BE PATIENT~Wonderland Complex Fires; Castle Rock-WA

Last night, I had 2 posts ready to post ✍️💻 … but Blogger was on the fritz & uploading pictures was impossible 📸❌; but I was able to get those posts up this morning while drinking my morning joy juice ☕️:

MOD KNIT JACQUARD LEAVES KITCHEN TOWEL SET~Pattern; Castle Rock-WA: 

(https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/09/mod-knit-jacquard-leaves-kitchen-towel.html)

Important because my children & grandchildren have been sucked into this destructive void - COMMUNISM UNDER A PALATABLE BANNER: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2026/09/communism-under-palatable-banner.html)

When Holland woke up & looked outside, he said, "heavy smoke cloud" … so, I went online 💻 to see where it was blowing over us, from 🧐 - and my heart was pained to read the location 😲😔

There is a heavy smoke cloud over our area today … the picture shows gray - but the smoke cover is actually a dingy white.

Oh no! This is such a beautiful area; Wonderland~Mt. Rainier National Park

A view of the Wonderland Complex Fires observed by aviation firefighters.

I have not done the recorded 5-Day Hike (my lungs would never be able to do it) … but I have done 88% of the hike piece-by-piece 🚶‍♀️🥾, when Bob would drive me ❤️ to the Mountain I love - he even did a few pieces of the Wonderland Trail 👣 with me 😘

Bob & I hiked the Wonderland Trail in 2014, from my favorite haunt - Box Canyon. The trail was steep, but my lungs held up and sheer will-power transmitted to our legs & kept us moving forward 😘

Wonderland Trail~Box Canyon, Mt. Rainier National Park

Wonderland Trail~overlooking the Box Canyon parking area, Mt. Rainier National Park

Bob, on the Wonderland Trail~Box Canyon, Mt. Rainier National Park

Wonderland Trail~Box Canyon, Mt. Rainier National Park

Bob planned a surprise drive to Mowich Lake in 2016 - and that primitive hike was the most strenuous we'd ever done! But, it was also very beautiful & forever etched in my mind. It was a long drive, a steep climb, and a very loving thing my husband did for me … and with me 🥰

Mowich Lake -  located in Orting-WA, on the backside of Mount Rainer.

Bob, walking the trail around Mowich Lake-WA

Mowich Lake - so serenely beautiful.

Bob, gamely climbing the challenging trail … with a challenging leg & back.

A careless footstep here would land us in the Lake – the trail sides went straight down … the water was SO CLEAR, it was like looking through clean glass to the bottom of the Lake.

I recognize so much of this YouTube 🎞️; and I can even mentally see Bob 🧠👀 walking ahead of me on the portions he walked with me.

Hiking the Entire Wonderland Trail in Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe5YOKn9T3k&t=7s)

Even though everything I am reading tells me that the wildfire is in the "Wonderland Complex" region: I am praying that the wildfire did not damage ANY of these beautiful scenic areas; I am hoping it started & stayed in wilderness regions 🔥 off the beaten trails 🙏

{{West Fork Fire – Mount Rainier National Forest, WA

The West Fork Fire is currently the largest of five active wildfires in Mount Rainier National Park, burning about 306 acres with roughly 17% containment, and is part of the “Wonderland Complex” of fires in the White River drainage.

Location: Southeast of Sluiskin Mountain, within the West Fork of the White River drainage, part of the Wonderland Complex with the Sluiskin, White River, and Garda Falls fires.

Discovery: First reported August 23, 2026 

Current Status: Size: ~306 acres (about 232 football fields) 

Containment: 17% as of early September 2026 

Cause: Not yet reported 

Activity: Fire crews have been conducting aerial reconnaissance, water drops to cool the fire edge, and tree felling to protect perimeters. Spotting (embers igniting new fires) has occurred to the southwest, and a rappel crew had to disengage from the Garda Falls Fire due to a spot fire from the West Fork.

Firefighting Efforts: Crews are holding established lines and performing initial attack operations.

Park Closures & Access: Wonderland Trail and Grand Park area trails remain closed due to the Wonderland Complex fires. White River Road and Sunrise Road closured to vehicles; some recreational sections reopened for limited access on Sept. 5, but backcountry camps in the Grand Park area remain closed. The White River Wilderness Information Center is open; White River Campground is open only to those with wilderness permits.

https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/news/fire.htm }}

I redirected my thoughts 🤔 from the present wildfire drama … and buried my nose in the pages of a scorching Cussler-Fargo Medieval drama 🎭, that tinges present Days, with it's own unfolding drama that craftily blends then with the now 📖

Cussler-Fargo  Adventure Novel, following the trail of Attila The Hun treasure.

Lego de Garda~The Fargos help Italian authorities recapture the hijacked plunder.

The Fargos help Italian authorities recapture the hijacked plunder.

The black market thugs get heavy-handed; Remi is kidnapped & held for ransom in a wilderness compound.

Remi taken from Lego de Garda, Italy to Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Sam & Remi had always had a plan for a kidnapping scenario - they were depending on it.