The weather forecast for the next few
days in Washington State was lousy – rain, much colder temperatures and snow at
higher elevations. We’ve had amazing
weather for more than a week, so we really shouldn’t complain. We decided to begin our climb over the
Cascade Range to outrun the worst of the predicted weather. We really didn’t want to be caught in the
snow as we crossed the mountains.
Before we headed east, we detoured
through the small town of La Conner.
Known for its Rainbow Bridge, Victorian buildings and arts community, La
Conner seemed to be a charming place and one to return to. We drove through the downtown area and passed
by some of the fields that had been carpeted with glorious tulips just last
month. The Skagit Valley is home to the
largest commercial bulb industry outside of Holland, and it must be a sight to
behold when the tulips are blooming.
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Rainbow Bridge |
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Downtown La Conner |
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Great Victorian Architecture |
The North Cascades Scenic Highway, one
of the nation’s most spectacular mountain drives, was our route today. The drive was magnificent, even though the mountains
were mostly obscured by rain, fog and low-hanging clouds. The North Cascades have long been known as
the North American Alps, a fitting
description for this rugged, wild and steep mountain range. There are more glaciers here than anywhere outside
Alaska.
Most of these mountains are included
within North Cascades National Park. The
park is primarily wilderness, and the highway doesn’t actually go through the
park. In fact, it is almost impossible
to drive to the park. The main highway actually
passes through the Ross Lake National Recreation Area, which encompasses three beautiful
lakes that were created when dams were constructed here before the national
park was established in 1968. I’m not
even sure we touched the park, although we learned about it through the excellent
interpretive exhibits at the Visitor Center.
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The Picket Range Is Usually Visible from the Visitor Center |
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The Snow Never Melts on Some of the Peaks |
Through the fog, we were able to catch
glimpses of the rugged peaks, the Skagit River and oodles of rushing waterfalls. Today’s weather didn’t lend itself to a hike,
but we took advantage of the many viewpoints and admired Diablo Lake from
above.
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Skagit River |
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Waterfalls Were Flowing Freely |
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Diablo Lake |
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The Color of Diable Lake Is Beautiful |
As we climbed higher in elevation, we
once more encountered snowbanks along the sides of the road. The highway is closed in the winter and had
only reopened ten days ago. We descended
into a lovely valley on the dry side of the Cascade Range, and almost
immediately, the rain began to lessen and the sun soon peeked out from behind
the clouds. I think I like the dry side
of the Cascades.
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At the High Point on the Highway |
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Now, Where Do We Go?
(Most of the Viewpoints and Trailheads Are Still Snowbound) |
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A Wild and Rugged Part of the Country |
the photo from Diable Lake reminds me of the fjords in Norway....how impressive! ..a little red wine for the rainy ferry ride? AG
ReplyDeleteAG, I would love to visit the fjords of Norway. And no, there was no red wine on the ferry, but it has been my duty to sample some of the great Washington wines. Sarah
DeleteThe high point on the highway reminds me of the mountains in Colorado . Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of similarities between the two mountain ranges. I agree that they are beautiful but I am a mountain girl! Sarah
DeleteIt does look like the Alps up there! It seems like you drove through all 4 seasons crossing that range. LV
ReplyDeleteLV, I would also love to visit the Alps. I think we did hit all of the seasons on that drive. It was amazing. Sarah
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