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LastweekItraveledon Mt. Lassen Motor Transit with our hosts Clair and Janice Morey and driver Troy, Bonnie Love, Don and Fran Smith, Robert and Sue Clawson, Phyllis Pine, Mary Johnson, Lu- cretia Betts, Carol Mieske, Dianne Davis from Red Bluff and Ray and Louise Crawford from Dairyville to visit two Washington National Parks. Joining us from Chico were Carolyn and Mari- lyn Sullivan, while Marge Wiar, Don Hinkle, Chis Bedell, Nancy Brown, Linda Carpenter, LeRoy and Beverly Neunfeld and Bob and Sharon Wallen- berg boarded the bus in Redding. Last year we toured Or- egon, visiting Mt. Hood National Park among other locations. Our first stop after a night in Vancouver, WA was in Elbe, where we boarded a steam-powered train on the Mount Rainer Scenic Railroad and rode through the Rainer Valley, across the Nesqually River and viewed the Western Forest Industries Museum. If you are interested in old locomotives, old logging equipment, then this was the place for you. In Elbe across from the train station, was the Lit- tle White Church, built in 1906, a National Historic site. Our next stop was a great place for children at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville with the children's nature discovery center. The walk-through area features bear habitat and the large predators. We enjoyed a tram tour through a 435 acre area where we saw free-roam- ing bison that wouldn't move to allow the tram to continue our journey. Black tail deer with many fawns, big horn sheep on the meadow grazing, Roo- sevelt elk, moose with their young in the swamp, trumpeter swans, and car- ibou. I noticed over the 2,143 miles the bus traveled that we didn't see road-kill, ex- cept for one porcupine and one raccoon, but lots of tire tread from blown tires. In the parks we saw deer and a marmot, a bear crossing the highway near Reedsport, OR, and many elk along the Umpqua River. No chipmunks or squirrels, the entire trip. It was misty when we left Tacoma, and didn't clear. Unfortunately Mt. Rainer was hidden in the fog and rain while we there, but it was a great trip seeing all the water falls, colorful wild flowers and the texture of the dif- ferent trees growing close together in the park. The AAA tour book for Wash- ington mentions "Note: Heavy fog can obscure vis- ibility even in the middle of summer." We stopped at Long- mire Museum and less people, so we could see the exhibits. Outside was a long red 1937 Kenworth touring motor coach that transported visitors from the historic Winthrop Ho- tel in Tacoma and from the Olympic Hotel in Seat- tle to Mount Rainier from 1937 to 1962. A large cut of a Douglas Fir was under a roof, with metal tabs noting dates in history. 1293 - this Doug- las Fir started to grow. 1350 - a "little ice age" be- gins causing the glaciers to advance. 1400 - major mud flow inundates the Puget Sound lowlands. 1786 - eruption of Mt. Shasta. 1861 - American Civil War begins, etc. 1963 - This Douglas fir was cut by Saint Regis Paper Co. in the Gifford Pinchot Na- tional Forest. The park was estab- lished on March 2, 1899. In 1903 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began con- struction of a park access road to Paradise. One of the first visitors to reach Paradise in an automo- bile was President William Howard Taft, although his vehicle had to be pulled part way by a team of mules. The park roads were winding, shoulders are narrow, and the speed limit was 35 mph in most areas. They are reworking the highway from Long- mire to Paradise, but seek- ing to save the historic roads, so they are patching at varied depths, and road surfacing and paving. Paradise Visitors Center was interesting with fasci- nating exhibits, and large crowds of people. When we left the moun- tain, we headed east on Hwy. 12, a scenic drive along the Tieton River. Lots of ripe choke cherries along the highway. Then into the fruit growing area with orchards of apples and pears near Naches, Yakima and sunshine. But out of Yakima we climbed the Umtanum Ridge, 2,265 ft., with no trees, just low sage brush and the rock formations were volcanic. Then rain again. Came over a ridge and below was a green valley at Thrall and Ellensburg with more apple orchards, lots of fields of cut hay, and large covered stacks or barns of stored hay. Sunshine and bus climbed Blewett Pass, 4,102 ft., on Hwy. 97 enroute to Cashmere, home of the Apple Cotlets, Liberty Orchards Co. fruit and nut candies covered with powdered sugar, with free samples offered at the store. I believe that everyone purchased some item to enjoy or give to friends. We were now in pear growing orchards as we drove to Leavenworth, a town that lost their lum- ber industry and became a tourist attraction capi- talizing on its scenic set- ting. Now it is a Bavarian village, with flower-filled window boxes and hang- ing baskets. That evening we en- joyed a dinner at Red Tail Canyon Farm, a family that does agri-tourism on their 120 acres. It is a site for weddings, family re- unions, and during the winter they have sleigh rides. They had logged their land using horses, and have a small saw mill. We had a wagon ride with two blue roan horses pull- ing the wagon. Learned they were purchased in Montana, but were a Dutch breed of draft horses, and I didn't write down the name of the breed. Our hostess had made delicious apple pie ala mode, to go with the chicken, beef ribs, sal- ads of corn, or potato, or toss greens, and fresh fruit. We asked the secret to the flaky pie crust, and it was vinegar, to go with the Crisco, 4 cups of flour and salt. She said she had to wa- ter the flowers twice a day, since it was so warm with drying winds. There were zinnias, petunias, coreopis, and mertensia by an arbor on the green lawn. The Amtrack train went past while we were riding the wagon, enroute to Chicago from Seattle. We also saw long strings of oil cars on our trip. When we returned to our evening accommoda- tions in Leavenworth at Enzian Inn a piano player was playing in the lobby of the Inn. JEANBARTON Touring two of Washington's National Parks CONTRIBUTED This Douglas fir started to grow in 1293, and was cut in 1963, on exhibit at Longmire Museum in the Mount Rainer National Park. By Ted Shaffrey The Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. An old steel mill in New Jersey will soon be the site of the world's largest indoor ver- tical farm. AeroFarms says their facility in Newark could produce 2 million pounds of food per year and help with farming land loss and long-term food shortages. The plants are grown using an aeroponic sys- tem, artificial light and a climate control environ- ment. The farm will be open to community members who want to buy the produce. It also plans to sell the food at local grocery stores. Critics say the artificial lighting in vertical farms takes up a significant amount of energy that in turn creates carbon emis- sions. FOOD AND FARM Old steel mill will soon be world's largest vertical farm MEL EVANS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, center at podium, addresses a gathering at AeroFarms, a vertical farming operation in Newark, N.J. AeroFarms is now refurbishing an old steel mill in New Jersey and they say it will soon be the site of the world's largest indoor vertical farm. The company says their Newark facility, set to open in September, could produce 2million pounds of food per year and help with farming land loss and long-term food shortages. STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! 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