The Rest of the Journey

 

 

Last time I took you along with us as we explored the Carbon River. Now we have left the riverbanks and are heading towards home.

 

We are travelling through the narrow river valley that leads us to our destination.

 

Beautiful homestead farms nestle against steep forested foothills along the way.

 

 

 

A lucky horse grazes in pastoral splendor with a large cozy barn for shelter.

 

Teasel grows in the foreground.

 

In days gone by, Teasel was grown to comb wool. It's bristly seed heads act just like a brush. Now it grows wild and forms a beautiful frame for the landscape.

 

 

All along the way, we see these large barns, once part of thriving farms, but now lying fallow and unused except for a horse or two, or a few sheep. This one seems to be surrounded by a large stock yard.

 

 

This one has a cedar shingle roof and a lovely cupola on top.

 

 

We have been following the river as we go, and here we turn into a little park alongside. This is the same river that we hear on quiet nights, that we can walk to at the bottom of our little mountain.

 

We reside near the headwaters of this river, called South Prairie Creek, where it flows down from the mountains. It travels through the tiny town of South Prairie, where we are now, and where it gets it's name.

 

 

So calm and peaceful when we stopped for our visit.

 

 

But capable of showing it's temper.

 

Here we see an overlook tower with a flood marker along it's base.

 

 

This little creek is wild and untamed.

 

It has also taken out roads and bridges during times of heavy rains.  

 

It is a salmon spawning river and is protected.

 

It flows into the Carbon River, (which we visited in the last post) which flows into the mighty Puyallup, which flows into Puget Sound.

 

 

An old railroad bridge no longer in use, is preserved for pleasurable viewing.

 

Once there were many miles of railroad tracks here, but when the coal industry died out and the coal mines shut down starting in the 1930's, the tracks were unused and by the 1980's were taken up.

 

Now the railroad lines are being converted to hiking trails.

 

 

This particular bridge is the bridge to nowhere, as it ends with a chain link fence, but is beautifully restored with narrow planks and wooden rails hiding the metal structure that surrounds it.

 

There is no fishing here, as it is protected for salmon spawning.

 

 

You can see the riveted metal framework encasing the 'new' wooden covering.

 

 

As we stand on the bridge, we see the parallel roadway bridge with gentle water flowing between. This is a quiet and peaceful family picnic ground, and a lovely spot for summer wading.

 

 

But now the sun is waning and we must be on our way.

 

 

We will leave this place to the owls, the raccoons, and the possums waiting in the trees for us to leave.

 

 

With Mt. Rainier fading away in the twilight, we climb the winding roads to our foothill home once more.

 

 

 

A lovely day to remember.

 

xx