Chapter 19: Captured

The ceremony and dance had been a moving experience for the little group. It had left them thoughtful and quiet on the drive back to the hotel.

"Poppa," Sean said, as they pulled into the parking lot. "David was born here, but he was raised in Eastern Washington. I think it was a place called Yakima. Is that right?"

Seth nodded as he set the parking brake and said, "His mom was from a different tribe that's located in Eastern Washington. The way I understand it, they moved to David's mom's home to care for her mom. I think I remember David saying one time that his grandpa was killed in a wreck and his grandma was hurt. They had to move back to Yakima to care for her. Why?"

"Well, the dance made me think about David. I could almost feel him there with us," Sean said slowly. "This trip is about David. We probably won't be coming back to this area anytime soon. Wouldn't it make sense to at least drive through the area where he was raised?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Seth said thoughtfully. "We could cross the Cascade Mountains and drive south through Idaho and Utah. It might take a day longer but, that's not a problem. What do the rest of you think?"

"I think it's a good idea," Megan said excitedly. The rest of the group agreed with varying levels of enthusiasm.

Lian and Cory had been to the United States before, but had always visited a specific location and flown back home. This visit to the United States had lasted years, but they had only seen the area around Phoenix, until this trip. The drive north had been fascinating to both of them. Returning south by a different route, had their hearty approval.

Liz was interested in seeing Eastern Washington. She had never been to this part of the country and was enjoying the trip.

Brennan didn't care where he went, as long as he was with Cory.

John and Udit had been to the Yakima area and didn't care one way or the other about how long it took to return to Phoenix. The land around Yakima was very similar to a lot of the land around Phoenix, except it got colder in the winter.

"Good enough," Seth said. "We'll pick a route in the morning. Better yet, I'll check with Victor when he meets us for breakfast."

"That's a good idea," John said. "Dad still works for the forest service and knows every road in the state. Tell him what you want to see and he'll find a road to get there."

The next morning, Victor chuckled when Seth told him what John had said.

"He's probably right," Victor agreed. "I think I've been on every paved road in the state and most of the unpaved ones. What do you want to see?"

"We wanted to drive through Yakima and at least see the area where David grew up," Seth explained. "What I don't want to do is jump on a freeway and get the sanitized view of the country."

"The freeway engineers can tear up a lot of country to put in a road," Victor agreed sourly. "There's probably a good reason they need a path through the country side that's a half mile wide, but I don't know what it is. Do you have a state highway map?"

"Sure," Seth replied as he pulled out the highway maps he was carrying in a pouch.

Victor looked them over before asking, "What would you like to see, and how much time do you have to see it?"

"We would like to see some pretty country, but don't want to extend the trip for longer than a day or two," Seth said.

Victor nodded and said, "I know a route that will take you past some of the prettiest country on earth. It will take the rest of today and most of tomorrow to get to Yakima though. Is that okay?

Seth nodded and Victor said, "Good enough. I can't show you on these maps. They don't have enough detail. I have some in the truck. I'll be right back."

Minutes later, Victor returned with a topographical map used by the US Forest Service. He selected one of Seth's maps and spread it out on the table.

"Okay," Victor said, glancing over the map. "Start by going south on I-5 to Woodland. Take State Route 503 out of Woodland. You'll be going east into the Cascades." He squinted at the map and pulled out a pen. "Right about here, 503 turns south," he said as he made a mark on the map. "Another road goes straight. That's the Lewis River Road. It might have a sign saying State Route 90. For some reason, kids like to tear the signs down and put them on their wall. The state keeps putting them back up but... " He shrugged.

Victor unfolded his topographical map that showed the southern half of Washington state and found the same location before marking it. "Follow the Lewis River road east, to the north end of Swift Reservoir, a mile past the dam. You should be able to make it that far before the end of today with no problem. The tribe has a campground there so you can stay there over night. You'll have to make a decision because there are two routes east from there. You can go south on 90, all the way to Carson on the Columbia River, and then take State Route 14 east before going back north on US Route 97, to Yakima. Or, instead of going south on 90, you can go north on Forest Road 25. That's a Forest Road but they keep it in pretty good shape. The Forest Service uses it as the main north-south route in the mountains. You can take that all the way north to US Route 12, which will take you right into downtown Yakima."

