Mike and I closed the farmhouse on Monday, December 28. Taking the tree down and storing it before New Year's Day is just wrong in my opinion, but we really had no choice. The artificial tree sits in a window with southern exposure, meaning lots of winter sun, and it does fade the ornaments. I also emptied the refrigerator. I had never thought of it before this "country living" experience, but the refrigerator quits running in a cold environment. It's best to turn it off. Even though we didn't have a lot of left-over food, there were still staples and freezer items to be packed up and assimilated into the refrigerator and freezer in town. And – I also checked the pantry cupboard and packed up cereal and crackers that might become stale over the next months as well as oils which don't freeze well. I like to think of the house as well-stocked, just in case of an emergency, but on the other hand, it's good to rotate food. So, we have plenty of food in our town larder right now. Once we were packed, Mike turned off the water and drained the pipes, flushed and winterized the commodes, turned off the refrigerator – and now we can't use the house until spring, even if we should want to. It's really a nuisance to have to winterize, but it just has to be done. (And yes, we did learn that the hard way.)
But, when we left the farm on the 28th, we had to leave the 4-wheeler behind because it wouldn't start, necessitating a return trip to pick it up. We planned the trip for today – cold but sunny. I was really glad to go. I had a laundry basket full of laundry and such to return, and I had a list of things to pick up – vintage recipe pamphlets, my copy of Laura Ingles Wilder, Farm Journalist; my copy of Eleanor Burns' Egg Money Quilts; a soft-sculpture doll in progress – and Mike had some things on the list, too (dull, uninteresting, useful stuff).
We left about 9:00 and traveled by our favorite route – Hwy 12 to Orofino, then up the Gilbert Grade. Now, the Gilbert Grade is a steep, narrow, gravel road that winds 10 miles from Orofino on the Clearwater River up the mountain to the flat region on top known as Gilbert where our farm home is located. I can think of two individuals who have had anxiety attacks on the grade. And I can think of at least one person who has refused to travel the grade. We seldom hear of accidents, but we did read of one this week. A woman descending the grade had somehow managed to go over at a point near the top. Our Gilbert neighbor and former farmer who is now chief deputy with the sheriff's office saw the tracks, investigated, and brought help in a timely manner. Apparently the woman's injuries were minor. We watched for the exact spot but really couldn't see anything.
"This will be so much easier today if the 4-wheeler will start," commented Mike as we approached the farm. Well, he got his wish. We were relieved that he was able to drive the 4-wheeler onto the trailer. I anticipated as much and didn't dally in unpacking my basket and gathering the things
I wanted. The weather station said the outside temp was 26.5 while inside it was 37. We were there about half an hour.
Pulling the trailer, Mike decided to return to the valley via our alternate route which takes us to Hwy 95. Ironically, we saw the most winter of the whole trip on the Winchester Grade – broken snow floor and snowy trees. We had no problems and were home about 1:00. KW
6 comments:
I feel no shame in anxiety on the Gilbert grade, especially with Dad driving. If I remember the grade right, it is a 1-lane dirt road that hairpins about every 100 yards, always affording a beautiful view of a nearly sheer 1000-3000 foot drop to the Clearwater. I'll gladly take the long way over the prairie and be called chicken. (Plus taking that way from Lewiston, you get to see the fantastic old wooden train trestle bridges.)
It's all right with me if you don't drive the grade, and I wouldn't encourage anyone to traverse it who doesn't want to. But, next time you're out, you should go to the pull-out at the top of the grade and renew your memory of that panoramic vista. Take your camera. I've never posted photos of the grade. I should do that in 2010. In fact, we should stop often at the top.
I have similar memories to Murray of what the grade was like when I was little. It seems like there was at least one spot where there was truly only room enough for ONE car and to meet an oncoming vehicle would mean someone backing up. I feel that the grade is much improved.
Yes, they have improved some of the most narrow spots, but it's still a narrow, winding grade. And there are vistas in the first two miles from the top that in my opinion are as worthy of note as any in the world. I resolve in 2010 to take more photos as we travel the grade.
My Mom remembers her first trip up the grade: 4th of July 1947, up to Grangeville for the rodeo with a group of friends. She said it was so awful she couldn't stop thinking about having to drive back down the whole time she was in Grangeville and didn't enjoy a minute of the fun. I'm sure the road was even more terrible back then.
It would be interesting to know what Gilbert Grade was like in 1947. Mike and I had quite a discussion about the fact that they went to Grangeville by way of the Gilbert Grade. I would go the river road to Kooskia and then on to Harpster and the Harpster Grade to the prairie. But Mike said who knows what that route was like in 1947. Perhaps it wasn't paved beyond Kooskia. Thanks for sharing that incident.
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