Skookum visits "Hawaii". Columbia River Belt Line Railway #7, "Skookum" sets a leisurely pace as she hauls her empty log bunks through Wheeler Heights, just outside the Oregon town of Wheeler. Running along the shore of Tillamook Bay, past lush green grass and with forested mountains in the background, our Charter Leader, Kevin Gilliam nicknamed this place "Hawaii" because his summertime version of this shot during Pete Lerro's 2018 charter really does look a bit like it came from the 50th state. About the only thing we're missing here is some nice green foliage on the trees in the foreground. This was our last shot of Skookum on this charter and it was probably a good thing. Not two hours later, during her shove back to Garibaldi, she broke another eccentric rod....a nasty habit she's developed lately. Fortunately, the crew from the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad was able to repair her yet again, and she performed on one of the two days of a subsequent charter without problems.