"How long does the route up to 12 and into Yakima take?" Seth asked as he looked at the map. His finger was following the twists and turns of the Forest Road as it made its way through the mountains.

"That's a good eight hour drive to get into Yakima," Victor said. "But, like I said, you don't need to make that decision until you get to the camp grounds. The road splits about a mile past them."

"I know where the camp grounds are located," John volunteered. "It's a pretty area."

Seth nodded thoughtfully as he looked at the map. He looked around his little group and asked, "Does anyone see a reason not to go that route?"

"Another route would be just going north on I-5 and take State Route 12 East. It might be an easier drive with the trailer. You'll be seeing a lot of that sanitized version of the state though," Victor warned as he traced the route with his finger on the map.

"If we go that route..." John said as he followed his father's finger. "We could stay at the Taidnapam Camp." He looked at Sean and said, "That's where we stayed when I went through my ceremony welcoming me to adulthood."

Victor chuckled and said, "And you certainly thought you were all grown up, too."

"Well, I was only thirteen," John said with a blush.

Victor laughed at John's defense but said, "Don't worry about it, Son. I was a lot worse at that age."

"Do you think we would have problems with the trailer if we take 503?" Seth asked, ignoring the byplay.

"I know you wouldn't have problems as far as the camp grounds," Victor replied thoughtfully as he focused back on the map. "You wouldn't have any problems with the Wind River Road going south to Carson either. The Wind River road is paved and kept clear most of the year."

Victor leaned over and peered at the map closer before finding what he was looking for. "You can stop at this Ranger Station about five miles before the camp ground. They can tell you what kind of shape the forest road is in. I don't think you would have a problem but sometimes you can hit quite a bit of washboard."

Seth snorted and said, "Come down to the Bradshaw Mountains sometime. I don't think that there's a dirt road in the range that isn't mostly washboard."

Looking around the little group, Seth said, "I think it would be interesting to take the 503 route. What do you guys think?"

He was answered by nods and shrugs.

An hour later, they were driving through some of the most spectacular scenery any of them had ever seen. Towering pines that reached over two hundred feet in height were only dwarfed by the mountains surrounding them. Every twist and turn in the road exposed another breath taking sight. John kept up a running narrative about what they were seeing. His pride in his home area could clearly be heard in his voice.

"That's Lake Merwin on the right," he said at one point. "We used to come up here for the annual salmon harvest and celebration."

"Your tribe seems to have a celebration for everything," Sean pointed out grinning.

John thought a moment before grinning back and saying, "I guess we do, but, life is a celebration." He shrugged and his grin got wider when he said, "We're just better at finding the best times to add the exclamation points to life's celebration than white men."

"Well said," Udit commented approvingly.

"That's Mount St. Helens on the left," John said a little later. He was pointing at a towering, snow covered peak to their north. "It's a volcano."

"Really?" Megan asked curiously. "Can it blow up?"

"I don't think so," John answered with a smile. "I think the last time it had any activity was in the 1840's or 50's."

They stopped in the little town of Yale to buy food they could cook over a camp fire. The little store had some fresh trout that some of the local men had caught that morning. Some home canned green beans and homemade bread rounded out what promised to be an excellent meal. They also got some marshmallows. No camping trip was complete without roasting some marshmallows!

The stop at the ranger station confirmed that the northern route was cleared and well maintained. The forest service had sent a grader down the road to groom it and repair any damage from the previous winter.

The camp they stayed at had cabins, but cooking was done over an outdoor grill at the center of the cluster of cabins. Sanitary facilities were outhouses that drew an, "Ewww," from Megan.

The cabins were nice and the bunk beds were acceptable. Sean and Megan thought the sleeping bags they would need to use were the height of adventure.

Liz grilled the fresh trout, and warmed up the beans. Lian made a sauce for the fish from ingredients she found at the store. Everyone appreciated their efforts. Seth and Udit had cooked for the family before. No one was impressed. Cory and John had claimed the ability to burn water while trying to boil it. Brennan claimed to be a good cook but, Cory warned everyone that it wasn't an adventure they wanted to try.