Sunday, Sept 27
For Sept 26 CPAP. Reported figures. 4 hrs 38 min with AHI=0.86 Events: 4 H, 2 CSR. No major mask leaks (max=15 L/min); no oximeter.
Beginning just 14 miles NW of us (and then on north) there are historic gold mining areas. Washington’s lands & rocks are so complex we might as well be on a different planet. No gold here. Given the opportunity for a guided tour – we went, and can share with others. Skip to below to the links for personal notes on our trip.
These following links are related to the topic, but are from earlier times, to give a preparation for the field trip that follows.
Old Blewett Pass Field Trip handouts
Exciting gold nugget discovery, Sweet Sixteen
Another Video of the Gold Nugget Finds in Liberty, WA
Al Rinker Recalls Driving with Bing Crosby from Spokane to Hollywood
Liberty Gold Mining lecture (w/ Rob Repin)
2013 Ellensburg Blue Agate lecture by Nick Zentner
Notes on our trip:
We left in time to arrive at CWU campus west side by 10:30 a.m. to be sure we got a spot in the lead van. We succeeded. This discusses our trip to Old Blewett Pass with Nick Zentner, using CWU vans for partial transportation, and with ~ 40 cars in the entourage. We will follow the outline below, leaving CWU Hebeler Parking lot at 11:00 am. John and I were in the lead van with Nick the entire day.
On the road: Nick driving our van, up Hwy 97 and by the wind turbines on our way to the first stop, the T intersection at Lauderdale of two historic, and now modern, highways. There we were joined by more people from the upper county and some from as far away as Seattle.
{click on the map for a big view}
Map showing four of our destinations today. See below for the first two, off the map. The stops are numbered in yellow on the Old Blewett Pass road.
11:30 am 1. Lauderdale Junction. Nearby, at the intersection of Burke Rd and Ranch Rd. This was at the junction of the old Sunset and the Inland Empire Highway, near intersection of today’s US 97 and WA 970. An old structure still stands that used to house the Lauderdale Lodge, a stopping place for travelers.
Top, the intersection for Stop 1, near present-day Hwy 97 & 970; middle photo of the old blue Lauderdale Lodge, still standing in the trees, with Blewett Pass behind; bottom at the same stop, looking south on the old Sunset Highway.
Access to my videos are interspersed below.
STOP 1 – Lauderdale Junction, Burke & Ranch Rd
Tom Lyon on Possibility of Glacial Lake near Junction Hwy 97-970
12:15 pm 2. Liberty Town Hall
Q & A with Liberty historian Wes Engstrom.
Q & A with Liberty gold miner Rob Repin.
Stop 2 – Liberty, WA, Intro to Gold Mining
Nick on Geology & Gold’s Location Liberty
Rob Repin, Gold Miner, Liberty, WA
Wes Engstrom – Dredging & Mining Co. Claims to town
Wes Engstrom on Indian Trails, Blues, & Arrastres
Undershot Water Wheel Arrastre
1:30 pm 3. Basalt Dike on Old Blewett Pass Road
Teanaway Basalt feeder dike through Swauk Formation sandstone.
2:15 pm 4. Echo Point on Old Blewett Pass Road
Group at turn on Echo Point, view from there to Red Top Fire Tower on the remaining Teanaway basalt layer eroded from above the basalt feeder dikes we saw above, and, on the right, a photo of the switchback on 9/27/15. Check the handouts or the web page to see the historical black and white photos of this hair pin curve.
3:00 pm 5. Plant Fossils on Old Blewett Pass Road
Hunting for plant fossils in Swauk Formation just north of the pass; John on the far right, found nothing.
with some close-ups below.
Left and right, checking out some broken rocks, and middle are the two finds of a young boy along on the trip (with his new rock hammer).
4:00 pm 6. Conglomerate on Old Blewett Pass Road
Surprisingly large river cobbles are in Swauk Formation. These are tied to rocks found only on Mt. Stuart and in the Ingall’s complex, rafted in by ancient streams.
Hole from which large cobble came, middle photo for scale, and the hillside on the right.
Last stop 6: Conglomerate on Old Blewett Pass. My battery ran out before finished.
