"The Way West"...Day 22...Wednesday, July 4, 2012

I awake on the Fourth of July...this Independence Day...to the sound of silence. There is no "plopping" sound...no rain...and, while it's not exactly "balmy" out, it's not freezing either. I stuggle, bleary-eyed, out of my tent to sunshine!
This calls for a celebration. I make coffee and then set about preparing a good breakfast. I've got "Packit Gourmet"s" Southwest-Style "Migas"...a Tex-Mex dish from the Austin, Texas area that I was introduced to by my friend, Bill Lamping. It consists of sauteed onions and diced bells pepper, scrambled eggs with a hefty dose of hot sauce, grated cheese and crumbled Tostitos...absolutely delicious on this holiday morning.
Thus fortified, I lace up my backpacking boots, load up my day pack and hike for a few hours around the lake...stopping for a quick, but hot, lunch of "gourmet" Ramen noodles with a packages of chicken breast...also excellent. Along the way, I observe some local wildlife...including a little family of ducks enjoying the sun on a log floating in the lake.
L

ate in the afternoon, I stop at the restaurant again for another bottle of wine. I sit on the patio enjoying the afternoon. I meet a nice couple who moved to Washington from New Mexico. She has family in my area of Michigan and a few of them went to the University of Michigan...smart folks those. We talk about UM, Ann Arbor, Washington, lots of things...a very enjoyable conversation. They asked for my blog address, so perhaps they are reading it now.
I also meet a guy named Peter. He's a retired banker from Seattle, but he and his wife have retired to the town of Chelan. They spend most of the summer on their boat docked at Stehekin. Peter's known as the unofficial "Mayor" of Stehekin, and he's down at the docks every day greeting visitors. He's also a big Washington State University fan...so naturally we talk about the 1998 Rose Bowl between UM and WSU...a game at which both of us were in attendance. We both remember the same play...busted coverage in the secondary let Tyrone Butterfield get wide open for a sixty-yard touchdown from Brian Griese...it sealed for UM not only the game, but the National Championship.
Now back at camp, I'm cooking up another "winner" from Packit Gourmet..."The Big Easy Gumbo". It's got chicken, ham sausage and rice...even a little package of instant "roux". It's delicious with the rest of my wine...a local Pinot Gris.
After a day like yesterday, today is a blessing. A great day and, now, an evening to be savored with wine while watching the setting sun.
A late night, but I've got plenty of time to pack up tomorrow morning...my boat back to Chelan doesn't leave until 12:00 noon.