If you've ever driven to Paradise by way of Ashford, you've passed right by the private collection of huge sculptures made from found materials. We've walked around the place a couple of times; it's very cool. The horses are my favorite sculptures.
We were checking out the beautiful restored train depot in Morton when I discovered the virtual cache at Windy Ridge. How could we be so close and not go?
The two narrow roads that lead to Windy Ridge are in bad shape. When we first started coming down to Gifford Pinchot national forest these roads were gravel and dirt, populated more by sheep and deer than by cars. We'd drive for hours without seeing another car. When the roads were active logging roads, they were in good shape. Now that they're paved they get little maintenance, and the frost heaves in winter are destroying them.
WA-25 leads south from the White Pass highway, through farmland and then climbing into dense forest. I love the drive, and used to take the MX-5 on this road. As we turned onto the Windy Ridge road, the first views of St. Helens made my jaw drop. There is fresh snow on the mountain! We took a side road that once led through creek valleys to a trailhead, but is now grown over on both sides. We squeezed through in the truck, barely. I was hoping for more views, but the hills were tall and crowded together, so we eventually turned around.
When we got back to the Windy Ridge road, the clouds had dropped lower and the mountain was almost obscured. I was disappointed, but it was a good lesson to remember. It's sort of like antique shopping. When you find something you've been looking for, don't pass it up. You probably won't find it again. I know that lesson, have learned that particular lesson over and over. I need to apply it to photography... when I see that perfect view, stop and photograph it. You might not see it again.
We still enjoyed our time at the top, even though it was windy and chilly. Thankfully the bathrooms were open (and warm). The mountain played hide-and-seek with us while we wandered around the overlook, and as we drove down through the area destroyed by the 1980 eruption. As we drove back down the road I kept an eye on the viewpoints, hoping that the clouds would rise again and we'd get the same wonderful view again. Unfortunately, as the sun swung west, it was soon in our eyes.
We took our time getting home, wandering the back roads and stopping to enjoy the views, ending up at the Firehouse in Buckley for dinner. It was a good day.
Ahhh...I love Windy ridge, but it's such a long drive from the Portland area (3 hrs over windy forest service roads) that I haven't been there in ages.
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