Republic, WA

Traveling on Highway 20, we crested Sherman Pass and began our scenic descent toward Republic, Washington, a small community in Ferry County, which adjoins the Canadian border. Our destination was an RV park in the Curlew Lake area, one at which we had stayed on our journey east at the beginning of summer.  There, we enjoyed the much improved Internet signal (a new broadcaster had been added) and the new pull through site (several had been added during the summer). Despite the improvements, there was a strange sense of deja vu when a several hour power outage (which also meant the well couldn't pump) reminded us of the same thing happening during our previous visit. I don't think it was any fault of the RV park; rather, I think perhaps the area is prone to power outages.

In Republic, a small mountain town in one of Washington's poorer counties, the main street has a certain picturesque charm. From this vantage point, on the grounds of the Catholic Church, you can see how the town kind of nestles into the mountains. This deer,

also on the church grounds, was perfectly comfortable with having its picture taken, which is no doubt why deer fences like this are a common sight.

The town takes off in various directions, wherever it could find a way between the mountains. We saw this driveway taking off steeply upwards. You can't quite read the sign, but it says, "Rock Haven RV Park." I'm not sure if it's for real, but we sure wouldn't take our trailer up there. We couldn't see where anyone else had, either.

Obvious efforts have been  made to capitalize on the town's outdoorsy remoteness and its mining history. A major draw for visitors to Republic is the Stonerose Interpretive Center, where visitors can see 50 million year old fossils from the Eocene Era. For a modest fee, there is a nearby dig site where you can dig for your own fossils. After assistance in identification, diggers are allowed to keep up to 3 fossils per day. The Center is also a draw for school field trips. The Center is housed in this modest building

which was once the home of a local doctor who built a hospital next door in order to meet local medical needs.

On the grounds is a relocated early area cabin.

The Center shares its space with the local historical museum, so inside are fossil exhibits,

mining exhibits,

Native American artifacts,

and other historical exhibits.

As it was late in the day, Jan didn't go to the dig site, but looks forward to coming back another time.