The forecast predicted sunny weather for the next few days so we set out on a whim to drive the North Cascade Loop and check out the fall colors. Man are we glad we did because Wednesday morning was cloudy and rainy and we wouldn't have been able to take in the vistas we did.
Like previous posts, I've scaled down the 100 pictures we took to a few of the best. They should give you a sense of our trip as we travelled from Seattle to Leavenworth on day one, Leavenworth to Winthrop on day two, and Winthrop back home, with a 2.5 hour hike to Blue Lake (6,100 feet) to break up the day.
We were surprised when we reached Carlton and then Twisp that there wasn't any evidence of the horrendous forest fires there this summer. Locals told us it was in the canyons beyond the towns and highway. We did see some fire damage outside of Winthrop and near Wenatchee, but nothing like what we expected.
Day One
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Map of our trip—Seattle, Leavenworth, Winthrop, south on Highway 530
(highlighted in pink) back home |
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| Near Tumwater Canyon (Highway 2) on the way into Leavenworth |
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| Near Tumwater Canyon |
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| Tumwater Canyon |
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| Tumwater Canyon |
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| Sleeping Lady, the mountain overlooking the resort |
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| Marie checks out Icicle Creek |
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| Follow me to Sleeping Lady Resort, Leavenworth |
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| Salmon says, "Look up there, Marie." |
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| Tadpole at Sleeping Lady |
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| Tadpole netted a fisherman |
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| More fall colors |
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| Dale Chihuly Icicles at Sleeping Lady Resort |
Day Two—Leavenworth to Winthrop
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| Obviously in Winthrop |
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| The western motif is Winthrop's selling point. Note mechanical horses. |
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Winthrop is known for its wooden sidewalks
and old West specialties such as Espresso |
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Stayed here in Winthrop and we'd
recommend it |
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| View from our room |
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| View from our room |
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| View from our room |
Day Three—Winthrop across the North Cascades and home
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| Road to Cathedral just off Highway 20 |
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| Cathedral, near Washington Pass in North Cascades |
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| Liberty Bell and Early Winter Spires from Washington Pass Overlook |
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| Highway 20 through Washington Pass, 5,700 feet |
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| More from the Overlook |
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| Couldn't get enough from the Overlook |
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| Highway 20 looking back at Rainy Pass from Overlook |
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Stafford was commissioned to write poems to commemorate
the opening of pass in 1972 |
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Both poems are lovely, especially when read
from the perch at the Overlook |
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| Washington Pass Overlook is a quarter mile loop with stunning vistas |
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Yes, it's so spectacular I had to take yet another picture. Without the railing it's
a sheer drop to the valley floor where EMT's could scrape you off Highway 20 |
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| Blue Lake trail, a 4.4 mile round trip hike just beyond the summit |
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| Trail rises 1,100 feet to the lake |
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| The payoff is worth the hike |
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| Blue Lake, 6,100 feet |
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| Blue Lake, one more time |
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| Golden Larch hide rock slide |
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| Racing to favorite fishing hole on Ross Lake |
Okay, so that's it. We stopped in Darrington for a late lunch before driving home. Took Highway 530 through Oso and saw the devastation left from the slide and the memorial flag honoring the dead. Hooked up with Highway 9 in Arlington and we were back in the thick of civilization. The line of cars headed north from Seattle was constant. And then, of course, traffic headed north and south was thick once we hit Woodinville, but we didn't care because we didn't have to be anywhere the next morning or any morning for that matter. Gotta love this retirement gig.
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