AndyO Blog

I finally got a good night's sleep, so I woke up at 9:00 a.m. refreshed and ready for adventure. The original plan was to take the Stehekin Bus to Rainbow Falls, and then walk back (about 3 miles one way). But we got a little behind schedule and missed the bus, which only runs every few hours. Instead, we decided to bike.

Ordinarily, biking would be a no-brainer, but Drew is actually still learning to ride. The night before, we'd tried out a "co-pilot" tandem, where a smaller bike with a back wheel is attached to a full size bike; but it felt incredibly unstable.The other option was one of those bike trailers.

The guy at Discovery Bikes said the tandem would be much better, and explained how once the back rider starts pedaling it stabilizes. So Drew and I gave it a test ride, and it worked!

Stehekin Pastry Company

Soon we were pedaling toward our first destination, the Stehekin Pastry Company bakery. While the bike felt stable, every once in a while Drew would lean over too far, and I'd need to compensate. This was unnerving when the road narrowed or cars passed by.

As Brenda rode behind us, she told Drew "not to lean." Well, he didn't like that too much and said he wanted to go back. Fortunately, we arrived at the bakery.

The Stehekin Pastry Company is the perfect pit stop for bikers, hikers, and kids who want to turn around. Serving an assortment of pastries, sandwiches, ice cream, and drinks, it's located about 2 miles from the Stehekin Landing. The alpine ambience and friendly staff make you feel at home -- like eating at your favorite neighborhood restaurant.

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We ended up getting cookies, a lemon bar, and a blackberry scone (all of them delicious). Most importantly, it was enough to get Drew back on the bike.

Rainbow Falls

The trek to Rainbow Falls was difficult in places because of a few steep hills. When it got a little too tough, I jumped off the bike and walked . Along the way, we stopped at the Old Stehekin School. This is a one-room school -- like what I remember seeing on the show Little House on the Prairie. 

According to the Stehekin Heritage Guidebook, the school was built in 1921 and was used for 67 years. A new school was built for the 1988-89 school year for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade (students have to move elsewhere to go to High School).

I liked how the room featured artwork and posters from students about the history of the school and Stehekin area. A message on the chalkboard read, "This is a historic building. Please treat it with respect."

After getting buzzed by (surprise!) bees and a few mosquitoes, we biked the steepest part of our journey to Rainbow Falls. When we got there, a red Stehekin Bus was parked in the turnaround (probably the bus we would have taken had we not biked).

Rainbow Falls is a towering 312-foot waterfall that drops onto a few different rocky terraces. The last section creates a beautiful fan of water spilling into an inviting alpine pool. Since the park ranger-led tour had left, we had the place pretty much to ourselves (and the hundreds of mosquitoes trying to attack us).

Stehekin Pastry Company - Part II

Once we left Rainbow Falls, we coasted down those same hills that had taken so much effort to climb. I often forget how exhilarating it is to fly down a steep hill on a bike, which Drew was experiencing for the first time. (It also makes me realize why people love motorcycles.) I actually slowed us down a little, since I knew Drew wasn't used to this kind of speed on a bike.

As we sped along, I started noticing amazing views that I'd missed on the way up -- when my vision had been narrowed by concentration and fatigue. One view was so spectacular, I had to stop to take a picture (which meant Drew had to stop, too). As I stood there, I heard the screech of a hawk echo above.

Then, for the second time that day, we stopped at the Stehekin Pastry Company. This time, I ordered one of their sandwiches on homemade bread (again, excellent). And then we were off again.

As we biked along Lake Chelan, the views in the mid-afternoon light were stunning, with towering mountain peaks, streaming sunlight, and deep blue water. I was starting to realize how Stehekin was joining my short list of magical places that include Cannon Beach, Oregon; Whistler, B.C.; Tofino, B.C; Monterey, California; and all of Hawaii.

Whenever I'm visiting these magical places, I think of what it would be like to live there. Then I realize that visiting is part of the magic -- that it takes on an idealized state in memory. You don't get to see the effort that goes into living in a place like Stehekin, which is dependent on boats and planes for many supplies. Maybe that's part of the appeal?

I was already thinking about when we could return.

Labels: Lake Chelan, Stehekin, Travels, Vacation, Washington State

We got up at 7:00 a.m. to take the Lady Express 51 miles "up lake" to the remote area of Stehekin -- an area only accessible by boat or float plane. It's a 2-1/2 hour ride via the Express, which we immediately dubbed a "3-hour tour" (see Gilligan's Island).

