Club offers colorful autumn train rides
It’s autumn, Mother Nature’s gift to the travel and tourism industry.
They don’t have to go to all the trouble of organizing yet another excursion to Branson for a Jim Stafford concert or a Comedy Pet Theater show. Nor are they reduced to herding you to some contrived community extravaganza with face painting, sno-cones and a fun run.
No, sir. They need only put some pretty leaves in front of you and, voila! You’re sufficiently amused.
Looking at those leaves out the window of a train seems particularly popular, a fact that hasn’t escaped the North Pend Oreille Valley Lions Club.
They’ve scheduled a series of Autumn Color Rides along the Pend Oreille River between Ione and Metaline Falls. The route takes you through the forests of northeast Washington, over Box Canyon, into dark tunnels and across a bunch of trestles.
You have several options for dates, starting next Saturday and Sunday and continuing Oct. 7- 8, 14-15 and 21-22. The last two get the special distinction of “Great Pumpkin Rides,” and you’re encouraged to don a costume to fit in with the train’s holiday décor.
Tickets run $10 for riders 13 to 64; those younger and older get a $3 discount. Get more information or make a reservation at www.povn.com/npovlions or call (509) 442-5466.
Over in Snohomish County, they have a great idea for you: “Pack a lunch filled with Washington apples, cheese and wine,” they say, “for a picnic under a canopy of glowing maple or quaking aspen leaves.”
All you have to do is provide the apples. And the wine. And the cheese. And your own transportation.
Come on. They did all your thinking for you. What do you want from them?
So get in your car and make for the Mountain Loop National Scenic Byway, first pioneered in 1891 and designated “scenic” in 1991.
In the best of times, the 50-mile drive from Granite Falls to Darrington, Wash., along Highway 92 wends along the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River, past the Big Four Ice Caves, over Barlow Pass and next to the Sauk River before arriving in the logging town of Darrington at the base of Whitehorse Mountain.
Flood damage has closed the portion of the highway from Barlow Pass to Bedal, so you’ll have to pick which end you like, enjoy your apples and cheese without complaint, then turn back around.
There are a number of spots to stop along the way, including viewpoints, historical areas and interpretive trails suitable for wheelchairs.
You can find out more at www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/ or call the Verlot Public Service Center at (360) 691-7791.
Snohomish has another big idea for you, also requiring a vehicle and little effort on their part: salmon watching.
That’s a new one on me. But if you’re interested, here’s some salmon-viewing etiquette: Stay out of the river, don’t throw anything in the water, leave your pets at home and keep quiet.
Armed with that helpful lesson in proper decorum, head out for Squire Creek County Park on the North Fork Stillaguamish River off SR 530, four miles east of Darrington; the confluence of the Sultan and Skykomish Rivers off U.S. Highway 2 in Startup, near the grocery store; or the Lake Stevens spawning channel north of the lake off Lakeshore Drive on Mitchell Road.
If you have questions about salmon-watching – and why wouldn’t you? – contact the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau at www.snohomish.org or (888) 338-0976.
King carnival
If the idea of salmon-watching tickles your fancy, you’re going to love this.
The Wenatchee River Salmon Festival at the Leavenworth (Wash.) Fish Hatchery serves up a weekend’s worth of what they call “natural resource education” starting Saturday.
Organizers promise “an exciting menu of hands-on activities and ‘edutainment,’ ” all intended to awaken your appreciation for the complexities of the natural world and salmon’s particular significance to our region.
Translated into plain English, that means a salmon maze, sidewalk chalk art, a storytelling tent, an animal costume parade and oodles more fish-themed fun.
A Native American encampment will feature drumming, dancing, exhibits and demonstrations, and on the main stage you can check out a live raptor presentation and live reptile show.
The festival’s feature exhibit, “Inspirations from the Forest,” showcases nature journaling, sculpting, painting, wood carving and other artwork inspired by nature. A little organization called the Smithsonian Institute created it.
All this excitement is hosted by the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forest and the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. Learn more at www.salmonfest.org or (509) 548-6662, ext. 250.
Regional events
“Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Oct. 13-15, Ketchum and Hailey, Idaho. The tradition continues for the 10th year as sheepherders move their flocks and everyone else enjoys a folklife fair with music, dancing, food and games. ( www.trailingofthesheep.org/800-634-3347)
“Tamarack Time, Oct. 14, Bigfork, Mont. Celebrate harvest with food and entertainment. ( www.visitmt.com/406-837-4400)
“Alive! Expo, Oct. 21 and 22, Seattle. More than 100 natural product companies will set out their wares for you, including organic foods, nutritional supplements, beauty products, naturopathic medicine and the like. ( www.seattlecenter.com/206-684-7200)