September 8, 2013 Concrete, Washington

 

In Marblemount there was this statue of a Sasquatch, an eagle and a totem pole in the yard next to the gas station.  We headed into Concrete, Washington. Because of the good clay and limestone in the area two concrete plants opened in 1890’s. To demonstrate the durability of their product most of the central business district was rebuilt with with concrete following a 1921 fire. In 1916 they built the first bridge of reinforced concrete east of town.  These silos are built of concrete.

The police and fire station built out of concrete, and of course the Concrete High school is concrete.

The 1916 concrete Thompson bridge over the Baker river. Right below the bridge is the Baker Adult Fish Trap. They trap the salmon coming upstream to spawn  in hoppers and put them into Salmon taxi’s and transport them around the hydroelectric dams etc. to special salmon spawning beaches. When the hatchlings are big enough they bring them back around to the river.

We came to this area to stay at another Harvest Host Winery. The Challenger Ridge Vineyard. The bus is the last tiny speck on the left of the second photo in the back. This was originally a chicken farm built in the early 1900’s. In the 1990’s it was sold to a Frenchman who planted the vineyard as an experiment for the University of Washington. It was the first vineyard in the area.  They only grow pinot grapes because the reds need more heat and less moisture than there is here. In 2006 he  lost his funding and sold it to a group of investors who own it now.

Our camp spot next to a pond in the vineyard. This is much fancier than most Harvest hosts. The tasting room-the old chicken house.

The camping is so nice  because anyone can camp here if they buy wine. Sandy poured our wine tasters. They also make brandy, but you can’t serve tastes in the same room as wine, so they had this speak easy in the next room so we could taste the brandy.

After we got set up we went to the Birdsview Brewery down the road. The inside of the brew pub. Those are growlers from other brewery's on the wall. We spotted a couple Fort Collins brewery’s- Coopersmiths and New Belgium.

We sat in their beer garden out back and imbibed. Met a couple local men and learned about the area. They have a stage out there too, where they have Bird Stock concerts.

Back at the vineyard Trent, the vineyard manager took his goats home, he has them do the ‘pruning’ of the encroaching black berry bushes. The investors are not around, so he is our host. He says he loves living here because it is a beautiful paradise here. They also have a big tent used for Glamping-glamorous  camping near by.

Our view of evening light over the vineyard while John cooked dinner.