Conglomerate on Old Blewett Pass-battery died
6:00 pm return to CWU — made it at 5:55 pm
Monday, Sept 28
For Sept 27 CPAP. Reported figures. 8 hrs 5 min with AHI=2.72 Events: 21 H, 7 CSR. No major mask leaks (max=11 L/min); no oximeter.
Sadly, we had to help another dog across the rainbow bridge. Dan (Black Butte’s Chocolate Dandy) was almost 15, but finally could not get up without help and moved poorly. While he was drinking water, still he was eating less and less by the day. It was not a decent life. Now we are down to one Brittany, born in 2007.
Other than cleaning dishes and clothes, I worked on the blog, and John worked on a number of outside tasks and feeding us and the horses, cats, & Brittany, Annie. She is his companion dog for all outside chores.
With the canopy off of the PU, John installed his homemade racks and started loading firewood – harvested last year from here; cottonwood and aspen, plus a few odd things – hawthorn and wild cherry, mostly.
Tuesday, Sept 29
For Sept 28 CPAP. Reported figures. 8 hrs 13 min with AHI=1.83 Events: 15 H, 9 CSR. No major mask leaks (max=19 L/min); no oximeter.
John finished loading the rest of a cord of wood and delivered to a friend 1.5 miles away.
This morning and last night was filled with writing a recommendation for a student I’ve known for 20 years to enter a Ph.D. program in Tasmania. This is the part of living life after a close touch with the other side that makes it interesting to continue to represent my students and university after all these years.
In between times, I cleaned out the dishwasher and filled with more.
We left for town to eat a lunch (took a free meal ticket to Burger King (BK) and split it), went shopping, picked up meds, went for my mammogram, got gasoline, dropped off 6 garbage bags of plastic pop bottles at the transfer station, and went by to care for the cat and pick up the mail. We met folks at BK that prepare a meal (hosted at a local church) Saturday afternoon about 5 PM. The dinner is mostly meant for those more needy than us but because of my connections (via music) in the community, we get invited. I knew the workers and about half the dinner regulars.
John signed up today to go back on trail work this Saturday on the Annette Lake trail just over the Snoqualmie Pass (about 60 mi. from EBRG on I-90), so he expects to be back in time for the dinner, and he will have time to shed his work clothes.
Wednesday, Sept 30
For Sept 29 CPAP. Reported figures. 8 hrs 19 min with AHI=3.37 Events: 27 H, 5 CSR, 1 OA, 1 PP. No major mask leaks (max=18 L/min); no oximeter.
I was late leaving the house this morning for Food Bank music because of a late call (as I was dressing to leave) from a scheduler at the Yakima Heart Center. I took the phone call and walked to the other end of the house stark naked to get to our wall calendar. She had called yesterday afternoon and missed us, but I tried returning the phone call, to no avail. This morning I called again, early, and said I would only be around until 11:00. I should have said 10:30! She called right at 11:00, and I’m supposed to hit the highway no later than 11:10. I didn’t get out until 11:20. We set up an echocardiogram, a Holter heart monitor setup for 24 hours, and I learned about the new government rules for having to see a P.A. for my cardiology visit, and my regular heart doctor is only there available on call. I find that extremely disturbing.
I dropped off several tomatoes at a friend’s on my way to the food bank. She was off at physical therapy but got back in time to find them and give my cell phone a thank you call. I made it to the food bank in time to move a table and all the children’s toys out of the way, to set up chairs for our playing. Our food bank music today was a good time. After presenting music, we had lunch consisting of Chicken Alfredo, salad, and a brownie for dessert with the front table crew (our fan club).
On my way from the Food bank, I stopped off at the Courthouse to pick up license tabs for the 2009 Subaru; October deadline for the 2016 year. Now John’s set to drive legally on Saturday.
I dropped off some donated VHS tapes of movies at the AAC, but I did not stay for SAIL exercise class. I had too many other things planned for the afternoon, and was running short of time. Picked up meds too.
