Woke up after nine hours sleep.

 Headed down to the middle meadow pool before breakfast. Stayed there for a long time. Then up for breakfast. Roast potatoes with tofu, fruit and steel cut oatmeal with a juice and a cup of herbal tea to finish.  Walk up from the Lodge to B1 for the last time this trip.
The Lodge


The Greenhouse


The Sanctuary




The Forest Shelter


The Cabins

We packed up the Jeep and at this moment I realized for every second we spent here at Breitenbush this trip, it rained the whole time. Just goes to show you WILL have a great time here no matter what the weather may be.








 We leave this beautiful place behind and take the 46 road north for a change. It is meant to be a bit shorter so off we go.

About ten minutes out of Breitenbush we run into snow.


We continue up 46 until we run into 244. We stay on that until we reach I-205 at Clackamas. We saved about fifteen minutes even with the snow to this point and about thirty miles. Over the border and back home to Washington. We stopped off in Centralia for gas $3.23. Then over to Shari's for lunch.

 I had pancakes.


Back on I-5 and we made it home in 4 hours and 30 minutes driving time. 
Unpacked and Carmen came over for a visit and had our mail. A pile of magazines really.

We went down to The Sunshine Cafe for dinner. I ate the Tempeh burger to keep in line with Breitenbush dinners.

Woke up after a gwal of sleep. Expected snow but no, still raining. No harm. Headed down to the meadow pool around 5am for the first soak of the day. Back to B1 to pass the morning away until breakfast.

Oatmeal with raisins and figs. A nice tofu dish with zucchini bread and a pile of fruit. Orange juice to push it into my stomach. I didn't like the tea today.

Headed down to the sauna for a good steam.

 The sauna as I may have mentioned in the past relaxes your body so much that you feel like you are close to death. Then you go outside and there is an ice cold shower that rips you back to life in an instant. After repeating this process a few times we head down to the meadow pool. Soak here for a long time. We stop into the office on the way back up to the cabin and book another weekend back here for February 01 2008.  

After resting for a few minutes at B1 I decide I will go for a wee hike. I take the Spotted Owl Trail.






over bridges


 I continued on the Emerald Forest Trail. 







I hookup with the S.Breitenbush Gorge National Recreation Trail back to the resort.. 











I liked all the rivers and creeks that you have to cross on this hike. The water was gushing like mad. I head back up to B1.From cabin door to cabin door this was about five miles. I broke a good ole sweat going up some of the hills. Rested for a little bit and down for the lunch after the bell goes off.

Lunch today I ate burritos of refried beans, a nutty mixture with rice and veggies on corn tortillas. Followed by a cup of cranberry honey tea. Left there full. Down to the meadow pool. It was nice to sit here on the mountain looking out at the eagle swoop down into the river to get his lunch. After a time of soaking we headed back to B1 and lazed the time away.

 My God there goes the dinner bell.

Fifteen minutes later we are in the dining room eating curried mussamun on rice, garlic lemon-grass veggies and wide noodles with fresh rolls and a great peanut sauce. A treat tonight was peanutbutter cookies with jelly on the inside. Yum. This was the best meal I had to date here.

Feeling a bit too full after dinner we sat in the library reading for an hour. Then we were ready for a trip to the meadow pool. After a bit I wandered up to the first pool for a change. It was a little cooler than the middle one. I liked the silence sitting here in the pitch black of the night. After a while we head back up to B1 and lights out. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz

Wake up feeling refreshed. I read some of Dr. Cat's Helping Handbook. I mediate and focus on my breathing for a while. Then down to the meadow for a soak.  I like how time seems to stand still here. Nothing or no one in a hurry.

The temperature is 105 degrees F. The bell sounds off around the resort giving you a half hour heads up for breakfast. We soak there until the breakfast time and wander up to the dining room.

For breakfast today I will eat a tofu veggie scramble with fruit and a bowl of oatmeal with peaches. All washed down with orange juice and apple mint tea. Back to B1. Read some more and just rested for a few hours. Then off to the meadow for a soak. We talk to some people in the pool while we soak. One guy said it was going to snow tomorrow. Fitting for our usual visit to see snow. The rain is still coming down now. The bell sounds, 15 minutes to lunch.

We make our way to the dining room again. Today for lunch I have a nice salad with leafy greens, corn, peas, grated carrots and beets with a honey mustard dressing. A plate of cooked mixed veggies, couscous and a soy cheese nut blend washed down the gullet with a honey tea.

Back to B1 to relax some more. 
B1

Read and done a few crosswords. Then I decided to go for a little hike before dinner. I hiked down to "Devils Hole" and a bit further on up the road.
Buddah Playhouse

On the way I pass the Buddah Playhouse and it is closed due to Carpenter Ants. It's now their house to play in.






I cross over the creek.



I enjoyed this little hike.

Back to B1 for a bit and then down to the meadow for a soak.

 Left after a good rest and headed up to the Massage house for our massages. 
The Massage House

Today I get Rainee. A cheerful girl from Los Angeles. She begins on my back and arms, then down along my legs. So good. I turn over and she works on my front side. This lady is so nice and caring the time goes by fast. I drink a gwal of water and ninety minutes later I am out the door with "massage hair" as one girl there calls it. Basically I leave there looking like Beetlejuice.

Straight down for dinner. Tofu, veggie teriyaki on a bed of rice with the same salad as I had for lunch and a gwal of nettle tea. Headed out to the sauna afterwards to steam out the toxins released by the great massage. I have always liked the sauna here. It is more like a steam room. Well it is a wet sauna I guess.  A cold shower outside and back into the heat again then off to the middle pool for the last soak of the night.

Back to B1 Relaxing  and ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz

 

When Natasha got back we packed up the Jeep and headed down I-5 for Breitenbush. Got gas on the way $3.29 a gallon. Continued down into Oregon and then onto I-205 to bypass the traffic going through Portland on I-5. We hooked up with 5 again further down. We pulled in North of Salem for a Taco Bell and a top off to the tank $2.97 a gallon here.

 

Back on 5 for another bit and then on hgwy 22 East towards Detroit. At Detroit we head North on 46 the dark and windy road up to Breitenbush. We arrive and park our car. The rain is pouring down. This is the first time we have ever come here and it wasn't snowing. No harm it will come. We head down to the office and get our cabin number ."B1". Then back at the Jeep we load our stuff into one of the hand carts they have there. Down to B1. Settle in quick and then straight down to the meadow pool which we mostly use. The middle one. We soak there for quite a while. So nice here. We head up to the Lodge and visit for a bit. We pick up some books at the library and head back to B1.

 

The cabins here are well heated by the natural hot springs in the ground. With the warmth and the sound of the rain outside I have no problem sleeping. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz