This Weekend I..., grouse hunting and the High Steel Bridge

And

Joining Susan for...

Please visit A Southern Daydreamer for

more Outdoor Wednesday posts.

~*~

• 
  
  Did lots of sewing


• 
  
  picked blackberries


• 
  
  made a wild blackberry buckle


• 
  
  had an awesome dinner at friends


• 
  
  ate the blackberry buckle with friends


• 
  
  sewed some more


• 
  
  heard one of the best sermons ever, delivered by our Youth Pastor


• 
  
  marked logs for Gentleman Farmer to cut for firewood


• 
  
  went grocery shopping


• 
  
  picked up a ready- to -bake pizza


• 
  
  baked ready- to- bake pizza and ate it


• 
  
  listed items I sewed in my Etsy store


• 
  
  went grouse hunting with Gentleman Farmer
  (story follows)

Thanks Becky, for hosting This Weekend I...

Why not stop over and see what others did this weekend?

~*~*~*~*~

Gentleman Farmer asked if I would join him

for a morning of grouse hunting. Of course

I couldn't refuse. We drove up into the hills

near where I grew up. We didn't see one grouse,

but enjoyed the scenery just the same!

I've traveled these hills for nearly 50 years

hunting, camping, Christmas tree hunting, and

snow sledding and tubing with friends and

family. I thought perhaps you might enjoy

what we saw, too!

Acre upon acre, mile upon mile of gorgeous

evergreen forests!

Who needs grouse when you can feast your

eyes on such spectacular beauty!

A road less traveled

Early Autumn splendor

Pearly everlasting
(blogger has turned my pic again!)

Golden ferns in their seasonal finery


An old 'burn' that reminded me of the tundra
in Alaska

A splash of sunshiny yellow provided by wild tansy.

~*~

And then we came here!

The High Steel Bridge over the Skokomish River.

I haven't been here in a few years, but I used to come

here lots of times as a child when hunting with my Grandpa

and boy cousins (we were all raised by my grandparents

so I call them my brothers.)

I must preface this part of the story

with a little history (mine).

Once when I was around 7 years old, I went

hunting with said brothers and we crossed

this bridge. It looked different then, it had not

yet been rebuilt. The railings were shorter, and made of

wood. It was great fun to stand in the middle of this bridge

and peer down into the canyon to the river below.

(This bridge is over 600 feet above the river below

and many people hiking to the bottom have fallen

and been killed. Hiking is now forbidden but many

continue to do it. Just last week, a 16 year old, hiking

with friends, fell and had to be rescued. She is now in

critical condition in a hospital. )

Boys being boys, my eldest cousin/brother picked me up

and held me over the edge and laughingly said he

was going to drop me!!!

(Please understand, this guy is very strong and NEVER would

have hurt me in any way. He is just a big tease!)

BUT....

I have never been the same since!

I am now afraid of heights!

I don't enjoy flying!

I used to have very vivid nightmares about

falling off this bridge.

I haven't had those dreams for over 20 years

so I thought I would be okay

going out on the bridge this day.

Here I am about one third of the way across

I even came to the edge and held the camera over to snap this photo!
(though I couldn't look!)



More shots just holding the camera over ~

I'm kind of amazed that they turned out so well!

(I looked at them when I got home!)

and this one on the other side of the bridge...

and even this one...

(I'm still not looking!)

and this one!

Then it happened!

I started to feel sick, dizzy and nearly in tears,

panicking, I handed the camera to Gentleman Farmer

and he finished taking photos

while I quickly got off the bridge!

UGH!

I feel dizzy just looking at these pics!

But I didn't have any dreams of falling!

:~D

~*~

~Epilogue~

We came home and one of GF's hunting buddies

called and said he got a few grouse while hunting

that day!

He brought us some and we did have

it for dinner.

Thanks, friend!

~*~

Please follow the link highlighted above, for some

info and more photos on

The High Steel Bridge.

~*~

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him."

Psalm 103:11