A portion of the Big Valley Trail is closed to provide protection for a pair of nesting sandhill cranes. Parts of the trail remain accessible for a variety of activities.
If there was one phrase that was the most frequently heard over Memorial Day weekend, it was: “It feels like pre-pandemic.” There were so many joyful people out and about, taking in all that the Methow has to offer, that it felt like the “good old days.”
The Methow Valley Farmers Market, Senior Citizens’ Western Sale and Community Center’s Book Sale were packed. The smell of donuts, teriyaki, tacos and pasta wafted through the air. Greetings were shared with folks we haven’t seen for a while. “Getting ready for summer pack trips, TR?” “Where you working now, Tani?” “How are the baby lambs, Johnnie?” Most all of us — introvert or extravert — missed the human and community connection during the two long years spent in the clutches of an ugly little virus.
Visitors flooded the valley filling up RV parks, campgrounds and lodging facilities. Tents popped up in private meadows like morels in the forest burn. With rodeo events, live music and the usual plethora of outdoor activities, our towns were humming with visitors and locals alike. There shouldn’t be too much complaining about the traffic backup at the four-way stop. Remember when there wasn’t a car to be seen in town and businesses were shuttered? That ghost town feeling was eerie.
We should also not despair that a portion of the Big Valley Trail is closed in order to protect the lovebirds nesting there. The couple of sandhill cranes are attempting to bring their little offspring into the world. The parents mated for life based on dancing displays, which includes stretching their large wings, pumping their heads, bowing and leaping into the air. Imagine if we humans had to woo a mate like that! If the pair can keep at least one nestling alive (the usual survival rate), the little colt — so named because of its long, strong legs — will stay with mom and dad all through the winter.
Big Valley Trail is still accessible to just beyond where the trail meets the river. It’s a beauty of a trail and perfect for horses, bicyclists, walkers and runners. Dogs must be leashed at the current time. Families will find the trail easy for children on small bikes and babies in strollers.
Always a good reminder each year about trail etiquette: Bicyclists yield to both horses and people on foot; people on foot yield to horses; horse riders can offer their preference as to who passes whom depending upon the horse’s needs and the portion of the trail where the two meet. Politeness is the key.
There are numerous new nesting houses for birds on the trail. If you watch carefully, you may see the little occupant poke its head out. Certainly, the sounds of the bird songs are music to the ears in the quiet of the forest.
Another forest creature has been frequenting neighborhoods in Mazama. Most of the neighbors on our lane caught sight of a cinnamon bear this past week roving the properties before heading back onto U.S. Forest Service land. It’s pretty cool to see one — at a distance!
The Mazama Community Club’s World Famous Pancake Breakfast drew a healthy crowd for breakfast, fun run and pickleball. The goal of the club was to make it a fun, family-oriented event, and the organizers and volunteers felt like that goal was achieved. Comments most often heard by the breakfast crew were that it was an event that had always been looked forward to, which translates to, “Glad you are back!” Good work, folks!
