Friday, July 13, 2018
Day 29
189 miles
Friday, July 13, was a lucky day for Daisy and me because we
were traveling west together through some beautiful country in northern
Washington that I remember well.
State route
20 is called the North Cascades Scenic Highway and part of it goes through the
Okanogan National Forest, where I worked in the early 1980s. 
The
Okanogan valley is a prime fruit-growing area, and we saw many acres of apple,
peach, cherry, and apricot trees.
Some of
the orchards were covered with netting to protect the fruit from sunburn and
damage from hail and insects.
Other agricultural areas were wheel-irrigated, and we saw hay in both large round and
smaller rectangular bales.
We also enjoyed the colorful wildflowers growing on the roadsides, such as these fireweeds.
Dry
conditions can be a problem this time of the year, so burn bans were common.
We sometimes shared the highway with motorcyclists….
….and in other places with bicyclists. On the steep uphill ascents I felt sorry for them.
It was
pleasant to see rivers flowing along the highway, in this case the Methow
River near the tourist town of Winthrop.
As the elevation increased, we noticed that the snow on the mountains wasn’t as far above our level….
….and
eventually there were patches of snow right beside us on the side of the road.
The outside temperature was in the low 50s, but it takes a long time for deep
winter snowbanks to melt.
The high point on the highway was Washington Pass, at an elevation of 5,477 feet—over a mile above sea level.
We stopped at the Washington Pass Overlook: time for a truck camper photo op! This may be on the calendar we make for 2019 with photos of our home on the road in various locations.
As the highway descended, we had many more wonderful views of snow-capped peaks, such as this one of Jack Mountain (9,066 ft.)
We drove
along the banks of Diablo Lake, which was formed by damming the Skagit River
for hydro-electric power for the Seattle area. The turquoise color is because
of the light reflected from the rock flour in the glacier-fed waters.
Daisy and I
had lunch on the patio of a small roadside diner, and she couldn’t pass up this
photo op of me by the huge hemlock tree near our table. Notice the metal
sculpture of a bald eagle attached to the tree at the right of the photo.
It was great to spend some time with Teressa Luhaorg. That Friday evening there was a “meet and greet” around the community firepit, and Teressa made sure we were introduced to everyone.
Stephen and Jan Campbell met us at the office when we checked in on Friday and invited us to their home for dinner, and of course time to visit.
Saturday, July 14
Day 31
Elevation: 315 ft
Saturday was the day for sightseeing with Jack and Cassandra Bazhaw, who drove down from their home in Bellingham to pick us up.
We went to the seaport community of Anacortes and had lunch at the Rockfish Grill, which also features local beers from the Anacortes Brewery.
They took us to the harbor—a lovely setting with everything from small fishing boats to huge yachts.
And we had
tasty ice cream for dessert from a Lopez Island Creamery food truck. No, I
wasn’t a two-fisted eater—the cone in my right hand was for Daisy!
We had several dramatic views of Mount Baker as we toured the northwestern Washington area on our way back to the resort.
Our truck camper site was shaded by trees and close to the community areas, which was very convenient. For example, we went to Karaoke Night, and of course I sang some special songs to Daisy to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary - (My Girl, You Are So Beautiful, and My Way). We even danced a few!
Sunday, July 15
Day 31
Bill and Tara took us to an interesting natural feature in northern Puget Sound called Deception Pass, which is a strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island and connecting Skagit Bay with the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
In the
background of the photo below is the bridge over Deception Pass that is on the
National Register of Historic Places. The Pass was named in 1792 by British
explorer Captain George Vancouver, who realized that these narrow waterways and
intricate shorelines had fooled his crew. They originally thought that what is
now known to be Whidbey Island was a peninsula.
Deception Pass is a dramatic seascape in which the tidal flow and whirlpools beneath the bridge move quickly and the depth varies from 25 to 220 feet. During ebb and flood tide the current speed reaches about 8 knots (9.2 mph), flowing in opposite directions between ebb and flood. This swift current can lead to standing waves, large whirlpools, and roiling eddies. Boats often wait on either side of the pass for the current to stop or change direction before going through.
Back at the campground, we had a potluck dinner with Steve and Jan and Bill and Tara to wrap up a
wonderful time together. It was a fitting ending to a great day with friends.
The crescent moon and Venus, suspended in close proximity, provided a lovely sight outside the back window of our truck camper.
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