Thanks to the crew's announcements and Lady of the Lake newspaper, I learned a lot on our journey:

• Lake Chelan is the deepest lake gorge in North America.
• Lake Chelan has two basins, the smaller Wapato Basin (400 feet deep and 12 miles long). The Lucerne Basin is 1,486 feet at its deepest point (and 386 feet below sea level).
• The Lucerne Basin holds 92% of the lake's water.
• Stehekin resides within North Cascades National Park.

After a brief layover at Field Stop Landing (16 miles up lake) to pick up more passengers and cargo, we arrived at Stehekin Landing around 11:00 a.m. The Landing was also the location of North Cascades Lodge, our home base for two nights. But check-in wasn't until 2:00.

We stowed our bags in the Lodge General Store behind the ice cream freezer, and hiked to the Golden West Visitor Center. While we were looking around, the ranger there told me that much of the materials for Golden West, including window frames, stairs, and doors -- even some glass panes --came from the Victorian-era Field Hotel.

From what I read, starting around 1905 the Field Hotel had been one of the finest places to stay in the Northwest, catering to both miners and tourists. But the Lake Chelan Hydro Project, started in late 1920s, would raise the lake surface 21 feet, submerging the hotel's location. Not wanting to let the good materials go to waste, they recycled as much of Field Hotel as possible.

After that, we went to lunch at the North Cascades Lodge, and finally got into our room around 1:30.

A curious vibe

As we circulated through Stehekin, I started to notice how different it was from the town of Lake Chelan.

• There were a lot of serious backpackers here, as Stehekin is a trailhead for many North Cascades trails. 
• People living and working here (only 95 year-round residents) possess a brand of hospitality and community that goes way above most small towns. A few examples: Everyone waves from their car. People ask where you're from and seem genuinely interested. The owner of the bike rental shop offered a free bike for Drew to practice on during the evening.
• The tourists also seemed to be of a different caliber than the jet ski types at the other end of the lake. In addition to the hikers, many people seemed to be visiting from all over the world (for example, our neighbors next door at the lodge were European).

The great outdoors

For dinner that night, Brenda cooked up a very western hot dogs and beans. We decided to eat on our deck to enjoy the tremendous view.

As we started eating, a few bees buzzed us (as had happened all day long). But within minutes, there were squadrons of bees dive bombing our food. The first person to fold was Cameron, and then Drew.

But when I had five or six bees swarming me (and my food), I threw in the towel, too. I like to enjoy my dinner, and this wasn't enjoyable. Finally, Brenda gave up. Dinner tasted great once I stopped swatting bees.

Later on, I went outside to view the sunset, an explosion of pinks, whites, and blues in the sky that seem to be amplified by the surrounding mountains and lake.

As night replaced twilight, I stepped outside to view the stars (which I thought would be extra bright due to the lack of light pollution). But I kept catching a strange fluttering out of the corner of my eye. After this happened a few times, I realized these were bats!

I'd never seen so many bats chasing insects, never had them passing so close to my head. They glided in near silence, and every so often I'd get a better view of them opening their wings to slow down. But I have to admit, it really creeped me out! (I knew enough about a bat's sophisticated bio-sonar system to understand they probably wouldn't run into me.)

I retreated indoors to a bedroom window, where I watched the bats swooping past lights. Then I saw some people walking up the path from the road, a mother and young son. They stopped dead -- pointing at the bats circling around their lodge door. I watched as they finally gathered enough courage to walk into the swarm. 

Like a scene out of The Birds, the mother stood there in horror, as the bats streaked around her, hurrying her son to unlock the door. I guess she was as creeped out as I was. They got in and slammed the door.

I slept well that night, thinking of bats flying around outside. I hoped they got a few extra bees so we could eat dinner on the deck the next day.

Labels: Lake Chelan, Stehekin, Travels, Washington State

The news arrived in an instant message from my brother at work. I'd just returned from lunch and was getting ready to dive back into a massive project.

Erik [1:01 PM]:

Did you see that <my son's school> is/was on lockdown?

Andy [1:01 PM]:

No.

Erik [1:01 PM]:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/killed-injured-seattle-cafe-shooting/story?id=16459770

Andy [1:01 PM]:

Shit.

In less than a minute, the world seemed to turn upside down. My heart raced. According to the report, someone had opened fire and killed multiple people in a cafe in the University District. A woman downtown had also been killed during a carjacking. Police didn't know if the incidents were related.

I knew if schools were on lockdown, then the shooting was close by. I looked up the name of the cafe where the shootings happened, Cafe Racer, and realized I'd parked in front of it many times on my way to Trading Musician.

It's a mile and a half from my house.

I knew there was nothing I could do, so I sent a message to my wife to make sure she knew about it (especially since she was picking up our son from the locked down school). 

