Over the Mountains to the Sea!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Greg checked the tires again in the morning. The pressure was low in the one with the replaced valve. We carry an air compressor with us, so he filled it up and off we went, out of cellphone range and up into the northern Cascades. What awesome peaks! As we climbed up on Highway 20, to Washington and Rainy Passes, we were stunned by the jagged peaks with snow still clinging to them, as the summer sun and temperatures worked to melt them bare. The photos I took through the windshield don't do them justice. Truly there is a jutting wildness to the mountains here, that is not present in the Cascades farther south.

Highway 20 is the northernmost crossing of the Cascades in the US and is closed half the year.

Curbside waterfall. Lots of them on this road.

The road we were traveling on is closed in the winter, so it carries fairly heavy traffic in the summer while people are able to access this area. The trailheads were parked full, and lots of people were setting off for day, and overnight hikes. The only way to get a true taste of this area and the Northern Cascades National Park, is to hike in. No hiking for us today. Our flat had put us a day behind, and we were anxious to get to “civilization”.

Perfect, U-shaped glacial valley

Avalanche chutes and waterfalls everywhere we looked

Ross Lake winds north into Canada

Looking up at Ross Lake Dam

We stopped for a break in the Northern Cascades National Park, on the west side of the high passes, to view Ross Lake and Diablo Lake. They are both formed by dams. Diablo Dam was built in 1929 with no road access in this rugged region. They are both owned by Seattle Light and power the city. We enjoyed the high viewpoint over Diablo Lake and the milky green color of the glacier rock-flour-tinted water. We got good closeup looks at the ravens who were sitting on the railings and loudly squawking for humans to feed them.

Vocal resident of North Cascades National Park

Posing with his bling - Two leg bands!

Yet another critic!

The sign promised we would see Pikas in these rocks.

Looking upstream along Diablo Lake

Diablo Lake with Thunder Bay on the left

Diablo Dam, looking from the wet side

Seattle Power must have been thrilled to find a significant local fault just above their over-300-foot high dam

From there we descended along the Skagit River Valley and the area where masses of bald eagles gather in the winter months to eat the spawning salmon. No eagles today. This side of the Cascades becomes suddenly moist. The deciduous trees become interspersed with the evergreens, and along the river we saw characteristics of the coastal rainforests. Soon we were in Burlington, found the I-5, and then the shore road along Puget Sound that would carry us to Larrabee State Park.


Camping options are few in Bellingham. It was a $40 plus tax, (high in Washington), private park, or a $20 a night dry camping spot at Larrabee. We chose the latter, and wound up a few sites from the railroad tracks. Trains through all day and night. We hiked to the beach after we took showers, (Yay!), and the beach wasn't much to see or experience, especially after all the amazing beaches we have experienced on the Oregon and Olympic coasts. Oh, well, we are here on business.

Looking north along the shore line below our Larrabee State Park camp.

Orcas Island in the San Juans across the water

The beach was rocky and weedy, nice sandstone outcrops

Kayaker with canine navigator

Due to urban pollution, warnings about shellfish and even wading!

Today we are sitting in the Mercedes dealer in Bellingham waiting for the oil and fuel filter change. We discovered a Trader Joe's nearby, so after the work on the rig, we'll head over there. Tonight we'll prepare to cross the border to Canada tomorrow. While we are in Canada we will not have use of our phones or MIFI, so we'll need to rely on public wireless spots. We'll post when we can. Tuesday, July 1, we'll get on the ferry at Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and spend 18 hours traveling to Prince Rupert, BC. From there we will take the Cassiar Highway north to the Alaska Highway, and on up through the Yukon and into Alaska. Bye for now!

The reward for a long morning waiting for RV maintenance

Ales in the Washington sun, er, brightish clouds.

Grilled Pesto Salmon on Foccacia

Time to stock up on organic food while we can.