Incoming Spencer Jack Washington Wildfire Report On Way To Lake Chelan

Earlier this afternoon Tootsie Tonasket shared photos of a wildfire burning near her Eastern Washington town.

A few minutes ago incoming email  from Spencer Jack and his dad, with the photo you see here of a big wildfire on the shores of Lake Chelan. Also in Eastern Washington.

The other side of the mountains, as in Western Washington, with those mountains being the Cascades, is also burning.

Elsie Hotpepper will soon be heading to the sizzling Pacific Northwest, the Oregon part of the territory. I have read of no wildfires burning in Oregon so far.

Having a Hotpepper in the state may change that.

The message in the email from Spencer Jack and his dad said.....

Spencer Jack and I are en route to check out the burning part of our state.

We thought we'd be staying in Lake Chelan tonight, however, decided to stay in this Bavarian themed town we found along the way.

We will report back as necessary once we get to the front lines of the wild fires.

The Bavarian themed town Spencer Jack found on the way to Lake Chelan is Leavenworth. Leavenworth is the biggest, and  best, of the Washington themed tourist towns. Ironically, the last time I was in Leavenworth, a Saturday in August of 2001, wildfires were burning in the mountains above Leavenworth, with firefighters using Leavenworth as a staging area.

I have not been on Lake Chelan since way back in the last century. I believe the year was 1997 or 98. Not long before the exile to Texas, that I do remember. A floating group of eight took the Lady of the Lake from Manson at the south end of the lake, to Stehekin at the north end, to stay in the National Park Lodge in North Cascades National Park.

This was a bear filled four days. We were barely off the boat  before we had our first of dozens of bear encounters. I documented this Stehekin Lake Chelan excursion years ago in a web tale in three parts, beginning with the float up the lake and the bears, followed by hiking, and then our dining adventures, some accessed through a bear infested abandoned apple orchard.

I don't know if it is a good idea to turn viewing a wildfire into a tourist attraction. Wildfires can turn dangerous real  fast. I'm sure Spencer Jack and his dad will be careful....