WASHINGTON

Mount Baker     (courtesy of Jim)

As I sit and look at the snow outside my window, I realize that I am almost past the point of writing about the rest of my summer...but I do want to post the pictures that I took and talk about the visit with my friend, Bill, from grade school, and his lovely wife, Patee.

We arrived in Washington state July 18th, after an enjoyable month spent visiting my brother and his family in Oregon. We settled in a small town called Marblemount, inland about 50 miles from the coast, at the south end of North Cascades National Park. Our original intention was to stay there 2 weeks, then move over to the coast. Our habit of not making reservations caused us to change those plans....everything was booked, plus, since it was "the season" (summer), the prices were ridiculous. So, we settled into Marblemount for the duration.

Our spot in Alpine RV Park

We really loved our little RV park, Alpine RV Park on Highway 20. The folks there were very friendly and hospitable. There were 3 sets of "camp hosts" that alternated duties so that they could see the area themselves. Pam and Dick, Gloria and Dave and Alan and Sarah made sure our stay was comfortable. We liked the park so much, we ended up staying 2 months, plus a little longer when Highway 20 was closed due to mud slides at the end of our stay!

Hiking in North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park  is over 650,000 acres of beautiful mountains, cascading waterfalls and awesome views. We spent a lot of time driving around the area, visiting the Ross Lake area and the Lake Chelan recreation area. 

On the road to Lake Chelan out of Marblemount

View of a glacier on Lake Chelan Road

 Like our visit to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last year, this place is covered with water attractions: lakes, streams, creeks, waterfalls. We enjoyed quite a few of them in our explorations. Many times we would pack a lunch and just find someplace beautiful to eat it...that would be the highlight of our day.

One of our lunch sites

Another beautiful place to eat lunch!

No shortage of beautiful scenery

 










For "big city" excitement, we would travel to Mount Vernon and Burlington on the coast. Thank God, there was a Costco in Mount Vernon! Nearby, the town of Concrete had its' attractions. The first weekend after we arrived, the airport had a "Fly In" event, hosting small airplanes from all over. Jim and I really enjoyed watching them land and take off from this small airport....kind of a "carnival" atmosphere, with food, etc. Fun. 

 Another event we were privileged to witness was Concrete's "Cascade Days" Parade....I love home town parades! Every group around was represented, including the candidates for the upcoming elections and the local ladies' exercise school/class. 

Not exactly sure what he represented, but...fun!

Cascade Days Parade

Visits to several local wineries were mandated as well....the Challenger Ridge Winery, located in Concrete, was a really fun place to visit. The staff couldn't have been more welcoming and informative about the area and their wines. The woman doing our wine tasting hooked Jim with an offer to taste their brandy. She took us into a separate tasting room (some Washington liquor law) and let us taste their apple brandy....pretty wonderful. Jim bought 2 bottles!

Challenger Ridge Winery

That same day, we stopped by the winery near Marblemount, the Glacier Peak Winery. What a disappointment. The woman in there was actually surly, pouring our first taste and walking away to do other things...no chatting, no information about the wine....and crappy wine! We left after the first glass. We were glad we'd gone to the Challenger Ridge Winery first! They couldn't have been nicer...and we spent $150 at their winery. Glacier Peak should take a page out of Challenger's book.


Mount Baker was another of our "must see" destinations. We saw Mount Baker from every conceivable angle over the course of our visit. Beautiful! All of the mountains surrounding us still had snow on them in July and August. That amazed me. 

Mount Baker in the background

Nooksack Falls on Nooksack River (Jim's photo)

 















Highway 20 was our major roadway when we traveled both north and south. Highway 20 pretty much follows the Skagit River, which is the most astounding color. We were told the color of the water had to do with the mineral content of the surrounding environment. It is the most surreal aquamarine color. Pictures don't do it justice. Amazing river.

On the road to Mount Baker

Traveling toward Mount Vernon, there is a wildlife viewing meadow right on Hwy 20. We had several opportunities to see large elk herds. We would sit for an hour or two and watch them. I took a hundred photos, but none were very good. I'm hoping Jim did better. If so, I will include one. Herd animals are interesting to watch. It was weird to be driving down the road and see these animals, not bothered by humans at all.

Jim's elk

My friend, Bill, lives in Concrete, about 16 miles from Marblemount. We went to grade school together in Fullerton, California, way back in the 60's. We have been in touch via FaceBook for several years so when I knew we were going to be in Washington, we made plans to get together. I am so glad we did! We met up with he and his wife, Patee, at the Saturday market, had dinner with them at the Birdsview Brewery, dinner at the Marblemount Cafe and dinner at Mi Mexico Mexican Restaurant. One night they came over to our RV park for a campfire.....we had such a good time! Thank you, Bill and Patee, for spending time with us while we were in your neighborhood. In our travels, it is rare that we get to see actual friends, making our stay in Washington special.

Bill and Patee