Trying to make sense

After I got home and started to read about the incident, the sadness started to set in. This guy had killed five people. The woman who died in the carjacking in downtown Seattle -- over five miles away from Cafe Racer -- was one of the victims. 

I watched people on Facebook trying to make sense of the brutality. My fellow bandmate, Chris, wrote:

OMG, what is happening here. I have stopped in Cafe Racer for espressos in the a.m. many times, and for drinks with Mary in the p.m. once in a while. What? Completely peaceful, funky U-District dive bar, until...senseless gun violence! Sad, sad...

The media pounced on the statistic that there were 21 homicides in Seattle in 2012, more than all of 2011. (The 10-year homicide average from 2000-2010 is 26 per year.)

Then I saw that the shooter himself, identified later as Ian Stawicki -- who had shot himself as police closed in -- had died at Harborview.

Later, I read a thoughtful article on Time.com called Seattle Shootings: Six People Dead in One Day. What�s Behind the Violence? It explored how an event like this affects children at the schools and their parents who are left to explain what happened. As my son told me, the teachers and other school officials don't give any details. The kids don't even know if it's a real event or another drill, which kind of makes sense. My son said, "They don't tell us anything, because some people freak out."

At my son's school, he said they spent an hour on the floor and then after that could walk around inside the classroom. But they stayed in the same classroom until they were released from school, three hours later.

As I've gotten older, I've started to realize that violence like this happens. You just hope that it's not going to happen to you. Which is why this event is different: When this kind of shooting occurs a mile or so away from your house, it all of sudden becomes less of an abstraction. I've stopped in front of Caf� Racer; I could have been standing there when the gunman came out.

There have been other incidents in Seattle recently with people being killed or injured with stray bullets, which makes it even more apparent how little we're all in control. 

Aftermath

As the memorial piled up in front of Cafe Racer, the citizens of Seattle continued to try and make sense of what happened. Details came out about Stawicki from his family about how the clues were there. Details came out from a hero at the scene who attacked Stawicki with barstools and probably saved three people's lives.

But there are two major parts to this story:

First, Stawicki was suffering from mental illness and a history of violence (in some cases, the violence was against his own family). His father talked about how he would have needed to lie to commit his son to an institution against his will.

Second, guns are too easy to buy and conceal in Washington State, where the  laws just aren't set up to prevent someone like Stawicki from getting guns. (More on that later.)

What we know now is Stawicki legally obtained "six .45-caliber or 9-mm handguns since 1993, including .45-caliber handguns in 2006 and 2008 from Lynnwood and Bothell gun shops," according to this Seattle Times article. The problem is there were no red flags that would have prevented Stawicki from buying guns; he didn't have a felony record or had never been committed to a mental hospital.

In 2008, he started getting in trouble, including four domestic violence-related misdemeanors against his girlfriend, who later recanted. Then, against his own brother (this time his mother changed her story).

I'm not blaming the Stawicki family from protecting their son against going to prison, or even the girlfriend (who might have feared for her life). But it seems like if someone starts showing signs of rage and mental illness, then that person should no longer be able to possess a gun -- or in Stawicki's case, six guns. And if he's caught with a gun on him, the punishment is severe.

Stawicki was completely within the law to have guns on him when he entered Cafe Racer. It was only when he opened fire that it became illegal.

Three ideas

So, what can we do, citizens of Seattle, Washington State, and the United States? Here are my ideas. I'm sure there are many more great ideas out there.

1. Make it easier for a person with mental illness to get help -- either voluntarily or involuntarily. Mental illness is something that can be treated and needs to be treated. Washington State's recent mental health parity laws have helped, but more needs to be done. Cutting budgets from mental health organizations is only going to make this worse.

2. Make it much harder for certain people to get a gun (or guns) and get a concealed weapons permit. Not only did Stawicki buy six guns, but he also had a concealed weapons permit. According to what I've read, the police had to issue Stawicki a permit, since he met the standards -- even if the police knew he was dangerous.

I've heard that lawmakers in Washington State are looking at changing one word to handle cases like this. The word in this sentence would change from "shall" to "may" in the Concealed Pistol License.

(1) The chief of police of a municipality or the sheriff of a county shall within thirty days after the filing of an application of any person, issue a license to such person to carry a pistol concealed on his or her person within this state for five years from date of issue, for the purposes of protection or while engaged in business, sport, or while traveling.

