A total lack of stuff we had on our\nschedule allowed us to feel free about taking a leisurely drive on\nthe back roads around Silver Creek. This is a gorgeous area and we\nfigured some random wandering without the benefit of the GPS was in\norder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tBefore we had even left the Thousand\nTrails Paradise Campground property, we arrived on a ridge with a\nspectacular view of the Cowlitz River Valley. No matter where one\ngoes in this valley, anyplace with a view to the east includes the\nnow much shorter Mount St. Helens, a stratovolcano that provided\neveryone with a noisy surprise back in 1980 when it erupted. About\n1300 feet of the top of the mountain abruptly vanished and\npyroclastic flows filled lakes and re-routed rivers 50 miles from the\nbig formerly pointy mountain. A few dozen diehards that remained in\nthe vicinity of the mountain after being warned to leave were also\nvaporized or buried under hundreds of feet of ash. St. Helens looks\npeaceful today although it still periodically spits and sputters, the\nlast time in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tAfter checking out the wonderful view\nto the east, we moseyed down into the valley with our first stop\nbeing the Mayfield Dam, which holds back Mayfield Lake. It is one of\nmany dams of the Cowlitz River Project, which provides electrical\nenergy to Tacoma. These dams also provide drinking water to cities to\nthe north and irrigation water to Cowlitz River Valley agricultural\ninterests. The agricultural interests mostly seem to be cows and Xmas\ntrees although we did pass a pasture where the rancher has a flock of\nllamas. I don’t know what interest a rancher could have with these\nspitting malcontents. Maybe they are alpacas. Then I suppose the\nagricultural product would be sweaters. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tThis would be a nice place to have a\nhouse because the scenery from the front yard would be great. There\nis no looking at the neighbor’s car parked across the street nor any\njunk piles decorating his yard. You can’t even see anybody else’s\nyard here. The houses folks have built for themselves here are very\nnice without being obnoxious, like Bill Gates’s indoor acre over in\nSeattle. We passed by a great place called the Long-Bell Mill Pond\nwhich is home to a household clothing business called Bodacious. We\nare not bodacious types so we didn’t go in. We continued up past a\nlagoon called Swofford Pond which is above Riffe Lake, the next\nTacoma Power reservoir to the east. Swofford is located maybe 50 feet\nabove Riffe Lake and a short creek connects the two. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We returned to Paradise Campground through Mossyrock where we found a former drive-in called the Viking Inn is now closed. No milkshakes for us today. We did find a stand run by a little Mexican guy that sold strawberries and cherries. Peggy was unable to resist and that is fortunate because she alleges the strawberries she bought were the best she has ever eaten. The jury is still out on the cherries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s a few pix. Click the link. https:\/\/photos.app.goo.gl\/hQdwZK4xvvCcP4mG7<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A total lack of stuff we had on our schedule allowed us to feel free about taking a leisurely drive on the back roads around Silver Creek. This is a gorgeous area and we figured some random wandering without the … Continue reading