Beautiful, Gorgeous, Heartbreaking

 

Starbaby goes by lots of names. Mark gave her the nickname FOMO when she was a puppy because she’s always had a “Fear Of Missing Out”. One reason we choose to travel, within the United States in a camper, opposed to any other sort of travel, is because Starbaby can go too. When we began this trip in January, we knew our little dog was ill. I won’t go into the particulars of her illness but a result of her condition, over time, is the development of cataracts that eventually cause blindness. This week we’ve tried to come to terms with the fact that Starbaby has lost all or most of her sight. This latest trial hasn’t changed the fact that she still wants to go wherever we go and do whatever we do. I’ve been so thankful that the eastern side of the North Cascades National Park complex have had an abundance of epic dog friendly hiking trails for our little FOMO. Even though I have to carry her most of the way, she’s not missing out and can still hear, smell and feel all the wildness around her.

North Cascade Scenic Highway

 

Unwilling to say goodbye to the North Cascades, we decided to pull our trailer through the park, on the North Cascade Scenic Highway, to see what was on the other side. What a good choice that was. The drive was spectacular and the mountains continued to awe and inspire us. When we came down from Washington Pass we stopped in a small community called Mazama for coffee and second breakfast, thanks to a recommendation from our friend, Joyce.

We then passed through the western-themed town of Winthrop on our way to Pearrygin State Park where we planned to spend the week. Winthrop is an unusual place with a population of about 400. It underwent a westernization makeover, in the early 1970’s, after learning travelers would begin driving through the town daily, upon the completion of Highway 20, connecting western and eastern Washington. To encourage travelers to stop, the town opted to put up Old West facades, dig up the sidewalks and put in wooden boardwalks.  Each downtown business was required to contribute $2000 to the westernization effort. Two restaurants and a hotel refused to participate in the project so the local Kiwanis Club bought out those businesses to achieve 100% participation. Soon after the project was completed a local businessman recalled, “We went from a town that was about hunting, fishing and farmers to one with thousands of people who wanted souvenirs…quite a culture shock.”

The photo I’ve posted came from a newspaper article, in 1973, showing the change after westernization occurred. I’m not sure how the hunting, fishing and farming have fared in Winthrop, over the last fifty years, but the tourism trade is definitely thriving.

Summer Solstice

 

It rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest. As a result, this part of the country has over 700 kinds of mosses. Locals note that “a rolling stone may even be able to collect moss here.” During our stay we’ve had many moss nurturing days. I’ve gotten used to hiking with an umbrella.

Some of the local farms, around our campground, have cattle (Highland) with long fur coats. We figured they’d probably be pretty comfortable when a rainy cold front, with highs in the 50’s and snow in the mountains was forecast to arrive in the area, in time for the first day of summer. We decided it might be more comfortable for us to lock up our camper and book a hotel room for a couple of nights. We found a great rate in Bellingham and enjoyed having a mini vacation without any weather worries.

When we returned to our campsite we discovered friends we met over three weeks ago, when we were at Cape Disappointment, camping just a few sites away from us. They invited us over for appetizers and fellowship. The sun finally came out. Thanks to Anne and Don and a little rest and relaxation we had a pretty cool ending to the longest day of the year.

Wild, Rugged, Remote

 

If I were given the task of designing a national park, North Cascades National Park would be my model. There is only one paved road in the park (highway 20). This road traverses the park east to west and covers an area the size of Yellowstone. Built in 1972, the road only offers glimpses of the impassable gorges, snow capped peaks and glacier fed lakes in the 500,000 acre wilderness. To really “see” the park you have to walk. The park’s isolation and rugged terrain have kept human development to a minimum. It’s a hiking/backpacking paradise.

Because of the park’s 312 glaciers, it’s often referred to as the American Alps. Many of the lakes in the park are an unusual turquoise color caused by finely ground rock particles (commonly called glacier flour) deposited by glacial melt water. When you see these lakes it’s hard to believe they are 100% real, 0% filter; just nature.

Mountain and Music

 

“Of all the fire mountains which like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest.”- John Muir 

Mount Rainier is the tallest mountain in Washington and the most glaciated peak in the continuous US. We were hoping for a clear day, when we visited the national park, so we could really see it. We got one and were truly amazed by this “noble” mountain. Mark watched Starbaby so I could do a long hike in the park. I loved every mile.

Today is our last day in the area. We’ve had unusual, clear and sunny weather for our stay so we didn’t grumble yesterday when much needed rain came. We took the opportunity to meet longtime friends, Tom and Karen, for breakfast at a diner.

Tom knows more about music than most anyone I’ve ever known. He and I met on a music tour, sixteen years ago, in England. I was fascinated, at the time, by Tom’s music knowledge but also his brilliant idea of disposable clothes for traveling. Before a trip he gathers clothes whose life cycle is over; items from lost-n-found, thrift stores or his own closet.….just regular clothes to wear one last time before discarding. By the end of a trip his suitcase is practically empty and available for any new items he might have purchased in his travels; new clothes, souvenirs, music memorabilia.

Tom is also one of those rare people who possess a wealth of knowledge no one else seems to know. He told us at the end of our visit, we could probably pick up an AM station, on the radio, (where we are staying) called KBRD 680 that broadcasts a nostalgia format unlike any other radio station. The owner of KBRD (k-bird) started the station from his living room, 29 years ago, naming it after his bird, BJ. The goal was to preserve music from the first half of the 20th century. It’s like a music museum. Today, we’re listening to KBRD, and thankful for a lifestyle that allows us to discover so many new things while reconnecting with far away friends.

Family

 I’ve always loved comedian George Burns’s quote about family; “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” Of course it’s even better if it’s an interesting city. My cousin, Larry, and his wife, Janine, live in Olympia, the state capital of Washington. In our travels, Mark and I love visiting capital cities; especially the ones everyone almost always gets wrong on a U.S. State Capital quiz. You know the ones I’m referring to: Springfield, IL - Harrisburg, PA - Salem, OR - Lansing, MI - Raleigh, NC and Olympia, WA. Being invited to visit Larry and Janine allowed us to get a check mark for time spent in a hard to remember capital, but also presented the opportunity to see their beautiful home on the Puget Sound. We loved our afternoon with them; catching up over a delicious lunch, watching the tide come in and learning how to paddle board.

As I’ve noted before, Mark and I realize these road trips are mostly about the journey but it certainly makes the journey more enjoyable reaching destinations where family and friends make you feel part of something bigger than yourself.

Olympic

 

This week we are “based” at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Air Force/Army base, outside Tacoma, Washington. We chose this location so we can do day trips to explore Olympic National Park northwest of us and Rainer National Park northeast. It’s also a central location where we hope to touch base with family and friends in the area.

Our first exploration, after getting settled here was in Olympic National Park. Very few places provide the diversity Olympic offers; dramatic undeveloped coastline, rugged mountains and enchanted forests. Since we’d just spent a week on the coast we decided to explore the Staircase wilderness area of the park where the Skokomish River flows through lush forests creating cascades and rapids. 

There are ten named sections of Olympic park. The coastal area is comprised of Ozette, Mora and Kalaloch. Forests and big trees can be found at Elena, Sol Duc, Dosewallips and Staircase. The rain forests are Hoh and Quinault. Mountains and glaciers can be found at Hurricane Ridge. After reading over the list of the ten sections, I realize that other than Staircase, the only other section’s name I can pronounce, with confidence, is Hurricane Ridge. Because no roads go through the park, it’s difficult to explore more than one section in a day. That leaves nine more visits before we can say we’ve truly seen Olympic and plenty of time to download a pronunciation app.