Thursday, June 19, 2014

Spencer Jack Not The Nephew In Danger Crossing A Rickety Methow River Suspension Bridge

I think it was Tuesday Spencer Jack's dad, my favorite nephew, Jason, emailed me pictures of Spencer Jack throwing rocks in the Skykomish River and skiing on a patch of snow near the summit of Stevens Pass, before continuing on to spend the night in Leavenworth, Washington's extremely popular Bavarian themed tourist town.

In addition to the emailed pictures, on Tuesday Jason also emailed a message, commenting regarding my Sunday Father's Day blogging, with a question or two, along with the tentative itinerary of Spencer Jack's drive around the Cascade Loop, including mentioning a stay in Chelan before continuing on to Winthrop.

Continuing on to Winthrop meant Spencer Jack would be driving up the Methow Valley. That had me replying to Jason's email, the germane part of which is the next paragraph...

Doing the Cascade Loop sounds fun. I don't think I've done that since you and Joey took me. Ironically I had a scary flashback to that yesterday when something caused me to remember you and Joey climbing out on a rickety old suspension bridge above the Methow River. Do not let Spencer Jack do that on your way to Winthrop.

Well, this morning in my email inbox I found fresh photos from Spencer Jack's dad, with those photos being pictures of the aforementioned rickety suspension bridge about which I clearly imparted my uncle wisdom regarding not letting Spencer Jack play on that bridge.

The text in the email accompanying the suspension bridge pictures simply said...

FUD-

Found this bridge for you today.   

-FNJason (not in danger)

To translate, FUD is Favorite Uncle Durango. One might look at the picture above and think, what with Jason indicating Favorite Nephew Jason is not in danger, that that is Spencer Jack making his way across the bridge. And in DANGER.

Well, that is not Spencer Jack, that is Spencer Jack's dad in the aforementioned incident from the last century, where Jason and Joey did not listen to their favorite uncle's suggestion that walking out on this bridge might not be a good idea.


It actually looks worse than the reality. The water, while moving fast, was not very deep. Had the bridge tossed them into the Methow River I'm sure I would have been able to fish them out, downstream a few miles, where the river calms down.


If I remember right the above photo documents the moment when I clearly indicated they were to go no further, which had Jason pleading that they wanted to continue to cross the bridge. However, I was able to successfully use my powers of persuasion to get the boys back on land.

And now, Jason photo documenting that this bridge is still presenting an attractive nuisance tempting tourists touring the Methow Valley.


That is Jason below, not Spencer Jack, taking what is known as a selfie with the rickety suspension bridge behind him.


I wonder if Jason was mortified when he returned to this bridge yesterday, realizing how he and his brother must have terrorized their uncle by trying to cross it.

These type adventures became known, over time, as Nephews in Danger episodes, never revealed to the various parental units til the following century.

I think I webpaged the Nephews in Danger episodes, but I'm not in the mood to try and find it. I'll try and remember some of the Nephews in Danger episodes.

Well, there was the time my nephews Christopher and Jeremy took me exploring the Ice Caves one accesses via the Mountain Loop Highway on the west side of Washington's Cascade Mountains. I don't know if exploring the Ice Caves is still allowed after someone met an untimely end from a falling big chunk of ice.

A Nephew in Danger episode I clearly remember involved only Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey. Joey convinced me it would be fun to climb up Sauk Mountain in a snowstorm with the switchback trail covered with a coat of ice. This Nephew in Danger episode was a bit scary.

One fun Nephews in Danger episode with Jason and Joey happened when they took me to Las Vegas. The nephews thought it sounded fun to drive to Badwater, that being the location of the lowest elevation below sea level in the Western Hemisphere, in Death Valley. The nephews had read that there was a possibility that that day might break the world's highest temperature record. By the time we got to Badwater it was only 124 degrees. No record. Little danger.

I just recalled the episode with Christopher and Jeremy on Tabletop Mountain by Mount Baker. Suffice to say sliding at high speed down a glacier could have gone all sorts of sideways. But it didn't.

Enough with the Nephews in Danger............

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