Washington's gun laws are much more permissive than a state like California, according to this LA Times editorial. As the article says:

Unlike Washington, this state has a more restrictive "may issue" standard when it comes to concealed weapons permits. Background checks are more extensive and might involve interviewing an applicant's family, which would have turned up the information that they thought Stawicki was missing several marbles. Some California jurisdictions even require psychological testing for permit applicants. Moreover, Stawicki would have had to demonstrate good cause to carry a concealed weapon -- typically, applicants in California have to show they're under some kind of physical threat, perhaps by someone they've taken out a restraining order against. Being a security guard is also typically considered good cause. Stawicki didn't meet those standards.

Personally, I'd be fine with abolishing all guns. Since I know that's not going to happen, can we at least make it harder for people who shouldn't be able to carry them? 

3. Teach compassion from a young age. When His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet came to Seattle a few years ago, his message was about compassion and it really resonated with me. Here's part of an essay he wrote about this and it gets at the heart of how this can change things.

Whether people are beautiful and friendly or unattractive and disruptive, ultimately they are human beings, just like oneself. Like oneself, they want happiness and do not want suffering. Furthermore, their right to overcome suffering and be happy is equal to one's own. Now, when you recognize that all beings are equal in both their desire for happiness and their right to obtain it, you automatically feel empathy and closeness for them. Through accustoming your mind to this sense of universal altruism, you develop a feeling of responsibility for others: the wish to help them actively overcome their problems. Nor is this wish selective; it applies equally to all. As long as they are human beings experiencing pleasure and pain just as you do, there is no logical basis to discriminate between them or to alter your concern for them if they behave negatively.

People who are compassionate are less likely to hurt or bully others. Was there a point in the past when an act of compassion or kindness could have changed Stawicki's course? We'll never know. It sounds like his family tried to help and ran out of options. You can only deal with rage for so long, and no one wants to believe that a family member or friend could do something like this.

Labels: Commentary, News, Washington State

I actually woke up before 10:00 a.m., which is a record for me on the weekend. In fact, we were out the door and sitting in Mia's Cafe in Eastsound before 10:00. The food was excellent, made with top-quality ingredients and imagination.

After breakfast, I headed to Darvill's bookstore and Brenda went to Moon Glow arts and crafts. It was such a luxury to be able to browse a bookstore without kids. However, unlike some of the smaller "Independent" bookstores that I love so much -- like Cannon Beach Books -- Darvill's didn't seem to have the selection of books that a smaller bookstore can really highlight -- or at least not ones I was interested in.

The two books I was looking for weren't there, and the person working at the front didn't really want to help me look (she was distracted by a family situation, which I totally understand). I still ended up buying three books.

After that, we wandered around the shops in Eastsound. One of the galleries had the most realistic dolls I'd ever seen -- bordering on creepy.

There was also a farmer's market going on that day, with arts, crafts, and food, but we didn't have an appetite for any of it having just eaten breakfast. Still, it was fun to look (and smell).

The real destination for us that morning was Orcas Island Pottery, a short drive from Eastsound, and one of Brenda's favorite shops in the entire world.

Orcas Island Pottery has a vibe all its own, with pottery placed throughout the property, as well as in a few rooms.

One side of the property has a spectacular view across the water to Waldron Island.

In the main house, I found the nicest cat. I wasn't sure if he wanted to be petted, but his loud purring telling me to just go ahead. 

Something new at Orcas Island Pottery was the best tree house I'd ever seen. Just look at the way this thing is constructed. Inside there was a playroom for kids, with a play oven and kitchen. There was another room above this one that I didn't look in.

Brenda was debating whether she should replace a set of beautiful blue bowls which had broken over time with new ones. I told her to do it. The bowls ended up being designed by the owner of Orcas Island Pottery.

Hanging out

After our shopping expedition, Brenda went off to a kayak excursion, and I lay around in peaceful bliss. I know that it might not sound that exciting, but reading, working on the computer, and admiring the view was the best thing I could do at that time. I think Brenda felt the same way about what she was doing.

Olga Cafe

For dinner, we went to the famous Olga Cafe in, you guessed it, the town of Olga. Our server was a spirited young woman, who had a lot of tables but seemed to be doing fine.

I ordered steak, and Brenda ordered Chicken Marsalis.

One thing I considered ordering was the famous cashew nut and chicken salad sandwich. But they were out of it. Actually, they seemed to be out of a lot of things. We heard people asking about certain items, and the server would say, "Sorry, we're out of that."

Fortunately, the steak was good. As was the pie.

Unavoidable Eavesdropping

That night, I was back on the computer, and Brenda was working on home made jewelry. As we relaxed, we couldn't help overhearing the conversation the people were having on the deck above us. It seemed like such a banal conversation for two people who were sharing a hotel room -- the kinds of things you think you'd already know.

