The night before we were to leave the North Cascades National Park we found out the road east through the mountain was now open. However we would need to stay one night in the disaster area, and since there was no electricity, telephone service or fuel in the area, we decided to stay with the new plan and take the longer route east.
The camp host came by to chat as we were preparing to leave. He had been raised by his grandparents, his grandfather being a full blood Comanche and his grandmother a Quaker. As he said, they made quite a pair! His grandfather taught him to hunt, ride, fish and act like a man. His grandmother disciplined him with a ruler in one hand and a Bible in the other. He had some amazing firsthand stories told to him from his grandfather, especially about how the Native Americans were treated by the U.S. Army as recently as the 1930’s. It was also interesting to hear about the large amounts of money the Native Americans are now making with all the casinos cropping up throughout the country. They are using the money to buy back large amounts of land which then become reservations and the land returned to wilderness. They are also using the money to buy gold, oil rights and other mineral rights around the country. If you look at state maps, especially in the west, you can see more and more reservation land. We have noticed a lot of casinos west of the Mississippi and have heard from fellow RVers that casinos are a great place to stay overnight. They allow RVs to park in their parking lots free of charge and they are a safer alternative to a Walmart parking lot. Also we have found that more and more city ordinances are disallowing parking in Walmart lots overnight. It was fascinating listening to him and we wished we could have spent more time talking with him.
Along the way, on Washington Route 530, we came to the scene of a tragic mudslide that occurred in March. The massive mudslide, covering one square mile, swallowed homes, killing 37 people. Since the mudslide occurred on a Saturday morning, many people were at home. The road was closed for two months and today they were still working on clearing the area and the devastation was unbelievable. 
We arrived at a private campground for a two night stay and even though there was heavy tree cover, Bill was able to find a campsite where we could get TV satellite reception. The next day we drove a short distance to Snoqualmie Falls, a waterfall that cascades 268 feet over granite cliffs. To the Snoqualmie People (People of the Moon), who have lived for 
centuries in the Snoqualmie Valley, the Falls is a traditional burial site where prayers are carried up to their Creator by great mists that rise from the powerful Falls. They believe the mists rising from the base of the waterfall connects Heaven and Earth. To them, supernatural powers permeates all life and most things possess spiritual power. They believe the whole universe should be revered and is worthy of respect. Today it is still a site of significant importance to the Snoqualmie people. The Falls served as an important natural fort for the Snoqualmies from raiding canoes and enemies since the Falls are surrounded by three very high vertical cliffs.
Most of the water in the Falls comes from mountain snow and feeds into the Falls from the Snoqualmie River. The valley area gets an average of 61 inches of rain a year and the mountains 105 inches, mostly between October and March.
Geologists also recently discovered that the Falls flow over a 20 million year old extinct volcano. The geologists based their conclusion on the presence of “volcano bombs” which is heavy material that cannot travel far from the volcano site as well as the fact that the entire Falls area is dominated by lava flows which don’t move far from the volcano.
Snoqualmie Falls was shown in the TV show “Twin Peaks”. The property, owned by Puget Sound Energy, is on the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with the Snoqualmie people.
Snoqualmie Falls was first used as a power plant and a source for hydro electrical power in 1899. Today the water is diverted from the river for two nearby generator plants. Generator Plant Two alone has a capacity of 40,700 kilowatts.
We grabbed a geocache at the Falls and a couple more on the way back. We also saw a really neat totem pole at the entrance to the city limits. The totem pole is 43 feet tall and depicts the Native American story of the Raven creator Quq who according to legend placed 
the moon-child in the sky so fishermen would have light to spear salmon at night. The totem pole was carved from an old growth cedar by H.H. Hinds for his sweetheart and was erected in 1934. The totem pole is unique because it is carved all the way around instead of only on one side, and because it was carved by a white man. When the pole blew down in 1964 during a violent windstorm, serious rot was discovered and it wasn’t put back up until 1967. In 1981 it was taken down and determined to be unrepairable. From 1997 to 1999, the pole was restored by a team of people, including a local Boy Scout Troop, and was once again installed in 2001 where it has now stood off and on for 80 years. 
We really enjoyed our time in Fall City but it was only a two night stop and it’s time to move on towards Glacier National Park!
Bear. We noticed hikers on the trail with bells attached to their backpacks and one even had two metal Sierra cups that clanged together as he walked. These all did a great job of warning us that someone was coming up behind us, but truthfully the trail was so crowded that I expect any bears within miles had quickly retreated to someplace more quiet and peaceful. Early on the trail we saw a beautiful waterfall and could see where over time the rushing water had carved a canyon through the rock. Stunning! The views of the valley and mountains provided us with untouched beauty.
designed by Julia Morgan, who also was the architect for Hearst Castle.
