Weird things in the woods

Tom Butler · Sep 25, 2023

As a land surveyor I spent a lot of time running lines in the mountains. It was not uncommon, after we would start a job, to start to find obstacles in the access roads. One day we got back to where we parked our 4 wheeler. It was nowhere to be found, but the key was in my pocket. Another time one of the neighboring land owners came crashing through the woods yelling about surveyors and shooting his gun in the air. That was fun.

Stonedfish · Sep 26, 2023

Not in the woods per se, but near Cle Elum on the Yakima river. I found a stretch that fished great, but it was a long hike to get there and required multiple river crossings. I noticed some houses next to the river on the other side. The next time I was over there fishing, I thought I'd ask for permission to fish their property. I drove down a gravel road to the last house. I parked and went up and knocked on the front door. I could see someone had come from the back of the house, but they were kneeling down low and walking behind a fence and some bushes, like they were hiding from me. I followed them with my eyes and a guy finally popped up and is now behind me, between me and my rig. He asked what I wanted and I explained I was hoping to fish his property. Usually you get a yes or no answer, but he said now wasn't a good time, could I come back some other time. He seemed super nervous and I thought his answer was a bit odd. About that time, two people ran out the front door and hopped into a vehicle and left the property at a high rate of speed. I'm not sure what activities I interrupted or who they thought I was, but something funky was going on there.
This property wasn't far from my Yakima bridge encounter with a tweaker who proclaimed "most fisherman are cool, but you're a dick. I'm going to fuck-up your fishing".

SF

Northern · Sep 26, 2023

Not really strange, but unnerving at the time:

About 10 years ago in early September, a girlfriend and I were at one of the campgrounds on the American River near Naches, sitting by the campfire chatting in the dark. At some point, three fighter jets went over, one after the other, presumably from the Yakima base and heading towards Seattle. After a minute, another followed. Then another, and another...we went quiet and watched as ten or 12 beelined west, with a deepening sense of unease. A silent couple minutes passed after the last one, then my buddy stands up and says "I'm just gonna go listen to the radio in the car for a few minutes"
"Good idea"
She heard no news of any military shenanigans, and we eventually realized that the jets were probably going over to do an aerial display for a 9/11 memorial that weekend.

The funny part was after I got home and was telling that story to my then 12 yo daughter. Her response was "Well that would have been ok for you guys, you'd have been safe out there!"
I laughed and said "Yeah, except our kids were all in Seattle!"
She looked at me for a few seconds and replied "Wow. It must suck to be an adult!"

Matt B · Sep 30, 2023

Not too weird, but notable things from the woods today:

Jim in Anacortes · Sep 30, 2023

Lobster mushrooms are one of my favorites. Fried in butter they are truly a treat. Right now seems like a perfect time to hunt for them ..and the Chanterelles

Tallguy · Sep 30, 2023

I got several pounds of chanterelles today along with 2 lobster. I like lobster too. More than chanterelles.

Had fresh coho dinner with chanterelle mushroom cream sauce on top of mashed potatoes for dinner. A true late Sept dinner feast.

Tallguy · Sep 30, 2023

The ones I didn't cook up for dinner.

Jim in Anacortes · Sep 30, 2023

Wow that is some class A culinary fixings going on. Chanterelles make such good soup and sauces, and the Lobster mushrooms just can not be beat. I like mushroom Pizza, used correctly these can make a mushroom pizza that has no equal.

Jim in Anacortes · Sep 30, 2023

For a shot cut, I buy a "Mediterranean" thin crust frozen pizza and add sautéed wild mushrooms...absolutely delicious.

Kilchis · Sep 30, 2023

I've never been able to discern any flavor from the chanterelles I have gathered, other than whatever was cooked with them, i.e. salt, butter, et al. I must be doing something wrong.

sleestak · Sep 30, 2023

Northern said:
Not really strange, but unnerving at the time:

About 10 years ago in early September, a girlfriend and I were at one of the campgrounds on the American River near Naches, sitting by the campfire chatting in the dark. At some point, three fighter jets went over, one after the other, presumably from the Yakima base and heading towards Seattle. After a minute, another followed. Then another, and another...we went quiet and watched as ten or 12 beelined west, with a deepening sense of unease. A silent couple minutes passed after the last one, then my buddy stands up and says "I'm just gonna go listen to the radio in the car for a few minutes"
"Good idea"
She heard no news of any military shenanigans, and we eventually realized that the jets were probably going over to do an aerial display for a 9/11 memorial that weekend.

The funny part was after I got home and was telling that story to my then 12 yo daughter. Her response was "Well that would have been ok for you guys, you'd have been safe out there!"
I laughed and said "Yeah, except our kids were all in Seattle!"
She looked at me for a few seconds and replied "Wow. It must suck to be an adult!"

You almost certainly encountered EA-6s or EA-18s from Whidbey flying on the infamous VR1350 and VR1355 route. These are low level high speed training routes through the Cascades. There are a number of videos you can watch on YouTube filmed from the aircraft flying this route.

wanderingrichard · Oct 1, 2023

Weird things in the woods.... hmmm.... okay
Not Washington but Texas, mid 1980's.
My brigade of 1st Cav was in the "back 40" for a sumner exercise. Around 8 pm, one of my troops tells me "Sarge, there's some people out here in front
of us doing something with a goat." I walk out to his spot and pull my scope up, and about 8 people are getting ready to do a pagan sacrifice in the middle of the maneuver area. So I call it in to higher, they come check it out and call range control, and range control sends out the MP's and a federal game warden.
The whoopie lights scatter these guys like roaches, but it's too late for them, they all get caught. Find out later, they've been meeting in that spot for over 15 years and nobody had ever seen them or called them in. ( what they were charged with was Trespassing on Federal Installation)

Jim F. · Oct 1, 2023

sleestak said:
You almost certainly encountered EA-6s or EA-18s from Whidbey flying on the infamous VR1350 and VR1355 route. These are low level high speed training routes through the Cascades. There are a number of videos you can watch on YouTube filmed from the aircraft flying this route.

I was hunting grouse in the Cascades high up on a steep slope when I heard the scream of jet engines. As I looked around I finally spotted a glimpse of one . . . it was below me . . .

Northern · Oct 1, 2023

sleestak said:
You almost certainly encountered EA-6s or EA-18s from Whidbey flying on the infamous VR1350 and VR1355 route. These are low level high speed training routes through the Cascades. There are a number of videos you can watch on YouTube filmed from the aircraft flying this route.

Lol. I'll have to take your word on that!
You know, my neighbor (understandably, as he's a pilot) and my husband (more perplexing, as he's a toxicologist with no expressed interest in aircraft) will watch a plane go over a bazillion feet up and have a brief discussion that goes something like
"Z21 gleebocaster?"
"Z22. It has the tail gahoozit"
"Oh, right"

I've concluded that the gene that allows men to glance up and identify aircraft resides on the Y chromosome

Tallguy · Oct 1, 2023

Kilchis said:
I've never been able to discern any flavor from the chanterelles I have gathered, other than whatever was cooked with them, i.e. salt, butter, et al. I must be doing something wrong.

I don't think chanterelles have any amazing strong flavor either, and what they are cooked in (like the butter and cream) carries lots of the flavor. I do find that I have to sautee them a long time to really have any nutty flavors develop. Start with higher heat to dewater, then I usually sautee them in butter at low- medium heat for an hour or so ( but I make big batches). You should see the brown crispyness edges be there for most of them when done. Taste often along the way.

Lobsters have better flavor, plus they have a bit of the crunch texture that makes them better.