Our trip to Cascade
So last weekend Babe and I took another trip, this time to a different side of the state about two hours away. His office organizes a staff retreat yearly and this would be his second time of participating since he joined the university three years ago. He couldn’t attend last year because he was pursuing me 😝 travelling all the way during summer to see me.
Anyway,, this time we were given a lovely cabin to share with two other couples without children. Usually, staff who come with their entire families have bigger spaces. However couples like us had to share. It wasn’t bad at all except it was a retreat so certain inconveniences are expected. For example, we had to come with our blankets and pillows, which we forgot to bring by the way because we hurriedly packed up. And then bath soaps were unavailable.
The first night and second mornings were incredibly warm and we had no AC in the room. However the hall of meeting was nice enough. I didn’t take pictures of the cabin we stayed in but it was beyond my expectations. I’d assumed we were going to camp, and would sleep in tents but this was better. Our “cabin” was a mini hotel, there was even a kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, stovetop, coffee maker and dining set to go with. There was a small living room with coffee tables and armchair. Quaint and lovely with simple decor. This place was amazing.
Now the surroundings was filled with all kinds of forestry and ‘untreated wood’. Sooah and I had a good laugh about ‘untreated wood’. We thought it was a ridiculous phrase because where we came from all wood was untreated and it didn't seem dangerous at all. Buthere, we were being warned to "be careful". Apparently it is a sign of danger to handle wood without finishing.
At night it was pitch dark and eerie. The silence was deafening. You could hear the little animals from a distance and it was quite weird. The air was pure when you walked down the road. And there were insects, bugs that resembled green mosquitoes circling around any source of light. They were all over our car as we drove round town.
That Friday night, we went into the small city and noticed it was inded very small. Sooah checked the population and saw there were 981 people living here. 981! We tried to interact with thepeople as we walked, driving through streets but it seemed there was nothing beyond two major roads including the highway. People were very down to earth and life is clearly simple for these folks. All stores were closed by 6 - 9 pm. We’d actually left the camp to try to get stockings as we didn’t anticipate the cold weather. Being as it was a town in the mountains, weather was really cool. I wondered how it would be in winter.
Anyway, after driving around a while and seeing that only one restaurant was open we decided to drop by. I ordered water and subsequently had their signature clam chowder soup which my husband thought was the most amazing, fantastic soup he’d ever tasted. He kept going on about how marvellous the soup was and I looked on. I did think it was an amazing soup however, considering I’d had fewer than three soups in my lifetime there was nothing to base my comparison of soups. We ordered another bowl and mentioned to the waiteress how great the soup was. She was happy to hear that and said the soup was prepared by the owner of the restaurant. I subsequently had fish and fries while Sooah had steak.
The program ended on Saturday night with some singing, hymns and prayers. The next morning I was so knocked out that I couldn't make the Sunday worship. ABout 2 hours later- 10 am, everyone set out to return to their various homes. We were literally the last set to leave the premises. all in all, we had a wonderful time! We passed by the restaurant to grab two cups of soup before heading out of this lovely little town.
Anyway,, this time we were given a lovely cabin to share with two other couples without children. Usually, staff who come with their entire families have bigger spaces. However couples like us had to share. It wasn’t bad at all except it was a retreat so certain inconveniences are expected. For example, we had to come with our blankets and pillows, which we forgot to bring by the way because we hurriedly packed up. And then bath soaps were unavailable.
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| We stayed at this humble homestead in the Nazarene Camp |
The first night and second mornings were incredibly warm and we had no AC in the room. However the hall of meeting was nice enough. I didn’t take pictures of the cabin we stayed in but it was beyond my expectations. I’d assumed we were going to camp, and would sleep in tents but this was better. Our “cabin” was a mini hotel, there was even a kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, stovetop, coffee maker and dining set to go with. There was a small living room with coffee tables and armchair. Quaint and lovely with simple decor. This place was amazing.
Now the surroundings was filled with all kinds of forestry and ‘untreated wood’. Sooah and I had a good laugh about ‘untreated wood’. We thought it was a ridiculous phrase because where we came from all wood was untreated and it didn't seem dangerous at all. Buthere, we were being warned to "be careful". Apparently it is a sign of danger to handle wood without finishing.
At night it was pitch dark and eerie. The silence was deafening. You could hear the little animals from a distance and it was quite weird. The air was pure when you walked down the road. And there were insects, bugs that resembled green mosquitoes circling around any source of light. They were all over our car as we drove round town.
That Friday night, we went into the small city and noticed it was inded very small. Sooah checked the population and saw there were 981 people living here. 981! We tried to interact with thepeople as we walked, driving through streets but it seemed there was nothing beyond two major roads including the highway. People were very down to earth and life is clearly simple for these folks. All stores were closed by 6 - 9 pm. We’d actually left the camp to try to get stockings as we didn’t anticipate the cold weather. Being as it was a town in the mountains, weather was really cool. I wondered how it would be in winter.
Anyway, after driving around a while and seeing that only one restaurant was open we decided to drop by. I ordered water and subsequently had their signature clam chowder soup which my husband thought was the most amazing, fantastic soup he’d ever tasted. He kept going on about how marvellous the soup was and I looked on. I did think it was an amazing soup however, considering I’d had fewer than three soups in my lifetime there was nothing to base my comparison of soups. We ordered another bowl and mentioned to the waiteress how great the soup was. She was happy to hear that and said the soup was prepared by the owner of the restaurant. I subsequently had fish and fries while Sooah had steak.
The program ended on Saturday night with some singing, hymns and prayers. The next morning I was so knocked out that I couldn't make the Sunday worship. ABout 2 hours later- 10 am, everyone set out to return to their various homes. We were literally the last set to leave the premises. all in all, we had a wonderful time! We passed by the restaurant to grab two cups of soup before heading out of this lovely little town.
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