Humpback Creek Falls, 2026

 

 

 

 Sign at the trailhead

 

The same day we visited Franklin Falls we also went to Humpback Creek Falls.  These falls are seen from the bridge on the Annette Lake trail.  There is a large parking area at the trail head and an older small outhouse that did not have toilet paper the day we were there.  I think most hikers are prepared for lack of TP and carry some just in case.  We always have TP, hand sanitizer, plenty of water, bug repellent, and wear packs with other essentials. 

 

 

 

Junction sign for the Asahel Curtis Nature trail and Annette Lake

 

It is a short, ½ mile RT, steep up, with lots of rocks and roots, to the Annette Lake bridge but the view was spectacular.  All the way to Annette Lake would be about an 8 mile RT hike.

 

 

 Humpback Creek Falls 

 

 

 

 

Count for the day:

 

8 people, 1 dog

1/2 mile RT 

Forest Service Pass required 

 

 

Franklin Falls, 2026

 

 

 

Sign at the trailhead parking lot

We were here two years ago.  That day it had been raining, was cloudy, with mud on the trail and slippery rocks.  We saw 11 people and 3 dogs.  Franklin Falls is an extremely popular trail especially when there is the promise of a lot of water rushing down the falls.  The trail is steep.  I did not count, but there are perhaps hundreds of steps.  The surface of the trail is packed dirt and gravel with some rocks and roots.  This time the weather was mostly sunny with scattered clouds.  The temperature was low 50s F.  Gusty winds made the wind chill about 45 F.  A comfortable temperature for going uphill.   

 

This time we counted 50 people and 1 dog.  That includes a couple of families with infants and/or young children.  This can be an in and out hike on the main trail, or a loop by taking the Wagon Road back to the trail head about 2.4 miles RT.  The large double outhouse at the main parking lot was open.  The designated handicapped parking lot below also has an outhouse but one side was still closed for the winter. 

 

 South Fork Snoqualmie river

 

The main trail follows beside the South Fork Snoqualmie River.  The pleasant sound of rushing water together with peek-a-boo views continue all the way.  There are many rapids and clear pools to admire as you go along.  A viewing platform of the lower or little Franklin Falls is found before reaching the main falls.  

 

 Lower or Little Franklin Falls 

 

 

 

 A sample of the steps and part of one of the new bridges

 

   

After all the stairs up to that point it was nice to stop and enjoy Little Franklin Falls before continuing on up the rest of the way.  After cresting the hill the trail leads down to the main falls. The way down to the small beach at the foot of the falls has rock steps that can be wet and slippery.  There is one very narrow section where it is difficult to see if someone is coming up from below and just barely enough room for others to pass by.  Once down at the beach, flowing water has to be crossed on rocks and/or a log to get up close to the falls.  

 

 

Getting closer...

 

 

Franklin Falls

 

      

This area was logged and is a second growth forest which means most of the current trees are a similar size and there are lots of nurse logs or stumps that have newer trees growing on them.  Every once a and while we find a big old growth tree or an interesting one. 

 

 

Big old growth tree with fancy roots

 

 

 Junction sign

 

We elected to take the Wagon Road trail back to the parking area.  No steps(!) but a lot more downed trees on Wagon Road trail than were on the main trail.  Also, a couple of places to go under, around, or over.  All along the entire loop there were trillium blooming.  

 

 Going under a downed tree...

 

 

 

 and around another one 

 

 

 Trail crews have been busy putting in new foot bridges over marshy areas or running water since the last time we were here. 

 

A small variety of wildflowers were in bloom.

 

 

 Skunk Cabbage

 

 

Salmon berry

 

 

 Yellow Stream Violet

 

 

 Trillium

 

 

 Marsh Marigold

 

 

 Bleeding Heart

 

 

 Count for the day:

 

50 people, includes babies and young children, 1 dog

2.4 miles approximately RT

400 ft elevation gain

Forest Service Pass required 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 762

  

 

 

 

54 - “Rose Hill” Home of Thomas Johnson, First Governor of Marylalnd, Frederick, Maryland

 

This used postcard features a color picture of Rose Hill.  At first glance looked like a Linen card; however, it does not have linen texture.  There is a blurb at the upper left on the reverse:  Rose Hill, Home of Thomas Johnson, First governor of Maryland.  Located about 2 miles south of Frederik, a few hundred yards from U.S. 15 is this beautiful estate home of Maryland’s first Governor, a man whose ability as a legislator statesman, and lawyer was of inestimable value to the nation in its formative state.”  At the bottom center line on the reverse is:  Marken & Bielfeld, Inc. Frederick, Maryland.

