Biking in the path of a volcano and a visit to the Skystone

A bright morning awaited us today. After a breakfast of cereal and a pastry from the nearby coffee kiosk Sarah and I waited around until the groceries came then headed out on the scenic route towards the townlet of McMillan in the Puyallup River valley on highway 162. Just there, near the confluence of the Puyallup and Carbon Rivers, we parked in a lot meant for users of the Foothills walking, jogging, rollerblading, biking and whatever trail. For the 5.5 miles we biked one-way on this trail it proved to be quite the rural treasure. From the start there are sweeping views of the surrounding foothills, housing developments, and Mt. Rainier (the volcano we were in the path of). Further in and once it passes through the town of Orting the trail stays away from the road and the only roar that can be heard is that of the Carbon River. Even further along and now away from the river it passes through some pasture land and woods. The highlight of the ride for me had to be crossing streams on the former train tressel that now served as an important part of the path.

It was a stunning day to be out biking and I'm sure Sarah and I will make use of this particular trail again. After that we headed out to the nearby Naches Terrace housing subdivision to see the Bonney Lake skystone that we'd heard about at a recent Tacoma Astronomical Society meeting. Well hidden behind a neighborhood playground and a nearby house, the mammoth stone sits surrounded by a chain link fence and ever-encroaching blackberry bushes. Although without an experienced academic to point out the intricicies of the markings we could see cup marks much like those we saw in stones on a recent trip to the Scottish Highlands. I'll likely give a call to the city of Bonney Lake at some point in the near future to find out what plans they have for the stone. For now Sarah and I were tempted by a house for sale less than a hundred yards from the stone. We thought, although a chessy, modern subdivision, we could become the stone's keepers. Skip that. Someday I'll have enough spare cash to buy up the whole subdivision, knock down the houses, and build an interpretive center with help from local Native American tribes. That after I buy up a couple of my favorite buildings in downtown Tacoma.

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