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| Washington Pass - on a clear day - you can see forever! |
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| "Blue skies, smiling at me...nothing but blue skies can I see!" |
Last Monday, we fled the smoky, hazy hot sunshine of Winthrop for the North Cascades National Park. Surprisingly, there was no change. It took several days for the smoke and heat (95 degree weather) and humidity to clear out there as well,but it did, thankfully, due to thundershowers and several days of cool rain and mist. The local Washington fires now appear to be somewhat under control and the air has finally cleared with blue skies welcoming us this morning as we drove back over the Washington Pass heading east.
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| Looking north into the wilderness of the park |
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| Ahhh - high mountain peaks and granite! |
On Monday, we found the ideal camping spot at Colonial Creek Campground right on Diablo Lake. We had the perfect place to launch our kayaks and all of the miscellaneous campground noise was muffled by Colonial Creek rushing down the hill next to our site. At $36 for 6 nights - what a bargain! We're so fortunate to have this cozy little trailer when thunder and lightening threatens outside and the showers begin.
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| Simplicity and habit make it easy to set up camp |
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| Hot weather, a beautiful lake close by - let's go! |
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| On Tuesday, we kayaked up Diablo Lake almost to Ross Dam and back 10 mi RT - spectacular! |
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| Glacial silt (flour) disperses light in the water causing the unusual turquoise tint. |
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| Ridge view of where we kayaked |
Hwy 20 cuts directly through the recreation area comprised of the three main lakes in the park (Ross Lake, Diablo Lake, and Gorge Lake). The North Cascades National Park surrounds those recreation areas and can be only be reached by horseback or hiking trails. The three dams on the Skagit River, which created these lakes, were built in the early 1900's by the Seattle City Light Co. and they continue to be maintained as such today. (The national park was not designated until the late 1960's and the two entities now work cooperatively to support and encourage tourism.)
On Monday, we toured what remains of the Seattle Light company towns of Newhalum and Diablo - both charming and a step into the past.
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| Excellent accommodations for the crews building the dams |
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| Silk stocking row - Newhalum company housing for the luckier employees. |
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| Bird heaven in theNewhalum parks |
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| Visitor center color welcomed us |
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| Diablo Dam - we drove right across it - no security stopped us |
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| A version of the first turbine there |
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| Evening mist on Diablo Lake |
Late in the week, we took a short 4 mile RT hike to Ross Dam, walked across it and then hiked up around Ross Lake. We ended up at the quaint (very popular) Ross Lake resort - where the cabins rest on logs floating in the lake. Charming, but it is apparently very difficult to get a reservation there.
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| For $2 they ferried us back across the lake back to the trail. |
On Saturday, our hike up and across Thunder Creek (8 mi. RT) led us through a heavily forested, temperate rain forest where all downed trees were covered in moss. Everything there was green and lush and the air was very humid (which surprised us since we were so high in the mountains). During lunch, we dared not sit too long for fear of being smothered in green.
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| Even the rocks were covered in moss. |
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| Bridge across Fisher Creek - how did they get these huge timbers up here? |
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| Storms wreak havoc here. |
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| Don't pick the mushrooms! |
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| Thunder creek - also turquoise from the glacial silt |
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| Trailside "rest area" - but where's the door? |
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| Layers upon layers of vegetation - soft and plush like a mattress! |
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| Don't leave the trail - we'll lose you! |
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| A misty, moisty morning! |
Mid-week, to escape the thundershowers, we drove to Whitby Island to explore the coast. There we discovered the historic town of Coupeville where we enjoyed a tasty lunch at the Front Street Grill (fresh local mussels and fish & Chips).
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| Captain Ron on Coupeville wharf |
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| Participatory art |
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| The village as viewed from the wharf at low tide |
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| An original "block" house in town |
We crossed over the Deception Pass which was impressive with its massive currents - dramatically impacted by the tides. We wouldn't want to try to sail through there!
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| Deception Pass - better have a powerful motor! |
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| Deception Pass - the tide is coming in - Yikes! |
We enjoyed the hikes and kayaking in the Cascades, but were ready to move on, so this morning (Sunday) we headed back over Washington Pass to Winthrop. From here,we'll be heading south toward Lincoln Rock and Mt. Rainier. We relaxed tonight with another delightful dinner at the Arrowleaf Bistro in town (fresh caught salmon and organic chicken with farro) - topped off with Creme Brulee. Yum!
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| Goodbye to Diablo Lake - near our campsite |
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| Ernie - always looking for the perfect XMAS tree |
.....it can't get any better than this post...I felt like I was right there with you, wondered later if we could have all three slept in that Casita bed.....oops.....edit that out would you..would not want rumors to fly!
ReplyDeleteErnie you and I should have operated a Christmas tree farm, as I too am always looking for the perfect christmas tree ....years ago we discovered the perfect Xmas tree farm in Vermont, I could have put down roots and stayed there forever.
Our cool weather continues , Rocky is growing like a weed and we are looking forward to the day when he is a fully grown guy & nice & mellow!
Enjoy Mt. Rainer, my lst Nat' Park, 1966.
from Wine country
Dottie & Alice & Rocky
We enjoyed our adventures here so much, particularly discovering hikes and lakes we had never seen before! This is a beautiful area and there are tons of places to enjoy and hike here into the back country. We even discovered the actual trail that would have led us back to Steheken (near Chelan) where we started on a 10 mile hike 30 years ago heading up here. We only had 30 more miles to go and we would arrive there! Ernie is so obsessed with XMAS trees, he would have loved to join you in that XMAS tree investment venture...So happy to hear that the pup is growing up and healthy. We can't wait to meet him! Stay safe from the earthquakes!
DeleteIt's been fun traveling with you. Your stories and photos are fabulous. We have sold our 5th wheel (after 43 years of RVing), and your adventure has taken us back to many places we have visited over those years. FYI, we purchased a small "park model" home in the RV park in Gold Canyon AZ where we have wintered the last 9 years... a different adventure. Continue to have fun, be safe, and we look forward to having you on the hiking trail with us again... soon!!! Hugs Nancy Harvey
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for following our crazy adventures! We have had so much fun seeing all the places we saw so many years ago and have never had the time until now to see again! We're so glad our pictures help bring back wonderful memories for you! Congratulations on your new next adventure with your new "home" in Gold Canyon. That will be wonderful especially since it has become such a special place for both of you. We'll be back home in mid-September and we look forward to joining you all again on the hiking trails! Hugs back to you!
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