 

 

Double cancelation marks

 

  

Here is an oddity regarding the card, note the two cancellation marks.  I had not seen a double cancellation on a postcard before.  The round stamp is dated October 10, 1932, while the purple inked mark over the stamp is dated November 30, 1946.  The how and why are a mystery as it seems doubtful that the card could have been mailed twice.

 

Rose Hill is the name of the mansion built in 1790 and located on part of a larger of tract of land previous owned by Benjamin Tasker.  That tract, 7,000, was divided into smaller lots.  A 225-acre tract was given by Governor Thomas Johnson to his eldest daughter, Ann Jennings Johnson, as a wedding gift when she married Major John Colin Graham.  After the governor’s wife died, he moved in as guest of his daughter at Rose Hill. 

 

The house is a 2 ½ story house, white frame, brick wall mansion that took over 8 years to complete.  It has a fieldstone foundation and a formal fieldstone walled garden with an orchard that covers approximately half an acre.  The Wikipedia.org article has descriptions of the various rooms and outbuildings.  Today it called Rose Hill Manor Park & Children’s Museum.  The museum is child-friendly with a hands-on environment that teaches what life was like during the life of Governor Thomas Johnson.  The displays include tractors, antique farm machinery, tools and equipment, a carpentry shop and a broom shop.  Johnson was born in 1732 and died in 1819. 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Hill_Manor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Johnson_(judge)

 

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 761

 

 

 

 

 

  

233 - Côte d’Émeraude, Dinard, La Passerelle Émeraude – Les Casinos

[Photo :  Quest Henne]

 

A Vintage black & white unused postcard from the early 1900s features a picture of the Emerald Coast or Côte d’Émeraude, Dinard France.  The title with a identifying number is printed at the top of thepicture.  Barely visible at the lower right corner is Photo-Quest Henne.  The card has a divided back but no information about the publisher, printer, or distributor.  Using a magnifying glass, it is possible to discern the clothing that helps date the picture to the early 1900s.  Women are wearing long dresses, the men are in suits, some wearing hats. 

 

Dinard is a community located in Brittany, France.  The beaches and mild climate make it a popular seaside resort and tourist destination.  Attractions include film festivals, casinos, and deluxe hotels.  The photo shows beach cabanas and hotels and casinos in the background.  The Thursday postcard from 5 January 2023, #589, also features Dinard and includes pictures of the famous luxury villas.  Although it retains its French charm, it is also known as one of the most British coastal resorts in France. 

 

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinard

Cheese Rock, Teanaway Community Forest, 2026

  

 

 

 

 

New signs going up in the Teanaway Community Forest!

 

The various fascinating rock formations in the Teanaway Community Forest are mostly sandstone with wind erosion holes.  The surface of the rock looks like it should be smooth and soft to the touch but feels like coarse sandpaper when tested with a finger or the palm of the hand.  We hiked to Cheese Rock in October 2023.  [To see that report, put Cheese Rock in the blog search box.]   

 

This time we went with good friends who had not been here before.  It is a 3.5-mile RT with ups and downs, some quite steep. Total elevation gains about 400 feet that feels like more than that in a couple of places due to the steepness.  There is one double outhouse and a brand new additional single outhouse in the enlarged trailhead parking area.  There are two approaches to Cheese Rock, one goes up the Vesper Rock slab, the other is on an old logging road for most of the way, branching off to the left on a rutted wide path up to the rock.  Both times we have been to Cheese Rock we have used the old logging road.

 

   

Charlie checking out the llama’s packs

 

 Dot and Peggy

  

Dot has longer legs and a wider body than Peggy but both are Ccaras llamas, a special breed used as pack animals.

 

Last time we were here we saw llamas on an exercise route and their handlers.  Imagine the delighted surprise when I saw the llamas again.  This time the animals were wearing packs and getting used to carrying extra weight before the official hiking and camping season begins about a month from now.  We talked with Charlie, the handler, and found out that he has 6 of these llamas on a ranch/farm close to the community forest.  It makes a convenient and ideal place to exercise and train the llamas.

 

 Jack the horse and rider

 

This is wild turkey hunting season.  We encountered a total of 4 hunters, dressed in camo gear, with shot guns, and two of them had plastic turkey decoys strapped on their backpacks.  They had not seen any turkeys; however, and were on their way out back to the trail head.  Shortly after talking with the second group of two hunters, we met a woman who was riding a horse.  She told us the horse was named Jack.  She asked where we were headed and we said Cheese Rock and she raised two thumbs up.  She said she had been riding all over the forest trails that day.  She smiled and said she had seen turkeys but didn’t tell the hunters.     

