Darrington Days~

Mule Barn

Today we were on the road early, heading to Darrington to set up the information booth for the Centennial Trail Coalition.  Our first stop was the Mule Barn, near the Darrington end of the Whitehorse Trail, to pick up display easels.  We found it locked, so on to George's garage for our inventory.

The "early birds" helped with the awning covers~

We arrived at Old School Park - it was still early.  Blue sky, light breeze, moderate temperature.  It was a friendly group, mostly volunteers - with plenty to get done.  It wasn't long before the covers were up & we were setting up our tables with brochures, display items & t-shirts.

Our booth~

 The Forest Service had one end, hikers next, B.I.K.E.S & then the CTCSC.  There were different spots all over town with a variety of displays, crafts, etc.

There were several speeches by local dignitaries~

 We had a steady stream of visitors throughout the afternoon.  Everyone happy to hear about the improvements taking place on the Whitehorse Trail!  Many people had already been out on the trail & were asking when this or that section would be completed.

New Wood Carving~

  This amazing wood carving was donated to the city of Darrington.  At 3 p.m. we were done for the day, so packed up & decided to see what was going on with the bridges on the trail for ourselves.  First we picked up shakes & fries at Burger Barn!

Cicero Bridge

 The Cicero Bridge decking is done!  Just some bollards to be placed on the far end, fencing to finish & it's done!  The trail both directions has been brushed - things are moving forward!

From the bridge looking over at 530 bridge~

It's another beautiful bridge, with beautiful views of the river.  There were people sitting in lawn chairs down in the water.  Levels are so low, more like late Summer, rather than late spring.  Thinking back on all the years that we worked to get the Centennial Trail through - many times it seemed an impossible task.  Now, the Whitehorse Trail - years ahead of anyone's dream...  It took a terrible disaster to get things rolling - but what a tribute to the tenancy of the people of this area, combined with the hard work of County Parks -  that this trail too, will open far ahead of projections!