News: July 24, 2002 (Princess Louisa Inlet, B.C.)

July 24, 2002 (Princess Louisa Inlet, British Columbia)

After spending almost two weeks in Lake City, I headed back to Washington. Here are some photos of my trip back.

Above left: A few hours after I left Lake City, I was in southern Utah at the amazing Dewey Bridge, which spans the Colorado River. When the bridge was built in 1916, it was the second longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River. Today, it's closed to vehicles but you can walk across it. It's a real kick.

Above center: Here's the Dewey Bridge in 1985 when it was still open to vehicle traffic. If you look closely, you'll see a car barely squeezing its way across. Yep, I drove my Toyota truck over it.

Above right: The Colorado River, just upstream from Moab. When I had driven through here two weeks earlier, it was 113 degrees. On this day, though, it was "only" 112 degrees.

Above left: After fueling up in Moab and getting LOTS of ice, I headed up to Long Canyon, one of my favorite camping spots. It's located near Dead Horse Point State Park and offers a phenomenal view of southern Utah. I've camped here a half-dozen times and have never seen another person.

Above center: By sunset, the temperature had dropped all the way down to 110 degrees. Here's my spectacular dinnertime view.

Above right: At Dead Horse Point State Park the next morning. Check out the smoke from a million nearby forest fires.

Above left: The John Wesley overlook above the Green River. This is at nearby Canyonlands National Park, one of my favorite National Parks.

Above center: It was hot and smoky on this day, though. Here's a view at Buck Point.

Above right: And what it usually looks like. I shot this back in 1994.

Above left: Have camera, will travel.

Above center: Shafer Road at Canyonlands National Park -- one of Utah's more "interesting" drives.

Above right: I drove north into Idaho that day, and the next morning visited Craters of the Moon National Monument.

Above left: Craters of the Moon is a small, out-of-the-way park, but it's always been a favorite. Here's the view from the top of a volcano.

Above center: The Dry Falls in central Washington. That's a drawing of what it looked like back during the Ice Age when, for a few days, it was the largest waterfall in the world.

Above right: The Chief Joseph Dam, one of a dozen dams that have turned the once-wild Columbia River into a series of placid reservoirs.

Above left: The Okanogan Valley in central Washington.

Above right: Only an hour from home, this is the spectacular North Cascades National Park.

Aboard the Lady Washington

Shortly after returning to Bellingham, I went sailing one afternoon on the Lady Washington, a life-size replica of the first American ship that explored the Pacific Northwest in the 1700s. As you can probably tell from these pictures, the trip was a real "blast."

Above left: Step aboard, mateys. This is the Lady Washington, the largest square-rigger on the West Coast. For $50, I got to ride on a 3-hour "battle sail" in Anacortes.

Above center: Setting the mainsail.

Above right: Our foe, the Hawaiian Chieftain.

Above left: Getting ready to fire a broadsides into the Chieftain.

Above center: "Prepare to Fire!" "Fire When Ready!" "Fire in the Hole!" BOOM! This cannon was loud!

Above right: Sailing a square-master takes an awful lot of work, and the crew really hustled for the entire three hours. I just took pictures and tried to stay out of the way.

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Left: The Chieftain firing a broadsides. That's Mt. Baker in the distance.

Cruising in British Columbia

My next boat trip lasted a little longer. My brother Don and his wife Debbie rented a Grand Banks 46 for two weeks (at a daily rate that probably exceeds my annual salary). Anyway, we went cruising up the British Columbia coast and had a great time. The highlight was our day-long visit to Princess Louisa Inlet, a special place that I'll always remember.