June 18, 2007 ~ THE CASCADES AND THE PENINSULAS
Since we had to make the trip over to the west side for Joe’s Dr. appointment last Tuesday, we decided to make a 4 day trip of it. We went up through Wenatchee and took the scenic drive over Rt. 2 through the Cascades. Our first stop was the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, a cute little town in the Cascade foothills with quaint shops and beautiful hanging flower baskets. We continued past roadside waterfalls with the Skykomish River by our side. On the other side of the mountains, we made our way through the busy Seattle metro area to the VA Med. Center. By the time we were through and making our way out of the city, we were in rush hour traffic…ugh! We headed across the Tacoma Narrows bridge, a majestic suspension bridge (luckily it’s stronger and safer than the original), and onto the Kitsap Peninsula. Drove through Gig Harbor and made our way up to Port Orchard where we spent the first night. The next day took us across the rest of the Kitsap and over another bridge to the Olympic Peninsula where we spent some time in Sequim, the lavender capital of North America. We visited Cedarbrook Lavender and Herb Farm, and the colors and aromas were a delight to the senses. Back over the bridge on the Kitsap we picked up the Kingston-Edmonds Ferry that took us and Roxy over to the main land again. We were like a couple of kids on our first ferry trip, but as neat as it was one time, I have to think it’s got to be a pain in the butt for these folks who do it every day for work. We headed north to Mount Vernon, about 50 miles south of the Canadian border where we spent the night. Thursday morning, we took the North Cascades scenic highway loop Rt. 20 east through North Cascades National Park and the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. With the beautiful and turbulent Skagit River alongside for most of the way, it was a spectacular trip. You’ll notice the soft jade color of the river and lakes which is caused by a fine mineral that the river picks up on its journey through the glacial mountains, which reflects the green of the mountains and the blue of the sky. Dropping down on the east side of the Cascades not only brings clearer, bluer skies, but it brought us into the beautiful Okanogan National Forest and into the historic little town of Winthrop alongside the Methow River. It looks like the set from a Western movie. False-fronted wooden buildings, hitching rails and board sidewalks all create the illusion of a frontier town. This town was so neat, that we couldn’t just drive on through without spending a little time, so we spent the night in the quaint Mt. Gardner Inn. We explored Pearrygin Lake and the State Park and had dinner at 3-Finger Jack’s Saloon (the oldest legal saloon in WA State). The "Cascades & Peninsulas" album has some neat photos. Arrived home Friday night after another great trip!
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