 

 We made it to Cheese Rock

 

 

Ron and Bob smiling in front of Cheese Rock

 

We had no rain, only high clouds, peek-a-boo sunshine, and 15 to 20 mph winds at the top by Cheese Rock.  The temperature stayed around 55 degrees F.  From the top we could see down the rock slab route up to where we were.  Someone was going down.

 

 

 Someone going back down the slab route

 

  

When I took this picture, we could not tell if the person was male or female, only that they were walking down the rock slab.  Later when we reached the main trail back to the parking area, we met the woman who turned out be the one in this picture.  She was hiking by herself and had taken the alternate route up the slab then got about this far when she thought it was not safe to continue up and turned around.  She then went back down a bit, took another trail, and ended up going up to Split Rock instead.  While we had encountered other people on our hike, we were the first people she had seen all day.  

 

   

View looking toward Mt. Stuart from Cheese Rock

 

Bonus for the day was meeting and talking with a volunteer on a bike who was posting signage all along several of the trails.  He provided some historical information as well as answering our questions, then letting us know that a new section of the forest would be open beginning in June. 

 

Spring is a good time to look for and admire the wildflowers.  What did we find along the way?

 

 

 Ballhead Waterleaf

 

 

 

 Arnica

 

 

 Arrowleaf Balsam Root

 

 

Glacier Lilies

 

 

Larkspur

 

 White Lomatium and Ponderosa Pine Cones

 

Spring Beauty

 

 

 White Rhododendron, Alba Albiflorum

 

This rhododendron is found in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada.   Here it is growing almost out of the rock on a windy high spot.

 

 Pink Lupine

 

 Purple/Dark Blue Lupine

 

The purple or blue lupine is more common.  We had not seen a pink lupine in the wild before this.  Commercial garden lupine can be almost any color.

 

Count for the day:

 

13 people, 5 dogs

RT 3.5 miles

Elevation gain:  400 feet

Discover Pass required

 

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 760

 

 

 

 

 

Elevator Building at the Carlsbad Cavern National Park, New Mexico

 

This is an unused linen postcard featuring the elevator building at the Carlsbad Cavern National Park in New Mexico.  At the bottom left, the photograph is attributed to Kennicott.  The code:  4A-H141 is found at the lower right corner on the frontside.  The title is placed on the top margin.  Linen cards were first introduced in 1930 and were popular until the early 1950s.  They were made from a higher rag content paper and have a definite texture. 

 

On the reverse of the card C.L. White, White City, N.M. is found along the left side margin.    Along the center line is “Genuine Curteich Chicago, ‘C.T. Art-Colortone’ post card.”  There is a blurb at the upper left corner:  “Jim White, the discoverer and explorer of Carlsbad Caverns has his experiences written up in a book of thirty-two pages with 30 illustrations, of which 16 subjects are in beautiful colors, and a wonderful colored cover entitled: ‘Jim White’s Own Story.”  Be sure and read these thrilling experiences of a lone cowboy three days under the world in Carlsbad Caverns.  Born July 1, 1882, died April 28, 1946.” 

 

The Carlsbad Cavens National Park, established in 1930,  is located southeastern New Mexico about 18 miles southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico.  The caverns are the main attraction of the park.  Visitors entery the caverns by taking the elevator or hiking via a natural entrance.  The limestone Big Room is the largest such chamber in North America.  It is almost 4,000 ft or 1220 m long, 625 ft or 191 m wide, and 255 ft or 78 m high at the highest point.  In 1995 it was recognized as a World Heritage Site. 

 

The existence of the caverns had been known by Native Americans for hundreds of years but it is not known how far or if these earlier people went into the caves.  The first modern cave exploration is credited to James Larkin White, aka Jim White, in 1898.  He was a 16-year-old cowboy rounding up stray cattle when he thought he saw smoke from wildfire.  He rode out to investigate but did not smell or hear crackling fire.  When he got closer, he realized that it was not smoke but thousands of bats.  Full of curiosity and keeping the caves a secret for a time, he returned, made a ladder using some rope, fence wire, and a hatchet to cut nearby shrubs.   He held a homemade kerosene lantern in one hand and descended into darkness.  Five days after his first venture into the caves, he returned with a Mexican boy about his same age.  They brought food, water, fuel and homemade torches and began a 3-day exploration.  The place names within the caverns are the names Jim gave them as he continued explore the caverns.  The areas he explored are approximately the same areas of the cave that tourist trails cover today. For many years he was associated with the caverns in various capacities including Chief Ranger, 1926 - 1929.  

 

A previous Thursday postcard, #353,on 31 May 2018, has a photograph taken inside the Big Room at Carlsbad. 

 

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsbad_Caverns_National_Park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Larkin_White

https://www.nps.gov/cave/blogs/jim-white-cave-explorer.htm