Yesterday was uneventful. The only thing I had on my agenda was a dentist appointment to have my new crown installed. Donna spent the day catching up on her work.

We continue to monitor  the news from the devastating mudslide in western Washington near Darrington. The photo below was published by the Washington State Patrol. It’s an aerial view from the east looking west towards Oso and Arlington, Washington.

You can see the large crater where the mountain side broke away. It’s about 1,500 feet wide and 600 feet high. The normal path of the Stillaguamish River is pretty clear. If you look closely on the left side of the photo, you can see Highway 530 winding its way next to the river. The highway is under the mud and rubble in  the left center of the photo. There was a road that ran from Highway 530, north towards the river called Steelhead Drive. The road made a 90-degree turn to the east near the river then hooked back towards the highway where it became East Steelhead Drive.

There were more than 30 houses along this road, which is now completely covered by the mudslide. The mud moved quickly and with great force, uprooting large fir trees and demolishing houses. Roughly one square mile is covered by the mud and debris. You can see the normal course of the river in the lower right of the photo. All along the bottom of the photo is floodwater. I can make out at least one flooded dwelling. I don’t know what else was there.

The media is calling this the Oso Mudslide. Although this is near the small community of Oso, I think most of the people in this area consider themselves as part of the Darrington commmunity. Darrington is a small, blue-collar logging town to the east of the mudslide.

There are efforts to raise funds for the families affected. One is run by the Cascade Valley Hospital, where my oldest daughter works as a Registered Nurse. Another fund has been set up to specifically benefit a young family that lost their home and everything in it at Giveforward. Thankfully, they weren’t in the house at the time.

We plan to visit the area and spend some time with my daughter and granddaughters in July. Our plans for the year are really shaping up. We’re booked at the Fairview RV Resort in Portland, Oregon from August 1st through the 11th. Today, I’ll book our reservation in Great Falls, Montana. I think we’ll stay there from around June 10th to the 22nd. Donna will be competing in the Montana State Senior Olympics 40K road cycling event on the 20th. We’ll book a reservation in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho from around June 24th through the Fourth of July holiday during which time we’ll meet up with Allen Hutchinson who will competing in the Ironman Triathlon. Then we’ll head to Arlington, Washington where we’ll stay for a few weeks in July. We’re still looking for a place there. Any suggestions?

I’m getting the hitch itch. Our plan, as it stands today, is to hitch up and hit the road on Monday, April 7th – less than two weeks from today.