We heard all about his college. And more about his college (he really liked it, I guess). I could only make out words here and there, and we finally closed our sliding glass door so we didn't have to hear any more about his school.

Brenda said something to the effect of, "Just go ahead and do it already!" as if all this talk about his school was some kind of foreplay.

And if you're wondering, curious reader, we didn't hear anything upstairs after they shut their door and went to bed.

Labels: Orcas Island, Travels, Vacation, Washington State

After eating dinner, we walked over and toured Rosario mansion, which has a fascinating story. The mansion was built by a man named Robert Moran as his retirement home. Before that, Robert Moran had been one of Seattle's great industrialists.

Robert Moran - Shipbuilder, Mayor, Businessman

In 1875, Moran came to Seattle by way of New York City, with only 10 cents in his pocket. Soon he found a job as a ship's engineer, and through hard work built a marine repair business on the Seattle wharf with his brothers.

Moran also experienced success in politics, becoming mayor of Seattle in 1888. In 1889, with just a month left in his mayoral term (mayors served only one year at this time), the "Great Seattle Fire" destroyed much of Seattle's downtown business district. Moran's leadership helped Seattle recover -- and even prosper -- from the disaster and helped win his re-election. A sign in the mansion reads, "Over a six-month period after the fire, with businesses operating out of tents, the population of Seattle doubled."

The fire had also destroyed Moran's own company, but he used it as an opportunity to move his business location. The Moran Brothers were back in business quickly and helped in the rebuilding of Seattle.

In the mid-1890s, the Moran Brothers branched out into shipbuilding, and built many ships for the Klondike Gold Rush. But their greatest achievement was the U.S.S. Nebraska, the flagship of the U.S. Navy's "Great White Fleet."

All the years of hard work and stress took their toll, and Moran collapsed from exhaustion. The prognosis wasn't good. He was told by his doctors he only had a year or so to live. Hearing this news, he sold his ship building company and retired to Orcas Island.

This is when Moran's true life's work began. He would live not one or two more years -- but another 38, defying his doctors' predictions. (If he'd kept running his shipbuilding company, he probably would have proved his doctors right.)

A new beginning

When Moran arrived on Orcas Island, he set out to build a mansion equal to any ship he'd ever built. The design of the mansion was based on The Arts and Crafts movement, which, according to the Rosario Resort website:

… had emerged as a revolt to the industrial revolution from a humanist perspective. The shift of labor from man to machine had robbed craftsmen of the pleasure of seeing their work through from conception to completion, as the traditional values of quality and beauty were being replaced by economy and profit.    

Walking through the second floor, and the spa downstairs, reminded me of pictures I'd seen of the Titanic's interior -- with all the beautiful woodwork, stained glass, and attention to detail.

Again, from the Rosario website:

Moran's dedication to the Arts and Crafts mindset is evident throughout the mansion with its rich mahogany paneling, earthen tone tiles, stain glass lighting, and unique fireplace hearths. Centerpiece of the mansion is the Music Room, featuring a two story 1913 Aeolian pipe organ, 1900 Steinway grand piano, a Belgian stain-glass window picturing the harbor at Antwerp, and two mezzanine libraries overlooking a Tiffany chandelier, which depicts various performing arts.

As I walked through the rooms, I could feel Moran's presence everywhere. Here was a man dreamed big, who cared about every detail -- and who obviously spared no expense.

Panoramic view of the music room:

Panoramic view from the piano, looking back:

Close-up of the stained glass in the music room depicting the harbor in Antwerp, Belgium:

Close up of tile work above the mantle depicting sailing ships:

I even read that Moran designed and built a new hinge for the doors that wouldn't squeak. I tried a few of them, and they still worked without a sound.

After we returned to our room, I looked across the bay to the mansion; I was eerily reminded of the Titanic plying the Atlantic waters on that calm night long ago. While the Titanic, as well as the ships that Moran built, was gone, the Rosario Mansion remains.

For more about Robert Moran, see the following links, which I used to write this entry:

Rosario Resort website

Wikipedia Article on Robert Moran

Washington State History: a biographical sketch of Robert Moran

Labels: History, Orcas Island, Travels, Vacation, Washington State

I recently updated my list of best breakfast restaurants in Seattle. Let me know if you have any favorite breakfast spots I should check out.

List of Best Breakfast Restaurants in Seattle

Labels: Commentary, Food, Seattle, Washington State

I recently updated my list of best movie theaters in Washington State. Let me know if you have any favorite theaters I should check out.

List of Best Theaters in Washington State

Labels: Around Puget Sound, Commentary, Film, Seattle, Washington State