Vacation Part 4: Heading for Eastern Washington

After breaking camp at Ohannapecosh, we headed for a place called Elbe, the place from which we once took a scenic train ride around Mt. Rainier.

However, during the early part of the spring, some of the snowmelt washed out both a road and a section of track at the edge of the park where the train used to run.

We arrived in Elbe to learn that the train now boarded 10 miles away in a little town called Mineral, and that it wasn't running at all that particular day, so we opted to go ahead and head to my sister's house in Eastern Washington and take the train ride on our way back in a few days.

While doubling back on the road we'd taken to get to the camp, we came across this kitchy chainsaw-carved scene:

Of Jesus holding a fawn.



Or maybe it's a small Llama.



Awww, and look at that cute little bear cub at His feet.

It was done in a woodland theme and appeared to have been carved from a tree that was at one time standing there, another tree having fallen behind the statue of Jesus and left there...until some well-intentioned chainsaw artist came along and worked his artistry on it.



From the front, it seemed a quaint and even medatative place, with rustic split log benches scattered around the area for folks to sit on.

While I can't think of a single scriptural reference about Jesus that includes a fawn and a bear...I know there are independant references about deer and bear to be found in the Bible.

Given that this was a mountain area, I figured the artist probably made a living for himself carving bears and other rustic woodland critters out of large logs on folks property...and it was thoughtful of the artist to create a scene involving Jesus for this country church.

However, it wasn't until I saw things from this angle that I noticed that things seemed somehow amiss.



I'm so confused...what is the meaning of all this?



As FrumpGram put it, "Get thee behind me...mating bears!"

Only in Packwood, Washington!