Last Hurrah at the Ranch: Week Three
There was much to do and see during our final week at Azebrasis Ranch. May 17th was Andrea’s birthday, and there happened to be an interesting presentation being made in the state’s capitol. Paul Stamets, a mycologist (mushroom person), was speaking to members of the Washington State Senate to inform them about developments in mycological medicines that prevent and treat viral diseases in bees. Andrea and I are both very interested in bees and mushrooms so this sounded like a great way to spend her birthday. Thankfully, Dani was kind enough to lend us her truck for the day, so that we could make the 50+ miles to Olympia in an hour instead of spending most of the day on our bikes. We arrived at the Washington Capitol campus early, so we spent some time walking around and photographing some of the historic buildings and monuments. When it was close to starting time for the presentation, we headed to the appropriate hearing room.
The hearing lasted about two hours. Before Paul Stamets spoke, two commercial beekeepers spoke about the current state of pollination in Washington. We learned a bit about the difficulties in maintaining thousands of hives year after year, including transporting them by trucks all over the country to pollinate our crops, especially to California to pollinate nut trees. We also learned about how commercial beekeepers are beginning to overwinter their hives in Controlled Atmosphere warehouses, so that more survive until the following spring. Following their presentation, Paul spoke alongside Dr. Shepard from Washington State University regarding their studies in bee breeding and the use of mycological extracts as a means of improving the health of bees. The senators paid close attention and had many of their questions answered. They seemed very interested in the research, and keen to financially help the university continue the research into the future. It was reassuring to see members of the government learn new things about the relationships that affect our environment and have a genuine interest in continuing the studies of these relationships.
After the hearing came to a close, we were ready to find some lunch. We found that there was a brewery that also served lunch called 3 Magnets Brewing, which was within walking distance of the capitol, so we decided to head there. We took a stroll downhill to Heritage Park and walked for a short while around Capitol Lake before going into downtown to find the brewery. We walked in and sat down at a table. We were surprised by the calm atmosphere and soon realized that we had sat down at a cafe, Darby’s Cafe, that was connected to the brewery. The waiter told us that they also serve beer fresh from 3 Magnets, so we opted to just eat at Darby’s. We both had a delicious burger and fries and tried some tasty craft brews. Satisfied and full, we headed back towards the car, stopping to take photos of the Old Capitol Building (“The Castle”) on the way there. After a quick stop at Starbucks for Andrea’s free birthday drink, we hopped back in the truck, headed out of Olympia and back to the ranch.
The next day we got to work, cleaning brush from the lower pasture so that it could be mowed. Barron joined us, and had fun playing fetch with all the large pieces of branches that we threw around. There was also some weed whacking that needed to be done but when we went to start it up, it refused. Dani called her neighbors, Dave and Ellen, to see if we could borrow theirs. They said it was fine for us to come over and pick it up. Once we were there, Ellen mentioned that they had quite a bit of weeds that needed whacking, so Andrea and I stayed for a couple of hours and trimmed around their fences.
On the ranch, I had the pleasure of using the tractor to mow the lower pasture. I’ve mowed lawns before and I’d driven the tractor around before, but pulling a giant whirling blade behind me was a new experience. I found that maneuvering the tractor in a way that cut all the grass and didn’t chew up the soil required an amount of grace that I had not yet developed.
On Friday, more visitors arrived at the ranch. Charli’s friends from college, Julie and Barb, had come out from Wisconsin to stay on Azebrasis for a few days. We had a lot of fun chatting and playing card games with them. That night we all went to a local restaurant, Gepetto’s Pizza, for dinner. Dave and Ellen joined us too. Over the years, Dani and Charli many times frequented Gepetto’s with their equestrian group, and even the waiter said, “Hey, where’s the rest of your group today? Isn’t it usually bigger,” after we arrived. After having a few slices of “Hotza Mozza”, I could see why they chose this as their meeting space.
The next day we loaded into the car to see some of the natural sites that Washington has to offer. We drove first to the forest to see the “Big Cedar”. We walked a little ways down a path and came up to a gargantuan carcass of a once great cedar tree. The main trunk of the tree was obviously dead and rotting but it was surrounded and intertwined with new growth. It was truly an incredible thing to behold.
After marveling at the Big Cedar, we drove to Ruby Beach. From the parking lot we followed a trail that led down to the coast. When we emerged from the wooded trail, we climbed over yards of sunbleached driftwood to reach a small stream that led out to the Pacific. Looking seaward we could see enormous sea stacks jutting from the sand. We walked along the beach for a couple of hours, taking photos and soaking in the scenery. By chance, we were visiting the beach at low tide, which allowed us to walk right up to some of the farthest sea stacks that would have otherwise been surrounded by water. Eventually we pulled ourselves away from the gorgeous sea front so that we could drive on to the next excursion, Lake Quinault.
We drove into the Olympic National Forest and followed a road that went all the way around the lake. We stopped occasionally to take pictures of the many waterfalls that feed into the lake. On our drive we also happened upon a small herd of elk. They were wary at first, but Dani drove by them slowly, which eased their nerves.
After touring the lake we had planned on dining at the Lake Quinault Lodge, a historic lodge that was founded by Theodore Roosevelt, but after we had been sitting for nearly 15 minutes without service, it was clear that priority was given to lodgers and those with reservations. We decided instead to walk around outside and take some pictures. We had a crockpot full of pork, onions, and potatoes waiting for us back at the ranch anyway.
The next couple of days were spent working outside around the ranch until the sun got too hot, then sitting under the shade of the Hawthorne tree, which was buzzing with bees, and enjoying cool beverages while chatting and playing with the dogs.
Our stay at Azebrasis Ranch was full of new experiences, great company, delicious Midwest-style meals, and family time. We are very grateful to my cousin and great-aunt for helping us when we were in need and being wonderful hosts.
When our stay came to an end, they drove us back to Oregon and dropped us off at a small farm in Corbett, where we’ll be staying for the next few weeks. Stay tuned to hear about our adventures on the Stand Family Farm!