I went by Hospice Friends to donate some stuff, and picked up something for me while there. It’s an egg carton type foam pad to use in a hard chair for comfort. I have it in my recliner. My other pillow had worn out. The organization provides them free, along with medical supplies and implements to borrow. When I finished needing my walker, in 2010, I donated it to them. I have turned in other things as I find them, such as a gait belt, used in nursing homes to assist lifting/exercising a person who cannot use their own muscles to get up and move safely.
On my trip from picking up mail and watering plants and taking care of the cat for my friend, I stopped off at an assisted living home where we will play next Thursday, and visited my old roommate from the assisted living home next door that I was in (2010). She was my first roommate there. Today was her 94th birthday, so I dropped by with a card, and a surprise singing of happy birthday. She and I visited for almost an hour. It was a nice visit, but sad too, because she is so frail.
Thursday, Oct 1
For Sept 30 CPAP. Reported figures. 7 hrs 58 min with AHI=0.25 Events: 2 H, 1 CSR. No major mask leaks (max=19 L/min); no oximeter.
We heard by email that our date for having the new wood stove installed is Oct 12, (next Monday) so we must get this den opened up and cleaned up. We have to cancel a farrier’s visit that morning, but a message went unanswered. Must be traveling.
We left early for town because of going by our pharmacy to get a flu shot. Mine was in my right arm and it hurt for me to go play music and bow, leading the group. I guess it will hurt more tomorrow, however. I am feeling rather beat tonight. Medicare picks up the cost and places advertise them as “no cost” or “free.” But for each of us there is a fee of $104.90 per month and high income folks pay more. The program does cover much of our health care but “free” in is not. It seems to be a secret as to the actual cost. Also surprising is that every run-of-the-mill place dispensing pills has these shots, but the clinic where our doctor works does not. When we went for our annual physicals 9/17/15, we could get a pneumonia booster, but not a flu shot. Makes no sense.
We came home by way of dropping off a Stephen King book for a gal on the BNE site. She is an optometrist in town, so I was able to drop it off at her office. We are trying to cull things around this place, but it is a slow process. Today, I packaged a very large stuffed Panda to give to another gal on the BNE site, for her kids, and I threw in some other stuff for her.
On our way home, we stopped at the CWU Surplus sale and put a bid in on about 78 wooden pallets. We have missed recent ones, so we will not know until next Monday if we “won the bid” on these. There we ran into some folks we have not seen for 7 years who were members of the trail riding group we were part of for many years. Now that I am not allowed on horseback any more, we are no longer members of the club. John was the Club’s newsletter editor for a time.
Pizza tonight for supper, using part of the spaghetti sauce with Italian meatballs from last night.
Friday, Oct 2
For Oct 1 CPAP. Reported figures. 6 hrs 42 min with AHI=0.60 Events: 4 H, 1 CSR. No major mask leaks (max=19 L/min); no oximeter.
John’s computer came out of its “sleep” mode and woke me at 5:00, and my nose was running like a faucet. Maybe a result of flu shot? The paperwork with the shot warns that Minor problems following a flu shot include those below. I have bolded those I experienced:
*soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
. . . (& in my case in the right arm muscle as well).
*hoarseness
*sore, red, or itchy eyes (actually mine were scratchy and dry)
*aches
*cough
*fever
*headache (only last night)
*itching
*fatigue
If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and last 1 or 2 days (mine lasted 2 days). John passed on the above but did have a sore arm from the pneumonia shot the week before. He thinks it was because the needle hit something it should not have – nerve, bone, ?. I had no bad effects at all from that shot.
This morning, while fighting with a sporadic Internet connection, I set up a new domain for us to use in the future, when all our old files have been moved from a server in Wenatchee, to a new server. Our new domain will cost us $9.99/year and we will have to pay a hosting/deluxe fee of $8.99/month, in order to keep our blog alive and have a web site to display our web pages. Our addresses will change for the blog and for annual news reports via web pages, but our email will remain the same, nancyh@ellensburg.com.
The new domain will be rocknponderosa.com, and we will let you know any changes from the current ccsow.com/hultquist for the blog, when it is all moved. For now, stay as before. If you were on earlier, you might be accessing as ccsoe.com/hultquist. That currently still works as well.
I stayed home today to make progress in the den and work some on the blog, but very little has gotten done. The flu shot wiped me out big time. In addition to the above list, pardon the repeats, I’m aching, sore, with runny nose, sneezing, eyes scratchy and dry, and generally feeling cruddy. Good thing I did not have to perform anything in town today. It would have been difficult, or very uncomfortable.
I have managed to complete email chores, do a load of dishes, eat a few bites of food, get some Chocolate Chip dough from the freezer to thaw and will see about making cookies later tonight.
Wind gusts have been 45 and probably higher. John has managed to do outside work away from trees that might shed a limb. He has to get ready for his WTA trip so will be in soon.
I have managed to complete email chores, do a load of dishes, eat a few bites of food, get some Chocolate Chip dough from the freezer to thaw and will see about making cookies later tonight.
Wind gusts have been 45 and probably higher. John has managed to do outside work away from trees that might shed a limb. He has to get ready for his WTA trip so will be in soon.
Here was one thing I accomplished today. John saw some turkeys coming down the driveway, and I got my camera and captured a fast 21 seconds. Six Merriam Turkeys passed by under the black walnut tree, in 45 mph winds (you can hear in the video), and you can see the walnuts on the ground. A neighbor wants a box and we’ll get a dozen eggs in return. That did not happen, as the winds stopped and the tree still has probably a 5-gallon bucket more of the nuts. John has raked the early fallers off the driveway so we will not drive over them.
Merriam Turkeys, Oct 2, 2015 Naneum Fan
Saturday, Oct 3
For Oct 2 CPAP. Reported figures. 6 hrs 43 min with AHI=2.53 Events: 15 H, 4 CSR, 2 OA, 2 PP. No major mask leaks (max=19 L/min); no oximeter.
Miserable first 4 hours messing with mask. Got up, took care of cat and dog, and went back to sleep with no activity. Then took off mask when John awoke and slept without it fine until 8:30. Interesting differences in CPAP parameters. Probably congestion related.
John took off for the Annette Lake trail work over Snoqualmie Pass, just before 6:45. That’s earlier than the distance warrants, but I-90 has construction and single lanes in a couple of places.
I started working on the blog, particularly the 9/27 field trip, and we’ll see how that proceeds, as I mix with cleanup work for the stove installation. Grabbed a nice big apple fritter for sustenance. Now sorting my music and bills to different containers, and I’m ready to process the first of the Field Trip videos, reported on at the start of this blog. That will continue through the day, and one long one uploaded in my absence.
WTA tries to get folks away from the trail head parking by 3:30 so John should not have a problem returning to EBRG by 5:00, and I will meet him in town to eat dinner and pick up our 50# bag of onions which were delivered to Ellensburg, Thursday afternoon late, and we didn’t learn of until we were already home. I need to do a few more chores too in town. We met at the Safeway parking lot and walked to the Lutheran Church for a good baked chicken dinner with mashed potatoes, white country gravy, salad, and a cinnamon bun for dessert. Beverage: raspberry/apple juice. We were invited guests and knew many of the people there (from the AAC, the Food Bank, and Briarwood).
Sunday, Oct 4
For Oct 3 CPAP. Reported figures. 7 hrs 53 min with AHI=0.25 Events: 2 H, 1 CSR. No major mask leaks (max=18 L/min); no oximeter. What a difference a day can make!
We both slept in this morning, and John did the morning chores, I fed Woody, the outside cat, and we just finished lunch.
I’m switching tasks. Just replaced the filter in my CPAP, so maybe that will filter out the rabbit brush pollen that may have been making me sneeze the past several days. Maybe it wasn’t related to the flu shot at all. The Cascades have had some rain and hikers were doing some sniffling – and wondering if mold or something was in the air.
John and Annie have been out a lot today and I have been working on things in the house, alternating between various chores. If John gets too involved with a chore Annie may come back to the house and want in. Cutting and stacking brush is her least favorite task.
Now he was in for an hour because it got too hot, and put together a nice dinner to cook. Chicken, rice, onions, and mushrooms, in a heavy duty roaster. We shall try to put this blog out tonight. He taught me the trick to put links into the text, and I spent some time on that chore, to help with all his set-up work. Now in the future, he’ll need to show me how to include the photographs.
Hope your week was fine.
Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan