Scenic Highway". We were very excited to have Larry's Sister Diana and her husband Dave spend some time with us this Fall. They had visited us in 1997 and with the sell of the land, they decided if they were ever going to return to Marblemount and see more of Washington State, it was 2006 or never! They drove out from Florida and spent 10 days with us in October. We "Did the Drive"; the 90 miles from Marblemount to Winthrop. It makes a wonderful day trip! The following photos will give you an oversight of the route.
	Just 5 miles East of our property is the Entrance sign for the North Cascades National Park and Ross Lake Recreational Area. Ross Lake is approximately 25 miles from our land. As you continue East on Hwy 20 you will cross over both Washington and Rainy Passes; their summits are in the 5,000 ft. range.
The photo on the right shows the Pickett Mountain Range. The National Parks Visitor's Center in Newhalem, WA (14 miles from Marblemount) has a 1/4 mile walkway leading to an overlook for this view of the Picketts.
	This trailhead is also in the town of Newhalem; you can enjoy the park-like setting and gardens at the trail entrance or venture across a bridge suspended over the Skagit River and continue on a short hike through the forest.
And here's Diablo Lake. There is a nice paved overlook right off Hwy 20 for picture opportunities. In August 2005, we canoed on this lake to camp for two nights in a boat-in only site maintained by the Forest Service.
	This formation is called "South Early Winter Spire", visible from Hwy 20. Larry climbed this spire as a Mountaineer about 20 years ago! It is a very popular climb! (but you won't catch me doing it!!!!) As you get closer to Winthrop, the landscape changes dramatically to indicate the drier climate of Eastern Washington State vs. the Rain Forests and wetter climate of Western Washington State. (You Washingtonians know just what I mean!) More agriculture, farmlands, orchards, and ranches dot the scenery.
Winthrop is a fun town to explore and we had a fun lunch at Three Finger Jack's Saloon before heading back home to Marblemount.
Dave and Diana's visit was perfectly timed for Fall Colors and good weather. Shortly after they departed (in fact, the day they left) began the rainy season. But while they were here, we invested in a new digital camera and got some good experience working with it. Below are a couple of photos taken on a day drive to Sauk Mountain. The road leading to Sauk Mt. is approximately 9 miles WEST of Marblemount along Hwy 20. Then you slowly make your way up 7 very primitive miles of roadway to a parking area with a trailhead to the top of Sauk Mountain and a view of the Sauk River Valley. The third photo is a view of Mt. Baker (another mountain Larry climbed about 20 years ago) that Larry spotted as we were heading down the road. He had to scrambled over a berm to snap that shot!

Our property is on Cascade River Road, an old Mine-to-Market road that had at one time been considered to be the potential route to th East before Hwy 20 was built in the early 1970's. This road dead ends 22 miles East of our property and is the parking area for the Cascade Pass Trailhead. Another day trip with Dave and Diana took us to the end of this road. Again, more fall color photo opportunities and beautiful scenery and another primitive road, but well worth the adventure, especially if you enjoy the great outdoors!

	(Above) Hard to see in the shadows, but there is a waterfall cascading through the boulders along Cascade River Road; much prettier to experience in person. (Left) Dorado Needle in North Cascades National Park as seen on our drive along the Cascade River Road.
(Below) Back at the Property with Dave and Diana. This piece of the property runs about 400' along the Wild and Scenic Cascade River. Seems we had a very busy Beaver, perhaps more than one from the amount of gnawing...several small trees have fallen into the river and he had been working on a few big ones! (I am using the term "had" as the November floods in the area washed away all the wood chips and there has not been evidence of his (or their return). You can see the shavings at the base of the tree trunk. Each day the gnawed area grew larger and larger and then he made it all the way around the girth of the tree. As of this writing, the tree still stands, but we won't be surprised when it comes down, especially if the Beavers return.

We've had an incredible summer in Marblemount. We have had lots of Company this year, all special visits! Thanks to all of you who come our way and stopped when you were in our neighborhood! Hindsight now, but I wish we had photos of all of those Visitors and a Guest Book with names and dates of your visits. Whether your stops were impromptu or planned, they have made some great memories for us during our last year here. Well, we call this place ScoHeDaKeBla. If the RV resort had been built, it would have been known as "American Alps Resort". The new Owners call this "The Ranch" and pleasantly surprised us by incorporating our business name into their legal name with one minor change. "AAR" is now officially "American Alps Ranch"; they plan to fence it in and have a few head of miniature cattle out here, barn, pastures and horses, too. We wish them well; we were fortunate to sell our land to people who will love and respect it as we have. The emotions of planning to stay and build; then selling the land so unexpectedly has been a bit of a roller coaster ride; perhaps for me more than Larry. We are pleased to have all of our Washington State properties liquidated now. The simplification of holdings and financial security it brings to us is gratifying. I guess you could say we are back on track with our original full-timing plans and looking forward to it. As beautiful as it is here in Marblemount, it is remote and a lot of work. We're getting antsy to be "on the road again". Our full-timing adventures will begin in June 2007 with a two-month journey to Alaska as part of a 3-RV caravan with former Mukilteo Neighbors. More on that later! So that pretty much wraps up this lengthy Kronicles. The next edition of the Kronicles will journalize some of our winter adventures. So now, Dear Kronicle Readers, what have you all been up to???? Let us here from you and please make sure you have our correct email address at: kldayhuff@hughes.net More later....Keep in Touch!